Stocism in "Enchiridion" In “Enchiridion,” Epictetus stresses that human beings do not and cannot control life. Terrible things can and will happen, including the death of children and spouses. But human beings do control how they respond. We always have a choice about the contents and character of our inner lives. This is what constitutes our personality or attitude, the control, or lack thereof, that we have over our emotions. We have control over our thoughts and our will, but we do not have control over external fortune. Not what we do or what happens to us, but how we judge or think about those things is the essence of good and evil. According to Epicte