Eschewing metaphysics, Arrian focuses his attention on Epictetus's work applying philosophy to daily life.

The 6th-century philosopher Simplicius, in his Commentary on the work, refers to a letter written by Arrian which prefaced the text.

[3] In this letter Arrian stated that the Enchiridion was selected from the Discourses of Epictetus according to what he considered to be most useful, most necessary, and most adapted to move people's minds.

[4] Around half of the material in the Enchiridion has been shown to have been derived from the surviving four books of Discourses but variously modified.

[7][8] Chapter 33 consists of a list of moral instructions, which are "not obviously related to Epictetus' normal Stoic framework.

[10] In his 6th-century Commentary, Simplicius divided the text into four distinct sections suggesting a graded approach to philosophy:[10] Chapter 29, which was probably absent from the text used by Simplicius, is a one-page Discourse which compares the training needed to become a Stoic with the rigorous approach needed to become an Olympic victor.

"[12] So it starts with announcing that the business and concern of the real self is with matters subject to its own control, uninfluenced by external chance or change.

[13] A constant vigilance is required, and one should never relax attention to one's reason, for it is judgements, not things, which disturb people.

[18] To a large extent, the Enchiridion suppresses many of the more amiable aspects of Epictetus, which can be found in the Discourses, but this reflects the nature of the compilation.

[19] Some believe that, unlike the Discourses which seeks to encourage the student through argument and logic, the Enchiridion largely consists of a set of rules to follow.

[20] Others challenge this view, arguing that the chapters of the Enchiridion can be interpreted as containing arguments and articulating concepts that develop progressively throughout the work.

[21] The work is built on the conception that the wise person, by the aid of philosophy, may reap benefit from every experience in life.

[23][25] Epictetus makes vivid use of imagery, and analogies include life depicted as: a ship's voyage (Ch.

[35] Another Neostoic, Guillaume du Vair, translated the book into French in 1586 and popularised it in his La Philosophie morale des Stoiques.

[38] The work, being written in a clear distinct style, made it accessible to readers with no formal training in philosophy, and there was a wide readership among women in England.

[40] The Enchiridion was a common school text in Scotland during the Scottish Enlightenment—Adam Smith had a 1670 edition in his library, acquired as a schoolboy.

[41] At the end of the 18th century, the Enchiridion is attested in the personal libraries of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

"[44] In the 6th century the Neoplatonist philosopher Simplicius wrote a huge commentary on the Enchiridion, which is more than ten times the bulk of the original text.

[46] Simplicius' commentary offers a distinctly Platonist vision of the world,[47] one which is often at odds with the Stoic content of the Enchiridion.

[51] In the 17th century the German monk Matthias Mittner did something similar, compiling a guide on mental tranquillity for the Carthusian Order by taking the first thirty-five of his fifty precepts from the Enchiridion.