Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher who placed peace of mind, thoughtful choices, and freedom from unnecessary fears at the heart of a good life. For him, pleasure did not mean endless indulgence, but above all freedom from bodily pain and mental disturbance.
1. “Let no one put off the study of philosophy because they are young, or grow weary of it because they are old.”
2. “It is never too early or too late to care for the health of the soul.”
3. “When we say that pleasure is the goal, we do not mean the pleasures of extravagance.”
4. “The greatest pleasure is freedom from pain in the body and disturbance in the mind.”
5. “It is impossible to live pleasantly without living wisely, honorably, and justly.”
6. “It is impossible to live wisely, honorably, and justly without living pleasantly.”
7. “Of all the things wisdom provides for a happy life, friendship is by far the greatest.”
8. “Some desires are natural and necessary; others are natural but unnecessary; still others are neither natural nor necessary.”
9. “If you wish to make someone rich, do not increase their wealth, but reduce their desires.”
10. “Nothing is enough for the person to whom enough is too little.”
11. “Whoever is not satisfied with little will not be satisfied with anything.”
12. “Growing accustomed to a simple life makes us healthier and more courageous in the face of fortune’s changes.”
13. “Bread and water bring the greatest pleasure to someone who truly needs them.”
14. “Neither endless feasts nor luxury makes life pleasant, but sober reasoning.”
15. “Sober reasoning examines the causes of every choice and every avoidance.”
16. “Not every pleasure should be chosen, and not every pain should be avoided.”
17. “Sometimes we endure pain because a greater pleasure follows it.”
18. “Sometimes we turn away from pleasure because greater suffering follows it.”
19. “Death is nothing to us: when we exist, death is not present; and when death is present, we no longer exist.”
20. “There is nothing frightening in life for someone who has truly understood that there is nothing frightening in not living.”
21. “The wise person neither flees life nor fears its end.”
22. “Just as we choose not the greatest quantity of food but the most pleasant, we should value not the longest life but the most pleasant one.”
23. “The future is neither entirely ours nor entirely beyond our control.”
24. “We should neither expect the future as certain nor despair as though it could never come.”
25. “Justice is not something unchanging in itself, but an agreement neither to harm nor to be harmed.”
26. “The unjust person is tormented by the fear that their wrongdoing will be discovered.”
27. “Of all the things wisdom prepares for a happy life, friendship is the greatest good.”
28. “What matters is not so much our friends’ help as the confidence that we can rely on it.”
29. “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you do not have.”
30. “Let gratitude for the past and thoughtful care for the present help us live with peace of mind.”
Author: Vasil Stoyanov