Atomism had no absolute 'above' and 'below' and no such rulers, so favoured the undersranding of justice as an agreement amongst equals.

The Epicureans denied that the gods had created the world and also denied that they played any role in it.

The higher the coefficient of inequality (Gini coefficient) in a society, the worse things tend to be for those at the bottom.

I have to say that some philosophers such as the late Bernard Williams, and I would include myself in this group, would say that tranquillity is overrated as the goal of life.

We have to gamble, and sometimes lose as George Ainslie argues; this keeps the appetite for life sharp.

'Contract' succeeded 'status' as the basic organising principle in modern political vs. ancient society.

Epicurus thought of justice as an agreement to prevent people harming and being harmed.

Epicurus was not at all interested in what we would call the problems of mass society, and he thought civic politics was just trouble and to be avoided by the wise.

Claims like 'Slavery is wrong' are not fully common-sensical, so they must be at least partly theoretical.

The (atomic) soul is mortal, and the best life is the one with the least pain and the most pleasure.

I think we do have a better understanding now of how moral thought and discourse function.

What we call fundamental truths are simply the ones we discover after all the others.

... the greatest menace to our capacity for contemplation is the incessant fabrication of tawdry empty stimuli which kill the receptivity of the soul.

our country is poor but our hearts are rich

Have a variety of interests. ... These interests relax the mind and lessen tension on the nervous system. People with many interests live not only longest but happiest.

Since all things are God, in all things thou seest just so much of God as thy capacity affordeth thee.

I know I lost my temper, but I tried to be human along the way.

Being inexhaustible, life and nature are a constant stimulus for a creative mind.

It was not polite for a Temujai general to allow his emotions to show.

This country maintains that there is no political prisoners, that everybody is criminals, but it's just not true.

The art of moving forward lies in understanding what to leave behind.