Quotes by Epicurus

Curated aphorisms, philosophical reflections, and verified citations

28 Verified Quotes
17 Life Themes
Primary Focus: Action (3)
Wikipedia & Wikidata Verified

Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher who founded the philosophical school of Epicureanism, which teaches that management of one's desires, removal of unnecessary fears, friendship, and virtuous living lead to a pleasant life and constant happiness, the highest good.

Epicurus Quotes on Action (3)

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"I have never wished to cater to the crowd; for what I know they do not approve, and what they approve I do not know."

"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."

"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 Quotes on Experience (3)

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Epicurus Quotes on Life (3)

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"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."

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"Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempest."

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"Not what we have But what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance."

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Epicurus Quotes on Happiness (2)

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"If thou wilt make a man happy, add not unto his riches but take away from his desires."

"Of all the things which wisdom provides to make us entirely happy, much the greatest is the possession of friendship."

Epicurus Quotes on Justice (2)

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"There is no such thing as justice in the abstract it is merely a compact between men."

Epicurus Quotes on Religion (2)

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"It is folly for a man to pray to the gods for that which he has the power to obtain by himself."

"If God listened to the prayers of men, all men would quickly have perished: for they are forever praying for evil against one another."

Epicurus Quotes on Trust (2)

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

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

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Epicurus Quotes on Wisdom (2)

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

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

Epicurus Quotes on Art (1)

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

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Epicurus Quotes on Courage (1)

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"You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity."

Epicurus Quotes on Death (1)

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"It is possible to provide security against other ills, but as far as death is concerned, we men live in a city without walls."

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Epicurus Quotes on Failure (1)

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

Epicurus Quotes on Freedom (1)

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

Epicurus Quotes on Money (1)

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"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."

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Epicurus Quotes on Philosophy (1)

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"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 Quotes on Time (1)

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"The time when most of you should withdraw into yourself is when you are forced to be in a crowd."

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Epicurus Quotes on Truth (1)

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

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