# CXLV explained — Short Works

> Chapter companion for Short Works by Epictetus.

## What happens

A concise maxim advising that providing a good education for one's children is of greater value than leaving them material wealth, as the prospects of a learned person surpass the riches of an ignorant one.

## Themes in this chapter

### Practical Ethics and Self-Discipline

The chapter offers direct, practical ethical guidance on parenting and legacy, emphasizing the cultivation of internal qualities (education) over external possessions (wealth).

### Moderation and Simplicity

Implies a critique of valuing material excess (riches) and advocates for the simpler, more enduring good of knowledge and instruction.

## Key lines

> Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant.

Prioritize giving your children a good education over leaving them a large inheritance, because the future prospects of an educated person are superior to the mere money of an unlearned one.

_A direct comparison of values, framing education as a more reliable and fruitful form of legacy than material wealth._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/epictetus_short_works_se/chapters/cxlv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/epictetus_short_works_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/epictetus_short_works_se/chapters