"Of things some are in our power, and others are not."

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was a top contender for the middleweight boxing title in the 1960s. He was ferocious, fast, and famous. Then in 1966 he was arrested for a triple murder in a bar in New Jersey.

It was a setup. The evidence was flimsy and the witnesses were unreliable. But the all-white jury convicted him anyway. Carter was sentenced to three life terms in prison.

Everything that defined him was taken away. His career, his money, his reputation, and his freedom were gone. The state of New Jersey now owned his body. They told him when to sleep, when to eat, and where to stand.

Most men in his position break. They become institutionalized. They accept the identity of "Prisoner Number 45472". Carter refused. He decided on his first day that while the state could control his body, they could not control his mind.

He refused to wear the prison uniform. He wore his own clothes even when it meant being sent to solitary confinement. He refused to eat the prison food. He only ate canned soup that he could buy from the commissary. He refused to work prison jobs. He said, "I am not a prisoner. I am a man who has been kidnapped."

He spent his time reading law books, studying philosophy, and writing his autobiography. He kept his body in peak physical condition. He ignored the guards and the walls as if they didn't exist.

By drawing a strict line between his physical location (not up to him) and his internal attitude (up to him), Carter survived 19 years of wrongful imprisonment with his soul intact. When he was finally exonerated and released in 1985, he walked out standing tall. He hadn't aged in spirit because he never gave his consent to be a prisoner.

Epictetus begins his famous handbook, the Enchiridion, with this single, essential truth. There is a Great Divide in the universe. On one side are things "up to us". On the other side are things "not up to us". If you try to control what is on the wrong side of the line, you will be miserable. You will be a slave to luck and other people. If you focus only on what is on your side of the line, you will be free.

Errors & Corrections

• Don't try to control the outcome. You can control your effort, your preparation, and your intent. You cannot control the result. You can write a great book, but you can't make people buy it.

Don't confuse influence with control. You can influence your health by eating right, but you cannot control* it completely. Genetics or accidents can still get you. Accept this limit so you don't feel betrayed by nature.

• Don't blame external events for internal feelings. The rain didn't make you sad. Your opinion about the rain made you sad. The event is neutral. The judgment is yours.

Applications to Modern Life

Work

You are up for a promotion. You work late, build a great presentation, and charm the boss. But they give the job to the CEO's nephew. If you placed your happiness on the promotion (not up to you), you are crushed. If you placed your happiness on your own excellent performance (up to you), you are satisfied. You did your part. The rest is just weather.

Athleticism & Sport

A referee makes a terrible call that costs you the play. You can scream and throw the ball. That is trying to control the past. It's impossible. Or you can focus on the next play. That is up to you. The scoreboard is external. Your effort is internal.

Social Media

You post a photo or an idea that you are proud of. It gets zero likes. Or maybe people leave mean comments. If you value the "likes" (reputation), you gave strangers power over your happiness. If you value the act of sharing (expression), the reaction doesn't matter.

Politics

It is easy to doom-scroll and feel anxious about global wars, the economy, or social unrest. You control none of that. Focusing on it drains you. You do control your vote, your local volunteering, and how you speak to your neighbors. Shrink your concern to the size of your influence.

Interpersonal Relationships

You want your partner to change. You nag them to be neater or more ambitious. This causes fighting because you are trying to control another human's will. You can only control your own requests and your own boundaries. You can invite them to change, but you cannot force it.

Leadership

A bad leader obsesses over quarterly results. They yell when the numbers miss the target. A Stoic leader focuses on the system. Did we make the right decisions? Did we follow our values? If the system is good, the results will usually follow. But the system is the only thing the leader actually owns.

Maxims

• Some things are mine; some are not.
• Control the choice, not the result.
• My mind is my kingdom.

In-depth Concepts

Ta Eph' Hemin (What is up to us)

This Greek phrase literally means "that upon us". It refers to the sphere of our absolute agency. It includes our opinions, our judgments, our intentions, and our desires. No one, not even Zeus (Nature/The Universe/God), can touch this sphere without your permission.

Adiaphora (Indifferents)

Everything outside the sphere of choice is called Adiaphora. This includes health, wealth, reputation, and even family. They are "indifferent" not because we don't care about them, but because they do not define our moral worth. You can be a good person while being sick or poor.