Don't Judge Without Understanding Motives — The Enchiridion

Epictetus opens with a discipline of description. Does anyone bathe hastily? Do not say that he does it ill, but hastily. Name what you see; withhold the moral verdict until motives are known.

The middle repeats the pattern on wine. Does anyone drink much wine? Do not say that he does ill, but that he drinks a great deal. Quantity is observable; wrongdoing is not, unless you perfectly understand his motives. How should you know if he acts ill from the surface alone?

The closing sets the rule. Thus you will not risk yielding to any appearances but such as you fully comprehend. Appearances tempt quick assent; comprehension is the gate. Describe the act, pause on the why, and refuse to treat your guess as fact.