Plutarch

"In contrast to the Christian thinker, the Greco-Roman sage, either Stoic or Platonic, wants to learn to accept death. For him, it is neither a matter of accepting the laws of nature nor or revolting against them. For Plutarch--who is, let us not forget, both a priest of Apollo and a Greek-speaking Roman intellectual--the sage is someone who knows how to recognize his limits and consequently to live without hubris (excess), so as to succeed in integrating with nature...The unhappiness of men comes from their being distant from nature...Happiness, in effect, resides in the tranquility that we may find beyond our own strength. Not forcing one's nature is what allows one to reach the refuge of peace and indifference to the world, and in particular to others."

--Guy Stroumsa, The End of Sacrifice, tr. Susan Emanuel, University of Chicago Press (2009), 17.