Vatican Saying 18
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Translation
Analysis
This implicit, ascetic suggestion stands rather alone within the context of Epicurean teaching; it is in the same vein as Vatican Saying 51. In broader terms, however, it does cohere with the overall attitude of Epicureanism against passionate love.
Perhaps these two Sayings are Epicurus' own, direct admonitions to a presumable young student who was infatuated with a lover. This may even be an extrapolated fragment from one of those letters Epicurus so copiously wrote throughout his life.
The rather simple, homely advice Epicurus offers is to put some distance between oneself and the object of one's amorous passions. Without seeing one's beloved, hearing his/her voice, or delving in his/her company, the desire itself will quietly die away.
