Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem
accusantium doloremque laudantium totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo
inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae
But I must explain to you how
this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and will give
you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great
explorer of the master-build er of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or
avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know
how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful.
Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself,
because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and
pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us
ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from
it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses
On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment, so blinded by desire, that they cannot foresee the pain and trouble that are bound to ensue; and equal blame belongs to those who fail in their duty through weakness of will, which is the same as saying through shrinking from toil and pain. These cases are perfectly simple and easy to distinguish. In a free hour, when our power of choice is untrammelled and when nothing prevents our being able to do what we like best, every pleasure is to be welcomed and every pain avoided. But in certain circumstances and owing to the claims of duty or the obligations of business it will frequently occur that pleasures have to be repudiated and annoyances accepted. The wise man therefore always holds in these matters to this principle of selection: he rejects pleasures to secure other greater pleasures, or else he endures pains to avoid worse pains