--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I seek the utmost pleasure and the least…" description: "\"I seek the utmost pleasure and the least pain.\" — Plautus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/plautus-1263_inspirational_i-seek-the-utmost-pleasure-and-the-least_2470204.jpg" --- # I seek the utmost pleasure and the least pain. ![“I seek the utmost pleasure and the least pain.” quote by Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/plautus-1263_inspirational_i-seek-the-utmost-pleasure-and-the-least_2470204.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/plautus-1263_inspirational_i-seek-the-utmost-pleasure-and-the-least_2470204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/plautus-1263_inspirational_i-seek-the-utmost-pleasure-and-the-least_2470204.jpg) > “I seek the utmost pleasure and the least pain.” [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pursuing maximum enjoyment while minimizing suffering is a basic human drive. **In simple terms:** Seek pleasure, avoid pain. Key Takeaway Balance desire with restraint. Themes hedonism selfcontrol human nature Mood reflective pragmatic Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - Everyday decisions - risk assessment - health choices - financial planning Key Concepts Utilitarianism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What trade‑offs are you willing to make for comfort? - How do you define “least pain”? A Different Perspective Excessive pleasure seeking can lead to harmful consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) ## Related quotes > [I get the utmost pleasure in life out of showing my children how much I adore the life out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-solomon/i-get-the-utmost-pleasure-in-life-out-of-showing-my-children-how-much/) [Stacey Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-solomon/) > [“he derives the utmost pleasure from leading a player across “the bridge of finding out who he was and who he has to be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-cohen/he-derives-the-utmost-pleasure-from-leading-a-player-across-the/) [Ben Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-cohen/) > [The necessity of pursuing true happiness is the foundation of all liberty- Happiness, in its full extent, is the utmost pleasure we are capable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/the-necessity-of-pursuing-true-happiness-is-the-foundation-of-all/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [The most total opposite of pleasure is not pain but boredom, for we are willing to risk pain to make a boring life interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-total-opposite-of-pleasure-is-not-pain-but-boredom-for-we/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [Theres a very fine line between pleasure and pain. They are two sides of the same coin, one not existing without the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/50-shdes-of-grey/theres-a-very-fine-line-between-pleasure-and-pain-they-are-two-sides/) 50 Shdes Of Grey > [For pain is perhaps but a violent pleasure? Who could determine the point where pleasure becomes pain, where pain is still a pleasure? Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/for-pain-is-perhaps-but-a-violent-pleasure-who-could-determine-the/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [The only way to be a champion is by going through these forced reps and the torture and pain. That's way I call it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/the-only-way-to-be-a-champion-is-by-going-through-these-forced-reps/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [If your life is based around your being comfortable, you're not very comfortable. 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A sweet ecstasy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/there-is-some-pleasure-even-in-pain-a-sweet-ecstasy/) [Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/) > [“Agony and ecstasy, pleasure and pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/agony-and-ecstasy-pleasure-and-pain/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [“Some will make you Dance, some will make you Smile, and some will make your misery longer than a mile! Pleasure or Pain, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rvm/some-will-make-you-dance-some-will-make-you-smile-and-some-will-make/) RVM > [“Are you amongst the ones who find the path to pleasure from pain, or the path to pain from pleasure?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cabrera/are-you-amongst-the-ones-who-find-the-path-to-pleasure-from-pain-or/) [Miguel Cabrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-cabrera/) > [The individual's right to pursue his own vision of the best ration of pleasure to pain: utterly sacrosanct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-individual-s-right-to-pursue-his-own-vision-of-the-best-ration-of/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) ## More by Plautus > [Remind a man of what he remembers, and you will make him forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/remind-a-man-of-what-he-remembers-and-you-will-make-him-forget-it/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Arrogance is the outgrowth of prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/arrogance-is-the-outgrowth-of-prosperity/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [I suspect that hunger was my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/i-suspect-that-hunger-was-my-mother/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [He is happy in his wisdom who has learned at another's expense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/he-is-happy-in-his-wisdom-who-has-learned-at-another-s-expense/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [He who dies for virtue does not perish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/he-who-dies-for-virtue-does-not-perish/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [The man who would be fully employed should procure a ship or a woman, for no two things produce more trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/the-man-who-would-be-fully-employed-should-procure-a-ship-or-a-woman/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [If you speak insults you will hear them also.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/if-you-speak-insults-you-will-hear-them-also/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [ No man has perpetual good fortune. \[Lat., Nulli est homini perpetuum bonum.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/no-man-has-perpetual-good-fortune-lat-nulli-est-homini-perpetuum-bonum/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [What you lend is lost; when you ask for it back, you may find a friend made an enemy by your kindness. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/what-you-lend-is-lost-when-you-ask-for-it-back-you-may-find-a-friend/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Things unhoped for happen oftener than things we desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/things-unhoped-for-happen-oftener-than-things-we-desire/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [“Ut saepe summa ingenia in occulto latent (How often the greatest talents are shrouded in obscurity)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/ut-saepe-summa-ingenia-in-occulto-latent-how-often-the-greatest/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [ You little know what a ticklish thing it is to go to law. \[Lat., Nescis tu quam meticulosa res sit ire ad judicem.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/you-little-know-what-a-ticklish-thing-it-is-to-go-to-law-lat-nescis/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Modesty should accompany youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/modesty-should-accompany-youth/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [It is wisdom to think upon anything before we execute it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/it-is-wisdom-to-think-upon-anything-before-we-execute-it/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [A woman smells well when she smells of nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/a-woman-smells-well-when-she-smells-of-nothing/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) [Explore all 259 Plautus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) ## More Inspirational quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I seek the utmost pleasure and the least pain.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Plautus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/i-seek-the-utmost-pleasure-and-the-least-pain/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Inspirational" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/i-seek-the-utmost-pleasure-and-the-least-pain/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/plautus-1263_inspirational_i-seek-the-utmost-pleasure-and-the-least_2470204.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/plautus-1263_inspirational_i-seek-the-utmost-pleasure-and-the-least_2470204.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/plautus-1263_inspirational_i-seek-the-utmost-pleasure-and-the-least_2470204.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I seek the utmost pleasure and the least pain.” — Plautus", "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": "Plautus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I seek the utmost pleasure and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/i-seek-the-utmost-pleasure-and-the-least-pain/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/i-seek-the-utmost-pleasure-and-the-least-pain/#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 } } ] } ```