“Not what we have but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.”
Epicurus
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We must remember that the future is neither wholly ours nor wholly not ours, so that neither must we count upon it as quite certain to come nor despair of it as quite certain not to come.
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About this quote
Meaning
Epicurus is urging a balanced relationship with the future: neither cling to it as though it were guaranteed, nor dismiss it as though it were impossible. The future is genuinely open, and wisdom lies in holding that uncertainty steadily rather than swinging between false confidence and needless despair. Planning and hope are reasonable, but they should be tempered by an honest acknowledgment that outcomes are never fully within our control.
Context
This line comes from the Letter to Menoeceus, one of the few surviving direct writings of Epicurus, addressed to a student and friend. The letter is essentially a condensed guide to living well, covering attitudes toward death, desire, pleasure, and fortune. This particular passage sits within a broader discussion of how a wise person approaches the unpredictability of life, and it reflects a core Epicurean conviction that tranquility comes from accurate thinking rather than wishful or anxious distortion of reality.
About the author
Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher who founded the school of philosophy known as Epicureanism. He taught in Athens, where he established a community called the Garden, open to students of all backgrounds. His philosophy centered on the pursuit of a calm, contented life achieved through modest pleasures, close friendships, and the removal of groundless fears. Though he wrote extensively, only a small number of his letters and sayings have survived intact to the present day.
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