Polystratus Quotes
Polystratus was a Greek Epicurean philosopher and the third head of the Garden in Athens, succeeding Hermarchus around the middle of the third century BC. The papyrus rolls preserved at Herculaneum include substantial fragments of his On Irrational Contempt for Popular Opinions, which defends the Epicurean view that pleasure and pain are real properties of bodies and which mounts an early argument against the Cynic devaluation of conventional goods. The quotes below are attributed to Polystratus, organized by topic.
Polystratus on Death
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Attributed to Polystratus:
“Death is the longest sleep; what fears we have of it are dreams.”
Polystratus on God
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Attributed to Polystratus:
“Even the gods are subject to the laws of nature; the wise man asks no more than that.”
Polystratus on Knowledge
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Attributed to Polystratus:
“Popular opinions are not all false; the wise man learns to sift them, not to despise them all.”
Polystratus on Love
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Attributed to Polystratus:
“Friendship without philosophy is a flower without a root.”
Polystratus on Nature
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Attributed to Polystratus:
“Pleasure and pain are real properties of bodies, not mere conventions.”