§26Δεῖ διαλαβεῖν ὅτι καὶ ὁ πολὺς λόγος καὶ ὁ βραχὺς εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ συντείνει.
One must understand that both long and short discourse tend to the same end.
§27Ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιτηδευμάτων μόλις τελειωθεῖσιν ὁ καρπὸς ἔρχεται, ἐπὶ δὲ φιλοσοφίας συντρέχει τῇ γνώσει τὸ τερπνόν· οὐ γὰρ μετὰ μάθησιν ἀπόλαυσις, ἀλλὰ ἅμα μάθησις καὶ ἀπόλαυσις.
In other occupations, the fruit comes with difficulty to those who have completed them; but in philosophy, pleasure runs hand in hand with knowledge; for enjoyment does not follow learning, but learning and enjoyment occur together.
§28Οὔτε τοὺς προχείρους εἰς φιλίαν οὔτε τοὺς ὀκνηροὺς δοκιμαστέον· δεῖ δὲ καὶ παρακινδυνεῦσαι χάριν, χάριν φιλίας.
We must approve neither of those who are easy to make friends nor of those who hesitate; but we must even run risks for the sake of favor—favor, that is, of friendship.
§29Παρρησίᾳ γὰρ ἔγωγε χρώμενος φυσιολόγῳ χρησμῳδεῖν τὰ συμφέροντα πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις μᾶλλον ἂν βουλοίμην, κἂν μηδεὶς μέλλῃ συνήσειν, ἢ συγκατατιθέμενος ταῖς δόξαις καρποῦσθαι τὸν πυκνὸν παραπίπτοντα παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ἔπαινον.
For my part, utilizing frankness as a natural philosopher, I would prefer to utter as oracles what is beneficial to all human beings, even if no one is going to understand, rather than, by agreeing with common opinions, to reap the frequent praise that falls from the crowd.
§30Ἑτοιμάζονταί τινες διὰ βίου τὰ πρὸς τὸν βίον, οὐ συνορῶντες ὡς πᾶσιν ἡμῖν θανάσιμον ἐγκέχυται τὸ τῆς γενέσεως φάρμακον.
Some people prepare for life throughout their whole life, not realizing that the deadly poison of birth has been poured into all of us.
§31Πρὸς μὲν τἆλλα δυνατὸν ἀσφάλειαν πορίσασθαι, χάριν δὲ θανάτου πάντες ἄνθρωποι πόλιν ἀτείχιστον οἰκοῦμεν.
Against all other things it is possible to procure security, but as far as death is concerned, we all live in an unfortified city.
§32Ὁ τοῦ σοφοῦ σεβασμὸς ἀγαθὸν μέγα τῷ σεβομένῳ ἐστί.
Veneration of the wise man is a great good for the one who venerates.
§33Σαρκὸς φωνὴ τὸ μὴ πεινῆν, τὸ μὴ διψῆν, τὸ μὴ ῥιγοῦν·
The voice of the flesh is: not to hunger, not to thirst, not to be cold.
ταῦτα γὰρ ἔχων τις καὶ ἐλπίζων ἕξειν κἂν 〈Διὶ〉 ὑπὲρ εὐδαιμονίας μαχέσαιτο.
For one who has these things, and hopes to have them in the future, might vie even with Zeus for happiness.
§34Οὐχ οὕτως χρείαν ἔχομεν τῆς χρείας παρὰ τῶν φίλων ὡς τῆς πίστεως τῆς περὶ τῆς χρείας.
We do not have so much need of assistance from our friends as of the confidence regarding that assistance.
§35Οὐ δεῖ λυμαίνεσθαι τὰ παρόντα τῶν ἀπόντων ἐπιθυ μίᾳ, ἀλλ’ ἐπιλογίζεσθαι ὅτι καὶ ταῦτα τῶν εὐκταίων ἦν.
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.
§36Ὁ Ἐπικούρου βίος τοῖς τῶν ἄλλων συγκρινόμενος ἕνεκεν ἡμερότητος καὶ αὐταρκείας μῦθος ἂν νομισθείη.
Epicurus' life, when compared to that of other men, might be regarded as a myth for its gentleness and self-sufficiency.
§37Ἀσθενὴς ἡ φύσις ἐστὶ πρὸς τὸ κακόν, οὐ πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθόν· ἡδοναῖς μὲν γὰρ σῴζεται, ἀλγηδόσι δὲ διαλύεται.
Nature is weak toward evil, not toward good; for it is preserved by pleasures, but dissolved by pains.
§38Μικρὸς παντάπασιν, ᾧ πολλαὶ αἰτίαι εὔλογοι εἰς ἐξαγωγὴν βίου.
Altogether small is the man for whom there are many plausible reasons for ending his life.
§39Οὔθ’ ὁ τὴν χρείαν ἐπιζητῶν διὰ παντὸς φίλος οὔθ’ ὁ μηδέποτε συνάπτων· ὃ μὲν γὰρ καπηλεύει τῇ χάριτι τὴν ἀμοιβήν, ὃ δὲ ἀποκόπτει τὴν περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος εὐελπιστίαν.
Neither he who always seeks utility is a friend, nor he who never links it to friendship; for the one barters gratitude for profit, while the other cuts off good hope for the future.
§40Ὁ λέγων πάντα κατ’ ἀνάγκην γίνεσθαι οὐδὲν ἐγκαλεῖν ἔχει τῷ λέγοντι μὴ πάντα κατ’ ἀνάγκην γίνεσθαι· αὐτὸ γὰρ τοῦτό φησι κατ’ ἀνάγκην γίνεσθαι.
He who says that all things happen by necessity has no claim against him who says that not all things happen by necessity; for he asserts that this very statement itself happens by necessity.
§41Γελᾶν ἅμα δεῖ καὶ φιλοσοφεῖν καὶ οἰκονομεῖν καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς οἰκειώμασι χρῆσθαι καὶ μηδαμῇ λήγειν τὰς ἐκ τῆς ὀρθῆς φιλοσοφίας φωνὰς ἀφιέντας.
We must laugh and at the same time philosophize, manage our household, make use of our other family relations, and never cease uttering the words that spring from true philosophy.
§42Ὁ αὐτὸς χρόνος καὶ γενέσεως τοῦ μεγίστου ἀγαθοῦ καὶ ἀπολαύσεως.
The same time is both the generation of the greatest good and its enjoyment.
§43Φιλαργυρεῖν ἄδικα μὲν ἀσεβές, δίκαια δὲ αἰσχρόν· ἀπρεπὲς γὰρ ῥυπαρῶς φείδεσθαι καὶ μετὰ τοῦ δικαίου.
To love money unjustly is impious, but to do so justly is shameful; for it is unseemly to be sordidly stingy, even with justice.
§44Ὁ σοφὸς εἰς τὰ ἀναγκαῖα συγκλεισθεὶς μᾶλλον ἐπίστα ται μεταδιδόναι ἢ μεταλαμβάνειν· τηλικοῦτον αὐταρκείας εὗρε θησαυρόν.
The wise man, when confined to the necessities of life, knows how to share rather than to receive; so great a treasure of self-sufficiency has he found.
§45Οὐ κόμπου οὐδὲ φωνῆς ἐργαστικοὺς οὐδὲ τὴν περι μάχητον παρὰ τοῖς πολλοῖς παιδείαν ἐνδεικνυμένους φυσιολογία παρασκευάζει, ἀλλ’ ἀσοβάρους καὶ αὐτάρκεις καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀγαθοῖς, οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῖς τῶν πραγμάτων μέγα φρονοῦντας.
Natural philosophy does not produce men who are makers of boastful speech or displayers of that education which is fought over by the crowd, but rather those who are modest, self-sufficient, and proud of their own goods, not of their circumstances.
§46Τὰς φαύλας συνηθείας ὥσπερ ἄνδρας πονηροὺς πολὺν χρόνον μέγα βλάψαντας τελείως ἐκδιώκομεν.
We must completely banish bad habits, just like wicked men who have long done great harm to us.
§47Προκατείλημμαί σε, ὦ Τύχη, καὶ πᾶσαν 〈τὴν〉 σὴν παρείσδυσιν ἐνέφραξα.
I have anticipated you, Fortune, and I have blocked every entrance of yours.
καὶ οὔτε σοὶ οὔτε ἄλλῃ οὐδεμιᾷ περιστάσει δώσομεν ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδότους· ἀλλ’ ὅταν ἡμᾶς τὸ χρεὼν ἐξάγῃ, μέγα προσπτύσαντες τῷ ζῆν καὶ τοῖς αὐτῷ κενῶς περι πλαττομένοις ἄπιμεν ἐκ τοῦ ζῆν μετὰ καλοῦ παιῶνος ἐπιφωνοῦντες ὡς εὖ ἡμῖν βεβίωται.
And we shall not surrender ourselves to you or to any other circumstance; but when necessity leads us out, spitting mightily upon life and those who vainly cling to it, we shall depart from life chanting a beautiful paean, exclaiming that we have lived well.
§48Πειρᾶσθαι τὴν ὑστέραν τῆς προτέρας κρείττω ποιεῖν, ἕως ἂν ἐν ὁδῷ ὦμεν· ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἐπὶ πέρας ἔλθωμεν, ὁμαλῶς εὐφραίνεσθαι.
We must try to make the later part of the journey better than the former, as long as we are on the road; and when we come to the end, to be uniformly glad.
§49Οὐκ ἦν τὸ φοβούμενον λύειν ὑπὲρ τῶν κυριωτάτων μὴ εἰδότας τίς ἡ τοῦ σύμπαντος φύσις, ἀλλ’ ὑποπτεύοντάς τι τῶν κατὰ τοὺς μύθους.
It was not possible to dissolve fear about the most important things for those who did not know what the nature of the universe is, but who suspected something from the myths.
ὥστε οὐκ ἦν ἄνευ φυσιολογίας ἀκεραίους τὰς ἡδονὰς ἀπολαμβάνειν.
Hence, without natural philosophy, it was not possible to enjoy unmixed pleasures.
§50Οὐδεμία ἡδονὴ καθ’ ἑαυτὴν κακόν· ἀλλὰ τὰ ποιητικὰ ἐνίων πολλαπλασίους ὀχλήσεις ἐπιφέρει τῶν ἡδονῶν.
No pleasure is in itself an evil, but the things which produce certain pleasures bring troubles many times greater than the pleasures themselves.