Principlev1
Direct change effort toward what you control (judgments,
Direct change effort toward what you control (judgments, intentions, responses) rather than what you cannot (others' behavior, external events), since attempting to change the uncontrollable is both ineffective and the primary source of unnecessary suffering.
Why This Is a Principle
Grounds in No external entity has more right to direct your thinking (self-authority over own thinking) and Humans retain the capacity to choose their attitude toward (freedom to choose attitude). The Stoic principle prescribes scope-limiting for change efforts. It's derived from axioms about control locus—prescriptive rather than descriptive.