Hegel

“Truth in philosophy means that concept and external reality correspond.”
-- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831)

“Poverty in itself does not make men into a rabble; a rabble is created only when there is joined to poverty
a disposition of mind, an inner indignation against the rich, against society, against the government.”
-- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831)

“When liberty is mentioned, we must always be careful to observe whether it is not really the assertion of 
private interests which is thereby designated.”
-- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831)

“To be free is nothing, to become free is everything.”
-- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831)

“Only one man ever understood me, and he didn't understand me.”
-- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831)

“The state of man's mind, or the elementary phase of mind which he so far possesses, conforms precisely to
the state of the world as he so far views it.”
-- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831)

The courage of the truth is the first condition of philosophic study.
-- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831)

As the essence of Matter is Gravity, so, on the other
hand, we may affirm that the substance, the essence of Spirit is
Freedom.
-- G.W.F. Hegel, The Philosophy of History

It is a result of speculative Philosophy that Freedom is the sole truth of Spirit.
-- G.W.F. Hegel, The Philosophy of History

Eastern nations knew only that one is free; the Greek and Roman world only that some are free;
while we know that all men absolutely (man as man) are free
-- G.W.F. Hegel, The Philosophy of History

A World-historical individual is not so unwise as to indulge a
variety of wishes to divide his regards. He is devoted to the One
Aim, regardless of all else. It is even possible that such men may
treat other great, even sacred interests, inconsiderately; conduct
which is indeed obnoxious to moral reprehension.
-- G.W.F. Hegel, The Philosophy of History

Thus the question would arise: What is the material in which the Ideal of Reason is
wrought out? The primary answer would be — Personality itself — human desires — 
Subjectivity generally.
-- G.W.F. Hegel, The Philosophy of History

The State is the Idea of Spirit in the external manifestation of
human Will and its Freedom.
-- G.W.F. Hegel, The Philosophy of History

Epictetus

Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control

are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are

our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation,

command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions.

-- Epictetus, Enchiridion (55-135b.c.)







Through this kinship with the flesh, some of us inclining to it

become like wolves, faithless and treacherous and mischievous: some

become like lions, savage and untamed; but the greater part of us

become foxes and other worse animals. For what else is a slanderer and

a malignant man than a fox, or some other more wretched and meaner

animal? See, then, and take

-- Epictetus, The Discourses (55-135b.c.)







For it is always true that to whatever point the perfecting of anything

leads us, progress is an approach toward this point.

-- Epictetus, The Discourses (55-135b.c.)







Because the gods

have given the vine, or wheat, we sacrifice to them: but because

they have produced in the human mind that fruit by which they designed

to show us the truth which relates to happiness, shall we not thank

God for this?

-- Epictetus, The Discourses (55-135b.c.)







From everything which is or happens in the world, it is easy to

praise Providence, if a man possesses these two qualities, the faculty

of seeing what belongs and happens to all persons and things, and a

grateful disposition. If he does not possess these two qualities,

one man will not see the use of things which are and which happen;

another will not be thankful for them, even if he does know them.

-- Epictetus, The Discourses (55-135b.c.)







But God has introduced man to be a

spectator of God and of His works; and not only a spectator of them,

but an interpreter. For this reason it is shameful for man to begin

and to end where irrational animals do, but rather he ought to begin

where they begin, and to end where nature ends in us; and nature

ends in contemplation and understanding, in a way of life

conformable to nature. Take care then not to die without having been

spectators of these things.

-- Epictetus, The Discourses (55-135b.c.)







For what is the end proposed in reasoning?

To establish true propositions, to remove the false, to withhold

assent from those which are not plain.

-- Epictetus, The Discourses (55-135b.c.)










where a man is against his will, there he is in prison.

-- Epictetus, The Discourses (55-135b.c.)










for as to intelligence you are not inferior to

the gods nor less; for the magnitude of intelligence is not measured

by length nor yet by height, but by thoughts.

-- Epictetus, The Discourses (55-135b.c.)










I do not care. "I

will show you that I am master." You cannot do that. Zeus has set me

free: do you think that he intended to allow his own son to be

enslaved?

-- Epictetus, The Discourses (55-135b.c.)










Epaphroditus had a shoemaker whom he sold because he was good for

nothing. This fellow by some good luck was bought by one of Caesar's

men, and became Caesar's shoemaker. You should have seen what

respect Epaphroditus paid to him: "How does the good Felicion do, I

pray?" Then if any of us asked, "What is master doing?" the answer "He

is consulting about something with Felicion." Had he not sold the

man as good for nothing? Who then made him wise all at once? This is

an instance of valuing something else than the things which depend

on the will.

-- Epictetus, The Discourses (55-135b.c.)










What then is education? Education is the learning how to adapt the

natural precognitions to the particular things conformably to

nature; and then to distinguish that of things some are in our

power, but others are not; in our power are will and all acts which

depend on the will; things not in our power are the body, the parts of

the body, possessions, parents, brothers, children, country, and,

generally, all with whom we live in society.

-- Epictetus, The Discourses (55-135b.c.)










Not death is evil, but a shameful death.

Confidence then ought to be employed against death, and caution

against the fear of death. But now we do the contrary, and employ

against death the attempt to escape; and to our opinion about it we

employ carelessness, rashness and indifference. These things

Socrates properly used to call "tragic masks"; for as to children

masks appear terrible and fearful from inexperience, we also are

affected in like manner by events for no other reason than children

are by masks. For what is a child? Ignorance. What is a child? Want of

knowledge. For when a child knows these things, he is in no way

inferior to us. What is death? A "tragic mask." Turn it and examine

it. See, it does not bite. The poor body must be separated from the

spirit either now or later, as it was separated from it before. Why,

then, are you troubled, if it be separated now? for if it is not

separated now, it will be separated afterward. Why? That the period of

the universe may be completed, for it has need of the present, and

of the future, and of the past. What is pain? A mask. Turn it and

examine it. The poor flesh is moved roughly, then, on the contrary,

smoothly. If this does not satisfy you, the door is open: if it

does, bear. For the door ought to be open for all occasions; and so we

have no trouble.

What then is the fruit of these opinions? It is that which ought

to he the most noble and the most becoming to those who are really

educated, release from perturbation, release from fear, freedom. For

in these matters we must not believe the many, who say that free

persons only ought to be educated, but we should rather believe the

philosophers, who say that the educated only are free.

-- Epictetus, The Discourses (55-135b.c.)