Feeling
Overthinking
Stoic passages for overthinking, each with a modern reading you can use today.
- Chrysippus A good is not enlarged by duration. One wise moment makes a person no less happy than a lifetime spent wisely.
- Diogenes Laertius Heraclitus called self-deceit a dreadful sickness, and even sight a sense that can mislead.
- Diogenes Laertius Zeno said nothing was less fitting than arrogance, especially in the young.
- Epictetus At the first impression, do not be swept away. Tell it: wait, let me learn what you are and test you.
- Epictetus Consider what you are: before all else, a human being whose greatest power is reasoned choice, governing all else and…
- Epictetus Consider when, on a voyage, your ship is anchored; if you go on shore to get water you may along the way amuse…
- Epictetus Decide first what sort of person you intend to be; then do what follows from that decision. Athletes choose their…
- Epictetus Don't stop it. Is it not yet come? Don't stretch your desire towards it, but wait till it reaches you. Do this with…
- Epictetus Endure a demanding winter of training; do not rush into work for which you have made no preparation.
- Epictetus Every strong capacity is risky for the beginner; use such powers only as you can, and in accord with nature.
- Epictetus For a time, do not advertise your philosophy. Let it grow like seed hidden in the soil until it is mature; fruit shown…
- Epictetus Habit has great force. Since we are accustomed to chasing and avoiding what lies beyond our choice, we must build the…
- Epictetus I do not call someone diligent merely because they stay up reading or writing. I must first know the aim of their…
- 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 are struck by the appearance of any promised pleasure, guard yourself against being hurried away by it; but let…
- Epictetus It is a mark of want of genius to spend much time in things relating to the body, as to be long in our exercises, in…
- Epictetus It is absurd to demand, ‘Tell me exactly what to do.’ Ask instead to train your mind to meet every circumstance, so…
- Epictetus Keep this ready at dawn, by day, and at night: the road to contentment is to release everything outside your choice,…
- Epictetus Life resembles a campaign: one person keeps watch, another scouts, another stands in the front line. Each life is a…
- Epictetus Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things. Death, for…
- Epictetus Once standards are established, things can be tested against them. Philosophy examines and protects those standards;…
- Epictetus People are troubled not by events, but by the judgments they form about events.
- Epictetus Philosophy promises no outward possession; its material is our own life, as wood is the carpenter’s and bronze the…
- Epictetus Socrates said: as one person enjoys tending a field and another training a horse, I enjoy improving myself each day.
- Epictetus The mind's proper business is choosing and declining, pursuing and avoiding, preparing, intending, and assenting. What…
- Epictetus The third topic, then, is necessary on the account of the second, and the second on the account of the first. But the…
- Epictetus We do not give up our efforts merely because perfect mastery is beyond us.
- Epictetus We test money with great care, yet for our governing mind we drowse, accepting every appearance that comes along.
- Epictetus What aid is there against a habit? Practice its opposite.
- Epictetus When attention slips, do not assume you can recover it at will. Though error is unavoidable, keep striving not to let…
- Epictetus When walking, you are careful not to step on a nail or turn your foot; so likewise be careful not to hurt the ruling…
- Epictetus When you have recourse to divination, remember that you know not what the event will be, and you come to learn it of…
- Epictetus You would rage if a stranger handed your body to another; yet you give your mind to every passerby to trouble and…
- Heraclitus Wisdom is one thing: keep your attention on the ruling intelligence that directs all else.
- Marcus Aurelius A lamp keeps giving light until its oil is gone. Why should your truthfulness, justice, and self-command not shine…
- Marcus Aurelius Add nothing beyond the first report. Someone speaks badly of you; that is all reported, not that you are harmed. A…
- Marcus Aurelius Again, consider now the times of Trajan. There likewise thou seest the very self-same things, and that age also is now…
- Marcus Aurelius All, petty things; all things that are soon altered, soon perished. And all things come from one beginning; either all…
- Marcus Aurelius And that I gave over the study of rhetoric and poetry, and of elegant neat language. That I did not use to walk about…
- Marcus Aurelius As every fancy and imagination presents itself unto thee, consider (if it be possible) the true nature, and the proper…
- Marcus Aurelius At the cause, or the matter? Behold either by itself, is either of that weight and moment indeed? And besides these,…
- Marcus Aurelius Attend carefully to what is said and to what follows from each deed; in action seek its aim, and in speech its meaning.
- Marcus Aurelius Attend to what lies before you: the principle involved, the work required, or the impression being presented.
- Marcus Aurelius Be not deceived; for thou shalt never live to read thy moral commentaries, nor the acts of the famous Romans and…
- Marcus Aurelius Behold and observe, what is the state of their rational part; and those that the world doth account wise, see what…
- Marcus Aurelius But whatsoever it is that thou art about, remember to call upon the Gods. And as for the time how long thou shalt live…
- Marcus Aurelius Changing your view and accepting correction are acts of free will. The action remains yours, guided by your purpose,…
- Marcus Aurelius Collect yourself. As one waking from a troubling dream sees it for what it was, wake up and see that the things…
- Marcus Aurelius Consider all matter and your tiny share; all time and your nearly instant portion; all fate and your minute place…
- Marcus Aurelius Consider earlier ages: people married, raised children, fell sick, died, traded, schemed, loved, sought office, and…
- Marcus Aurelius Consider how quickly all things are dissolved and resolved: the bodies and substances themselves, into the matter and…
- Marcus Aurelius Consider with thyself how man, and by what part of his, is joined unto God, and how that part of man is affected, when…
- Marcus Aurelius Contract thy whole life to the measure and proportion of one single action. And if in every particular action thou…
- 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 evade the work your role requires, whether cold or tired, praised or insulted, dying or distracted. Even death…
- Marcus Aurelius Do not let the whole course of your life overwhelm you. Stay with the present hardship and ask why it is truly…
- Marcus Aurelius Do what nature asks of you now, if it lies in your power. Do not wait to be noticed or for an ideal commonwealth;…
- Marcus Aurelius Dost thou grieve that thou dost weigh but so many pounds, and not three hundred rather? Just as much reason hast thou…
- Marcus Aurelius Even as if any of the gods should tell thee, Thou shalt certainly die to-morrow, or next day, thou wouldst not, except…
- Marcus Aurelius Even if you lived for ages beyond counting, you lose only the life now being lived. The present is equal for all, and…
- Marcus Aurelius Every particular nature hath content, when in its own proper course it speeds. A reasonable nature doth then speed,…
- Marcus Aurelius Everything depends on the judgment you attach to it, and that judgment is yours. Remove it when you choose, and you…
- Marcus Aurelius Examine closely the governing principles of others, especially the wise: see what they avoid and what they pursue.
- Marcus Aurelius First; let it not trouble thee. For all things both good and evil: come to pass according to the nature and general…
- Marcus Aurelius For peace, do not merely do fewer things; do what a rational, social being must do, and do it well. Restrain needless…
- Marcus Aurelius For without relation unto God, thou shalt never speed in any worldly actions; nor on the other side in any divine,…
- Marcus Aurelius Four several dispositions or inclinations there be of the mind and understanding, which to be aware of, thou must…
- Marcus Aurelius From Rusticus I learned to read with care, not to rest satisfied with a broad, shallow grasp, and not to agree too…
- Marcus Aurelius Getting what you wanted might feel pleasant, but that is why pleasure can mislead. Consider instead the greater goods:…
- Marcus Aurelius Give each action attention in proportion to its value. Then you will not grow weary by spending more effort than…
- Marcus Aurelius Go to the quality of the cause from which the effect doth proceed. Behold it by itself bare and naked, separated from…
- Marcus Aurelius Hast thou reason? I have. Why then makest thou not use of it? For if thy reason do her part, what more canst thou…
- Marcus Aurelius He that hath not one and the self-same general end always as long as he liveth, cannot possibly be one and the…
- Marcus Aurelius How corrupt to announce, “I will speak frankly.” Your sincerity should need no notice; it should be visible in your…
- Marcus Aurelius How easy a thing is it for a man to put off from him all turbulent adventitious imaginations, and presently to be in…
- 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 I consist of body and soul. Unto my body all things are indifferent, for of itself it cannot affect one thing more…
- Marcus Aurelius I have often wondered how it should come to pass, that every man loving himself best, should more regard other men's…
- Marcus Aurelius if any should put this question unto thee, how this word Antoninus is written, wouldst thou not presently fix thine…
- Marcus Aurelius If anybody shall reprove me, and shall make it apparent unto me, that in any either opinion or action of mine I do…
- Marcus Aurelius If it were that thou hadst at one time both a stepmother, and a natural mother living, thou wouldst honour and respect…
- Marcus Aurelius If so be that the souls remain after death (say they that will not believe it); how is the air from all eternity able…
- Marcus Aurelius If the first, why should I desire to continue any longer in this fortuit confusion and commixtion? or why should I…
- Marcus Aurelius If thou canst but withdraw conceit and opinion concerning that which may seem hurtful and offensive, thou thyself art…
- Marcus Aurelius If thou shalt intend that which is present, following the rule of right and reason carefully, solidly, meekly, and…
- Marcus Aurelius If you find anything in human life better than justice, truth, self-command, and courage—better than a mind sufficient…
- Marcus Aurelius In another man's mind and understanding thy evil Cannot subsist, nor in any proper temper or distemper of the natural…
- Marcus Aurelius In sum, either there is a God, and then all is well; or if all things go by chance and fortune, yet mayest thou use…
- Marcus Aurelius It is all one to see these things for a hundred of years together or but for three years.
- Marcus Aurelius It is common to all trades and professions to mind and intend that only, which now they are about, and the instrument…
- 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 in thy power absolutely to exclude all manner of conceit and opinion, as concerning this matter; and by the same…
- Marcus Aurelius Keep thyself to the first bare and naked apprehensions of things, as they present themselves unto thee, and add not…
- 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 Let death surprise me when it will, and where it will, I may be εὔμοιρος, or a happy man, nevertheless. For he is a…
- Marcus Aurelius Let every deed, word, and intention be worthy of someone near life’s end.
- Marcus Aurelius Let it be thy earnest and incessant care as a Roman and a man to perform whatsoever it is that thou art about, with…
- Marcus Aurelius Let not the general representation unto thyself of the wretchedness of this our mortal life, trouble thee. Let not thy…
- Marcus Aurelius Let not things future trouble thee. For if necessity so require that they come to pass, thou shalt (whensoever that…
- Marcus Aurelius Let nothing be done rashly, and at random, but all things according to the most exact and perfect rules of art.
- Marcus Aurelius Let these things suffice thee; let them be always unto thee, as thy general rules and precepts. As for thy thirst…
- Marcus Aurelius Look in, let not either the proper quality, or the true worth of anything pass thee, before thou hast fully…
- Marcus Aurelius Many of those things that trouble and straiten thee, it is in thy power to cut off, as wholly depending from mere…
- Marcus Aurelius Not to be slack and negligent; or loose, and wanton in thy actions; nor contentious, and troublesome in thy…
- Marcus Aurelius Not to wander out of the way, but upon every motion and desire, to perform that which is just: and ever to be careful…
- Marcus Aurelius Now much time and leisure doth he gain, who is not curious to know what his neighbour hath said, or hath done, or hath…
- Marcus Aurelius Of all my thoughts and cares, one only thing shall be the object, that I myself do nothing which to the proper…
- Marcus Aurelius Of an operation and of a purpose there is an ending, or of an action and of a purpose we say commonly, that it is at…
- Marcus Aurelius Of Diognetus, not to busy myself about vain things, and not easily to believe those things, which are commonly spoken,…
- Marcus Aurelius Of everything that presents itself unto thee, to consider what the true nature of it is, and to unfold it, as it were,…
- Marcus Aurelius Or if thou do, return unto them again with all possible speed. And remember, that the word ἔμφρων notes unto thee an…
- Marcus Aurelius People neglect the praise of those whose lives they share, yet hunger for applause from generations they will never…
- Marcus Aurelius People seek refuge in the country, at the shore, and in the hills; yet at any moment they may withdraw into…
- Marcus Aurelius Plato spoke well: when considering human affairs, look down from above and take in crowds, armies, fields, unions and…
- Marcus Aurelius Put aside what is past, leave the future to the larger order, and direct the present toward reverence and justice:…
- Marcus Aurelius Reflect often on how all things are connected and depend on one another. They are woven together, each following…
- Marcus Aurelius Reflect often on how swiftly all things are carried past us: existence flows like a river, actions keep changing,…
- Marcus Aurelius Remember how long thou hast already put off these things, and how often a certain day and hour as it were, having been…
- Marcus Aurelius Remember that all is but opinion and conceit, for those things are plain and apparent, which were spoken unto Monimus…
- Marcus Aurelius Remember that all is but opinion, and all opinion depends of the mind. Take thine opinion away, and then as a ship…
- Marcus Aurelius Remembering moreover, that this care and circumspection of thine, is to continue but for a while, and then thy life…
- Marcus Aurelius See what Crates pronounceth concerning Xenocrates himself.
- Marcus Aurelius Stir up thy mind, and recall thy wits again from thy natural dreams, and visions, and when thou art perfectly awoken,…
- Marcus Aurelius Stop drifting. You may never read your notes or cherished books later. Pursue life’s purpose, abandon empty hopes, and…
- 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 Tell yourself: you are no longer to be ruled like a slave by every urge. Do not be jerked about by each impulse; stop…
- Marcus Aurelius That then which is longest of duration, and that which is shortest, come both to one effect. For although in regard of…
- 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 life of such an one, death can never surprise as imperfect; as of an actor, that should die before he had ended,…
- Marcus Aurelius The motion of the mind is not as the motion of a dart. For the mind when it is wary and cautelous, and by way of…
- Marcus Aurelius The Pythagoreans were wont betimes in the morning the first thing they did, to look up unto the heavens, to put…
- Marcus Aurelius The rational commanding part, as it alone can stir up and turn itself; so it maketh both itself to be, and everything…
- 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 things themselves that affect us, they stand without doors, neither knowing anything themselves nor able to utter…
- Marcus Aurelius The things themselves (which either to get or to avoid thou art put to so much trouble) come not unto thee themselves;…
- Marcus Aurelius The universe is transformation; our life is shaped by judgment.
- 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 There by thyself to put these questions to thyself or to enter in these considerations: What is my chief and principal…
- Marcus Aurelius They will say commonly, Meddle not with many things, if thou wilt live cheerfully. Certainly there is nothing better,…
- Marcus Aurelius Things pursued or avoided do not rush at you; in a sense you move toward them. Keep your judgment steady, and they too…
- Marcus Aurelius This day I did come out of all my trouble. Nay I have cast out all my trouble; it should rather be for that which…
- Marcus Aurelius This may ever be my comfort and security: my understanding, that ruleth over all, will not of itself bring trouble and…
- Marcus Aurelius This purple robe, but sheep's hairs, dyed with the blood of a shellfish. So for coitus, it is but the attrition of an…
- Marcus Aurelius This, what is it in itself, and by itself, according to its proper constitution? What is the substance of it? What is…
- Marcus Aurelius Thou mayest always speed, if thou wilt but make choice of the right way; if in the course both of thine opinions and…
- Marcus Aurelius Thou must hasten therefore; not only because thou art every day nearer unto death than other, but also because that…
- Marcus Aurelius To look about, and with the eyes to follow the course of the stars and planets as though thou wouldst run with them;…
- Marcus Aurelius To these ever-present helps and mementoes, let one more be added, ever to make a particular description and…
- Marcus Aurelius To wipe away fancy, to use deliberation, to quench concupiscence, to keep the mind free to herself.
- Marcus Aurelius Upon every action that thou art about, put this question to thyself; How will this when it is done agree with me?…
- Marcus Aurelius Use thyself; as often, as thou seest any man do anything, presently (if it be possible) to say unto thyself, What is…
- Marcus Aurelius Walk through the succession of past kingdoms; look ahead and you will see the same pattern. Whether forty years or an…
- Marcus Aurelius We all work to one effect, some willingly, and with a rational apprehension of what we do: others without any such…
- Marcus Aurelius We can withhold judgment about a thing and keep it from disturbing the mind, because things themselves do not form our…
- Marcus Aurelius What does my soul serve? Ask this often. Whose soul do I possess now: a child’s, a tyrant’s, a tame animal’s, or a…
- Marcus Aurelius What is the present estate of my understanding? For herein lieth all indeed. As for all other things, they are without…
- Marcus Aurelius What object soever, our reasonable and sociable faculty doth meet with, that affords nothing either for the…
- Marcus Aurelius What? To enjoy the operations of a sensitive soul; or of the appetitive faculty? or wouldst thou grow, and then…
- Marcus Aurelius What use is there of suspicion at all? or, why should thoughts of mistrust, and suspicion concerning that which is…
- Marcus Aurelius What work are you here to do? To become a decent human being.
- Marcus Aurelius When an external event disturbs you, the trouble lies not in the event but in your judgment of it—and that judgment…
- Marcus Aurelius When circumstances throw you into confusion, recover yourself quickly. Do not remain out of rhythm longer than needed;…
- Marcus Aurelius When getting up is difficult, remember that nature made you to work with others. Even animals share sleep; our proper…
- Marcus Aurelius When rising feels hard, remember: I am getting up for a human being’s work. Was I made merely to lie warm, or to act…
- Marcus Aurelius Whoever has seen the present has seen all things: what has happened from the beginning and what will continue forever,…
- Marcus Aurelius Why should any of these things that happen externally, so much distract thee? Give thyself leisure to learn some good…
- Marcus Aurelius Wind up thyself into thyself. Such is the nature of thy reasonable commanding part, as that if it exercise justice,…
- Marcus Aurelius Wipe away false impressions by telling yourself continually: my soul can exclude any evil, desire, or disturbance. I…
- Marcus Aurelius Wipe off all idle fancies, and say unto thyself incessantly; Now if I will, it is in my power to keep out of this my…
- Marcus Aurelius Word after word, every one by itself, must the things that are spoken be conceived and understood; and so the things…
- Marcus Aurelius You have suffered greatly because you would not let your ruling mind perform the work for which it was made. Enough.
- Marcus Aurelius Your long wandering proves that the art of living was not found in logic, wealth, reputation, or pleasure. It lies in…
- Marcus Aurelius Your ruling mind is unconquerable when it relies on itself and refuses what it judges contrary to its will. With…
- Musonius Rufus A worthy ruler is necessarily philosophical, and the true philosopher has a kingly character from the beginning.
- Musonius Rufus When asked whether virtue comes better through teaching or habit—teaching being sound principles and habit being…
- Seneca Add to this that, according to the doctrine of Chrysippus, a man may live at leisure: I do not say that he ought to…
- Seneca An old person often has no proof of a long life except the count of years.
- Seneca Anger must not merely move, but break out of bounds, being an impulse: now, no impulse can take place without the…
- Seneca Are you not embarrassed to give wisdom only the scraps of life that business has not consumed?
- Seneca Be assured that the same rule applies both to public and private life: simple and manageable undertakings proceed…
- Seneca Believe me: it is better to keep accounts of your own life than of the grain market.
- Seneca Chance assigns us our parents, people say; yet we may choose the ancestors whose children we wish to be.
- Seneca Death weighs heavily on the person known by everyone else but unknown to himself.
- Seneca Do I speak of our lives, which we know roll away incredibly fast? Reckon up the centuries of cities: you will find…
- Seneca “Do you ask,” writes he, “what I am doing here? I am living in my Tusculan villa almost as a prisoner.” He adds more…
- Seneca Even quiet times can give the anxious mind new material for fear. Once the mind has learned to panic blindly, safety…
- Seneca Finally, having traversed every one of the realms below, it soars to the highest heaven, enjoys the noblest of all…
- Seneca Give up hope and you will give up fear; both arise because we send our thoughts too far beyond the present.
- Seneca Have we got rid of the trouble of accusation? then we begin that of judging. Has a man ceased to be a judge? then he…
- Seneca Hence it is that we call some regions wet or dry, warm or cold. The same distinctions apply likewise to animals and…
- Seneca How many people have consumed your life while you failed to notice the loss? How much went to empty sorrow, foolish…
- Seneca How shameful when an aged advocate dies in court, still pleading for strangers and chasing the praise of an uninformed…
- Seneca I will keep watch over myself and, most usefully, review each day. We become bad because none of us looks back over…
- Seneca I will not be embarrassed to borrow a fine saying from a poor writer.
- Seneca It is better, therefore, to conquer it than to cheat it; for a grief which has been deceived and driven away either by…
- Seneca It is like Homer’s Achilles, 258lying first upon its face, then upon its back, placing itself in various attitudes,…
- Seneca It is the privilege of a tranquil and peaceful mind to review all the parts of its life: but the minds of busy men are…
- 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 your trouble, Marcia, which has been dealt with here: it is beside your couch of mourning that Areus has been…
- Seneca It ruins the soul to fear the future and suffer before suffering arrives. Longing to keep things forever steals the…
- Seneca It shames an older person to carry only borrowed learning in notebooks. What do you say? Take charge and leave…
- Seneca Lay aside lamentations and wailings, and all the usual noisy manifestations of female sorrow: you have gained nothing…
- Seneca Leisure without learning is death: a living person's grave.
- Seneca Let every effort aim at something and keep that purpose in sight. People are not troubled by activity itself, but by…
- Seneca Let not his confidence be without knowledge, nor his knowledge without steadfastness: let him always abide by what 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 differ inwardly in every way, while outwardly our appearance remains in harmony with those around us.
- Seneca Let us now prove what we said before: nay, who will not think this proved if he bethinks himself how great a passion…
- Seneca Let us therefore inquire, not what is most commonly done, but what is best for us to do, and what will establish us in…
- Seneca Life is not too brief; we waste much of it. It is ample for great work when used well, but luxury and neglect make it…
- Seneca Men who are in this condition are never allowed to come to themselves: if ever by chance they obtain any rest, they…
- Seneca Nature demands from us a certain amount of grief, our imagination adds some more to it; but I will never forbid you to…
- Seneca Now I will prove to you that I am not deserting the 242tenets of the Stoics: for they themselves have not deserted…
- 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 Peace of mind is won only by those with firm and steady judgment. Others keep rising and falling in their decisions,…
- Seneca Philosophy asks for a simple life, not a punishing one; simplicity need not be harsh or crude.
- Seneca Prepare your mind as though life were complete. Delay nothing; settle each day’s account. Whoever finishes each day…
- Seneca Readiness to believe what we hear causes very great mischief; we ought often not even to listen, because in some cases…
- Seneca Set aside distractions and give yourself fully to this purpose before time's swift course leaves you behind. Welcome…
- Seneca Show me one who is not enslaved: one serves lust, another money, another rank, and all serve fear. No bondage is more…
- Seneca Show that a life is measured not by its years but by its use; it is common for someone to live long and yet live very…
- Seneca Show why the wise avoid drunkenness by its ugly results, not by speeches alone. Pleasures that exceed measure readily…
- Seneca Some are guided by reason, others must be confronted with authority and the names of celebrated persons, whose…
- Seneca Some crimes are of such a nature and bound by such conditions that the first part can take place without the second.…
- Seneca Some men’s leisure is busy: in their country house or on their couch, in complete solitude, even though they have…
- Seneca Some people, through too little effort rather than inconsistency, are so unsettled that they do not live as they wish;…
- Seneca Some traces of these qualities exist even in them, though properly all of them, whether good or bad, belong to the…
- Seneca Take unhurried walks outdoors, so the open air and deep breath may restore and feed the mind.
- Seneca Teach me to resemble Odysseus: to love home, spouse, and father, and after shipwreck still steer toward honorable ends.
- Seneca The greatest teachers divide philosophy into moral, natural, and rational study. Moral study orders the soul; natural…
- Seneca The man understands something to have happened: he becomes indignant thereat: he condemns the deed; and he avenges it.…
- Seneca The only persons who are really at leisure are those who devote themselves to philosophy: and they alone really live:…
- Seneca The two sects of Epicureans and Stoics differ widely in most respects, and on this point among the rest, nevertheless,…
- Seneca The wise man escapes all this, since he knows not what it is to live for hope or for fear. Add to this, that no one…
- Seneca These arms, which Aristotle assigns to virtue, fight of their own accord, do not wait to be seized by the hand, and…
- Seneca We guard our property fiercely yet surrender our lives to others. Be most sparing with time, the one possession that…
- Seneca We must limit the running to and fro which most men practise, rambling about houses, theatres, and market-places. They…
- Seneca What use are countless books and libraries whose titles one lifetime cannot finish? A learner may be burdened rather…
- Seneca Whatever remains to be done, virtue meets with courage and speed. It is foolish to undertake work grudgingly, sending…
- Seneca When great and kinglike riches fall into the hands of a bad master, they are dispersed straightway, but even a…
- Seneca Why, though you are hardly aware of it, is there not a whirling hurricane at this moment spinning round and confusing…
- Seneca Will you follow your predecessors? Certainly—but if I discover a path shorter and smoother, I will make use of it.…
- Seneca With them you may class men whose dull nature and want of self-knowledge reduces them to the level of cattle, mere…
- Seneca You are not traveling but drifting from place to place, though the good life you seek is available everywhere. Even…
- Seneca You cannot find any one who wants to distribute his money; yet among how many people does every one distribute his…
- Seneca You dispose of that which is in the hand of Fortune, and you let go that which is in your own. Whither are you…
- Seneca You fear dying—but what is this life of yours if it is not already a kind of death?
- Seneca You have no grounds, therefore, for supposing that any one has lived long, because he has wrinkles or grey hairs: such…
- Seneca You must decide whether your disposition is better suited for vigorous action or for tranquil speculation and…
- Seneca You need not believe what others say about me: that you may not be puzzled by any uncertainty as to what to think, I…
- 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 Your father sewed up more parricides in sacks during five years, than we hear of in all previous centuries. As long as…