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Have this thought ever present with thee, when thou losest any outward thing, what thou gainest in its stead.
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“Have this thought ever present with thee, when thou losest any outward thing, what thou gainest in its stead.”

Epictetus

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Source
The Golden Sayings of Epictetus
Date
c. 125
English wording
Hastings Crossley — Translator and arranger · from Ancient Greek
Meaning

Meaning of “Have this thought ever present with thee, when…”

Loss is not automatically the whole story; the instruction asks what freedom, clarity, experience, or other value may accompany what has been given up.

Source context

Where does it come from?

The Golden Sayings of Epictetus, saying XXVII, Hastings Crossley translation.

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Themes

Ideas connected with this quotation

Acceptance Quotes About Reality, Limits & ChangeCalmFailureGriefHealingHope Quotes About Possibility in Uncertain TimesInspirational Quotes About Hope, Courage & PossibilityLetting Go Quotes About Release & Moving ForwardMindfulnessMotivational Quotes for Action, Effort & PersistenceMoving OnNever Give UpPatiencePeacePositive Quotes About a Constructive OutlookPresent MomentResilience Quotes About Recovery & AdaptationSadStoicStrengthLife Goes On
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Fortune has often in the past got the upper hand of you, and yet you have not surrendered, but have leaped up and stood your ground still more eagerly.
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“Fortune has often in the past got the upper hand of you, and yet you have not surrendered, but have leaped up and stood your ground still more eagerly.”

Seneca · Moral letters to Lucilius · c. 65
Meaning & context

Past recovery is evidence of present capacity: being struck down by fortune is different from surrendering to it.

Source details

Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 13, section 3, Richard M. Gummere translation.

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The mind is its own place.
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“The mind is its own place.”

John Milton · Paradise Lost · 1667
Voice: Poetic speaker · Satan
Meaning & context

The statement emphasizes how mental framing can alter the experience of circumstances, for good or ill.

Source details

Paradise Lost (1667), Book I, line 254; retained legacy short extract from the fuller Satan sentence beginning ‘The mind is its own place’ and continuing into line 255. It is the same underlying passage as the longer catalog record, not a separate fifth passage.

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If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
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“If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”

Percy Bysshe Shelley · Ode to the West Wind · 1820
Meaning & context

The seasonal image turns hardship into a temporary phase: decline can contain the possibility of renewal even when that renewal is not yet visible.

Source details

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It is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself.
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“It is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself.”

Marcus Aurelius · Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus · c. 170
Meaning & context

A person can create an inward pause even when external conditions are noisy, using reflection to restore order before returning to action.

Source details

Meditations, Book IV, in George Long’s translation; this is the central clause of the retreat passage.

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