Uploaded October 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago

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WISDOM WEDNESDAY. Every week, you’ll get five powerful quotes from timeless thinkers (combined with some original insight): freedominthought.com/newsletter

ABOUT THE VIDEO
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In this video, I talk about Epicurus, desires—such as necessary desires (necessary & natural, vain desires (unnecessary and unnatural), and luxury desires (natural but unnecessary)—happiness, self-mastery, and self-control.

When most people think of the perfect life, they imagine a life filled with fine-dining, infinite romantic partners, fame, status, wealth, and luxury. They imagine a life of infinite power—being able to fulfill any desire they wish. But if power was all you needed to be happy, that means every wealthy business owner, a-list celebrity, and gangster would be happy. But that’s clearly not the case. No examples are needed. In any one of these categories, you can find someone whose life is full of stress, pain, and sorrow. Worldly power is not the path to happiness.

So what is? Power over yourself. According to the Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, the key to happiness lies in mastering your own desires. When you desire the right things, happiness is the natural byproduct. So what are the right things?

According to Epicurus, the person who desires only what is necessary will live the happiest life. The person who wants only what is necessary is like the person who just wants a cup of water to satisfy their thirst. Their desire is easy to satisfy and brings long-lasting satisfaction. The person who wants luxury is like the person who also wants flavouring in their water so that it’ll taste good. It takes more work to satisfy this desire, and the pleasure it brings is short-lived. Also, this person becomes more fragile, because they’re less likely to be able to drink just plain water now, and having plain water, as opposed to flavoured water, will now come with a certain amount of pain. But the person who has vain desires is like the person who has a hole in their cup. No matter how much water is poured inside it, it will never fill up. Their desire will never be satisfied.

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RELATED VIDEOS
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Practical Philosophy Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5faAYlGYYoF7rgKH4oo_B81n4wE1n2xP

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FURTHER READING
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Lives of the Eminent Philosopher by Diogenes Laertes
The Philosophy of Epicurus (Dover Thrift Edition)

NOTES
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(1) Videos are just my opinion, for entertainment and informational purposes. Just some things to think about—not advice.

(2) Some of the links in the description are affiliate links which I get a kickback from—at no extra cost to you.