I had much rather be adorned by beauty of character than by jewels. Jewels are the gift of fortune, character comes from within.
PlautusRead
I seek the utmost pleasure and the least pain.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the pursuit of joy while avoiding suffering.
This quote by Plautus reflects a fundamental human desire to attain maximum happiness while minimizing distress in life. It speaks to the inherent motivation to seek out pleasurable experiences and to create a life that is fulfilling by reducing negative emotions and pain.
Themes
PleasurePainHappinessLifeDesire
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about pursuing happiness, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of seeking joy.
More from Plautus
All quotes βProperty is unstable, and youth perishes in a moment. Life itself is held in the grinning fangs of Death, Yet men delay to obtain release from the world. Alas, the conduct of mankind is surprising.
PlautusRead
Things we do not expect, happen more frequently than we wish.
PlautusRead
The gods confound the man who first found out How to distinguish hours! Confound him, too, Who in this place set up a sun-dial, To cut and hack my days so wretchedly Into small portions.
PlautusRead
I would rather be adorned by beauty of character than jewels. Jewels are the gift of fortune, while character comes from within.
PlautusRead
If I can only keep my good name, I shall have riches enough.
PlautusRead
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All I do is play music and golf - which one do you want me to give up?
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It's never been an issue for me - I don't want to go on a diet, I don't want to eat a Caesar salad with no dressing, why would I do that? I ain't got time for this, just be happy and don't be stupid. If I've got a boyfriend and he loves my body then I'm not worried.
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The chances are that you have already come to believe that happiness is unattainable. But men have attained it. And they have attained it by realizing that happiness does not spring from the procuring of physical or mental pleasure, but from the development of reason and the adjustment of conduct to principles.
Arnold BennettRead