No greater thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.

However individuals are responsible for their own actions which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline. To Epictetus all external events are determined by fate and are thus beyond our control; we should accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. Philosophy Epictetus taught is a way of life and not just a theoretical discipline.