No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity. For he is not permitted to prove himself.Letters to Lucilius, Letter 96, c. 65 AD
Author · 56 quotes
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC – 65 AD) was a Roman philosopher, statesman, and playwright. He is best known for his philosophical works exploring Stoicism, as well as his plays which were highly regarded during his time. Seneca served as an advisor to Emperor Nero and is remembered for his moral and ethical teachings that continue to influence modern philosophy.
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No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity. For he is not permitted to prove himself.Letters to Lucilius, Letter 96, c. 65 AD
The final test of freedom is this: Can you remain the same person in praise, in insult, in gain, and in loss?
The greatest remedy for anger is delay.On Anger, Book 1, 1st century AD
Life is long if you know how to use it.On the Shortness of Life, 49, 2004
It is not that we have so little time but that we lose so much... The life we receive is not short but we make it so.On the Shortness of Life, 49 AD
While we are postponing, life speeds by.
Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing.Letters to Lucilius, Letter 87
As long as you live, keep learning how to live.Letters to Lucilius, Letter 101
No evil propensity of the human heart is so powerful that it may not be subdued by discipline.Letters to Lucilius, Letter 18, 2002
Life's like a play: it's not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters.Moral Letters to Lucilius [Epistulae morales ad Lucilium], letter 77
That which is given with pride and ostentation is rather an ambition than a bounty.Of Benefits, Mises Institute
Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.Letters to Lucilius, Letter 7
Friendship always benefits; love sometimes injures.On the Shortness of Life, p. 45, 2015
Enjoy present pleasures in such a way as not to injure future ones.Letters to Lucilius, Letter 18
Just as I shall select my ship when I am about to go on a voyage, or my house when I propose to take a residence, so I shall choose my death when I am about to depart from life.Letters to Lucilius, Letter 70
Drunkenness is nothing but voluntary madness.On Anger, Book III, 1, 1st century AD
We never reflect how pleasant it is to ask for nothing.Seneca Zitate, englischezitate.de
Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity, Englische Zitate, 2023
Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.Letters to Lucilius, Letter 1
While we teach, we learn.Letters to Lucilius, Letter 46, 2010
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.Letters to Lucilius, Letter 23
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.Religion and Perception – Seneca
The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity.Lucius Annaeus Seneca to Lucilius Junior, Roman Letters
True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.True Happiness by Seneca, translated by Robert l'Estrange, 1888
Love in its essence is spiritual fire.
I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.The greatest remedy for anger is delay.How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.On the Firmness of the Wise Man, 1st Book, 2005
If we live good lives, the times are also good. As we are, such are the times.Letter 93: The Quality of Life, 2023
Health is the soul that animates all the enjoyments of life, which fade and are tasteless without it.
As long as your body is healthy and under control and death is distant, try to save your soul; when death is immanent what can you do?Lucius Annaeus Seneca to Lucilius Junior, Epistle 15, c. 63 AD
Nothing gives a fearful man more courage than another's fear.On Groundless Fears
If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.Epistle LXXI: On The Supreme Good, 1920
One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.The Socratic Method, 2023
Like our stomachs, our minds are hurt more often by overeating than by hunger.Lucius Annaeus Seneca to Lucilius Junior, Letter 13, On Groundless Fears, c. 63 AD
No man was ever wise by chance.
All cruelty springs from weakness.On the Shortness of Life, p. 45, 2015
He who is brave is free.Lucius Annaeus Seneca to Lucilius Junior, c. 63 AD
Learning how to live takes a whole life.On the Shortness of Life, Chapter VII
Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.Letters to Lucilius, Letter 24, 2002
He who suffers before it is necessary suffers more than is necessary.Letter 13: On Groundless Fears, Letters from a Stoic
‚How much progress shall I make?’ you ask. Just as much as you try to make.Moral Letters 76, 2002
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.Letter 71 to Lucilius, 65 AD
Happy is he who can improve others not just when he is in their presence, but even when he is in their thoughts.Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 109
Everything hangs on one’s thinking… A man is as unhappy as he has convinced himself he is.Letter 5: The Philosopher's Mean, Seneca Letters From a Stoic
Nothing delights the mind as much as loving and loyal friendship.Letter 23: On the True Joy Which Comes from Philosophy
We suffer more in imagination than in reality.Letter 13: On Groundless Fears, Letters from a Stoic
There are more things, Lucilius, likely to frighten us than there are to crush us; we suffer more often in imagination than in reality.Letters to Lucilius, Letter 13, 2002
Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.
The mind must be given relaxation. It will rise improved and sharper after a good break.You Must Let the Mind Go Lax, Daily Stoic, 2020
We hold the flaws of others before our eyes but turn our backs toward our own.
If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.Epistolae, LXXI., 3
Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.On the Shortness of Life, p. 25, 49CE
You should keep learning…to the end of your life.Letter 76: On learning wisdom in old age, 2023
He who is everywhere is nowhere.Letters From A Stoic | Moral Letters To Lucilius
Associate with people who are likely to improve you. Welcome those who you are capable of improving.Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 109
It's not that we have little time, but more that we waste a good deal of it.On the Shortness of Life, Chapter 1, 49 AD
It does not matter what you bear, but how you bear it.Letters to Lucilius, Letter 13, c. AD 62–65
That’s all 56 quotes by Lucius Annaeus Seneca.