Of all the means to insure happiness throughout the whole life, by far the most important is the acquisition of friends.

Much of what is known about Epicurean philosophy derives from later followers and commentators. Only a few fragments and letters of Epicurus's 300 written works remain. Epicurus (Greek: Ἐπίκουρος Epikouros "ally comrade"; 341 BCE – 270 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher as well as the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism.