Why should I fear death? If I am, death is not. If death is, I am not. Why should I fear that which can only exist when I do not?
EpicurusThe pleasant life is not produced by continual drinking and dancing, nor sexual intercourse, nor rare dishes of sea food and other delicacies of a luxurious table. On the contrary, it is produced by sober reasoning which examines the motives for every choice and avoidance, driving away beliefs which are the source of mental disturbances.
EpicurusMen are so thoughtless, nay, so mad, that some, through fear of death, force themselves to die.
EpicurusWhen we say that pleasure is the end, we do not mean the pleasure of the profligate or that which depends on physical enjoyment--as some think who do not understand our teachings, disagree with them, or give them an evil interpretation--but by pleasure we mean the state wherein the body is free from pain and the mind from anxiety.
Epicurus