Chapter 06
Don't Take Credit for Things You Don't Control
Be not elated at any excellence not your own. If a horse should be
elated, and say, “I am handsome,” it might be endurable. But when you are
elated and say, “I have a handsome horse,” know that you are elated only
on the merit of the horse. What then is your own? The use of the
phenomena of existence. So that when you are in harmony with nature in
this respect, you will be elated with some reason; for you will be elated
at some good of your own.
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Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Be not elated at any excellence not your own."
Context: Opening warning against borrowed pride
Epictetus draws the line before the example lands. Elation is not forbidden; misattributed elation is. If the good is not yours, celebrating it as yours sets you up for a crash you did not earn on the way up.
In Today's Words:
Do not swell with pride over gifts you never made. A promotion, a partner's charm, a child's award, a team's win: enjoy them if you must, but do not treat borrowed shine as proof of your own excellence. That is how people confuse association with achievement.
"But when you are elated and say, “I have a handsome horse,” know that you are elated only on the merit of the horse."
Context: Middle example of pride attached to something outside yourself
The horse owner looks smarter than the bragging horse until you notice the swap. The merit belongs to the animal; the human is renting the glow. Epictetus wants you to feel the absurdity in yourself, not only in the metaphor.
In Today's Words:
Saying "I have a great kid" or "I work at a top company" can feel like self-praise, but the excellence is elsewhere. You are standing near someone else's merit and calling it yours. Epictetus says name that clearly before the borrowed glow becomes your identity.
"What then is your own? The use of the phenomena of existence."
Context: Pivot from what is not yours to what actually belongs to you
Ownership, for Epictetus, is not possession of outcomes. It is how you use what shows up: the fact, the person, the setback, the praise. That use is the only excellence you can rightly claim.
In Today's Words:
What is actually yours is not the headline, the body, or the bank balance. It is how you use what appears: the patient in front of you, the insult, the win, the loss. Epictetus calls that the use of phenomena. That is where your real merit lives.
"when you are in harmony with nature in this respect, you will be elated with some reason; for you will be elated at some good of your own."
Context: Closing promise of legitimate pride rooted in what is truly yours
Epictetus is not anti-joy. He is anti-fraud. When elation tracks a good you actually produced through wise use, it has reason behind it and ground beneath it.
In Today's Words:
You are allowed to feel proud when the good is yours: the integrity you kept, the response you chose, the use you made of a hard day. That kind of elation does not vanish when the horse ages or the title changes, because nobody lent it to you.
Thematic Threads
Excellence Not Your Own
In This Chapter
Epictetus opens by forbidding elation at any excellence that is not yours
Development
Builds on prior control work by targeting pride attached to externals
In Your Life:
You might feel taller after your kid's award or your team's win even though you did not produce the excellence yourself
The Handsome Horse
In This Chapter
A horse boasting of beauty is odd but coherent; boasting because you own a handsome horse swaps merit onto you
Development
Introduced here as the chapter's central analogy
In Your Life:
You might name-drop a famous friend or employer and feel the glow as if it were your achievement
The Use of Phenomena
In This Chapter
What is yours is not the gift but the use of the phenomena of existence
Development
Introduced here as the positive definition of owned excellence
In Your Life:
You might stop asking what you possess and start asking how wisely you used what showed up today
Elation With Reason
In This Chapter
In harmony with nature here, you may be elated at some good of your own because the merit is real
Development
Introduced here as the closing permission for legitimate pride
In Your Life:
You might let yourself feel proud when you kept integrity under pressure, not when luck handed you a shiny association
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
Why does Epictetus say a horse bragging about being handsome is more reasonable than us?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
The horse would at least be bragging about its own appearance. When we brag about having a handsome horse, we're taking credit for something that belongs entirely to the horse.
- 2
How does taking credit for external things make us less resilient according to this chapter?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
Our pride becomes dependent on things we can't control. If the horse gets injured or our external advantages disappear, our sense of worth collapses because it was never truly ours.
- 3
What modern examples show people taking pride in things they don't actually control?
application • mediumOne way to read it
Parents bragging about their child's natural athletic ability, people boasting about inherited wealth, or taking credit for being born in a particular country or family.
- 4
How would you handle praise for your child's success using Epictetus's teaching here?
application • deepOne way to read it
Focus praise on how you supported their effort and character development, not their natural talents or achievements. Your contribution is the guidance you provided, not their inherent abilities.
- 5
What does our tendency to claim credit for external things reveal about human insecurity?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
We fear our own efforts aren't enough, so we borrow merit from things attached to us. This reveals we haven't learned to value what Epictetus calls truly ours: our choices and responses.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Sort Your Territory
Make two lists: things you've felt proud of recently, and things you've worried about. For each item, mark whether it's truly 'yours' (something you directly control through your choices and actions) or 'borrowed' (dependent on other people, circumstances, or luck). Notice which category dominates each list.
Consider:
- •Be honest about what you actually control versus what you influence
- •Look for patterns in where you place your emotional energy
- •Consider how much mental space you give to borrowed versus earned territory
Journaling Prompt
Write about one item from your 'borrowed' list that you've been treating as if it belonged to you. What would change if you focused that same energy on something genuinely within your control?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 7: Stay Ready to Let Go
Next, Epictetus shifts to a travel metaphor that reveals how easily we can lose sight of what truly matters in life. He warns about getting so distracted by small pleasures that we miss the bigger journey entirely.
