“It is impossible to live a pleasant life without living wisely and well and justly, and it is impossible to live wisely and well and justly without living pleasantly.”Epicur · Maximele fundamentale · -280 · Maxima 5
Virtue is not the goal but the price of lasting pleasure: without just deeds there is no peace.
Epicurus here answers the charge that his philosophy justifies vulgar hedonism. The pleasure he proposes is not luxury but tranquility, and tranquility requires sound judgment and just conduct. The mechanism is consequence: unjust acts produce fear of punishment and inner unrest, which destroy happiness. A thief may have money, but he cannot have a peaceful night's sleep. Virtue is not a separate goal but the technical condition of lasting pleasure.
Why it matters Corrects the idea that living well means indulging yourself: it shows that right decisions are also the ones that secure your long-term peace.