Not every pleasure is worth choosing.
01 / Meaning
Choose Pleasure with Its Consequences in Mind
What does it mean?
Epicurus regards pleasure as something good. Even so, he advises passing up a pleasure if it causes greater discomfort later. The consequences matter as well as the enjoyable moment.
Today we can apply this idea to our spending. An impulse purchase may bring brief enjoyment but leave less money for an important goal. Considering the consequences before buying builds sound judgment. That habit supports building wealth over time.
02 / Practice
Put this thought into practice
Choose a purchase you are planning and looking forward to.
Write down one later consequence of that purchase, such as less money for your vacation.
Note whether the enjoyment of the purchase is worth that consequence to you.
03 / Your task
5 minutesTake five minutes to complete this sentence about your planned purchase: “I look forward to …, but afterward I will have less ….”
Personal growth begins with one small step.
04 / Reflection
Reflection question
Which pleasure is worth its later consequences to you?
Let the question stay with you for a moment. An honest answer matters more than a quick one.
06
Origin and context
Paraphrased from Epicurus
Our own paraphrase, not a direct quotation. Reference: Robert Drew Hicks’s English translation in the Internet Classics Archive. Epicurus weighs pleasures against their consequences. The link to building wealth is a modern application.
Open the referenced source: Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus, section 129