You have probably seen the line:
“He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.”
Goodreads credits it to Epictetus. So do quote sites, posters and Stoic apps.
Epictetus did not say it.
The sentence appears nowhere in the Discourses, the Enchiridion or the accepted fragments. No work, book or section supports the attribution.
The honest verdict is:
- Attributed author: Epictetus
- Actual author: Unknown
- Status: Unverified and misattributed
- Confidence: High that it is not in Epictetus; low on its original source
Where the quote does not appear
Epictetus did not write books for publication. His student Arrian recorded the teachings that survive as the Discourses and condensed them into the Enchiridion. Later collections also preserve fragments attributed to him.
The laughing-at-himself sentence is absent from that corpus.
Philosopher Gregory Sadler reached the same conclusion in his investigation of false Epictetus quotations. He places this line fifth in his list and reports that its origin is unknown. His cautious guess is that it resembles a witticism that could have circulated between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries.
That is as far as the evidence goes.
“Unknown” is not a gap to fill with another famous name.
Why the attribution feels believable
The line sounds plausible because Epictetus did use humour to puncture vanity.
The nearest genuine passage is in Enchiridion 33. In the 1890 Higginson translation:
“If any one tells you that such a person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you, but answer: ‘He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone.’”
That is a recognisable Epictetan move.
Someone criticises you. Instead of defending the public image, you point out that they missed most of the available material. The joke works because the ego has stopped demanding acquittal.
The same chapter also says:
“Let not your laughter be loud, frequent, or abundant.”
The documented Epictetus did not teach endless laughter as an ideal. He treated humour as something that could loosen vanity, but also as an impulse requiring measure.
That is more interesting than the meme. The real text contains tension.
A true idea is not the same as a true quotation
The advice in the circulating line is not bad.
Learning to laugh at your own mistakes can reduce defensiveness. It can make criticism easier to examine. It can stop a minor embarrassment turning into a full identity crisis.
None of that proves Epictetus wrote the sentence.
This is the distinction that quote culture keeps collapsing:
- a sentence can be useful;
- a sentence can fit a philosopher’s general outlook;
- a sentence can be that philosopher’s actual words.
The first two do not establish the third.
If you like the line, keep it. Attribute it to “unknown” or call it a modern saying. Giving up the famous name does not remove the value.
Why this small correction matters
Misattributions change how a philosophy is read.
When modern slogans replace the sources, Epictetus becomes a mascot for confidence, control and emotional invulnerability. The actual Epictetus is harder. He asks where your judgement has become dependent, what you are treating as necessary, and which part of yourself you are trying to defend.
The genuine passage in Enchiridion 33 does more than advise self-deprecating humour. It gives you a response to criticism and exposes the wish underneath your defensiveness: the wish to control another person’s picture of you.
A meme gives you a mood. A source gives you an argument.
What to quote instead
Use the verified passage from Enchiridion 33 and name the translation:
“He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone.”
Or paraphrase the practical point without pretending it is ancient:
When criticism stings, remember that the critic probably missed several of your other faults.
The second sentence is modern. It is also honest about being modern.
The source verdict
“He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at” is not a verified Epictetus quotation.
Its original author is unknown. The closest genuine Epictetan passage is Enchiridion 33, where he recommends answering criticism by observing that the critic does not know all your other faults.
That correction now belongs in the wider Stoic Quote Source Audit.
Sources
- Epictetus, *Enchiridion* 33, trans. Thomas Wentworth Higginson, 1890.
- Gregory B. Sadler, “10 Fake Quotes Definitely Not From the Stoic Philosopher Epictetus”, 24 January 2026.
- The surviving Discourses, Enchiridion and accepted fragments of Epictetus.
Frequently asked questions
Did Epictetus say “He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at”?
No verified source supports the attribution. The sentence does not appear in the surviving Discourses, Enchiridion or accepted fragments.
Who actually wrote the quote?
The original author is unknown. It should be attributed to “unknown” unless earlier reliable evidence is found.
What did Epictetus say about laughing at yourself?
In Enchiridion 33, he suggests answering criticism by saying that the critic must not know your other faults. The same chapter advises against loud, frequent or excessive laughter.
Is the quote still Stoic?
It is compatible with some Stoic practices, especially loosening attachment to reputation. That makes it Stoic in spirit, not a genuine Epictetus quotation.