Key Ideas
1. Philosophy belongs to every stage of life
No one is too young or too old to cultivate the understanding required for happiness.
2. Divine blessedness excludes disturbance
Gods should not be imagined as angry, punitive or governed by unstable human passions.
3. Death cannot be experienced as harm
When a person exists, death is absent; when death arrives, the experiencing person is absent.
4. Fear of death damages the life that is present
Anxiety anticipates suffering in a condition where sensation no longer exists.
5. A good life is not measured simply by length
Like food, life should be valued for the quality of what is enjoyed rather than quantity alone.
6. The future is partly open and partly beyond control
We should neither count upon it with certainty nor surrender as if our choices were irrelevant.
7. Desires have different origins and limits
Natural and necessary desires can be satisfied, while groundless desires may expand indefinitely.
8. Pleasure is freedom from pain and disturbance
Epicurean happiness is a stable condition of bodily ease and mental tranquillity, not constant excitement.
9. Not every pleasure is worth choosing
An enjoyable action may be refused when its later consequences produce greater suffering.
10. Some pains are reasonably accepted
Temporary difficulty can be worthwhile when it brings health, security or more enduring pleasure.
11. Simplicity reduces dependence upon fortune
Someone content with little can enjoy abundance without becoming unable to live without it.
12. Prudence governs the pleasant life
Sober judgement examines choices, corrects false beliefs and connects happiness with virtue.
13. Justice and pleasure are inseparable
Dishonour and injustice create conflict and fear, preventing the tranquillity that defines genuine pleasure.
14. Human agency exists alongside necessity and chance
Not everything is chosen, but some actions are genuinely ours and properly receive praise or blame.
15. Wisdom is more valuable than lucky success
A well-judged action retains moral value even when chance prevents the desired outcome.
16. Philosophy requires repeated practice
Reflection alone and with companions turns principles into habits capable of calming everyday life.