Eudaimonia is a hard word to define outside of its native Greek. It comes from the Greek words for “life” and “spirit” and effectively means “living the good life,” however it means “the good life” in a very particular way. The good life in this sense means living well, but also living good — that is to say, virtuously.
To live well is to aspire and to overcome one’s shortcomings, as well as to inspire those around you to greatness. We do this by searching for the core of our soul inside and then living in accordance with it’s will. There is, lurking in the very concept of eudaimonia, the idea that no one would do evil of their own will, but only out of ignorance.
It’s a stunning and life-affirming concept.
The concept of Eudaimonia begins with Socrates, passing through Plato and Aristotle and is then picked up again by Epicurus and the Stoics. It is the cornerstone of moral philosophy — how ought one to live?
Eudaimonia necessarily includes aspirations to become better tomorrow than one is today. Indeed, self-improvement is, in many ways, the means by which most people living today express their striving toward eudaimonia.
The quotes below come from great philosophers, writers and the Founding Fathers. What they have to say about the concept can help you to better understand this difficult to pin down idea.
Read more Eudaimonia Quotes at Spread Great Ideas: https://spreadgreatideas.org/quotes/quotes-eudaimonia/
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