Epictetus was once a slave, and still he taught that no one can truly take your freedom, because the part of you that judges, chooses, and consents is yours alone. The world can take your comfort, your plans, even your circumstances. It cannot reach into your mind and force your assent. That's a quiet, unshakable kind of freedom, and it's yours on the worst days as much as the best. When you feel trapped by what's happening, come back to the one room no one else can enter: how you choose to meet it. They may set the conditions. You still author your response. That power doesn't leave you.

Inspired by the old idea of inner freedom cannot be taken. Written by Ugo Charles.