This quote from the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus says a lot about his namesake system of philosophy, Epicureanism. Epicurus believed the goal of human life is a sense of happiness, characterized by the absence of physical pain and mental disturbance, and that unhappiness comes from negative thoughts, needless guilt, and the fear of things we can’t control, including death. 

Epicurus rejected the idea of an afterlife, arguing that the soul doesn’t continue to exist after our demise, and that death was something that “gives no trouble when it comes, [and] is but an empty pain in anticipation.” However, despite his belief in the pursuit of pleasure and comfort, Epicurus was not an out-and-out hedonist. Epicureanism entails a preference for sustainable, simple pleasures and a degree of balance — the gentle, gliding stream — rather than the more intense torrents of excessive indulgence.”