Epicurus, quoted by H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol 3. (1888)

The Gods exist but they are not what the hoi polloi [the multitude] suppose them to be. He is not an infidel or atheist who denies the existence of Gods whom the multitude worship, but he is such who fastens on the Gods the opinions of the multitude.

— Epicurus on Atheism

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The Gods exist but they are not what the hoi polloi [the multitude] suppose them to be. He is not an infidel or atheist who denies the existence of Gods whom the multitude worship, but he is such who fastens on the Gods the opinions of the multitude." in the context of "Epicurus, quoted by H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol 3. (1888)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Atheism" (E) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Epicurus

About Epicurus

Epicurus (341 BC – 270 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosopher and Sage whose ideas gave rise to systems of thought known as Epicureanism. Influenced by Democritus, Aristippus, Pyrrho, and possibly the Cynics, he turned against the Platonism of his day. He openly allowed women and slaves to join the school as a matter of policy.