No.340
Can anyone help, I don't understand. "The use of appearances"
Be not elated at any advantage (excellence), which belongs to another. If a horse when he is elated should say, I am beautiful, one might endure it. But when you are elated, and say , I have a beautiful horse , you must know that you are elated at having a good horse. 2 What then is your own? The use of appearances. Consequently when in the use of appearances you are conformable to nature, then be elated, for then you will be elated at something good which is your own.
Epictetus (2012-03-01). Enchiridion.
No.342
Alternate translation
>Be not elated at any excellence not your own. If a horse should be elated, and say, "I am handsome," it might be endurable. But when you are elated, and say, "I have a handsome horse," know that you are elated only on the merit of the horse.
>What then is your own? The use of phenomena of existence (raw materials of nature). So that when you are in harmony with nature in this respect, you will be elated with some reason; for you will be elated at some good of your own.
I'm going to go on a limb here and say what is the first obvious thing to my mind: This is a really high brow way of saying that what you labor on (the phenomena, i.e. the raw materials) are the only things that are your own, which are the only things you have a reason to be proud of as they are the merit of your own work.
I'm going to also take the gander and say I'm pretty certain I'm right on this.