One evening, discouraged and exhausted, Cleon heard a rumor of an old teacher who lived outside the city walls in a simple garden. His name was Epicurus.
He plucked a ripe fig from a nearby tree. “People believe happiness requires endless money, powerful friends, and exotic pleasures. But watch a child with a fig — pure joy needs no gold. The problem isn’t pleasure itself. The problem is empty desires.” epicurus the art of happiness pdf
He drew a third line and crossed it out. “Fame, limitless wealth, power over others. These are neither natural nor necessary. They are bottomless pits. The more you feed them, the hungrier they grow.” One evening, discouraged and exhausted, Cleon heard a
Cleon frowned. “So you say I should want nothing?” The problem is empty desires
He gestured to his friends in the courtyard. “See these people? We share our meals, our work, our thoughts. Friendship is the greatest wisdom for happiness — more than any medicine or fortune. A true friend multiplies joy and divides sorrow.”