What is the first business of one who practices philosophy? To get rid of self-conceit. For it is impossible for anyone to begin to learn that which he thinks he already knows.

Epictetus (c. 50–135 CE), a former slave turned Stoic teacher, taught in Nicopolis in northwestern Greece. His lectures were written down by his student Arrian and circulated as the Discourses and the Enchiridion. The remark belongs to Epictetus’s recurring insistence that philosophy is not abstract speculation but moral training: before one can improve, one must recognize one’s ignorance and stop posturing as already wise. In the classroom setting implied by the question-and-answer form, Epictetus targets the common student failing of “thinking one knows,” which blocks the receptivity and discipline required for Stoic progress.

The “first business” of philosophy is intellectual humility: dismantling the ego’s conviction that it already possesses understanding. For Epictetus, self-conceit is not merely a character flaw; it is an epistemic barrier that prevents learning and moral reform. The line also reflects a Stoic view of progress (prokopē): improvement begins with accurate self-assessment, especially about what one truly knows and what lies within one’s control. By linking learning to the abandonment of vanity, Epictetus frames philosophy as a practice of continual correction—an ongoing readiness to be taught by reason, experience, and disciplined reflection.

1) “What is the first task of one who practices philosophy? To cast away self-conceit; for it is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he thinks he knows already.”
2) “The first and most necessary part of philosophy is to get rid of presumption; for no one can learn what he imagines he already knows.”