Epictetus (approx. 50 - 135 CE) was a Greek philosopher whose works influenced other prominent stoic thinkers like Marcus Aurelius. Born a slave to a wealthy secretary to Emperor Nero, Epictetus was educated from an early age and gained a passion for philosophy. He developed his foundational views of stoicism under the tutelage of Musonius Rufus and went on to found a school of philosophy during his exile from Rome in Nicopolis. To Epictetus, philosophy was a way of life and not simply a theoretical discipline. His philosophy married two seemingly irreconcilable concepts: that all external events are beyond our control and yet all individuals are still responsible for their own actions, which they can govern through rigorous self-discipline.