Trying To Understand A Paragraph In "meditations" By Marcus Aurelius

[Avi]

"Epictetus also said: "A man must discover an art (or rules) with respect to giving assent; and in respect to his movement he must be careful that they be made with regard to circumstances, that they be consistent with social interests, that they have regard to the value of the object; and as to sensual desire, he should altogether keep away from it; and as to avoidance (aversion) he should not show it with respect to any of the things that are not in our power.""

I'm trying to understand this. Can anyone help me out and explain it? I would really appreciate it. 

 

Edited April 11, 2016 by Avi

[Ajax]

@Avi  I hate that translation.... I have the Greg Hays version it reads as follows:

36. “No thefts of free will reported.”[—Epictetus.]

37. “We need to master the art of acquiescence. We need to

pay attention to our impulses, making sure they don’t go

unmoderated, that they benefit others, that they’re worthy of

us. We need to steer clear of desire in any form and not try to

avoid what’s beyond our control.”

 

 

Here is a website with that translation:

http://seinfeld.co/library/meditations.pdf

 

I think you will understand that passage now... so no explanation is necessary.

[Avi]

Ah! Thank  you! This is very helpful. Ya my version is extremely hard to read. I will also check out that link. @Ajax