Epicurus quotes
Born
February 341, BC, Samos.
Died
270 BC.
Occupation
Philosopher.
Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher as well as the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism. Only a few fragments and letters of Epicurus’s 300 written works remain.
It is possible to provide security against other ills, but as far as death is concerned, we men live in a city without walls.
– Epicurus
Justice… is a kind of compact not to harm or be harmed.
– Epicurus
Of all the things which wisdom provides to make us entirely happy, much the greatest is the possession of friendship.
– Epicurus
Thus that which is the most awful of evils, death, is nothing to us, since when we exist there is no death, and when there is death we do not exist.
– Epicurus
If thou wilt make a man happy, add not unto his riches but take away from his desires.
– Epicurus
The art of living well and the art of dying well are one.
– Epicurus
We cannot live pleasantly without living wisely and nobly and righteously.
– Epicurus
The misfortune of the wise is better than the prosperity of the fool.
– Epicurus
Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.
– Epicurus
Only the just man enjoys peace of mind.
– Epicurus
If the gods listened to the prayers of men, all humankind would quickly perish since they constantly pray for many evils to befall one another.
– Epicurus
Of all the things which wisdom provides to make life entirely happy, much the greatest is the possession of friendship.
– Epicurus
Riches do not exhilarate us so much with their possession as they torment us with their loss.
– Epicurus
Neither one should hesitate about dedicating oneself to philosophy when young, nor should get tired of doing it when one’s old, because no one is ever too young or too old to reach one’s soul’s healthy.
– Epicurus
It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us, as the confidence of their help.
– Epicurus
Misfortune seldom intrudes upon the wise man; his greatest and highest interests are directed by reason throughout the course of life.
– Epicurus
Let no one delay the study of philosophy while young nor weary of it when old.
– Epicurus
The greater difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.
– Epicurus
Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not.
– Epicurus
The flesh endures the storms of the present alone, the mind those of the past and future as well as the present.
– Epicurus
There is no such thing as justice in the abstract; it is merely a compact between men.
– Epicurus
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.
– Epicurus
Justice . . . is a kind of compact not to harm or be harmed.
– Epicurus
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.
– Epicurus
It is folly for a man to pray to the gods for that which he has the power to obtain by himself.
– Epicurus
It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help us.
– Epicurus
Nothing is sufficient for the person who finds sufficiency too little.
– Epicurus
We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink, for dining alone is leading the life of a lion or wolf.
– Epicurus
Of all the things which wisdom acquires to produce the blessedness of the complete life far the greatest is the possession of Friendship.
– Epicurus
Of all things which wisdom provides to make life entirely happy, much the greatest is the possession of friendship.
– Epicurus
Happiness is man’s greatest aim in life. Tranquility and rationality are the cornerstones of happiness.
– Epicurus
The greater difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.
– Epicurus
Freedom is the greatest fruit of self-sufficiency.
– Epicurus
There is no such thing as justice in the abstract; it is merely a compact between men.
– Epicurus
Not what we have But what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.
– Epicurus
Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempest.
– Epicurus
I never desired to please the rabble. What pleased them, I did not learn; and what I knew was far removed from their understanding.
– Epicurus
We do not so much need the help of our friends as the confidence of their help in need.
– Epicurus
Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.
– Epicurus
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 a pleasant life.
– Epicurus
Why should I fear death? If I am, death is not. If death is, I am not. Why should I fear that which can only exist when I do not?
– Epicurus
The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it.
– Epicurus
There is nothing to fear from gods, There is nothing to feel in death, Good can be attained, Evil can be endured.
– Epicurus
The man least dependent upon the morrow goes to meet the morrow most cheerfully.
– Epicurus
The time when most of you should withdraw into yourself is when you are forced to be in a crowd.
– Epicurus