If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you but answer: “He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone.”
– Epictetus
This was the advice given by the Stoic philosopher Epictetus over 2,000 years ago.
Think how much calmer our work and social lives would be if we genuinely didn’t care what other people said about us?
Then think about what comes next.
If we don’t care about what people say about us, why should we care, or be interested in what people say about others?
If what people say about others no longer interests us, it is time to stop giving our time and money to those who do gossip about others.
Surely you have better things to do with both of those resources…
