Epicurus Quotes on Happiness
Epicurus identified the human good with stable pleasure (ataraxia) — the absence of bodily pain and mental disturbance — achieved through moderate enjoyment, philosophical friendship, and the dissolution of irrational fears. The Letter to Menoeceus presents the canonical statement: the wise person dispels the four great anxieties (about gods, death, pain, and the difficulty of obtaining the good) through careful natural philosophy, and lives accordingly in tranquil self-sufficiency. The doctrine has been widely caricatured as licensing bodily indulgence, but Epicurean practice was austere by ancient standards.
Quotes
-
Attributed to Epicurus:
“Of all the things which wisdom acquires to produce the blessedness of the complete life, by far the greatest is the possession of friendship.”
-
“It is impossible to live a pleasant life without living wisely and well and justly, and it is impossible to live wisely and well and justly without living pleasantly.”
Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡδέως ζῆν ἄνευ τοῦ φρονίμως καὶ καλῶς καὶ δικαίως, οὐδὲ φρονίμως καὶ καλῶς καὶ δικαίως ἄνευ τοῦ ἡδέως. ὅτῳ δὲ τοῦτο μὴ ὑπάρχει ἐξ οὗ ζῆν φρονίμως, καὶ καλῶς καὶ δικαίως ὑπάρχει, οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτον ἡδέως ζῆν. -
Attributed to Epicurus:
“Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.”
-
Attributed to Epicurus:
“If you wish to make Pythocles wealthy, do not give him more money; rather, reduce his desires.”
-
Attributed to Epicurus:
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things only hoped for.”
-
“A happy and eternal being has no trouble himself and brings no trouble upon any other being; hence he is exempt from movements of anger and partiality, for every such movement implies weakness . (1)”
Sovereign Maxims | Variant translations: What is blessed and indestructible has no troubles itself, nor does it give trouble to anyone else, so that it is not affected by feelings of anger or gratitude. For all such thi -
“Of all the means which wisdom acquires to ensure happiness throughout the whole of life , by far the most important is friendship . (28)”
Sovereign Maxims -
“Since it is every man's interest to be happy through the whole of life, it is the wisdom of every one to employ philosophy in the search of felicity without delay; and there cannot be a greater folly, than to be always beginning to live.”
Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers(Half-Hours with the Freethinkers) -
“This happy state can only be obtained by a prudent care of the body, and a steady government of the mind. The diseases of the body are to be prevented by temperance, or cured by medicine, or rendered tolerable by patience.”
Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers(Half-Hours with the Freethinkers) -
“Gentleness, as opposed to an irascible temper, greatly contributes to the tranquility and happiness of life, by preserving the mind from perturbation, and arming it against the assaults of calumny and malice.”
Ancient and Modern Celebrated Freethinkers(Half-Hours with the Freethinkers)