QuotesCosmos
This quote is frequently attributed to Epictetus, e.g. by Brigid Delaney, How not to panic during the coronavirus pandemic: welcome hard times like a Stoic, The Guardian, 17 March 2020. The quote is also frequently attributed to Epicurus. In fact this quotation first appears as two separated sentences in "An Essay on the Vindication of Epicurus and his Doctrine" (1712) by Charles de Saint-Évremond: "the greater the difficulty the more glory in surmounting it. ... Skilful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests."
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The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skilful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.

— Epictetus

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skilful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests." in the context of "This quote is frequently attributed to Epictetus, e.g. by Brigid Delaney, How not to panic during the coronavirus pandemic: welcome hard times like a Stoic, The Guardian, 17 March 2020. The quote is also frequently attributed to Epicurus. In fact this quotation first appears as two separated sentences in "An Essay on the Vindication of Epicurus and his Doctrine" (1712) by Charles de Saint-Évremond: "the greater the difficulty the more glory in surmounting it. ... Skilful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests."" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Epictetus" (Misattributed quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

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#Epictetus#surmounting#difficulty#reputation#tempests#greater#skilful#pilots#storms#glory#gain
Epictetus

About Epictetus

Epictetus (c. 55 – c. 135 AD), born a slave, was a Greek Stoic philosopher. His words were recorded by his student Arrian in the Discourses and Enchiridion written in the early 2nd-century.