Seneca the Younger Quotes
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He that makes himself famous by his eloquence, justice or arms illustrates his extraction, let it be never so mean; and gives inestimable reputation to his parents. We should never have heard of Sophroniscus, but for his son, Socrates; nor of Ariosto and Gryllus, if it had not been for Xenophon and Plato.
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Injustice never rules forever.
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Tis not the belly's hunger that costs so much, but its pride
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Only a great man, believe me, and one whose excellence rises far above human failings, will not allow anything to be stolen from his own span of time, and his life is very long precisely because he has devoted to himself entirely any time that became available. None of it lay uncultivated and idle, none was under another man's control, for guarding it most jealously, he found nothing worth exchanging for his own precious time.
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Happy he whoe'er, content with the common lot, with safe breeze hugs the shore, and, fearing to trust his skiff to the wider sea, with unambitious oar keeps close to the land.
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I was not born for one corner. The whole world is my native land.
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Not to feel one's misfortunes is not human, not to bear them is not manly.
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Nothing will ever please me, no matter how excellent or beneficial, if I must retain the knowledge of it to myself. . . . . . No good thing is pleasant to possess, without friends to share it.
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The wise man will always reflect concerning the quality not the quantity of life.
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Dissembling profiteth nothing; a feigned countenance, and slightly forged externally, deceiveth but very few.
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Whatever we give to the wretched, we lend to fortune.
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When God has once begun to throw down the prosperous, He overthrows them altogether: such is the end of the mighty.
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You must know for which harbor you are headed, if you are to catch the right wind to take you there.
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Who has more leisure than a worm?
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He who asks with timidity invites a refusal.
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In whatever direction you turn, you will see God coming to meet you; nothing is void of him, he himself fills all his work.
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It is a common thing to screw up justice to the pitch of an injury. A man may be over-righteous, and why not over-grateful, too? There is a mischievous excess that borders so close upon ingratitude that it is no easy matter to distinguish the one from the other; but, in regard that there is good-will in the bottom of it, however distempered; for it is effectually but kindness out of the wits.
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The state of that man's mind who feels too intense an interest as to future events, must be most deplorable.
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Whatever is to make us better and happy God has placed either openly before us or close to us.
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During difficult times and after mistakes and failures it is helpful to remember ... Oftentimes calamity turns to our advantage and great ruins make way for greater glories.
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Ponder for a long time whether you shall admit a given person to your friendship; but when you have decided to admit him, welcome him with all your heart and soul. Speak as boldly with him as with yourself.
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We sought therefore to amend our will, and not to suffer it through despite to languish long time in error.
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Those vices luxury and neglect of decent manners are vices of men, not of the times.
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What should a wise person do when given a blow? Same as Cato when he was attacked; not fire up or revenge the insult., or even return the blow, but simply ignore it.