The fool’s life is empty of gratitude and full of fears; its course lies wholly toward the future.
EpicurusRead
Let no one be slow to seek wisdom when he is young nor weary in the search of it when he has grown old. For no age is too early or too late for the health of the soul.
Interpretation
The pursuit of wisdom should start early in life and continue throughout one's lifetime, as it is essential for a healthy soul.
This quote by Epicurus emphasizes the importance of seeking knowledge and wisdom at any age. It suggests that individuals should not wait until they are older to start their quest for understanding, nor should they become complacent in their pursuit as they grow older. Wisdom contributes to the well-being and vitality of the soul, making it crucial to engage in this lifelong journey.
In practice
In a graduation speech, one might reference this quote to inspire students to continue learning.
The fool’s life is empty of gratitude and full of fears; its course lies wholly toward the future.
Accustom yourself to believe that death is nothing to us, for good and evil imply awareness, and death is the privation of all awareness; therefore a right understanding that death is nothing to us makes the mortality of life enjoyable, not by adding to life an unlimited time, but by taking away the yearning after immortality. For life has no terror; for those who thoroughly apprehend that there are no terrors for them in ceasing to live.
The wise man who has become accustomed to necessities knows better how to share with others than how to take from them, so great a treasure of self-sufficiency has he found.
We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink.
I was not, I was, I am not, I care not. (Non fui, fui, non sum, non curo)
Of all the means to insure happiness throughout the whole life, by far the most important is the acquisition of friends.
Men are generally idle, and ready to satisfy themselves, and intimidate the industry of others, by calling that impossible which is only difficult.
I certainly have a lot to lament, as do we all, everybody has their griefs. But the griefs we can fix, shouldn't we go around fixing them?
The seeker says, "I do not know." That takes honesty. The master says, "I do not know." That takes a mystic's mind that knows things through non-knowing. The disciple says, "I know." That takes ignorance, in the form of borrowed knowledge.
A bad day for the ego is a good day for the soul.
If you want to resolve a dispute or come out from conflict, the very first thing is to speak the truth. If you have a headache and tell the doctor you have a stomachache, how can the doctor help? You must speak the truth. The truth will abolish fear.
The man who doesn’t make up his mind to cultivate the habit of thinking misses the greatest pleasure in life.
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