Epictetus on the Folly of the Unbending Mind: Why True Wisdom Requires Flexibility

The Stoic philosopher Epictetus warned that a fool cannot bend or break—because rigidity, not ignorance, is the true mark of folly.

“I think I know now what I never knew before—the meaning of the common saying, A fool you can neither bend nor break. Pray heaven I may never have a wise fool for my friend! There is nothing more intractable.—“My resolve is fixed!”—Why so madman say too; but the more firmly they believe in their delusions, the more they stand in need of treatment.” ~ Epictetus

The Roman stoic Epictetus shares wisdom with us about the characteristic of fools. He describes them as not being able to bend or break. I’ve known people like this. They see themselves as right and they refuse to consider any data that may prove them wrong. Perhaps it is their insecurity. Their unwillingness to bend our break creates difficulty for the people in their lives. If the person is a leader, it creates problems for the people this person is entrusted to lead. A person who refuses to listen to data that’s contradictory to what he or she believes is an epic words, a fool. We can learn from this. There is nothing wrong with learning and allowing our learning to change what we formally believed. It’s the way of science. It’s the way of intelligent people.

Have you ever met someone so convinced of being right that they refused to listen? How did their rigidity affect others—or you?