Epictetus on Words and Ears
"Nature gave us one tongue and two ears, so that we may listen more and talk less." Epictetus, in Greek, turns biology into a rule for surviving Roman arguments.
Epictetus on Words and Ears, public domain
“One mouth, two ears.”
Epictetus, in Discourses I.6.7, says it in Greek: «Ἡ φύσις ἡμῖν γλῶτταν μίαν καὶ ὦτα δύο ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πλείω ἀκούωμεν ἢ λέγωμεν.» — “Nature gave us one tongue and two ears, so that we may listen more and talk less.” The math is clear. Most fail the test.
Philosophy with both ears open.
Rome was a city of speeches, but Epictetus preferred silence. He believed wisdom isn’t in what you say, but in what you actually hear. The discipline to listen — especially to your critics — is what separates philosophers from the mob.
Epictetus cut through noise with anatomy. The best philosophers listen twice as much as they speak — and that’s not just good manners, it’s strategy.
