Seneca Moral essays
Seneca: I do not see how these very different matters…
I do not see how these very different matters can have any connexion with one another. What is there, I pray you, to prevent virtue existing apart from pleasure? of course the reason is that all good things derive their origin from virtue, and therefore even those things which you cherish and seek for 212come originally from its roots.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Seneca’s moral essays. The reading beside it is ours.
We often pursue virtue as if it were a tool for acquiring something else: success, respect, peace, or pleasure. Those things may follow, but they cannot be the foundation. If you are honest only because it helps your brand, then honesty disappears when dishonesty pays. If you are generous only for gratitude, you will become resentful when thanks do not arrive. Seneca says virtue is valuable in itself. Doing the right thing is not a transaction; it is the condition of a good character. That is why it can survive bad outcomes. You can lose money after acting fairly and still not have lost what matters most. Let the benefits of good conduct be welcome side effects, not the price you demand for it. Today, do one right thing with no audience and no guarantee it will be rewarded.
Related passages
- Seneca A king may be killed by a slave, or a serpent, or an arrow: but no one can be saved except by some one who is greater…
- Seneca He whose object is to be of service to his countrymen and to all mortals, exercises himself and does good at the same…
- Seneca Some have been led hither by friendship, some by industry, which finds here a wide field for the display of its…