Μήτε νέος τις ὢν μελλέτω φιλοσοφεῖν , μήτε γέρων ὑπάρχων κοπιάτω φιλοσοφῶν . οὔτε γὰρ ἄωρος οὐδείς ἐστιν οὔτε πάρωρος πρὸς τὸ κατὰ ψυχὴν ὑγιαῖνον . ὁ δὲ λέγων ἢ μήπω τοῦ φιλοσοφεῖν ὑπάρχειν ὥραν ἢ παρεληλυθέναι τὴν ὥραν ὅμοιός ἐστι τῶι λέγοντι πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν ἢ μὴ παρεῖναι τὴν ὥραν ἢ μηκέτι εἶναι . ὥστε φιλοσοφητέον καὶ νέωι καὶ γέροντι , τῶι μὲν ὅπως γηράσκων νεάζηι τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς διὰ τὴν χάριν τῶν γεγονότων , τῶι δὲ ὅπως νέος ἅμα καὶ παλαιὸς ἦι διὰ τὴν ἀφοβίαν τῶν μελλόντων · μελετᾶν οὖν χρὴ τὰ ποιοῦντα τὴν εὐδαιμονίαν , εἴπερ παρούσης μὲν αὐτῆς πάντα ἔχομεν , ἀπούσης δὲ πάντα πράττομεν εἰς τὸ ταύτην ἔχειν . 
Ἃ δέ σοι συνεχῶς παρήγγελλον , ταῦτα καὶ πρᾶττε καὶ μελέτα , στοιχεῖα τοῦ καλῶς ζῆν ταῦτ ' εἶναι διαλαμβάνων . Πρῶτον μὲν τὸν θεὸν ζῶιον ἄφθαρτον καὶ μακάριον νομίζων , ὡς ἡ κοινὴ τοῦ θεοῦ νόησις ὑπεγράφη , μηθὲν μήτε τῆς ἀφθαρσίας ἀλλότριον μήτε τῆς μακαριότητος ἀνοίκειον αὐτῶι πρόσαπτε · πᾶν δὲ τὸ φυλάττειν αὐτοῦ δυνάμενον τὴν μετὰ ἀφθαρσίας μακαριότητα περὶ αὐτὸν δόξαζε . θεοὶ μὲν γὰρ εἰσίν · ἐναργὴς γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ γνῶσις · οἵους δ ' αὐτοὺς ‹οἱ› πολλοὶ νομίζουσιν , οὐκ εἰσίν · οὐ γὰρ φυλάττουσιν αὐτοὺς οἵους νομίζουσιν . ἀσεβὴς δὲ οὐχ ὁ τοὺς τῶν πολλῶν θεοὺς ἀναιρῶν , ἀλλ ' ὁ τὰς τῶν πολλῶν δόξας θεοῖς προσάπτων . οὐ γὰρ προλήψεις εἰσὶν ἀλλ ' ὑπολήψεις ψευδεῖς αἱ τῶν πολλῶν ὑπὲρ θεῶν ἀποφάσεις . ἔνθεν αἱ μέγισται βλάβαι ἐκ θεῶν ἐπάγονται καὶ ὠφέλειαι ‹τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς› . ταῖς γὰρ ἰδίαις οἰκειούμενοι διὰ παντὸς ἀρεταῖς τοὺς ὁμοίους ἀποδέχονται , πᾶν τὸ μὴ τοιοῦτον ὡς ἀλλότριον νομίζοντες . 
Συνέθιζε δὲ ἐν τῶι νομίζειν μηδὲν πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἶναι τὸν θάνατον ἐπεὶ πᾶν ἀγαθὸν καὶ κακὸν ἐν αἰσθήσει · στέρησις δέ ἐστιν αἰσθήσεως ὁ θάνατος . ὅθεν γνῶσις ὀρθὴ τοῦ μηθὲν εἶναι πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὸν θάνατον ἀπολαυστὸν ποιεῖ τὸ τῆς ζωῆς θνητόν , οὐκ ἄπειρον προστιθεῖσα χρόνον , ἀλλὰ τὸν τῆς ἀθανασίας ἀφελομένη πόθον . οὐθὲν γάρ ἐστιν ἐν τῶι ζῆν δεινὸν τῶι κατειληφότι γνησίως τὸ μηδὲν ὑπάρχειν ἐν τῶι μὴ ζῆν δεινόν . ὥστε μάταιος ὁ λέγων δεδιέναι τὸν θάνατον οὐχ ὅτι λυπήσει παρών , ἀλλ ' ὅτι λυπεῖ μέλλων . ὃ γὰρ παρὸν οὐκ ἐνοχλεῖ , προσδοκώμενον κενῶς λυπεῖ . τὸ φρικωδέστατον οὖν τῶν κακῶν ὁ θάνατος οὐθὲν πρὸς ἡμᾶς , ἐπειδήπερ ὅταν μὲν ἡμεῖς ὦμεν , ὁ θάνατος οὐ πάρεστιν , ὅταν δὲ ὁ θάνατος παρῆι , τόθ ' ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐσμέν . οὔτε οὖν πρὸς τοὺς ζῶντάς ἐστιν οὔτε πρὸς τοὺς τετελευτηκότας , ἐπειδήπερ περὶ οὓς μὲν οὐκ ἔστιν , οἳ δ ' οὐκέτι εἰσίν . Ἀλλ ' οἱ πολλοὶ τὸν θάνατον ὁτὲ μὲν ὡς μέγιστον τῶν κακῶν φεύγουσιν , ὁτὲ δὲ ὡς ἀνάπαυσιν τῶν ἐν τῶι ζῆν ‹κακῶν αἱροῦνται . ὁ δὲ σοφὸς οὔτε παραιτεῖται τὸ ζῆν› οὔτε φοβεῖται τὸ μὴ ζῆν · οὔτε γὰρ αὐτῶι προσίσταται τὸ ζῆν οὔτε δοξάζεται κακὸν εἶναί τι τὸ μὴ ζῆν . ὥσπερ δὲ τὸ σιτίον οὐ τὸ πλεῖον πάντως ἀλλὰ τὸ ἥδιστον αἱρεῖται , οὕτω καὶ χρόνον οὐ τὸν μήκιστον ἀλλὰ τὸν ἥδιστον καρπίζεται . Ὁ δὲ παραγγέλλων τὸν μὲν νέον καλῶς ζῆν , τὸν δὲ γέροντα καλῶς καταστρέφειν , εὐήθης ἐστὶν οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ τῆς ζωῆς ἀσπαστόν , ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὸ τὴν αὐτὴν εἶναι μελέτην τοῦ καλῶς ζῆν καὶ τοῦ καλῶς ἀποθνῄσκειν . πολὺ δὲ χείρων καὶ ὁ λέγων καλὸν μὲν μὴ φῦναι , 
φύντα δ ' ὅπως ὤκιστα πύλας Ἀίδαο περῆσαι .

Let no one delay the study of philosophy while young nor weary
of it when old . For no one is either too young or too old for the health of
the soul . He who says either that the time for philosophy has not yet
come or that it has passed is like someone who says that the time for
happiness has not yet come or that it has passed . Therefore , both young
and old must philosophize , the latter so that although old he may stay
young in good things owing to gratitude for what has occurred , the
former so that although young he too may be like an old man owing to his
lack of fear of what is to come . Therefore , one must practise the things
which produce happiness , since if that is present we have everything and
if it is absent we do everything in order to have it
Do and practise what I constantly told you to do , believing these
to be the elements of living well . First , believe that god is an indestruct
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ible and blessed animal , in accordance with the general conception of god
commonly held , and do not ascribe to god anything foreign to his inde
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structibility or repugnant to his blessedness . Believe of him everything
which is able to preserve his blessedness and indestructibility . For gods
do exist , since we have clear knowledge of them . But they are not such as
the many believe them to be . For they do not adhere to their own views
about the gods . The man who denies the gods of the many is not impi
The extant letters
ous , but rather he who ascribes to the gods the opinions of the many .
For the pronouncements of the many about the gods are not basic
grasps but false suppositions . Hence come the greatest harm from
the gods to bad men and the greatest benefits [ to the good ] . For the
gods always welcome men who are like themselves , being congenial
to their own virtues and considering that whatever is not such is uncongenial .
Get used to believing that death is nothing to us . For all good and
bad consists in sense-experience , and death is the privation of sense-
experience . Hence , a correct knowledge of the fact that death is nothing
to us makes the mortality of life a matter for contentment , not by adding
a limitless time [ to life ] but by removing the longing for immortality .
For there is nothing fearful in life for one who has grasped that there is
nothing fearful in the absence of life . Thus , he is a fool who says that he
fears death not because it will be painful when present but because it
is painful when it is still to come . For that which while present causes no
distress causes unnecessary pain when merely anticipated . So death ,
the most frightening of bad things , is nothing to us ; since when we exist ,
death is not yet present , and when death is present , then we do not exist .
Therefore , it is relevant neither to the living nor to the dead , since it does
not affect the former , and the latter do not exist . But the many sometimes
flee death as the greatest of bad things and sometimes choose it as a
relief from the bad things in life .

Let no one delay in the study of philosophy while he is young , and when he is old , let him not become weary of the study . For no man can ever find the time unsuitable or too late to study the health of his soul .

And he who asserts either that it is too soon to study philosophy , or that the hour is passed , is like a man who would say that the time has not yet come to be happy , or that it is too late to be happy .

So both the young and the old must study philosophy – that as one grows old he may be young in the blessings that come from the grateful recollection of those good things that have passed , and that even in youth he may have the wisdom of age , since he will know no fear of what is to come . It is necessary for us , then , to meditate on the things which produce happiness , since if happiness is present we have everything , and when happiness is absent we do everything with a view to possess it .

Now , I will repeat to you those things that I have constantly recommended to you , and I would have you do and practice them , as they are the elements of living well :

First of all , believe that a god is an incorruptible and happy being , just as Nature has commonly implanted the notion in the minds of men . But attach to your theology nothing which is inconsistent with incorruptibility or with happiness , and believe that a god possesses everything which is necessary to preserve its own nature .

Indeed the gods do exist , and Nature gives to us a degree of knowledge of them . But gods are not of the character which most people attribute to them , and the conception of the gods held by most people is far from pure . It is not the man who discards the gods believed in by the many who is impious , but he who applies to the gods the false opinions that most people entertain about them . For the assertions of most people about the gods are not true intuitions given to them by Nature , but false opinions of their own , such as the idea that gods send misfortune to the wicked and blessings to the good . False opinions such as these arise because men think of the gods as if they had human qualities , and men do not understand that the gods have virtues that are different from their own .

Next , accustom yourself to think that death is a matter with which we are not at all concerned . This is because all good and all evil come to us through sensation , and death brings the end of all our sensations . The correct understanding that death is no concern of ours allows us to take pleasure in our mortal lives , not because it adds to life an infinite span of time , but because it relieves us of the longing for immortality as a refuge from the fear of death . For there can be nothing terrible in living for a man who rightly comprehends that there is nothing terrible in ceasing to live