“Nothing is enough for those who have enough is little”

When more than 2,000 years ago Epicurus walked philosophizing through the streets of Samos or Athens, the world had no idea what the world was. black fridayconsumer anxiety or oniomaniathe disorder that leads some people to feel an uncontrollable desire to buy more and more. What Epicurus did intuit (like other classical thinkers) is that, if he lets himself go, man can end up becoming a bottomless pit of dissatisfaction and frustrations.

Hence he left us a warning which today sounds almost premonitory: “Nothing is enough for those who have enough is little.” It may seem like one of those syllogisms (one of many) that 21st century coaches end up sneaking into their talks, but Epicurus’s phrase has much more meaning than it seems.

Listening to Epicurus. With Epicurus (341-271 BC) something curious happens. Although most of his works have been lost, of which we barely preserve fragmentsa handful of epistles and collections of quotations, has managed to exert an influence that continues to this day. Logical if you take into account that, in addition to worrying about the nature of the universe (it was an atomist featured), used philosophy to pursue humanity’s greatest desire: happiness.

To achieve this joy, Epicurus was convinced that we need to avoid pain, both emotionally and physically. It’s easy to agree with him on that. The interesting thing is how he believed we can achieve happiness. In his opinion, the key is in ‘rational hedonism’ and thoughtfulness: if we want to achieve a pleasurable life, sometimes we will have to give up things that seem pleasurable.

Haiku teacher. In the legacy of Epicurus there are two works especially cited today: the Maximum capitals and Vatican rulingscompilations of aphorisms in which the philosopher from Samos talks about topics as varied as physics or ethics. In that last work there is a specific phrase (number 68) that is often cited for its sharpness and form, almost like a play on words:

“Nothing is enough for those who have enough is little.”

Later (no. 77) Epicurus returns with another maxim that completes that idea:

“The greatest fruit of self-reliance is freedom.”

In case there were any doubts, in your Letter to Menoeceus (either Letter about Happiness) the thinker of Samos affects the samealthough developing the concept:

“We consider self-sufficiency to be a great good. Not to settle for little in any case, but so that, if we do not have much, we settle for little. We are convinced that those who need abundance the least are those who enjoy it the most.”

Everything that is natural is easy to obtain, everything that is superfluous is difficult to obtain. Simple tastes provide the same pleasure as a succulent diet when the pain due to deprivation has been eliminated. “Bread and water bring the greatest pleasure when taken by those who are in need.”

What did Epicurus mean? If we read all the Letter to Menoeceus We see that Epicurus invites us to live without fear of death and insists: “Pleasure is the beginning and end of a happy life.” If that is so, then why on earth does he encourage us to shun free pleasure and insist on the importance of being content with little? Simple. Because Epicurus does not recommend blind hedonism, but rather a reflective one. The first leads to dissatisfaction. The second is the key to happiness.

“So when we say that pleasure is the end, we are not referring to the pleasures of the dissolute and those that consist of enjoyments, but to not suffering in the body or being disturbed in the soul. It is not drunkenness or uninterrupted revelry, nor the enjoyments found with boys and women, nor those provided by fish and other things offered by a richly laid table that provides a life of pleasure, but sober reasoning that examines the causes of each choice.”

“We do not choose all pleasures, but sometimes we overlook many when they are followed by something more unpleasant. Many pains we consider preferable to pleasures when a greater pleasure follows after having endured the pains for a long time (…) Therefore, every pleasure is good, but not every pleasure should be chosen.”

More than words. They may sound distant or very abstract, but Epicurus’ words are eminently practical and are still valid in 2026. His approach is very simple. To begin with, the philosopher recognizes that all desires are equal (there are “necessary” ones and there are directly “vain” ones). Then he explains that (as counter-intuitive as it may seem at first) he who dedicates himself to fulfilling his desires always and at all costs does not necessarily have to be happier.

On the contrary. Austerity well understood can be a much more direct, rational and effective path. Those who blind themselves by satisfying their desires risk losing their moderation and, ironically, the ability to be content.

In other words, we become more and more dependent on the source of pleasure, it is more difficult to feel satisfied and, ultimately, we lose that personal “self-sufficiency” that Epicurus spoke of. Things are simpler when we learn to moderate our desires. Remember: “Nothing is enough for those who have enough is little.”

From ancient times to 2026. Epicurus speaks of “desires” and “pleasure,” but his words are surprisingly topical in a consumer society in which we often live with the anxiety of meeting needs that are never actually met and whose satisfaction only produces temporary peace.

“We live in a world where consumerism is a phenomenon from which it is almost impossible to isolate ourselves. And consumption almost always constitutes a false promise of happiness, and that can bias our internal biological compass, which is the one that can tell us more precisely what we need to be happy,” reflect the doctor Gonzalo Hervasprofessor at the Complutense Faculty of Psychology and former president of the Spanish Society of Positive Psychology (SEPP).

2,000 years are nothing. Faced with the anxiety of consumption, chronic dissatisfaction and self-imposed needs, Epicurus sends us a suggestive message from Greece 2,300 years ago: Do ​​you want to be happy? Fantastic. Do you want to feel satisfied? Great too. In fact, it is the most normal thing in the world.

But be careful: the smart thing is not to follow the “crass” who act thoughtlessly and seek immediate satisfaction, but rather “sober reasoning.” Don’t complicate your ability to be happy. Don’t become someone for whom “nothing is enough” because what is objectively enough no longer serves you.

Images | Wikipedia 1 and 2 and Jon Tyson (Unsplash)

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