Ethics

The Principal Doctrines

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Epicurus

c. 300 BC

The Principal Doctrines — the Kyriai Doxai — are forty condensed maxims that distill the essential teachings of Epicureanism into a form suited to memorisation and daily reflection. They range from the canonical claim that "death is nothing to us" through the analysis of pleasure, justice, and friendship to meditations on the conditions of the happy life. The Doctrines read as a master's final word on what matters: not the accumulation of wealth or status, not theological speculation, not political ambition, but the steady cultivation of a mind freed from fear and a social circle founded on trust. Together with the Vatican Sayings, they offer the most direct access to the core of Epicurean practical wisdom.