Feeling
Anger
Stoic passages for anger, each with a modern reading you can use today.
- Diogenes Laertius Heraclitus called self-deceit a dreadful sickness, and even sight a sense that can mislead.
- Diogenes Laertius When a young man spoke foolishly, Zeno told him: ‘We have two ears and one mouth so that we may listen twice as much…
- Diogenes Laertius Zeno said nothing was less fitting than arrogance, especially in the young.
- Epictetus A fine and good person neither quarrels nor, as far as possible, permits quarrelling. Education teaches what belongs…
- Epictetus A good person's material for work is their governing reason, as a physician works on bodies and a farmer on land.
- Epictetus A philosopher brings the will into accord with events, so that nothing arrives wholly against it and no wish is…
- Epictetus A sound beginning in philosophy is to recognize clearly one's own governing mind.
- Epictetus Ask yourself at first light: What do I lack for freedom from passion and for peace? What am I: merely body, owner, or…
- Epictetus At the first impression, do not be swept away. Tell it: wait, let me learn what you are and test you.
- Epictetus Begin therefore from little things. Is a little oil spilt? A little wine stolen? Say to yourself, "This is the price…
- Epictetus Don't say that he does it ill, but in a mighty little time. Does anyone drink a great quantity of wine? Don't say that…
- Epictetus Duties are universally measured by relations. Is anyone a father? If so, it is implied that the children should take…
- Epictetus Eat, drink, dress, marry, raise children, take part in civic life, and bear difficult relatives and neighbors. Show by…
- Epictetus Every capacity is strengthened by the actions that match it: walking by walking, running by running. Anger likewise…
- Epictetus Every matter has two handles: one by which it can be carried, another by which it cannot. When a brother wrongs you,…
- Epictetus Everything has two handles, the one by which it may be carried, the other by which it cannot. If your brother acts…
- Epictetus Good lies in a certain use of rational choice, and evil in another. Externals are merely material for that choice,…
- Epictetus If a person gave your body to any stranger he met on his way, you would certainly be angry. And do you feel no shame…
- Epictetus If you are able, then, by your own conversation bring over that of your company to proper subjects; but, if you happen…
- Epictetus If you do not want to be quick-tempered, stop feeding the practice. Begin by staying calm and counting the days; as…
- Epictetus It is not the person who insults or strikes that injures you, but your judgment that you have been injured. When anger…
- Epictetus Misfortune, quarrels, blame, and agitation are judgments outside our choice. Restrict judgment to choice, and peace…
- Epictetus Never call yourself a philosopher, nor talk a great deal among the unlearned about theorems, but act conformably to…
- Epictetus Nothing outside my chosen judgment can obstruct or injure it; only it can damage itself. When we fail, blame no one…
- Epictetus People are troubled not by events, but by the judgments they form about events.
- Epictetus People who take in doctrines and immediately recite them resemble an ill stomach returning its food. Let teachings be…
- Epictetus Philosophers tell us not to stop at learning: add practice and training, or time will make us forget our lessons and…
- Epictetus Remember, that not he who gives ill language or a blow insults, but the principle which represents these things as…
- Epictetus Stop accusing gods and people. Govern your desires, avoid only what your judgment can govern, and release anger,…
- Epictetus The good person is unconquerable because they do not enter contests where they are weak. Others may take possessions,…
- Epictetus The mind's proper business is choosing and declining, pursuing and avoiding, preparing, intending, and assenting. What…
- Epictetus The will of nature may be learned from those things in which we don't distinguish from each other. For example, when…
- Epictetus There are three fields in which the person seeking wisdom and goodness must train. First are desire and aversion, so…
- Epictetus We test money with great care, yet for our governing mind we drowse, accepting every appearance that comes along.
- Epictetus What makes a person beautiful is human excellence. If you would be beautiful, cultivate justice, composure, and…
- Epictetus When any person harms you, or speaks badly of you, remember that he acts or speaks from a supposition of its being his…
- Epictetus When troubling news reaches you, remember that no report can damage your power of choice. It may tell you of death;…
- Epictetus When you are going about any action, remind yourself what nature the action is. If you are going to bathe, picture to…
- Epictetus Who is unconquerable? The person whom nothing outside a considered choice can throw into disorder.
- Epictetus Why call on heaven to remove your trouble? Were you not given hands? Wipe your own nose rather than hunting for…
- Epictetus With every accident, ask yourself what abilities you have for making a proper use of it. If you see an attractive…
- Epictetus You would rage if a stranger handed your body to another; yet you give your mind to every passerby to trouble and…
- Marcus Aurelius A black or malign disposition, an effeminate disposition; an hard inexorable disposition, a wild inhuman disposition,…
- Marcus Aurelius A branch is cut off by another, but he that hates and is averse, cuts himself off from his neighbour, and knows not…
- Marcus Aurelius A man without ever the least appearance of anger, or any other passion; able at the same time most exactly to observe…
- Marcus Aurelius A very ridiculous thing it is, that any man should dispense with vice and wickedness in himself, which is in his power…
- Marcus Aurelius After doing well and helping another, why seek a third reward—praise for the act or a favor returned?
- Marcus Aurelius After one consideration, man is nearest unto us; as we are bound to do them good, and to bear with them. But as he may…
- Marcus Aurelius All men are made one for another: either then teach them better, or bear with them.
- Marcus Aurelius And indeed we must needs commit many evils, if we incline to any of these things, more or less, with an opinion of any…
- Marcus Aurelius And lastly, which beareth me that tread upon it, and beareth with me that so many ways do abuse it, or so freely make…
- Marcus Aurelius Anger and grief often harm us more than the events that first stirred them.
- Marcus Aurelius As virtue and wickedness consist not in passion, but in action; so neither doth the true good or evil of a reasonable…
- Marcus Aurelius At the conceit and apprehension that such and such a one hath sinned, thus reason with thyself; What do I know whether…
- Marcus Aurelius Be not angry neither with him whose breath, neither with him whose arm holes, are offensive. What can he do? such is…
- Marcus Aurelius Begin yet higher, even from this: if atoms be not the beginning of all things, than which to believe nothing can be…
- Marcus Aurelius Cast away from thee opinion, and thou art safe. And what is it that hinders thee from casting of it away?
- Marcus Aurelius Conceit no such things, as he that wrongeth thee conceiveth, or would have thee to conceive, but look into the matter…
- Marcus Aurelius Do not approach philosophy like a strict overseer. Go to it as the sick go for treatment: for sore eyes, a burn, or a…
- Marcus Aurelius Do not be tossed about. Bring every impulse before justice, and preserve your sound judgment whenever appearances…
- Marcus Aurelius Do not delay in action, muddle speech, scatter thought, make your soul either passive or hostile, or fill life…
- Marcus Aurelius Do not grant circumstances the power to awaken your anger; they take no notice of it.
- Marcus Aurelius Do not let yourself become an emperor in spirit; remain simple, upright, kind, just, and strong in your proper work.
- Marcus Aurelius Enough of this wretched complaining. Stop idling. What troubles you? Look at the cause or at the matter itself. As for…
- Marcus Aurelius Ever consider and think upon the world as being but one living substance, and having but one soul, and how all things…
- Marcus Aurelius Every soul lacks truth unwillingly; the same is true of justice, moderation, and goodwill. Keep this in mind, and you…
- Marcus Aurelius First, do not be shaken. Then look directly at the task, remembering that your aim is to be a good person. Do what…
- Marcus Aurelius Fit and accommodate thyself to that estate and to those occurrences, which by the destinies have been annexed unto…
- Marcus Aurelius For the motion of the mind to any injustice, or incontinency, or to sorrow, or to fear, is nothing else but a…
- Marcus Aurelius Four several dispositions or inclinations there be of the mind and understanding, which to be aware of, thou must…
- Marcus Aurelius From Alexander the Grammarian, to be un-reprovable myself, and not reproachfully to reprehend any man for a barbarism,…
- Marcus Aurelius Has another done wrong to me? That is for him to consider; he has his own character and concerns. I have what…
- Marcus Aurelius Hath not yet experience taught thee to fly from the plague? For a far greater plague is the corruption of the mind,…
- Marcus Aurelius He that sinneth, sinneth unto himself. He that is unjust, hurts himself, in that he makes himself worse than he was…
- Marcus Aurelius He therefore that forsakes the law, is a fugitive. So is he, whosoever he be, that is either sorry, angry, or afraid,…
- Marcus Aurelius Him that offends, to teach with love and meek ness, and to show him his error. But if thou canst not, then to blame…
- Marcus Aurelius Honour that which is chiefest and most powerful in the world, and that is it, which makes use of all things, and…
- Marcus Aurelius How does your ruling mind govern itself? Everything else, whether chosen or not, is merely smoke and a lifeless thing…
- Marcus Aurelius How good it is to reject a disturbing, alien impression and at once restore peace within.
- Marcus Aurelius I answer, That which thou sayest is true indeed, but the true meaning of that which is said, thou dost not understand.…
- Marcus Aurelius If a cucumber is bitter, discard it. If thorns block the way, go around them. Why ask why such irritations exist?…
- Marcus Aurelius If asked to spell your name, you would give the letters calmly, even if the questioner became angry. So remember that…
- Marcus Aurelius If he have sinned, his is the harm, not mine. But perchance he hath not.
- Marcus Aurelius If it were thine act and in thine own power, wouldest thou do it? If it were not, whom dost tin accuse? the atoms, or…
- Marcus Aurelius If once round and solid, there is no fear that ever it will change.
- Marcus Aurelius If someone scorns me, that is their concern. Mine is to do and say nothing shameful. If someone hates me, I will…
- Marcus Aurelius If this neither be my wicked act, nor an act anyways depending from any wickedness of mine, and that by it the public…
- Marcus Aurelius If thou beest quick-sighted, be so in matter of judgment, and best discretion, saith he.
- Marcus Aurelius If to understand and to be reasonable be common unto all men, then is that reason, for which we are termed reasonable,…
- Marcus Aurelius If we call good and bad only what depends on our own choice, we have no reason to accuse the gods or resent other…
- Marcus Aurelius In the country of the Quadi at Granua, these. Betimes in the morning say to thyself, This day I shalt have to do with…
- Marcus Aurelius Injustice often appears not only in what you do, but in what you fail to do.
- Marcus Aurelius Is it not a cruel thing to forbid men to affect those things, which they conceive to agree best with their own…
- Marcus Aurelius Is this then a thing of that worth, that for it my soul should suffer, and become worse than it was? as either basely…
- Marcus Aurelius It is against himself that he doth offend: why should it trouble thee? Hath anything happened unto thee? It is well,…
- Marcus Aurelius It is in my power concerning this thing that is happened, what soever it be, to conceit that which is right and true.…
- Marcus Aurelius It is most needful that thou shouldst always remember this. For so shalt thou be far more gentle and moderate towards…
- Marcus Aurelius It is not about ordinary petty matters, believe it, that all our strife and contention is, but whether, with the…
- Marcus Aurelius It is not by way of any suspicious indignation, but by way of gentle and friendly declination. Keep the same mind and…
- Marcus Aurelius it is not thine, but another man's sin. Why should it trouble thee? Let him look to it, whose sin it is.
- Marcus Aurelius 'It will but little avail thee, to turn thine anger and indignation upon the things themselves that have fallen across…
- Marcus Aurelius Keep before your mind those consumed by anger, resentment, success, disaster, wrongdoing, or distinction. Ask where it…
- Marcus Aurelius Keep thyself therefore, truly simple, good, sincere, grave, free from all ostentation, a lover of that which is just,…
- Marcus Aurelius Know at last that within you is something stronger and more divine than the forces that stir bodily passions and tug…
- Marcus Aurelius Learn the art of assent, and keep impulses reserved, directed toward the common good, and measured by true value.
- Marcus Aurelius Let him look to that. He is master of his own disposition, and of his own operation. I for my part am in the meantime…
- Marcus Aurelius Let not that chief commanding part of thy soul be ever subject to any variation through any corporal either pain or…
- Marcus Aurelius Let opinion be taken away, and no man will think himself wronged. If no man shall think himself wronged, then is there…
- Marcus Aurelius Let this then be thy first ground, that thou art part of that universe, which is governed by nature. Then secondly,…
- Marcus Aurelius Let thy mind penetrate both into the effects, and into the causes. Rejoice thyself with true simplicity, and modesty;…
- Marcus Aurelius Let thy thoughts ever run upon them, who once for some one thing or other, were moved with extraordinary indignation;…
- Marcus Aurelius Meditate often upon the connection of all things in the world; and upon the mutual relation that they have one unto…
- Marcus Aurelius My city and country as I am Antoninus, is Rome; as a man, the whole world. Those things therefore that are expedient…
- Marcus Aurelius My reasoned choice is independent of my neighbor’s, as of their body or breath. Though made for cooperation, each…
- Marcus Aurelius No man can hinder thee to live as thy nature doth require. Nothing can happen unto thee, but what the common good of…
- Marcus Aurelius Not only now henceforth to have a common breath, or to hold correspondency of breath, with that air, that compasseth…
- Marcus Aurelius Of all unreasonable creatures, there is but one unreasonable soul; and of all that are reasonable, but one reasonable…
- Marcus Aurelius Of Catulus, not to contemn any friend's expostulation, though unjust, but to strive to reduce him to his former…
- Marcus Aurelius Of everything therefore thou must use thyself to say, This immediately comes from God, this by that fatal connection,…
- Marcus Aurelius Of him that brought me up, not to be fondly addicted to either of the two great factions of the coursers in the…
- Marcus Aurelius Of his, that thou mayest consider whether in the estate of ignorance, or of knowledge. And then also must thou call to…
- Marcus Aurelius Of my grandfather Verus I have learned to be gentle and meek, and to refrain from all anger and passion. From the fame…
- Marcus Aurelius Of the same nature is sickness and death; slander, and lying in wait, and whatsoever else ordinarily doth unto fools…
- Marcus Aurelius On waking, remind yourself that you will meet intrusive, ungrateful, vain, deceitful, jealous, and irritable people;…
- Marcus Aurelius One person helps and demands repayment; another remembers the debt; a third does good like a vine bears fruit—then…
- Marcus Aurelius People may oppose your rational path but cannot prevent sound action. Do not let them drive away your goodwill; keep…
- Marcus Aurelius Plato spoke well: when considering human affairs, look down from above and take in crowds, armies, fields, unions and…
- Marcus Aurelius Reason moves freely when it accepts no falsehood, aims only at the common good, desires only what it can govern, and…
- Marcus Aurelius Reflect often on how swiftly all things are carried past us: existence flows like a river, actions keep changing,…
- Marcus Aurelius Remember, that as it is a shame for any man to wonder that a fig tree should bear figs, so also to wonder that the…
- Marcus Aurelius Remove the belief that you have been harmed, and the harm is removed; remove the sense of injury, and injury vanishes.
- Marcus Aurelius Return quickly to your own reason, to the reason of the whole, and to your neighbor's: make your mind just, remember…
- Marcus Aurelius Revere your power of understanding: it keeps the ruling mind from admitting what conflicts with nature, reason, care…
- Marcus Aurelius Secondly, when she either is averse from any man, or led by contrary desires or affections, tending to his hurt and…
- Marcus Aurelius She cannot be dyed or infected by it. What then must I do, that I may have within myself an overflowing fountain, and…
- Marcus Aurelius Sincere kindness cannot be overcome. What can a malicious person do when you remain kind and gently correct them, if…
- Marcus Aurelius Socrates said, 'What will you have? the souls of reasonable, or unreasonable creatures? Of reasonable. But what? Of…
- Marcus Aurelius Soon you will die, yet you remain insincere, unsettled, and suspicious of externals; you are not gracious, though…
- Marcus Aurelius Spectacle, strife, fright, dullness, and servility destroy our principles whenever the mind receives them without…
- Marcus Aurelius Stop complaining about public burdens—even in private, even to yourself.
- Marcus Aurelius Such and such things, from such and such causes, must of necessity proceed. He that would not have such things to…
- Marcus Aurelius Such as thy thoughts and ordinary cogitations are, such will thy mind be in time. For the soul doth as it were receive…
- Marcus Aurelius Take heed lest at any time thou stand so affected, though towards unnatural evil men, as ordinary men are commonly one…
- Marcus Aurelius That which is not good for the bee-hive, cannot be good for the bee.
- Marcus Aurelius That which must be the subject of thy consideration, is either the matter itself, or the dogma, or the operation, or…
- Marcus Aurelius The best kind of revenge is, not to become like unto them.
- Marcus Aurelius The end and object of a rational constitution is, to do nothing rashly, to be kindly affected towards men, and in all…
- Marcus Aurelius The finest revenge is refusing to become like the one who wronged you.
- Marcus Aurelius The form of the Athenians' prayer did run thus: 'O rain, rain, good Jupiter, upon all the grounds and fields that…
- Marcus Aurelius The Lacedæmonians at their public spectacles were wont to appoint seats and forms for their strangers in the shadow,…
- Marcus Aurelius The most weighty and serious, if rightly esteemed, but as puppies, biting one another: or untoward children, now…
- Marcus Aurelius The rational soul knows itself, examines itself, and chooses itself; it gathers the fruit of its own purpose.
- Marcus Aurelius The soul is shaped by the thoughts it repeatedly entertains, since such ideas give it its color.
- Marcus Aurelius The unjust person defies the order of nature, for rational creatures were made for one another’s benefit, not their…
- Marcus Aurelius The whole space of any man's life, is but little; and as little as it is, with what troubles, with what manner of…
- Marcus Aurelius Then hath a man attained to the estate of perfection in his life and conversation, when he so spends every day, as if…
- Marcus Aurelius Theophrastus, where he compares sin with sin (as after a vulgar sense such things I grant may be compared:) says well…
- Marcus Aurelius There is but one light of the sun, though it be intercepted by walls and mountains, and other thousand objects. There…
- Marcus Aurelius Thou art now ready to die, and yet hast thou not attained to that perfect simplicity: thou art yet subject to many…
- Marcus Aurelius Thou hast no time nor opportunity to read. What then? Hast thou not time and opportunity to exercise thyself, not to…
- Marcus Aurelius Thou must be like a promontory of the sea, against which though the waves beat continually, yet it both itself stands,…
- Marcus Aurelius To a reasonable creature, the same action is both according to nature, and according to reason.
- Marcus Aurelius To be capable of fancies and imaginations, is common to man and beast. To be violently drawn and moved by the lusts…
- Marcus Aurelius To desire things impossible is the part of a mad man. But it is a thing impossible, that wicked man should not commit…
- Marcus Aurelius To grow together like fellow branches in matter of good correspondence and affection; but not in matter of opinions.…
- Marcus Aurelius To pierce and penetrate into the estate of every one's understanding that thou hast to do with: as also to make the…
- Marcus Aurelius To steal, to sow, to buy, to be at rest, to see what is to be done (which is not seen by the eyes, but by another kind…
- Marcus Aurelius To them that are sick of the jaundice, honey seems bitter; and to them that are bitten by a mad dog, the water…
- Marcus Aurelius What harms the hive cannot benefit the bee.
- Marcus Aurelius What is the use that now at this present I make of my soul? Thus from time to time and upon all occasions thou must…
- Marcus Aurelius Whatever others say or do, I am bound to goodness—like gold or an emerald that keeps its own color regardless of what…
- Marcus Aurelius Whatsoever any man either doth or saith, thou must be good; not for any man's sake, but for thine own nature's sake;…
- Marcus Aurelius Whatsoever doth happen in the ordinary course and consequence of natural events, neither the Gods, (for it is not…
- Marcus Aurelius Whatsoever I am, is either flesh, or life, or that which we commonly call the mistress and overruling part of man;…
- Marcus Aurelius When a training partner strikes you roughly, do not hate or suspect them; watch carefully and avoid wisely, without…
- Marcus Aurelius When anger begins to rise, remember: fury is not strength. Kindness and courtesy are more truly human, and thus more…
- Marcus Aurelius When another wrongs you, ask at once what they thought good or bad in doing it. Seeing this, you will pity rather than…
- Marcus Aurelius When another's fault provokes you, turn at once to your own related errors—your attachment to gain, pleasure, or…
- Marcus Aurelius When any shall either impeach thee with false accusations, or hatefully reproach thee, or shall use any such carriage…
- Marcus Aurelius When at any time thou art offended with any one's impudency, put presently this question to thyself: 'What? Is it then…
- Marcus Aurelius When someone errs, correct them gently and show the overlooked point; if you cannot, fault yourself—or no one.
- Marcus Aurelius When thou art offended with any man's transgression, presently reflect upon thyself; and consider what thou thyself…
- Marcus Aurelius When thou wilt comfort and cheer thyself, call to mind the several gifts and virtues of them, whom thou dost daily…
- Marcus Aurelius Whensoever any man doth trespass against other, presently consider with thyself what it was that he did suppose to be…
- Marcus Aurelius Whensoever by some present hard occurrences thou art constrained to be in some sort troubled and vexed, return unto…
- Marcus Aurelius Whether thou speak in the Senate or whether thou speak to any particular, let thy speech In always grave and modest.…
- Marcus Aurelius Whoever commits injustice injures themselves. The unjust person makes their own character worse.
- Marcus Aurelius Why rage at bad breath or body odor? Such a body produces such effects. If someone can understand their impact, use…
- Marcus Aurelius Why should imprudent unlearned souls trouble that which is both learned, and prudent? And which is that that is so?…
- Marcus Aurelius Why then shouldest thou so earnestly either seek after these things, or fly from them, as though they should endure…
- Marcus Aurelius Wipe away false impressions by telling yourself continually: my soul can exclude any evil, desire, or disturbance. I…
- Marcus Aurelius You can humble your pride, master pleasure and pain, set ambition aside, and meet foolish, thankless people without…
- Marcus Aurelius Your ruling mind is unconquerable when it relies on itself and refuses what it judges contrary to its will. With…
- Musonius Rufus Human nature begins with a leaning toward virtue.
- Musonius Rufus Some minds are quicker and some slower; some receive better formation than others. Those with poorer habits need more…
- Plutarch Cato cultivated the public speech that can move a people, but he did not rehearse for display and spoke only when he…
- Seneca A prince generally inflicts punishment for one of two reasons: he wishes either to assert his own rights or those of…
- Seneca A tyrant differs from a king in deeds, not in title: for the elder Dionysius deserves to be preferred before many…
- Seneca Among these and in the first place must be ranked that thrill of the mind which seizes us at the thought of…
- Seneca Anger is of use to lions, timidity to stags, boldness 92to hawks, flight to doves. What if I declare that it is not…
- Seneca Anger makes many men cripples, or invalids, even when it meets with an unresisting victim: and besides this, no…
- Seneca Anger must not merely move, but break out of bounds, being an impulse: now, no impulse can take place without the…
- Seneca “Anger,” says Aristotle, “is necessary, nor can any fight be won without it, unless it fills the mind, and kindles up…
- Seneca Anger, then, must never become a habit with us, but we may sometimes affect to be angry when we wish to rouse up the…
- Seneca Anger, therefore, is not useful even in wars or battles: for it is prone to rashness, and while trying to bring others…
- Seneca Anger tramples self-restraint underfoot, steeps its hands in slaughter, scatters abroad the limbs of its children: it…
- Seneca Consequently, the empire of the world has almost always remained in the hands of those nations who enjoy a milder…
- Seneca Demochares, who was surnamed Parrhesiastes on account of his unbridled and impudent tongue, came on an embassy to him…
- Seneca Do not attempt to quell it all at once, for its first impulses are fierce; by plucking away its parts we shall remove…
- Seneca Every one when he calls himself innocent looks rather to external witnesses than to his own conscience. How much more…
- Seneca Finally, the other passions seize upon individuals; anger is the only one which sometimes possesses a whole state. No…
- Seneca Furthermore, that you may know in what manner passions begin and swell and gain spirit, learn that the first emotion…
- Seneca He best knows the time at which he ought to show favour to each man: I will use my utmost efforts to prevent his…
- Seneca He who follows others who have started before him on the wrong road is surely excusable for having wandered on the…
- Seneca He who strives with a man makes himself that man’s rival, and must be on equal terms with him before he can overcome…
- Seneca Hecato says: no herbs, potions, or spells are needed for this charm—if you want love, begin by loving.
- Seneca Heraclitus wept at public life, while Democritus laughed at it. We should bear human affairs lightly; it is more…
- Seneca How few magistrates are there who ought not to be condemned by the very same laws which they administer? How few…
- Seneca I know, however, that there are some who imagine that clemency only saves the life of every villain, because clemency…
- Seneca I will not be embarrassed to borrow a fine saying from a poor writer.
- Seneca If man, as they argue, seeks for quiet and repose, what virtue is there which is more agreeable to his nature than…
- Seneca If you think fit, my Serenus, let us distinguish between injury and insult. The former is naturally the more grievous,…
- Seneca In the city which possessed that most reverend tribunal, the Court of the Areopagus, which possessed a Senate, and a…
- Seneca In the same spirit in which we deal with boys, the wise man deals with all those whose childhood still endures after…
- Seneca In the same way cheerful pursuits soothe unhealthy minds. We must avoid law courts, pleadings, verdicts, and…
- Seneca Indeed he shut up 136Lysimachus, who was no less his friend than Clitus, in a cage with a lion; yet did this make…
- Seneca Is it then desirable that the gods should show no mercy upon sins and mistakes, and that they should harshly pursue us…
- Seneca It is a speech which ought to be spoken 416before a meeting of all mankind, whose words all kings and princes ought to…
- Seneca It is a womanish thing to rage with passion; it is the part of wild beasts, and that, too, not of the most noble ones,…
- Seneca It is, I repeat, the setting a great value on trifles that is the cause of your anger and madness. This 153man wanted…
- Seneca It is possible to discover certain inconsistencies in the definition which comes nearer the truth than all the rest,…
- Seneca It is said that there was one Mindyrides, a citizen of Sybaris, who one day seeing a man digging and vigorously…
- Seneca It is shameful to hate him whom you praise: but how much more shameful is it to hate a man for something for which he…
- Seneca It is that of good parents, who sometimes scold their children goodnaturedly, sometimes threaten them, and sometimes…
- Seneca It is, therefore, most commonly 419found in the worst people; there are old women and girls who are affected by the…
- Seneca It is useful for a man to understand his disease, and to break its strength before it becomes developed. Let us see…
- Seneca It is when one passion overpowers another, and either fear or greed gets the upper hand for a while. On such…
- Seneca Keep a benefit as one keeps treasure buried for a time, drawing on it when needed. Nature calls us to help all people;…
- Seneca Let different qualities in different people keep us from quarrelling with them: let us fear to be angry with some,…
- Seneca Let every one, then, say to himself, whenever he is provoked, “Am I more powerful than Philip? yet he allowed a man to…
- Seneca Let him rise in the presence of his elders. Let him obtain nothing by flying into a passion: let him be given when he…
- Seneca Let not our ears be easily lent to calumnious talk: let us know and be on our guard against this fault of human…
- Seneca Let us add, if you please, to these grounds of complaint the disposition of the youth himself, cut off in the midst of…
- Seneca Let us be free from this evil, let us clear our minds of it, and extirpate root and branch a passion which grows again…
- Seneca Let us conceal its symptoms, and as far as possible keep it secret and hidden. It will give us great trouble to do…
- Seneca Let us decide by exact definition this other slippery matter, the true nature of pardon, and we shall then perceive…
- Seneca Let us look back upon our own youth, and think how often we then were too slothful in our duty, too impudent in our…
- Seneca Let us now enquire whether anger be in accordance with nature, and whether it be useful and worth entertaining in some…
- Seneca Let your own goodness of heart be gradually spread and diffused throughout the whole body of the empire, and all parts…
- Seneca Life's many hardships teach the lesson of silence.
- Seneca May it not be that, although anger be not natural, it may be right to adopt it, because it often proves useful? It…
- Seneca No creature is more self-willed, requires more careful management, or ought to be treated with greater indulgence than…
- Seneca Nothing can be imagined which is more becoming to a sovereign than clemency, by whatever title and right he may be set…
- Seneca Nothing honorable is done unwillingly or by force; every noble act is freely chosen.
- Seneca Nothing, however, will be of so much service as to consider, first, the hideousness, and, secondly, the danger of…
- Seneca Nothing, I think, is more admirable than that those who are in high places should pardon many shortcomings in others,…
- Seneca Nothing is more maddening than anger or more eager to display its force. When it succeeds it grows proud; when blocked…
- Seneca Nothing is more unjust than that any one should inherit the quarrels of his father. Whenever we are loth to pardon any…
- Seneca Nothing will happen that I cannot receive without bitterness. The burdens that provoke complaint are part of life's due.
- Seneca Of these wrongs which drive you frantic, some will grow lighter after an interval, not of a day, but even of an hour:…
- Seneca Philosophy used arrogantly and stubbornly ruins many. Let it remove your own faults, not become a weapon against the…
- Seneca Pray, Alexander, what is the difference between your throwing Lysimachus into a lion’s den and tearing his flesh with…
- Seneca Readiness to believe what we hear causes very great mischief; we ought often not even to listen, because in some cases…
- Seneca Revenge takes up much time, and throws itself in the way of many injuries while it is smarting under one. We all…
- Seneca Slaves are allowed to run and take sanctuary at the statue of a god, though the laws allows a slave to be ill-treated…
- Seneca So, too, anger is in itself hideous and by no means to be feared; yet it is feared by many, just as a hideous mask is…
- Seneca Some are brought into this condition by disease or bodily injury, others by hard work, long watching, nights of…
- Seneca Some one has offered you an insult? Not a greater one, probably, than was offered to the Stoic philosopher Diogenes,…
- Seneca Some one who did not know Marcus Cato struck him in the public bath in his ignorance, for who would knowingly have…
- Seneca Some stories may be so construed as to appear to be insults: wherefore it is best to put some aside, to laugh at…
- Seneca That we may avoid it, certain general rules of conduct which apply to all men’s lives must be impressed upon us. We…
- Seneca The better a man is, the more frequently he is wont to suffer from your indiscriminate rage, you who are to be feared…
- Seneca The cruelty even of private men has sometimes been revenged by their slaves in spite of the certainty that they will…
- Seneca The difference between it and irascibility is evident: it is the same as that between a drunken man and a drunkard;…
- Seneca The former belongs to an over-weak mind, the latter to an over-hard one. Let the wise man be moderate, and when things…
- Seneca The great Gaius Caesar, who proved such a merciful conqueror in the civil war, did the same thing; he burned a packet…
- Seneca The latter of these, whenever be 282appeared in public, used to weep, the former to laugh: the one thought all human…
- Seneca The leading man in the state, and one who, according to tradition, was noted among the ancient leaders of the state…
- Seneca The man did it because he was ordered to do it. Who but an unjust person can be angry with what is done under…
- Seneca The man understands something to have happened: he becomes indignant thereat: he condemns the deed; and he avenges it.…
- Seneca The mind can find no safe repose there, it must needs be shaken and tempest-tossed if it be safe only because of its…
- Seneca The only persons who are really at leisure are those who devote themselves to philosophy: and they alone really live:…
- Seneca The services of a good citizen are never thrown away: he does good by being heard and seen, by his expression, his…
- Seneca The sinner ought, therefore, to be corrected both by warning and by force, both by gentle and harsh means, and may be…
- Seneca The unlearned think that its opposite is strictness: but no virtue is the opposite of another virtue. What, then, is…
- Seneca The wise man will never cease to be angry, if he once begins, so full is every place of vices and crimes. More evil is…
- Seneca There is a lesser form of injury, which we must complain of rather than avenge, which the laws also have considered…
- Seneca There is no passion that is more frantic, more destructive to its own self; it is arrogant if successful, and frantic…
- Seneca There is no reason why we should seek to defend such a passion as this or excuse its excesses by declaring it to be…
- Seneca There is therefore nothing great or noble in anger, even when it seems to be powerful and to contemn both gods and men…
- Seneca These should be regarded as examples to be avoided, and what I am about to relate, on the contrary, to be followed,…
- Seneca Think, moreover, how full of risk is the great task which you have undertaken: you have to deal with the human…
- Seneca Think you that the people could do any wrong to such a man when they tore away his praetorship or his toga? when they…
- Seneca This is not anger, it is ferocity: for it does not do hurt because it has received injury: but is even willing to…
- Seneca This may be that of the Athenians or Carthaginians, or of any other city which does not belong to all men but to some…
- Seneca To rejoice and be glad is the proper and natural function of virtue: it is as much beneath her dignity to be angry, as…
- Seneca Virtues do the same thing in the opposite direction, and improve all those with whom they are brought in contact: it…
- Seneca We are angry, either with those who can, or with those who cannot do us an injury. To the latter class belong some…
- Seneca We are infuriated at being reproved, either by reprimand or actual chastisement, although we are sinning at that very…
- Seneca We might go on blaming fate much longer, but we cannot alter it: it stands harsh and inexorable: no one can move it by…
- Seneca What are we to say to the argument that, if anger were a good thing it would attach itself to all the best men? Yet…
- Seneca What, too, can be more unworthy of the wise man, than that his passions should depend upon the wickedness of others?…
- Seneca When as they proceeded neither roots nor herbs were to be found in the sand, and they found a wilderness destitute…
- Seneca When he asked for the watchword Gaius at one time gave him “Venus,” and at another “Priapus,” and by various means…
- Seneca When men employ anger as the most powerful of agents, consider it to be a proof of power, and reckon a speedy revenge…
- Seneca When sponges were not forthcoming, he ordered the wretched men’s clothes to be torn up, and the rags stuffed into…
- Seneca Why make misfortune heavier by lamenting it? It is the stronger course to meet adversity directly. The more precarious…
- Seneca Why, wherefore is the people angry with gladiators, and so unjust as to think itself wronged if they do not die…
- Seneca Will any one give this passion as an assistant and companion to virtue, although it disturbs calm reason, without…
- Seneca Would to heaven that such savagery had contented itself with foreign examples, and that barbarity in anger and…
- Seneca Wrongdoing often comes back upon the one who taught it.
- Seneca You 158should approach him in different ways and in a compliant fashion, unless perchance you be so great a personage…
- Seneca You are as yet only in the first stage of error, and do not go wrong seriously, although you do so often: then I will…
- Seneca You are indignant at being answered back by your slave, your freedman, your wife, or your client: and then you…
- Seneca You ask me, whither does all this tend? To prove, I answer, that no one should imagine himself to be safe from anger,…
- Seneca You cannot tell whether this vice is more execrable or more disgusting. Other vices can be concealed and cherished in…
- Seneca You have seen your friend in a rage with the porter of some lawyer or rich man, because he has sent him back when…
- Seneca You may observe the same thing in human life: no one can merely go wrong by himself, but he must become both the cause…
- Seneca You say, “I cannot endure it: injuries are hard to bear.” You lie; for how can any one not be able to bear injury, if…
- Seneca You say, that you do not believe that any one was ever scared out of anger by a mirror: and why not? Because when he…
- Seneca You see how free from any mental disturbance a man ought to be who has to weigh and consider all this, when he deals…
- Seneca You waste your pains: you want to do what is certain to be done. You say, “I do not wish necessarily to kill him, but…
- Seneca You will see that men are subject to the same influences as dumb animals: we are put out by trumpery, futile matters.…
- Seneca Your great-great-grandfather spared the vanquished: for whom could he have ruled over, had he not spared them? He…
- Zeno Better to stumble on your feet than to stumble with your speech.
- Zeno You may seize my body by force, but my mind remains with Stilpo.