Don't wish for events to happen as you want them, but wish for them to happen as they do, and your life will go smoothly.
One of Epictetus' most quoted ideas, this line flips the logic of happiness. Don't bend the world to your desires — bend your desires to reality. A student once asked, 'What if I can't accept what happens?' Epictetus replied, 'Then you'll suffer what happens twice.' The Stoic doesn't give up control — they focus it inward, where it matters.
Resisting reality prolongs pain. Acceptance clears the way for peace.
"Do not seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will — then your life will flow well."