“Some things are in our control, while others are not. We control our opinion, choice, desire, aversion, and, in a word, everything of our own doing. We don’t control our body, property, reputation, position, and, in a word, everything not of our own doing. Even more, the things in our control are by nature free, unhindered, and unobstructed, while those not in our control are weak, slavish, can be hindered, and are not our own.”
Epictetus, Enchiridion.

 

If you think you’re in control of your body, try stopping your heart from racing when watching something exciting or scary.

 

The psychiatrist Viktor Frankl once said that the one power (one are of control) that cannot be taken away from you is your power to choose your attitude. You choose how you react to the things in life that are not in your control.

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