Epicurus

341–270 BC · Greek philosopher, founder of Epicureanism

Epicurus (341–270 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher who founded Epicureanism and taught in his Athenian “Garden.” He held that pleasure — understood as tranquility (ataraxia) and freedom from bodily pain — is the highest good, best reached by limiting desire to what is natural and necessary. Almost none of his voluminous writing survives; we have a few letters and two collections of maxims, the Principal Doctrines and the Vatican Sayings.

Traced to source

4 quotes we’ve traced to Epicurus

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not”

Verified

“We should not spoil what we have by desiring what we do not have, but remember that what we have too was the gift of fortune”

Verified

“He who is not satisfied with a little is satisfied with nothing”

Attributed

“Of all the means to ensure happiness, friendship is the most important”

Disputed

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