Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher who claimed you don’t need to be rich to feel like

a god. He once wrote to Idomeneus, his friend and student: “Give me but barley bread and water,

and I am ready to vie with Zeus in happiness.” Now, think about that. Zeus was the king of the

gods - he had all the power, the immortality, and the lightning bolts. Yet Epicurus was

saying that if he just had a basic meal, he’d be just as happy as the ruler of the universe.

Today, we’re conditioned to believe the exact opposite. We’re told that a “god-like” life

requires a six-figure income, designer clothes, and constant upgrades. But that lifestyle

is a trap. It keeps us in a cycle of stress, comparison, and never feeling like we have enough.

Epicurus saw this excessive pursuit of wealth as a kind of slavery. Chasing

more than you need doesn’t give you freedom - it creates dependence. The more you want,

the more you’re controlled by those wants. To him, someone with an average income who has

control over their desires is far wealthier than a billionaire who always wants more.

It is important to note that Epicurus wasn’t "against" money - he wasn't telling people they

had to be poor to be good. If a high income fell into your lap without any stress, he’d tell you

to take it. But in the real world, a high income almost always comes with a massive "tax" on your

peace of mind. So the real question isn’t how much you earn, but how much you need to be content.

In this video, we’re going to look at the practical philosophy of Epicurus - and

how you can use it to live like a god, even on an average salary.

Categorize Your Desires Epicurus taught that chasing

happiness through endless consumption is like trying to fill a jar with holes

in the bottom - no matter how much status or luxury you pour in, it never feels full.. To

live like a god on an average salary, you don’t need to pour more into the bucket. You need to

understand where the holes are - and close them. In his famous Letter to Menoeceus, his student,

Epicurus explained that a peaceful life comes from sorting your desires into three simple categories.

The first is the Natural and Necessary. These are the basics: simple food, clean water,

a place to rest, and a few genuine friendships. These are non-negotiable, but they are also

surprisingly cheap and easy to satisfy. Fulfilling these provides the highest "Return on Investment"

for your soul and once these basic needs are met, 90% of life’s suffering like hunger,

housing, loneliness, and insecurity disappears. The second is the Natural but Unnecessary. These

are the upgrades - the expensive meals, the nicer clothes, the better car. They are nice to have,

but they don't actually increase your baseline level of joy and come with a

hidden cost - The more you depend on them, the more you have to work to keep them. Over time,

without realising, this comfort quietly turns into obligation - what once felt like a luxury starts

to feel like something you can’t live without.. The third is the Vain and Empty. These are the

dangerous ones - status, fame, power, the need to impress. They don’t have a finish line.

No point where you can finally stop and feel it’s enough. Because they’re not real needs. They come

from the ego. And the ego is never satisfied. There’s always someone ahead of you - richer,

more successful, more admired. No matter how far you go, it’s never enough. The target keeps

moving. So the chase never ends. So in reality, you don’t own these desires - they own you

To live like a god, which is to live well, means to focus 90% of your energy on the Necessary.When

you’re satisfied with the basics, you remove the only real physical barrier

to happiness - the pain of not having enough. When you stop chasing the "Vain and Empty," you

realize that you don't need a million dollars to feel like a god; you simply need to own your time

and your peace of mind. A man who is satisfied with bread and water, and has good friends to

share them with, is wealthier than the billionaire who is constantly terrified of losing his empire.

2. The "Cheese" Principle Epicurus understood something

most of us today completely miss: luxury loses its power when it becomes routine.

If you eat at a five-star restaurant every night, the soft lighting, perfect plating,

and rich flavors stop feeling special. They become normal. This is the trap of what we call Hedonic

Adaptation, the psychological term used where we quickly get used to new luxuries until they

no longer provide any extra happiness. To someone who has everything, nothing feels like anything.

Epicurus lived a famously frugal life in what he called his “Garden” - which was a small,

close-knit community of friends who lived, ate, and spent time together. We will talk

more about this garden in a while, but every now and then, he would ask a friend

for a small piece of cheese. Not because he needed it, but because he wanted to feel it.

This is the "Cheese Principle" - the art of keeping your baseline low so that

small luxuries feel like royal events. Most people fall into a comfort trap.

When your salary increases, the world tells you to "upgrade" your life - better coffee,

a more expensive gym, a premium car. At first, it feels like progress. But soon,

it becomes their new baseline, your new normal. You end up spending more money just to feel the

same level of satisfaction you had before. Epicurus’ whole philosophy was about avoiding

this "comfort trap" because he knew that the more "needs" you manufacture for yourself, the more you

become a slave to your paycheck. By keeping your daily baseline low and simple, you’re actually

protecting your ability to feel joy. Think about it: if you eat a $50 steak every Tuesday,

it eventually just becomes "Tuesday dinner." It loses its power. But if you live on simple,

healthy food most of the month, then that one high-quality meal or that one nice bottle of wine

hits differently. It becomes a legitimate event. On an average salary, you may not be able

to afford luxury every day. But if your daily baseline is simple and intentional,

then a small indulgence - a fine piece of cheese, a great meal, or a short

getaway - isn’t just a purchase. It’s a feast. So don't inflate your baseline. Live simply most

of the time so you can fully enjoy the moments you choose to indulge.

As Epicurus said, “He who needs riches least, enjoys riches most.”

3. Prioritize “Aponia” and “Ataraxia" Most philosophers of his

time, like Aristotle, believed that the ultimate goal - what they called Eudaimonia - was

about "flourishing." It meant working hard, constantly improving yourself, and achieving

great things through discipline and virtue. Epicurus, however, had a much more practical take.

He argued that Eudaimonia wasn’t some mountain you had to climb; it was simply the absence of

the things that make us miserable. He broke this down into two specific requirements:

The first is Aponia - the absence of physical pain.

The second is Ataraxia - the absence of anxiety mental disturbance.

To him, if you aren’t hurting and you aren’t worried, you’ve already reached

the absolute peak of human existence. If we look at the people we consider

"gods" today - high-level CEOs, celebrities, or famous influencers - they are often some of the

most stressed people on the planet. They have the private jets and the big houses,

but they also have 24/7 schedules, massive legal liabilities, and the

constant fear of losing their status. They may have wealth, but they often lack peace.

Their bodies are pushed to the limit with long working hours, violating Aponia. Their minds are

constantly occupied with endless responsibilities, and the fear of losing it all disrupting Ataraxia.

In trying to gain everything, they lose the very thing that makes life enjoyable.

Now contrary to popular opinion, you don’t need wealth or luxury to achieve strong mental and

physical health - an average salary, used wisely, is more than enough to build both.

Aponia comes from taking care of the basics - eating well, sleeping enough,

and moving your body without burning it out. You don't need a $200-a-month gym membership

or a personal chef for this. You just need to avoid extremes - the cycles of overwork and

overindulgence that quietly wear you down. Ataraxia, on the other hand, is what’s left

when you start cutting out the noise. It’s the state you reach when you stop constantly

comparing your life to others or trying to impress people you don’t even like. When

you let go of those unnecessary desires, your expenses settle down - and so does your mind.

Think about the trade-off. If you have a simple 9-to-5 that covers your needs,

and your evenings and weekends are actually yours - to read, spend time with people you care about,

or just sit quietly - you’re already living a kind of luxury. You own your time. And that’s something

many “wealthy” people don’t have. They’re often just tied to the demands of their own success.

There’s also this quiet, underrated advantage to having an average salary:

your stakes are naturally lower. It gives you the freedom to walk away from things that mess

with your peace because you aren't tethered to a massive image or an expensive lifestyle that

requires a constant "burn rate" to maintain. When you aren't at the top of the pyramid, you aren't

a target. You don't have to lie awake worrying about losing an empire, managing massive risks,

or being judged by millions of strangers. And in the Epicurean sense, that’s the real definition of

flourishing. It’s not about having the most; it’s about being the most undisturbed. The person who

owns their time, their health, and their peace of mind isn't living an "average" life. They’re

living a complete one on an average salary. 4. Invest in your "Garden"

In the modern world, we’re taught that being a god means being at the top of a pyramid,

looking down on everyone else. But Epicurus argued that isolation is a nightmare,

not a goal. He famously said that out of all the things that provides for a happy life, friendship

is the most important. He didn’t just talk about it, either - he bought a house with a garden and

invited his friends to live and eat there with him. This was radical for the time because the

Garden was open to everyone - men, women, and even slaves. It was a space defined by Social Wealth

rather than material status. They spent their days writing, debating, and copying philosophical

scrolls to share with others. They focused on deep discussions about how to handle the things

that usually freak people out - like the fear of death or the anxiety of the future.

They also practiced what Epicurus called Lathe Biōsas, or "living unnoticed." While everyone

else in Athens was exhausting themselves trying to become famous or win at politics, the people

in the Garden were busy opting out of the drama. They realized that you don't need the world to

applaud you if you have a handful of people who truly know you. According to them, a meaningful

life isn't about how many people know your name, but about the quality of the conversations you

have with the people right in front of you. The reality is that "Social Wealth" is much

more valuable than material wealth. You might not be able to afford a private home theater,

a personal chef, or a luxury vacation home. But if you have a group of four or five close

friends who chip in for a great meal and a movie night at home, you’re getting 90% of the "royal"

experience at 10% of the cost. The feeling of being a "god" doesn't actually come from the

expensive purchase; it comes from the laughter, the connection, and the sense of belonging.

When you have a massive salary or a high-status job, you often end up surrounded by people who

are only there for what you can do for them. On an average salary, you know your friends are there

because they actually like you, not your title or your bank account. That’s a level of emotional

security that billionaires rarely get to feel. Most of the time, we don’t actually buy things

because we need them - we buy them to fill a gap. A bigger TV to escape

boredom. A faster car to feel noticed. But Epicurus understood that many of these

“wants” are really substitutes for a connection. That’s why he built his “Garden” - a close

circle of people who genuinely cared for each other. Because when you have that,

you stop needing to prove your worth through what you own. You don’t need distractions,

and you don’t need validation from strangers. You already feel enough. So instead of trying

to impress the world, invest in your people. Use your income - no matter how average it

is - to create moments. Share simple meals. Meet a friend for coffee. Spend time with people who

actually know you. Because this experience is a different kind of wealth - one that doesn’t

show up in your bank account, but quietly makes your life feel rich every single day.

5. Master the "Fear of Lack" The biggest thing that keeps people from feeling

like "gods" isn't actually a lack of money; it’s the anxiety that they might one day have none.

We spend our lives working jobs we hate to buy things we don't need, all because we’re terrified

of what would happen if the paycheck stopped. But Epicurus had a radical solution for this:

Practice Poverty. He suggested that every now and then, you should live on the absolute bare minimum

for a few days - eat nothing but plain rice, drink only water, and wear your simplest clothes. Once

you do this, you realize: it’s not that bad. You realize that even if you lost every penny you had,

you would still be okay. You’d still have your mind, your health, and your friends.

Once you lose the fear of being poor, you’re no longer a slave to your employer or the economy,

because you know exactly how little you actually need to be happy. As Epicurus put it:

"Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little." By mastering your desires and losing

your fear of the "worst-case scenario," you aren't just surviving - you’re owning your own life.

And that’s our video - What did you think? Will you be factoring any of

Epicurus’ teachings into your life? Maybe you see things a little differently? I’d

love to hear your thoughts in the comments. But until next time, as ever I’ve been Dan,

you’ve been awesome and if you enjoyed what you saw or found it helpful, why not check out our

full philosophies for life playlist? And for more videos to help you find success and happiness

using beautiful philosophical wisdom, don’t forget to subscribe. Thanks so much for watching.