The Enchiridion
The Enchiridion by Epictetusby Epictetus
Ranked 7 of 30 philosophy books by recommenders
A short, practical manual of Stoic philosophy that readers find distilled, grounded and still relevant. Some note that Stephen Walton's translation takes liberties with the original.
A short, practical manual of Stoic philosophy that readers find distilled, grounded and still relevant. Some note that Stephen Walton's translation takes liberties with the original.
9 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 9
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 9 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Practical, grounded Stoic advice
“the most distilled and practical manual of practical stoic philosophy”
Comment from 18 May 2026 in “Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?” “It's practical, grounded, and still relevant.”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “The Enchiridion by Epictetus” Stephen Walton's translation praised
“Stephen Walton's translation is actually my favourite!”
Comment from 13 Jan 2026 in “Why Stoicism is one of the best mind hacks ever devised” “Yes he took some liberties, but I like it anyway”
Comment from 13 Jan 2026 in “Why Stoicism is one of the best mind hacks ever devised”
Other philosophy books people recommend
The four most recommended other philosophy books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tao Te Chingby Laozi | 32 | 3 | 91% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenanceby Robert Pirsig | 24 | 3 | 89% | 9 | 44 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Meditationsby Marcus Aurelius | 17 | 4 | 81% | 8 | — | Approved |
| I Am a Strange Loopby Douglas Hofstadter | 16 | 1 | 94% | 8 | — | Approved |
| The Enchiridionby EpictetusThis page | 9 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
8 of the 10 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the most distilled and practical manual of practical stoic philosophy”
“It's practical, grounded, and still relevant.”
“Besides being good practical advice, it's fun to read just how sassy Epictetus could be with his students.”
“it had such a profound effect on me”
“I enjoyed this book greatly”
“Absolutely love this book.”
“Stephen Walton's translation is actually my favourite!”
“Yes he took some liberties, but I like it anyway”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.