Epicurus
Epicurean philosophy
Sayings by Epicurus
We must not violate nature, but obey her.
The flesh cries out for an end to hunger, an end to thirst, an end to cold. If a man has these, and is confident of having them in the future, he might contend in happiness even with Zeus.
Pleasure is the beginning and the end of the blessed life.
We must therefore pursue the things that make for happiness, seeing that when happiness is present, we have everything; but when it is absent, we do everything to possess it.
The wise man counts it a greater advantage to be content with little than to be rich.
It is impossible for someone to dispel his fears about the most important matters if he does not understand the nature of the universe but still suspects something of the stories told in myths. So, without the study of nature, there is no enjoyment of pure pleasure.
A free life cannot acquire many possessions, because this is no easy thing to do without servility to mobs or monarchs.
The wise man, when he is in danger, laughs at the danger.
Every pain is easy to despise, for the one who has considered it in its real limits.
Natural wealth is both limited and easy to acquire; but the wealth defined by vain fancies is always beyond reach.
The greatest good is prudence.
The beginning and root of all good is the pleasure of the stomach.
We should heal our misfortunes by the recollection of our past joys and by the acknowledgment that it is impossible to undo what has been done.
It is not possible to live pleasantly without living prudently, honorably, and justly; nor to live prudently, honorably, and justly without living pleasantly.
The wise man is prepared for all things.
Limit yourself to the present, and your fears will be gone.
We must laugh and philosophize at the same time.
The time when we are best able to enjoy ourselves is when we have least need of enjoyment.
The man who says that all things happen of necessity cannot criticize one who says that not all things happen of necessity.
It is not possible for one to rid himself of his fears about the most important matters if he does not understand the nature of the whole, but is still in doubt about some of the things that are said in the myths.