Marcus Aurelius: Endure and Renounce
What Marcus and Epictetus say about this famous Stoic slogan
We’re told by the Roman author and grammarian Aulus Gellius, a contemporary of Marcus Aurelius, that the Stoic Epictetus was known for the slogan “endure and renounce”, which has also been translated as “bear and forbear”.
[Epictetus] used to say that there were two faults which were by far the worst and most disgusting of all, lack of endurance and lack of self-restraint, when we cannot put up with or bear the wrongs which we ought to endure, or cannot restrain ourselves from actions or pleasures from which we ought to refrain. “Therefore,” said he, “if anyone would take these two words to heart and use them for his own guidance and regulation, he will be almost without sin and will lead a very peaceful life. These two words,” he said, “are ἀνέχου (bear) and ἀπέχου (forbear).” — Gellius, Attic Nights, 17.19
So he’s clearly talking about having the strength of character to endure certain things that may seem bad and refrain from certain pleasures, which may seem good. Epictetus implies these are virtues, which lead to peace of mind. They clearly seem to correspond with the cardinal virtues of courage (fortitude) and moderation (temperance) respectively. Courage (which encompasses endurance) has to do with mastering our fear, in order to be able to endure certain painful or unpleasant experiences. Temperance (including self-restraint and moderation) has to do with mastering our desires, in order to be able to renounce or abstain from certain pleasant-seeming experiences, where appropriate.
Marcus Aurelius, uses these two words in the Meditations.
Gellius is our only source for this phrase. He claims to have heard it from the Sophist Favorinus of Arelate, who was a critic of Stoicism — so how do we know it’s authentic? Fortunately, Marcus Aurelius, uses “these two words” in the Meditations.
Epictetus is clearly the philosopher whom Marcus most admires. Marcus had studied the Discourses, probably including the four volumes missing today. He quotes or paraphrases Epictetus several times, including at least one passage not present in the surviving Discourses or Handbook. In Meditations 5.33, Marcus Aurelius writes:
ἀνθρώπους δὲ εὖ ποιεῖν καὶ ἀνέχεσθαι αὐτῶν καὶ ἀπέχεσθαι
This is part of a longer sentence, and passage. I’ve marked in bold the words anechesthai and apechesthai, which are the same two words used by Epictetus but merely conjugated differently, as the infinitive form of the verb.
…and to do good to men, and to practise tolerance and self-restraint. — Meditations, 5.33
In the original text of the Meditations there was no numbering of passages and it is uncertain where one entry begins and the next one ends. Later editors introduced the numbering and division of passages. In this case, I believe the end of the passage in question (5.33) makes more sense if we read it alongside what follows (5.34). Here it is in Long’s translation:
Why then do you not wait in tranquillity for your end, whether it is extinction or removal to another state? And until that time comes, what is sufficient? Why, what else than to venerate the gods and bless them, and to do good to men, and to practise tolerance and self-restraint but as to everything which is beyond the limits of the poor flesh and breath, to remember that this is neither yours nor in your power.
You can pass your life in an equable flow of happiness, if you can go by the right way, and think and act in the right way. These two things are common both to the soul of God and to the soul of man, and to the soul of every rational being: not to be hindered by another, and to hold good to consist in the disposition to justice and the practice of it, and in this to let your desire find its termination. — Meditations, 5.33-34
Gregory Hays’ translation of the first passage is widely-quoted but somewhat misleading:
Honor and revere the gods, treat human beings as they deserve, be tolerant with others and strict with yourself. Remember, nothing belongs to you but your flesh and blood—and nothing else is under your control. — Meditations 5.33, Hays
In the original Greek, Marcus doesn’t actually refer to being “strict” in the sense of being harsh or tough on himself. He merely says that he should exercise restraint or forbearance.
So let’s compare what Marcus wrote to what Epictetus reputedly said. Marcus begins by associating “endure and renounce” with the attainment of tranquillity or peace of mind, which is consistent with what we have from Epictetus. Like Epictetus, Marcus says that exemplifying “endure and renounce” in your life is almost sufficient for achieving virtue and tranquillity. Marcus adds that we must also venerate the gods and do good to men, which may be an allusion to the cardinal virtue of justice. This makes it clear that the slogan, or “these two words”, must refer to something very fundamental to Stoic Ethics, and almost capture the goal of life itself. I think we can safely conclude, therefore, that they do, indeed, refer to the cardinal virtues of courage and moderation.
Marcus makes it clear that “endure and renounce” is meant to refer to “what is up to us”, our own voluntary thoughts and actions. These qualities entail taking more responsibility for our own responses, and accepting that the external things to which they refer, such as the things we fear or desire, are not up to us — those are not under our direct control. In short, he’s saying that we control our responses to painful and pleasurable experiences, but external events themselves are always, to some extent, in the hands of fate — we can always choose to endure (bear) pain or renounce (forbear from) pleasure.
Marcus says this is the key to a “smoothly flowing life”, which is an early Stoic definition of eudaimonia, or the supreme goal of life. In the following passage, quoted above, he still seems to be referring to “endure and renounce” when he says: “not to be hindered by another, and to hold good to consist in the disposition to justice and the practice of it, and in this to let your desire find its termination.”
The virtues of courage and endurance specifically relate to managing our fears and desires. Here Marcus says that eudaimonia, the goal of life, consists in acting in accord with justice, although the Greek arguably implies social virtue in a broader sense than our English word. To do this, though, we must have the strength of character to manage our desires accordingly — so that certain fears and desires do not lead us astray from the right path in life.
Here, Hays’ translation is more helpful than Long’s:
Not to let others hold you back.
To locate goodness in thinking and doing the right thing, and to limit your desires to that. — Meditations, 5.34, Hays
In other words, we must:
Have the fortitude or courage to endure (bear with) other people, and not to become angry with them
Have the temperance or self-control to renounce (forbear from) our desire for things that would lead us away from the path of virtue and justice\
In conclusion, although “endure and renounce” comes down to us as a third-hand fragment via Aulus Gellius and Favorinus of Arelate, it does seem likely to be an authentic saying of Epictetus, as Marcus Aurelius also seems to knows this slogan and to interpret it in a very similar manner.
Really enjoyed this post. It is stunning how the greats who dedicated their lives to the love of wisdom can encapsulate an entire way of life in two mere words.
I thought of Karen Duffy’s amazing book ‘Backbone’
Karen’s teachings: how to have courage, how to endure, and how to have backbone - when burdened by constant, debilitating illness and pain!