I

June    12th

A   TRAINED MIND    IS  BETTER  THAN    ANY SCRIPT

“In this    way you must    understand  how laughable   it  is  to  say,    ‘Tell   me  what    to  do!’    What    advice

could   I   possibly    give?   No, a   far better  request is, ‘Train  my  mind    to  adapt   to  any

circumstance.’  .   .   .   In  this    way,    if  circumstances   take    you off script  .   .   .   you won’t   be  desperate

for a   new prompting.”

—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.2.20b–1;   24 b–25a

t would be nice if someone could show us exactly what to do in every situation. Indeed, this is what we
spend a good portion of our lives doing: preparing for this, studying for that. Saving for or anticipating
some arbitrary point in the future. But plans, as the boxer Mike Tyson pointed out, last only until you’re
punched in the face.
Stoics do not seek to have the answer for every question or a plan for every contingency. Yet they’re
also not worried. Why? Because they have confidence that they’ll be able to adapt and change with the
circumstances. Instead of looking for instruction, they cultivate skills like creativity, independence, self-
confidence, ingenuity, and the ability to problem solve. In this way, they are resilient instead of rigid. We
can practice the same.
Today, we will focus on the strategic rather than the tactical. We’ll remind ourselves that it’s better to
be taught than simply given, and better to be flexible than stick to a script.