Epicurus was a Greek philosopher from the 3rd Century BC, who believed in living a happy, tranquil life surrounded by friends. He saw pain as bad, pleasure as good and did not believe in the gods – but that atoms moving in empty space are all that accounted for the events in the world.
His views of life and death were always focussed on maximising pleasure, and bringing happiness to himself and his friends.
Here are 10 quotes from Epicurs to enjoy!
1. 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.
2. Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.
3. 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.
4. Of all the things which wisdom provides to make us entirely happy, much the greatest is the possession of friendship.
5. It is folly for a man to pray to the gods for that which he has the power to obtain by himself.
6. Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.
7. Not what we have but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.
8. If thou wilt make a man happy, add not unto his riches but take away from his desires.
9. 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.
10. We do not so much need the help of our friends as the confidence of their help in need.
