The Four Remedies

Epicurus distilled his entire philosophy into four short statements known as the tetrapharmakos — the four-part cure for human anxiety. Each one targets a different fear that keeps us from tranquility.

The four remedies are:

• God is not to be feared. The gods, if they exist, do not meddle in human affairs.
• Death is not to be worried about. When you exist, death does not; when death exists, you do not.
• What is good is easy to get. Simple pleasures are always within reach.
• What is dreadful is easy to endure. Real pain is either brief or, if lasting, usually mild.