Q0437
“The cry of the flesh is not to be hungry, not to…” — Epicurus (Vatican Sayings 33)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Vatican Sayings 33. Theme: desire.
English
The cry of the flesh is not to be hungry, not to be thirsty, not to be cold.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Vatican Sayings 33 and files it under Epicureanism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Epicurus
Epicurus (341–270 BCE) founded the Garden school in Athens, teaching atomist physics and a therapy of desire aimed at ataraxia. He admitted women and slaves as students and wrote extensively; most works are lost, leaving letters and maxims plus Lucretius’s later poem.
Interpretation
Epicurus is redefining the goal of life, and the sentence sounds more hedonistic than it is. His claim is that natural desires are for the absence of discomfort, not for intensity, and that these are finite and easy to satisfy. Once hunger, thirst, and cold are removed, further accumulation does not add to the body's satisfaction. The point is therapeutic: by showing that the target is limited, he removes the rationale for endless acquisition.
Why it matters
It supplies a stopping rule, which is what most accounts of desire lack. If the aim is the absence of a discomfort, you can know when you have arrived.
Concepts in this quote
- Desire
- Desire drives action and suffering alike; philosophy asks which desires to educate, restrain, or affirm.
- Nature
- Philosophy quotes about nature ask what the cosmos is, how humans belong in it, and whether “natural” can guide ethics or politics.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Epicurus. (n.d.). The cry of the flesh is not to be hungry, not to be thirsty, not to be cold. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0437
MLA: Epicurus. “The cry of the flesh is not to….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0437.
Chicago: Epicurus. “The cry of the flesh is not to….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0437.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “The cry of the flesh is not to…”?
The passage is attributed to Epicurus, Vatican Sayings 33. The archive attributes this English wording to Vatican Sayings 33 and files it under Epicureanism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Epicurus mean by desire?
Ethics and moral psychology analyze appetite, love, ambition, and addiction. Stoic, Buddhist, and psychoanalytic traditions treat desire as trainable rather than merely given. This passage enters that discussion through desire, nature.