Epictetus, Discourses 2.16.5

ID: 41BFFF4D-2717-4F32-922B-DD168DC24B85
TRANSLATOR: Hard
CATEGORY: [[id:B22B6BF3-6132-4357-9427-111727609870][What others think]]
AUTHOR: Epictetus
TEXT: Discourses

Why is it, for instance, that an orator who knows that he has written a good speech, and has fixed it in his memory, and is bringing an attractive voice to the task, still feels anxious nonetheless? Because he is not content merely to practice his art. What else does he want, then? To receive praise from his audience. Now the matter in which he as trained himself is to be able to practice his art, and he has never trained himself to deal with praise and censure. For when has he heard anything from anyone about what praise is, and what censure is, and what is the nature of each? And what kinds of praise are worth seeking, and what kinds of disapproval are to be avoided? When has he ever undergone any course of training with regard to these principles?