Does a man bathe quickly (early)? do not say that he
bathes badly, but that he bathes quickly. Does a man drink
much wine? do not say that he does this badly, but say
that he drinks much. For before you shall have determined the opinion,1 how do you know whether he is acting
wrong? Thus it will not happen to you to comprehend
some appearances which are capable of being comprehended, but to assent to others.
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1 Mrs. Carter translates this, “Unless you perfectly understand the principle [from which anyone acts].”
The Discourses of Epictetus, with the Encheridion and Fragments. Epictetus. George Long. translator. London. George Bell and Sons. 1890.
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