Simple Classics

Section 15

Section 15: Life as a Banquet explained simply

Enchiridion by Epictetus

Original excerpt

Excerpt preview

Remember that in life you ought to behave as at a banquet. Suppose that something is carried round and is opposite to you. Stretch out your hand and take a portion with decency. Suppose that it passes by you. Do not detain it. Suppose that it is not yet come to you. Do not send your desire forward…
Read full original text in reading mode

Public-domain original

XV. Remember that in life you ought to behave as at a banquet. Suppose that something is carried round and is opposite to you. Stretch out your hand and take a portion with decency. Suppose that it passes by you. Do not detain it. Suppose that it is not yet come to you. Do not send your desire forward to it, but wait till it is opposite to you. Do so with respect to children, so with respect to a wife, so with respect to magisterial offices, so with respect to wealth, and you will be some time a worthy partner of the banquets of the gods. But if you take none of the things which are set before you, and even despise them, then you will be not only a fellow banqueter with the gods, but also a partner with them in power. For by acting thus Diogenes and Heracleitus and those like them were deservedly divine, and were so called.

Public-domain original text shown for study context.

Simple English explanation

Epictetus uses this section to teach life as a banquet. The practical point is to train judgment before trying to control the world. Freedom begins when a person can tell the difference between their own choices and everything outside their power.

1-minute summary

Section 15 of the Enchiridion focuses on life as a banquet. Epictetus wants readers to practice inner discipline, not just admire Stoic ideas. The lesson is to meet daily life with clearer judgment, fewer false demands, and steadier action.

Key takeaways

  • Practice life as a banquet in ordinary situations.
  • Separate your own judgment and action from outside events.
  • Do not trade character for comfort, status, or approval.
  • Use philosophy as training, not as decoration.

Modern example

A person facing a stressful message can pause, ask what is actually under their control, and answer from principle instead of panic. That is life as a banquet in modern life.

For kids

You cannot control everything that happens, but you can practice choosing a calm and honest response.