--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Epicureans denied that the gods had…" description: "\"The Epicureans denied that the gods had created the world and also denied that they played any role in it.\" — Catherine Wilson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/catherine-wilson-12038_denied_the-epicureans-denied-that-the-gods-had_3002648.jpg" --- # The Epicureans denied that the gods had created the world… ![“The Epicureans denied that the gods had created the world and also denied that they played any role in it.” quote by Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/catherine-wilson-12038_denied_the-epicureans-denied-that-the-gods-had_3002648.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/catherine-wilson-12038_denied_the-epicureans-denied-that-the-gods-had_3002648.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/catherine-wilson-12038_denied_the-epicureans-denied-that-the-gods-had_3002648.jpg) > “The Epicureans denied that the gods had created the world and also denied that they played any role in it.” [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Epicureans argued that gods are indifferent, thus human life is autonomous and not governed by divine will. **In simple terms:** Gods indifferent, humans free. Key Takeaway Embrace human responsibility. Themes philosophy freedom atheism Mood analytical contemplative Type philosophical academic When to use this quote - Science - ethics - personal decision making - politics Key Concepts Epicureanism determinism autonomy Questions to Reflect On - If gods are indifferent, what gives life meaning? - How does this view affect moral responsibility? A Different Perspective Some find comfort in divine purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Epicurean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epicurean/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Even if the gods did exist, the Epicureans argued, they didn't care about us. Rather, everything comes from nature, and all that really exists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/even-if-the-gods-did-exist-the-epicureans-argued-they-didn-t-care/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [The Epicureans, according to whom animals had no creation, doe suppose that by mutation of one into another, they were first made; for they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/the-epicureans-according-to-whom-animals-had-no-creation-doe-suppose/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [There are only Epicureans, either crude or refined; Christ was the most refined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-b-chner/there-are-only-epicureans-either-crude-or-refined-christ-was-the-most/) [Georg Buchner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-b-chner/) > [“This only is denied the Gods: the power to remake the past. —ARISTOTLE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/this-only-is-denied-the-gods-the-power-to-remake-the-past-aristotle/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [A Letter is a Joy of Earth - It is denied the Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-letter-is-a-joy-of-earth-it-is-denied-the-gods/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Aristotle saw nature as intelligent and purposive, whereas for the Epicureans, and the 17th century 'mechanical' philosophers, there is no intentionality in nature except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/aristotle-saw-nature-as-intelligent-and-purposive-whereas-for-the/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [Order can arise from chaos without anyone or anything directing the process when unstable combinations of atoms perish and others persist. In the 17th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/order-can-arise-from-chaos-without-anyone-or-anything-directing-the/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [Leibniz accepted the argument that there must be indestructible simple entities if there is to be a complex world, but Epicurean morals and politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/leibniz-accepted-the-argument-that-there-must-be-indestructible/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [For seventeenth-century astronomers, the Epicurean doctrine of multiple worlds separated by void space was seen to fit with the new Copernican system in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/for-seventeenth-century-astronomers-the-epicurean-doctrine-of/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [Some critics thought the ontology and theory of qualities absurd. No one had ever seen these little atoms, and furthermore, how could their mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/some-critics-thought-the-ontology-and-theory-of-qualities-absurd-no/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [“With the Epicureans it was never science for the sake of science but always science for the sake of human happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/with-the-epicureans-it-was-never-science-for-the-sake-of-science-but/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [“In the third section, you proceed to turn us into modest and peace-loving Epicureans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/in-the-third-section-you-proceed-to-turn-us-into-modest-and-peace/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [Friendship, peculiar boon of Heaven, The noble mind's delight and pride, To men and angels only given, To all the lower world denied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/friendship-peculiar-boon-of-heaven-the-noble-mind-s-delight-and-pride/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“Who are you not to be great? You, with the imagination of a brilliant child and the powers of an ancient god. Who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/official-playstation-greatness-awaits-trailer/who-are-you-not-to-be-great-you-with-the-imagination-of-a-brilliant/) Official PlayStation Greatness Awaits Trailer > [“I also have a world, is it? And I will have whoever I say to share it. Ivor it was, first, because I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-llewellyn/i-also-have-a-world-is-it-and-i-will-have-whoever-i-say-to-share-it/) [Richard Llewellyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-llewellyn/) ## More by Catherine Wilson > [A moral rule is essentially 'advantage-reducing.' It prohibits you doing something you could do that would serve your interests at someone else's expense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/a-moral-rule-is-essentially-advantage-reducing-it-prohibits-you-doing/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [Atomism had no absolute 'above' and 'below' and no such rulers, so favoured the undersranding of justice as an agreement amongst equals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/atomism-had-no-absolute-above-and-below-and-no-such-rulers-so/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [We have to gamble, and sometimes lose as George Ainslie argues; this keeps the appetite for life sharp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/we-have-to-gamble-and-sometimes-lose-as-george-ainslie-argues-this/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [There is no single test or formula for producing moral progress anymore than there is for generating scientific truths. It is a process involving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/there-is-no-single-test-or-formula-for-producing-moral-progress/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [Epicurus thought that friendship and conviviality, which require present attention rather than being in an alcoholic stupor, as well as trying to understand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/epicurus-thought-that-friendship-and-conviviality-which-require/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [For seventeenth-century astronomers, the Epicurean doctrine of multiple worlds separated by void space was seen to fit with the new Copernican system in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/for-seventeenth-century-astronomers-the-epicurean-doctrine-of/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [Leibniz accepted the argument that there must be indestructible simple entities if there is to be a complex world, but Epicurean morals and politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/leibniz-accepted-the-argument-that-there-must-be-indestructible/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [I had the idea that there were secret laws of the universe that could explain the baffling human reality around me, and that philosophers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/i-had-the-idea-that-there-were-secret-laws-of-the-universe-that-could/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [The higher the coefficient of inequality (Gini coefficient) in a society, the worse things tend to be for those at the bottom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/the-higher-the-coefficient-of-inequality-gini-coefficient-in-a/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [We call 'Slavery is wrong' a moral truth because there is a specific history of theoretical investigation of a particular kind of slavery. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/we-call-slavery-is-wrong-a-moral-truth-because-there-is-a-specific/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [Moral theory develops from the divine command theory of medieval Christian philosophy, mixed up with a bit of ancient pagan virtue theory, to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/moral-theory-develops-from-the-divine-command-theory-of-medieval/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [Human courtship has some wild extremes. At one end of the spectrum, there is harassment, pestering, blackmail, and an abuse of institutional power, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/human-courtship-has-some-wild-extremes-at-one-end-of-the-spectrum/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [In the old systems, hierarchies emanate power from above to below through forms of line management and are ideologically supported by cosmologies and theologies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/in-the-old-systems-hierarchies-emanate-power-from-above-to-below/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [Even if you just want to make a simple clothing item for yourself or go for a long hike in the forest - something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/even-if-you-just-want-to-make-a-simple-clothing-item-for-yourself-or/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [People should be able to develop their abilities and interests and have access to such goods as friendship, artistry, and nature and a political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/people-should-be-able-to-develop-their-abilities-and-interests-and/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) [Explore all 56 Catherine Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) ## More Denied quotes > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [Tonight I feel like a prisoner on fire, waiting desperately... denied, sentenced forever more. Only your love can set me free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/tonight-i-feel-like-a-prisoner-on-fire-waiting-desperately-denied/) [Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/) > [Today, at Harvard, any student with the currently fashionable color of skin is given rights denied to students of the currently unfashionable color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-capp/today-at-harvard-any-student-with-the-currently-fashionable-color-of/) [Al Capp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-capp/) > [What makes me angry'is that it wasn't me who revealed that I had been with Osama Bin Laden. I originally denied being involved with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kola-boof/what-makes-me-angry-is-that-it-wasn-t-me-who-revealed-that-i-had-been/) [Kola Boof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kola-boof/) > [Earthly majesty is always akin to the fallen angel, who is proud and unhappy, beautiful but troubled, and whose plans and efforts, though vast,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/earthly-majesty-is-always-akin-to-the-fallen-angel-who-is-proud-and/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Films are a fantastic medium and the huge impact they have cannot be denied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suhasini-maniratnam/films-are-a-fantastic-medium-and-the-huge-impact-they-have-cannot-be/) [Suhasini Maniratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suhasini-maniratnam/) > [In an age of interdependence, global citizenship - based on trust and sense of shared responsibility - is a crucial pillar of progress. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/in-an-age-of-interdependence-global-citizenship-based-on-trust-and/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Where knowledge is denied, faith comes in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-philip-grove/where-knowledge-is-denied-faith-comes-in/) Frederick Philip Grove > [If I could go, I would tell the truth to the North American people. President Reagan personally ordered my visa to be denied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-borge/if-i-could-go-i-would-tell-the-truth-to-the-north-american-people/) [Tomas Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-borge/) > [Race should not be used to claim privileges and rights for one group, exclusively, which are denied other different groups. Then that is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/race-should-not-be-used-to-claim-privileges-and-rights-for-one-group/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Language would have evolved first as an internal object, a kind of "language of thought" (LOT), with externalisation (hence communication) an ancillary process. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/language-would-have-evolved-first-as-an-internal-object-a-kind-of/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It is necessary a writing critic should understand how to write. And though every writer is not bound to show himself in the capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-ashley-cooper-7th-earl-of-shaftesbury/it-is-necessary-a-writing-critic-should-understand-how-to-write-and/) [Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-ashley-cooper-7th-earl-of-shaftesbury/) > [That which is denied cannot be healed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/that-which-is-denied-cannot-be-healed/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/never-believe-anything-in-politics-until-it-has-been-officially-denied/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [There is not a right too long denied to which we do not aspire in order to achieve; there is not a wrong too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gompers/there-is-not-a-right-too-long-denied-to-which-we-do-not-aspire-in/) [Samuel Gompers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-gompers/) Browse all 744 Denied quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Epicureans denied that the gods had created the world and also denied that they played any role in it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Catherine Wilson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/the-epicureans-denied-that-the-gods-had-created-the-world-and-also/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Denied" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/the-epicureans-denied-that-the-gods-had-created-the-world-and-also/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/catherine-wilson-12038_denied_the-epicureans-denied-that-the-gods-had_3002648.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/catherine-wilson-12038_denied_the-epicureans-denied-that-the-gods-had_3002648.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/catherine-wilson-12038_denied_the-epicureans-denied-that-the-gods-had_3002648.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Epicureans denied that the gods had created the world and also denied that they played any role in it.” — Catherine Wilson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Catherine Wilson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Epicureans denied that the gods...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/the-epicureans-denied-that-the-gods-had-created-the-world-and-also/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/the-epicureans-denied-that-the-gods-had-created-the-world-and-also/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```