I looked him up, and what I said below isn't true in the case of Epictetus. He was a proponent of stoicism. I don't disagree with him any less, but disagree now for different reasons.

Yup. Either a lot of very secure (financially) people are enjoying this quote, or not a few failed to understand what Epictetus was saying.

The reason why Epictetus would say this is the upper classes are very interested in seeing no shakeups in terms of the families that are wealthy and powerful. They invent terms like 'nouveau riche' to stigmatize those whose wealth is new -- those whose hands are stained by their generational proximity to the till.

My guess is that Epictitus was fairly well off. I don't think the poor guy would say, well I am poor because God made it so, and thus I shall always be. If you are poor, work hard (or work smart), if you are weak, lift weights, and so on. It might be harder to escape the role of being plain or a cripple, but I don't think the magistrate was born a magistrate, do you? Why not make it your business to practice acting the character, the role, you want to have in the future, and thus act it better and better with each passing day.