Quotes from Lucretius

Were a man to order his life by the rules of true reason, a frugal substance joined to a contented mind is for him great riches; for never is there any lack of a little.

How wretched are the minds of men, and how blind their understandings. [Lat., O miseras hominum menteis! oh, pectora caeca!]

What is food to one man may be fierce poison to others

The dreadful fear of hell is to be driven out, which disturbs the life of man and renders it miserable, overcasting all things with the blackness of darkness, and leaving no pure, unalloyed pleasure.

Such are the heights of wickedness to which men are driven by religion.

Victory puts us on a level with heaven.

Whenever anything changes and quits its proper limits, this change is at once the death of that which was before.

If the matter of death is reduced to sleep and rest, what can there be so bitter in it, that any one should pine in eternal grief for the decease of a friend?

Never trust her at any time when the calm sea shows her false alluring smile.

Material objects are of two kinds, atoms and compounds of atoms. The atoms themselves cannot be swamped by any force, for they are preserved indefinitely by their absolute solidity.

Therefore death is nothing to us, it matters not one jot, since the nature of the mind is understood to be mortal.

For thee the wonder-working earth puts forth sweet flowers.

O miserable minds of men! O blind hearts! In what darkness of life, in what great dangers ye spend this little span of years!

Such evil deeds could religion prompt.

So far as it goes, a small thing may give analogy of great things, and show the tracks of knowledge.

So it is more useful to watch a man in times of peril, and in adversity to discern what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn from the depths of his heart, and the mask is torn off, reality remains.

But if one should guide his life by true principles, man's greatest riches is to live on a little with contented mind; for a little is never lacking.

That fear of Acheron be sent packing which troubles the life of man from its deepest depths, suffuses all with the blackness of death, and leaves no delight clean and pure.

All things must needs be borne on through the calm void, moving at equal rate with unequal weights.

The lively power of his mind prevailed, and forth he marched far beyond the flaming walls of the heavens, as he traversed the immeasurable universe in thought and imagination.

[Epicurus] set forth what is the highest good, towards which we all strive, and pointed out the past, whereby along a narrow track we may strain on towards it in a straight course.

For as children tremble and fear everything in the blind darkness, so we in the light sometimes fear what is no more to be feared than the things children in the dark hold in terror and imagine will come true.

Watch a man in times of... adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn from the depths of his heart, and the mask is torn off.

What is food to one man is bitter poison to others.