Epicurus Quotes

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.

The greatest wealth is to live content with little.

It is impossible to live a pleasant life without living wisely and well and justly.

Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.

The wise man who has become accustomed to necessities knows better how to share with others than how to take.

He who is not satisfied with a little, is satisfied with nothing.

The greatest benefit of a philosopher’s friendship is that you can get help without being coerced.

Of all the things that wisdom provides to help one live one’s entire life in happiness, the greatest by far is friendship.

I never desired to please the rabble. What pleased them, I did not learn; and what I knew was far removed from their understanding.

It is better for you to be free of fear lying upon a pallet, than to have a golden couch and a rich table and be full of trouble.

Natural justice is a symbol or expression of utility, to the effect that in every case of conflict of interest, justice intervenes to settle the dispute.

We have nothing to fear from God, but we do have something to fear from ourselves.

No pleasure is a bad thing in itself, but things which are the causes or means of pleasure can give rise to much pain and great harm.

Epicurus Quotes part 2

Let death come on the day when it will, but as long as I breathe, I shall live a life of freedom.

The highest good is pleasure that is within the limits of moderation and reason.

An empty stomach is not a good political adviser.

The just man is most free from disturbance, while the unjust man is full of the utmost disturbance.

Of all the things that wisdom acquires to produce the blessedness of the complete life, far the greatest is the possession of friendship.

Riches do not exhilarate us so much with their possession as they torment us with their loss.

The highest form of bliss is the knowledge that one can live a virtuous and happy life without the need for any external resources.

The misfortune of the wise is better than the prosperity of the fool.

Let no one delay the study of philosophy while young nor weary of it when old.

We do not so much need the help of our friends as the confidence of their help in need.

If you want to make a man happy, add not to his riches but take away from his desires.

It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us as the confidence of their help.

One should take things philosophically, accepting what happens with a wise and calm mind.

It is better to be poor and comfortable than to be rich and burdened.

Justice is the most valuable of all the virtues because it ensures everything else that is good.

The wealth required by nature is limited and is easy to procure; but the wealth required by vain ideals extends to infinity.

We should not increase the wealth of a man who has no desire for wealth.

Death, therefore, the most awful of evils, is nothing to us, seeing that, when we exist, death is not yet present, and, when death is present, then we do not exist.

Every day one should at least call a halt to discuss one’s interests and plans with oneself.

Luxury is not in drinking wine and gorging oneself on feasts; luxury is the sense of abundance and ease with few physical possessions.

It is not the young man who should be considered fortunate but the old man who has lived well, because he has enjoyed his past and has no fear of the future.

The wealth required by nature is limited and is easy to procure; but the wealth required by vain ideals extends to infinity.

It is better to be free of fear and lying upon a pallet, than to have a golden couch and a rich table and be full of trouble.

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

Of all the things that wisdom acquires to produce the blessedness of the complete life, far the greatest is the possession of friendship.

Nature has given us two ears, two eyes, and but one tongue-to the end that we should hear and see more than we speak.

Whoever does not regard what he has as most ample wealth, is unhappy, though he be master of the whole world.

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not.

If you wish to make Pythocles wealthy, do not give him more money, but diminish his desires.

Let no one delay the study of philosophy while young nor weary of it when old.

Illnesses do not hurt us; they are merely experienced by us.

Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.

Death, therefore, the most awful of evils, is nothing to us, seeing that, when we exist, death is not yet present, and, when death is present, then we do not exist.

The art of living well and the art of dying well are one.

The whole art of living is to be a philosopher.

A free life cannot acquire many possessions, because this is not easy to do without servility to mobs or monarchs.