Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

About Epicurus

Portrait of Epicurus

Epicurus (, EH-pih-KURE-əs; Ancient Greek: Ἐπίκουρος Epikouros; 341–270 BC) 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.

More quotations from Epicurus

The man least dependent upon the morrow goes to meet the morrow most cheerfully.

It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive.

Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not.

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

More quotations tagged with “hope”

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul.
And sings the tune
Without the words,
and never stops at all.

—Emily Dickinson

While there's life, there's hope.

He that lives upon hope will die fasting.

—Benjamin Franklin

We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics. They will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come. We've been asked to pause for a reality check; we've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

—Barack Obama

Hope doesn't come from calculating whether the good news is winning out over the bad. It's simply a choice to take action.