Epicureanism Epicurus

"It is not the stomach that needs filling but the mind's hunger for knowledge."

"True friendship is impossible without virtue; for with virtue come understanding and confidence, both essential to genuine friendship."

"The ultimate good is not in the excess but in the elimination of suffering."

"Fear of the supernatural brings more pain into the human spirit than any other fear."

"I am not afraid of god, nor of death; for what is good is easy to obtain, and the terrible is easy to endure."

"Pleasure is the highest good, but some pleasures are to be avoided if they lead to greater pain."

"The greatest fruit of self-sufficiency is freedom."

"We should seek out friends who will help us while they can, not those who wait until we are in dire need."

"The soul is disturbed by vain opinions; clear it of these, and every tempest is calmed."

"True contentment comes not from having more, but from wanting less."

"Among desires some are natural and necessary, some are natural but not necessary, and others are vain."

"It is the nature of every man to err, but only the wise improve themselves by the errors of others."

"The man who least needs tomorrow is the most cheerful."

"A man is tormented by no fear when he has ceased to fear death."

"Whatever is unnecessary is trouble; when one is troubled, one is wretched."

"It is natural to wish well to those we have once made our friends."

"Every necessity is an evil; but there are some necessities that one must encounter."

"The pleasures of the body are enjoyed by the evil and the good without distinction, but the fruit of knowledge, the fruit of beauty of soul, is the privilege of the virtuous."

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

"To eat moderately and contentedly is the greatest pleasure; to require moderation is the greatest wisdom."

"The beginning and root of all good is the pleasure of the stomach; even wisdom and culture derive their charm from this."

"We should set our hearts on immortality, not in the hope of prolonging this life but in the hope of securing the welfare of the soul."

"Physical suffering, when prolonged, brings ease rather than sorrow."

"The man who is quiet is freed from fear; he is strong because he does not rely upon chance."

"What nature requires is easy to obtain, what she does not require is hard to procure."

"Weaned from the useless philosophies, let reason be our only guide; for happiness does not consist in much knowledge."

"The greatest achievement is to live in accordance with nature."

"Of all the things which wisdom acquires to produce the blessedness of the whole life, far the greatest is the acquisition of friendship."

"Philosophy, therefore, should be cultivated solely for its power to quiet the mind and to procure a peaceful life."

"A man who behaves badly in the absence of witnesses is utterly ignorant of virtue."