Seneca Moral essays
Seneca: Am I to expect that evil speaking will respect…
Am I to expect that evil speaking will respect anything, seeing that it respected neither Rutilius nor Cato? Will any one care about being thought too rich by men for whom Diogenes the Cynic was not poor enough?
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Seneca’s moral essays. The reading beside it is ours.
If the best people can be criticized, then criticism is not proof that you are doing something wrong. Someone will say you are too ambitious; someone else will say you lack ambition. If you save money, you are stingy. If you spend it, you are careless. The crowd does not apply a consistent standard because its judgments are often more about envy, boredom, or tribal loyalty than truth. That is why living for universal approval is such a miserable job. You cannot complete it. This does not mean dismiss every piece of feedback. Listen carefully, especially to people with good judgment and goodwill. But do not let random commentary become your conscience. Today, separate useful correction from noise. Ask: Is this true? Is the speaker qualified? Can I act on it? If not, leave it where it belongs—with them.
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