The average man does not get pleasure out of an idea because he thinks it is true; he thinks it read more

The average man does not get pleasure out of an idea because he thinks it is true; he thinks it is true because he gets pleasure out of it.

Pleasure's a sin, and sometimes sin's a pleasure.

Pleasure's a sin, and sometimes sin's a pleasure.

The greatest pleasure I know is to do a good action by stealth, and to have it found out by read more

The greatest pleasure I know is to do a good action by stealth, and to have it found out by accident.

Plato divinely calls pleasure the bait of evil, inasmuch as men
are caught by it as fish by a read more

Plato divinely calls pleasure the bait of evil, inasmuch as men
are caught by it as fish by a hook.
[Lat., Divine Plato escam malorum appeliat voluptatem, quod ea
videlicet homines capiantur, ut pisces hamo.]

Look upon the world as your enemy because only then the gifts it gives will give you immense pleasure.

Look upon the world as your enemy because only then the gifts it gives will give you immense pleasure.

O Athenians, what toil do I undergo to please you!

O Athenians, what toil do I undergo to please you!

When the idea of any pleasure strikes your imagination, make a just computation between the duration of the pleasure and read more

When the idea of any pleasure strikes your imagination, make a just computation between the duration of the pleasure and that of the repentance that is likely to follow it.

Rich the treasure,
Sweet the pleasure,
Sweet is pleasure after pain.

Rich the treasure,
Sweet the pleasure,
Sweet is pleasure after pain.

In diving to the bottom of pleasure we bring up more gravel than pearls.

In diving to the bottom of pleasure we bring up more gravel than pearls.