This edition includes a modern introduction and a list of suggested further reading. Countless readers have found peace of mind and gathered inner strength from savoring this collection of Epictetus' sayings. Unlike many ephemeral and faddish dispensations of wisdom, Epictetus' philosophy lacks nothing in depth and complexity. It has been a staple of Western education for centuries, and has exercised a formative influence over such diverse figures as the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Christian thinker Augustine, the mathematician-philosopher Blaise Pascal, and the contemporary American novelist Tom Wolfe. Nearly two millennia after it was written,Encheiridion: The Manual for Living continues to engage and inspire readers today.

Epictetus, the seminal figure of the late period of Stoic philosophy, was a Greek born in southeast Anatolia (Turkey), between 50 and 60 CE. A slave by either birth or acquisition, Epictetus ended up in Rome, where, in accordance with local practice, he was permitted to study and perhaps teach philosophy. Epictetus ultimately was emancipated and went on to pursue a life of thinking and teaching. Ultimately, when all philosophers were banned from Rome, Epictetus and his disciples fled to northeastern Greece.