Epictetus - (c. 50 – c. 135 AD) was a Greek Stoic philosopher born into slavery at Hierapolis, Phrygia in present-day Pamukkale (Turkey). He lived in Rome until his banishment, when he went to Nicopolis, Greece, where he spent the rest of his life. Epictetus taught that philosophy is a way of life and not a theoretical discipline and that all external events are beyond our control. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline.