Would It Be Fair To Say That Epicurus Taught "Lower Your Expectations And You'll Never Be Disappointed"?

    Would It Be Fair To Say That Epicurus Taught "Lower Your Expectations And You'll Never Be Disappointed"? 6

    1. Yes (1) 17%
    2. No (4) 67%
    3. I don't have any problem with that formulation, but I'd also say: (1) 17%

    Please vote and then explain.

    The wording of this doesn't quite work for me. An internal feeling of disappointment happens because a mental expectation was not fulfilled. But if you understand the nature of the world well, you will know which situations come with a higher probability of fufillment and which come with a lower probability, and you won't create unrealistic expectations.

    Cassius your statement "Lower your expectations and you will never be dissatisfied" could be compared to this PD:

    PD15. "The wealth demanded by nature is both limited and easily procured; that demanded by idle imaginings stretches on to infinity."

    The Japanese concept of "wabi-sabi" might be related to the Epicurean "wealth demanded by nature" (in PD15).

    From Wikipedia:

    Quote

    In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi (侘び寂び) centers on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.[2] It is often described as the appreciation of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".[3] It is prevalent in many forms of Japanese art.[4][5]

    Wabi-sabi combines two interrelated concepts: wabi (侘) and sabi (寂). According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, wabi may be translated as "subdued, austere beauty", and sabi as "rustic patina"....

    Characteristics of wabi-sabi aesthetics and principles include asymmetry, roughness, simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and the appreciation of natural objects and the forces of nature.

    -->Source article

    Usener 135

    Johannes Stobaeus, Anthology, 3.17.24:

    Quote

    Again from Epicurus: "If you wish to make Pythocles rich, do not give him more money, but diminish his desire."

    The question in the thread title is far too broad to be meaningful, but this and other quotes seem relevant.

    My highest expectation, hope, and desire is for personal peace -- and a similar well-being of peace for my friends: what greater thing could be desired?

    This is not a low expectation, but a very high one -- and one which our philosophy supports very well.

    ------------------------

    However, from another angle, this may well entail "lowering your expectations" if they are insupportably high!

    Not one of us can significantly change the mass flow -- of the ocean, of the air... etc.

    Edited 11 times, last by Bryan (January 27, 2026 at 1:05 PM).

    Quote

    He (sc. Metrodorus) [writes] that, although he likes the idea that the [best] life is the one that is [accompanied by tranquillity], peace, and cares that cause minimal trouble, it does not seem that this goal is achieved at least in this way, namely, if we avoid all those things over which, if they were present, we would sometimes experience difficulties and distress.

    I originally awnsered yes but I think I would change my awnser to the third option. I think Philodemus's quote of Metrodorus best exemplifies the Epicurean viewpoint on this qoute. Essentially An Epicurean would wish that that statement was true, and should tty to apply it as best we can for a fuller life of pleasure, but sadly it in fact it isn't entirely true, as there are just some things which we will be pained by no matter how much we lower our expectations or how much wisdom we have (namely bodily pain).

    From Torquatus:

    "More, any pains that the Wise Man may encounter are never so severe but that he has more cause for gladness than for sorrow. Again, it is a fine saying of Epicurus that 'the Wise Man is but little interfered with by fortune: the great concerns of life, the things that matter, are controlled by his own wisdom and reason'; and that 'no greater pleasure could be derived from a life of infinite duration than is actually afforded by this existence which we know to be finite.'"

    In my opinion, the phrase makes much more sense within the framework of Stoicism, where, in the effort to secure peace of mind, one seeks to adjust desires to the actual state of the world. The Stoic aims to wish that the world be exactly as it is (and usually struggles to achieve that desire). If I may suggest, the phrase sounds more like a kind of dissatisfied conformism, similar to the fox in Aesop’s fable.
    The Epicurean does not want to conform, but to feel satisfied. Epicurus observed that our constitution allows us to feel satisfied quite simply with what nature provides. It is not that we flee from what is difficult for us (for example, some luxury or great objective) out of fear of frustration, but rather that we actively seek what brings us pleasure, and that is usually easy to obtain.

    Nope, I don't think Epicurus would say to lower your expectations and you'll never be disappointed. In point of fact, he says there is a limit to simple living, and the person that goes to extremes of simple living is a bad off as the person that goes to extremes of extravagance.

    Vatican Saying 63 - Epicurus Wiki

    The people who thought you should have the lowest expectations of all were the Cynic philosophers. These guys only possessed a cloak, staff, and a bag for whatever they could beg. Cheap living for sure but sleeping outside in the cold weather, with only a cloak. isn't the most pleasant lifestyle. :)