Theme
Perspective
504 passages
- Chrysippus A good is not enlarged by duration. One wise moment makes a person no less happy than a lifetime spent wisely.
- Diogenes Laertius Diogenes of Sinope said that we exchange what is precious for what is cheap, and sometimes the cheap for the precious.
- Diogenes Laertius Heraclitus called self-deceit a dreadful sickness, and even sight a sense that can mislead.
- 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 Among all things, some are good, some bad, and some indifferent. Virtue and what shares in it are good; vice and what…
- Epictetus As a mark is not set up for the sake of missing the aim, so neither does the nature of evil exist in the world.
- Epictetus Do not demand events follow your preference; prefer events as they occur, and life will go more smoothly.
- Epictetus Don't allow such considerations as these distress you. "I will live in dishonor, and be nobody anywhere." For, if…
- Epictetus Don't be prideful with any excellence that is not your own. If a horse should be prideful and say, " I am handsome,"…
- 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 Events make us fearful when we judge that others control them. A stronghold falls not chiefly to fire or steel, but to…
- 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 Freedom is gained not by satisfying every desire, but by diminishing desire itself.
- Epictetus Good and bad lie in our deliberate choices. Things outside choice are neither good nor bad in themselves.
- Epictetus Good lies in a certain use of rational choice, and evil in another. Externals are merely material for that choice,…
- Epictetus Guard your impressions constantly. What you defend is no minor possession: your dignity, reliability, steadiness,…
- Epictetus Happiness cannot live with craving what is absent. The happy person has what is needed, like one well fed, without…
- Epictetus He was imprisoned; the claim that he suffered evil is something you added.
- 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 you call what is servile free, or claim as yours what belongs to another, you will be frustrated and accusing.…
- Epictetus It is absurd to demand, ‘Tell me exactly what to do.’ Ask instead to train your mind to meet every circumstance, so…
- Epictetus It is sold for praise; it is sold for attendance. Give him then the value, if it is for your advantage. But if you…
- Epictetus Keep death, exile, and every feared thing before you daily; then you will avoid base thoughts and excessive desire.
- Epictetus Let death and exile, and all other things which appear terrible be daily before your eyes, but chiefly death, and you…
- Epictetus Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things. Death, for…
- Epictetus Misfortune, quarrels, blame, and agitation are judgments outside our choice. Restrict judgment to choice, and peace…
- 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 Some things depend on us and others do not. Our judgments, choices, desires, aversions, and actions are ours. Body,…
- Epictetus The free person has what they will under every condition; whoever can be forced, restrained, or driven against their…
- Epictetus The gods left us the ruling power: the ability to use appearances well, which governs all else. They gave no more, not…
- Epictetus The good person is unconquerable because they do not enter contests where they are weak. Others may take possessions,…
- Epictetus The will of nature may be learned from those things in which we don't distinguish from each other. For example, when…
- Epictetus These reasonings are unconnected: "I am richer than you, therefore I am better"; "I am more eloquent than you,…
- Epictetus Two things must be removed: proud certainty, which thinks nothing more is needed, and despair, which thinks happiness…
- Epictetus We test money with great care, yet for our governing mind we drowse, accepting every appearance that comes along.
- Epictetus When a painful impression comes, say: you are only an impression, not necessarily what you seem. Test whether it…
- Epictetus When a raven happens to croak unluckily, don't allow the appearance hurry you away with it, but immediately make the…
- 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 I encounter someone anxious, I ask what they are seeking. If they sought nothing beyond their own power, what…
- Epictetus Whenever you accuse providence, reconsider the matter and you may find that what occurred accords with reason.
- Epictetus Women from fourteen years old are flattered with the title of "mistresses" by the men. Therefore, perceiving that they…
- Marcus Aurelius A black or malign disposition, an effeminate disposition; an hard inexorable disposition, a wild inhuman disposition,…
- Marcus Aurelius Accept then, and be pleased with whatsoever doth happen, though otherwise harsh and un-pleasing, as tending to that…
- Marcus Aurelius Accept what comes without pride; release what leaves without clinging.
- 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 Alexander and the keeper of his mule came to the same end: absorbed into nature’s reason or dispersed among its atoms.
- Marcus Aurelius Alexander of Macedon, and he that dressed his mules, when once dead both came to one. For either they were both…
- Marcus Aurelius All parts of the world, (all things I mean that are contained within the whole world), must of necessity at some time…
- Marcus Aurelius All, petty things; all things that are soon altered, soon perished. And all things come from one beginning; either all…
- Marcus Aurelius All substances come soon to their change, and either they shall be resolved by way of exhalation (if so be that all…
- Marcus Aurelius All that I consist of, is either form or matter. No corruption can reduce either of these unto nothing: for neither…
- Marcus Aurelius All things that thou seest, will soon be perished, and they that see their corruptions, will soon vanish away…
- Marcus Aurelius All those things, for matter of experience are usual and ordinary; for their continuance but for a day; and for their…
- Marcus Aurelius All worldly things thou must behold and consider, dividing them into matter, form, and reference, or their proper end.
- Marcus Aurelius And how many there be, who never so much as heard of thy name, how many that will soon forget it; how many who but…
- 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 And that as often as thou shalt behold them, thou shalt still see the same: as the same things, so the same shortness…
- Marcus Aurelius And this I say of them, who once shined as the wonders of their ages, for as for the rest, no sooner are they expired,…
- Marcus Aurelius As a part hitherto thou hast had a particular subsistence: and now shalt thou vanish away into the common substance of…
- Marcus Aurelius As a pig that cries and flings when his throat is cut, fancy to thyself every one to be, that grieves for any worldly…
- Marcus Aurelius As every fancy and imagination presents itself unto thee, consider (if it be possible) the true nature, and the proper…
- Marcus Aurelius As for that which is truly good, what can it stand in need of more than either justice or truth; or more than either…
- Marcus Aurelius As for thy body, which as a vessel, or a case, compasseth thee about, and the many and curious instruments that it…
- Marcus Aurelius As generation is, so also death, a secret of nature's wisdom: a mixture of elements, resolved into the same elements…
- Marcus Aurelius 'As often as a father kisseth his child, he should say secretly with himself' (said Epictetus,) 'tomorrow perchance…
- Marcus Aurelius As one that tosseth up a ball. And what is a ball the better, if the motion of it be upwards; or the worse if it be…
- Marcus Aurelius As the ordinary shows of the theatre and of other such places, when thou art presented with them, affect thee; as the…
- Marcus Aurelius At every moment keep your mind firmly on the work before you, as a human being, doing it with plain dignity, care,…
- 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 Be not angry neither with him whose breath, neither with him whose arm holes, are offensive. What can he do? such is…
- 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 as for those which by the vulgar are esteemed good, if he shall hear them mentioned as good, he doth hearken for…
- Marcus Aurelius But this thou mayest be sure of, that this (if it be so indeed) would never have been so ordered by the Gods, had it…
- 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 By one action judge of the rest: this bathing which usually takes up so much of our time, what is it? Oil, sweat,…
- 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 Change contains no evil, just as remaining in a new condition contains no good.
- Marcus Aurelius Changing your view and accepting correction are acts of free will. The action remains yours, guided by your purpose,…
- Marcus Aurelius Children's anger, mere babels; wretched souls bearing up dead bodies, that they may not have their fall so soon: even…
- 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 Conceit no such things, as he that wrongeth thee conceiveth, or would have thee to conceive, but look into the matter…
- 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 many different things, whether they concern our bodies, or our souls, in a moment of time come to pass in…
- Marcus Aurelius Consider how quickly all things are dissolved and resolved: the bodies and substances themselves, into the matter and…
- Marcus Aurelius Consider now the death of a whole kindred and family, as of that of the Pompeys, as that also that useth to be written…
- Marcus Aurelius Consider them through all actions and occupations, of their lives: as when they eat, and when they sleep: when they…
- Marcus Aurelius Cross this short span of life in accord with nature, then arrive at your final rest with grace, as a ripe olive falls,…
- Marcus Aurelius Death is a cessation from the impression of the senses, the tyranny of the passions, the errors of the mind, and the…
- Marcus Aurelius Do not grant circumstances the power to awaken your anger; they take no notice of it.
- 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 not treat what you lack as already yours. Value the things you have by imagining their absence, but do not cling so…
- 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 Doth either the sun take upon him to do that which belongs to the rain? or his son Aesculapius that, which unto the…
- Marcus Aurelius Either this world is a κόσμος, or comely piece, because all disposed and governed by certain order: or if it be a…
- Marcus Aurelius Either thou dost Continue in this kind of life and that is it, which so long thou hast been used unto and therefore…
- 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 Ever consider and think upon the world as being but one living substance, and having but one soul, and how all things…
- Marcus Aurelius Ever to mind and consider with thyself; how all things that now are, have been heretofore much after the same sort,…
- Marcus Aurelius Ever to represent unto thyself; and to set before thee, both the general age and time of the world, and the whole…
- Marcus Aurelius Every particular nature hath content, when in its own proper course it speeds. A reasonable nature doth then speed,…
- Marcus Aurelius Every soul lacks truth unwillingly; the same is true of justice, moderation, and goodwill. Keep this in mind, and you…
- 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 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 a day only endure both the one who remembers and the one remembered.
- 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 Four several dispositions or inclinations there be of the mind and understanding, which to be aware of, thou must…
- Marcus Aurelius Generally then, whatsoever it be, besides virtue, and those things that proceed from virtue that thou art subject to…
- Marcus Aurelius Give each action attention in proportion to its value. Then you will not grow weary by spending more effort than…
- Marcus Aurelius Give what thou wilt, and take away what thou wilt, saith he that is well taught and truly modest, to Him that gives,…
- 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 He hath a stronger body, and is a better wrestler than I. What then? Is he more bountiful? is he more modest? Doth he…
- Marcus Aurelius He that feareth death, either feareth that he shall have no sense at all, or that his senses will not be the same.…
- Marcus Aurelius He that knoweth not what the world is, knoweth not where he himself is. And he that knoweth not what the world 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 How base and putrid, every common matter is! Water, dust, and from the mixture of these bones, and all that loathsome…
- 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 many of them who came into the world at the same time when I did, are already gone out of it?
- Marcus Aurelius How ridiculous and strange is he, that wonders at anything that happens in this life in the ordinary course of nature!
- Marcus Aurelius How Socrates looked, when he was fain to gird himself with a skin, Xanthippe his wife having taken away his clothes,…
- 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 a cucumber is bitter, discard it. If thorns block the way, go around them. Why ask why such irritations exist?…
- 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 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 canst but withdraw conceit and opinion concerning that which may seem hurtful and offensive, thou thyself art…
- 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 another man's mind and understanding thy evil Cannot subsist, nor in any proper temper or distemper of the natural…
- Marcus Aurelius Is any man so foolish as to fear change, to which all things that once were not owe their being? And what is it, that…
- 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 it so with thee, that hitherto thou hast neither by word or deed wronged any of them? Remember withal through how…
- 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 in thy power absolutely to exclude all manner of conceit and opinion, as concerning this matter; and by the same…
- 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 possible that any nature should be inferior unto art, since that all arts imitate nature. If this be so;…
- Marcus Aurelius It is that which many time and often thou hast already seen and known in the world. And so oft as anything doth happen…
- Marcus Aurelius It is the part of a man endowed with a good understanding faculty, to consider what they themselves are in very deed,…
- Marcus Aurelius It will suffice to remember, that all things in general are by certain order and appointment: or if it be but few. And…
- Marcus Aurelius Keep before your mind those consumed by anger, resentment, success, disaster, wrongdoing, or distinction. Ask where it…
- Marcus Aurelius Keep thyself to the first bare and naked apprehensions of things, as they present themselves unto thee, and add not…
- 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 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 it be thy perpetual meditation, how many physicians who once looked so grim, and so theatrically shrunk their…
- 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 opinion be taken away, and no man will think himself wronged. If no man shall think himself wronged, then is there…
- Marcus Aurelius Let that of Heraclitus never be out of thy mind, that the death of earth, is water, and the death of water, is air;…
- Marcus Aurelius Let the several deaths of men of all sorts, and of all sorts of professions, and of all sort of nations, be a…
- 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 Look carefully at the supposed pleasures of thieves, predators, murderers, and tyrants.
- Marcus Aurelius Look in, let not either the proper quality, or the true worth of anything pass thee, before thou hast fully…
- Marcus Aurelius Loss and corruption, is in very deed nothing else but change and alteration; and that is it, which the nature of the…
- Marcus Aurelius Love the modest craft you have learned and find rest in it. Entrust the rest to the gods, making yourself neither…
- 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 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 heart smiled within me.' 'They will accuse even virtue herself; with heinous and opprobrious words.'
- 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 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 O foolery! For what if they did, would their masters be sensible of It? or if sensible, would they be glad of it? or…
- Marcus Aurelius O man! as a citizen thou hast lived, and conversed in this great city the world. Whether just for so many years, or…
- Marcus Aurelius Observe the stars in their courses as though you moved with them; reflect on nature's changes, for this clears away…
- 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 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 others, even that which was fabulous, is now long since forgotten. This thereafter thou must remember, that…
- Marcus Aurelius Of the same nature is sickness and death; slander, and lying in wait, and whatsoever else ordinarily doth unto fools…
- Marcus Aurelius Of these the two former, are so far forth thine, as that thou art bound to take care for them. But the third alone is…
- Marcus Aurelius Of things that are external, happen what will to that which can suffer by external accidents. Those things that suffer…
- Marcus Aurelius Out of Plato. 'He then whose mind is endowed with true magnanimity, who hath accustomed himself to the contemplation…
- 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 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 Remember the fable of the country mouse and the city mouse, and the great fright and terror that this was put into.
- Marcus Aurelius Remembering moreover, that this care and circumspection of thine, is to continue but for a while, and then thy life…
- 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 See what Crates pronounceth concerning Xenocrates himself.
- Marcus Aurelius Set your mind first on unquestioned goods—wisdom, self-command, justice, courage—and the crowd's claims will lose…
- Marcus Aurelius Sift their minds and understandings, and behold what men they be, whom thou dost stand in fear of what they shall…
- Marcus Aurelius Skill at defeating an opponent does not make someone more civic-minded, modest, prepared for hardship, or patient with…
- Marcus Aurelius So figs are accounted fairest and ripest then, when they begin to shrink, and wither as it were. So ripe olives, when…
- Marcus Aurelius Socrates was wont to call the common conceits and opinions of men, the common bugbears of the world: the proper terror…
- Marcus Aurelius Some things hasten to be, and others to be no more. And even whatsoever now is, some part thereof hath already…
- Marcus Aurelius Someone ignorant of the universe does not know where they stand. Someone ignorant of life's purpose knows neither…
- 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 Strip appearances down: fine food, wine, clothing, and desire become ordinary matter when seen without embellishment.
- 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 That inward mistress part of man if it be in its own true natural temper, is towards all worldly chances and events…
- Marcus Aurelius That rational essence by which the universe is governed, is for community and society; and therefore hath it both made…
- Marcus Aurelius That soul which is ever ready, even now presently (if need be) from the body, whether by way of extinction, or…
- 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 is a hindrance of the appetitive and prosecutive faculty, is an evil to the sensitive nature. As of the…
- Marcus Aurelius That which is not good for the bee-hive, cannot be good for the bee.
- Marcus Aurelius That which most men would think themselves most happy for, and would prefer before all things, if the Gods would grant…
- 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 That which the nature of the universe doth busy herself about, is; that which is here, to transfer it thither, to…
- Marcus Aurelius The ambitious supposeth another man's act, praise and applause, to be his own happiness; the voluptuous his own sense…
- Marcus Aurelius The Chaldeans and Astrologians having foretold the deaths of divers, were afterwards themselves surprised by the…
- 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 final ends and consummations of actions are nothing at all to a man's nature. The end therefore of a man, or the…
- 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 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 matter itself, of which the universe doth consist, is of itself very tractable and pliable. That rational essence…
- Marcus Aurelius The most weighty and serious, if rightly esteemed, but as puppies, biting one another: or untoward children, now…
- Marcus Aurelius The nature of the universe did once certainly before it was created, whatsoever it hath done since, deliberate and so…
- Marcus Aurelius The nature of the universe, of the common substance of all things as it were of so much wax hath now perchance formed…
- Marcus Aurelius The next, that all these things, which now thou seest, shall within a very little while be changed, and be no more:…
- 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 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 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 Then is the soul as Empedocles doth liken it, like unto a sphere or globe, when she is all of one form and figure:…
- Marcus Aurelius There is not any man that is so happy in his death, but that some of those that are by him when he dies, will be ready…
- Marcus Aurelius These are enough: sound judgment in the present, action for the shared good in the present, and grateful acceptance in…
- Marcus Aurelius They contemn one another, and yet they seek to please one another: and whilest they seek to surpass one another in…
- 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 time that is now present, bestow thou upon thyself. They that rather hunt for fame after death, do not consider,…
- 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 Those things that are his own, and in his own power, he himself takes order, for that they be good: and as for those…
- Marcus Aurelius Those things which the common sort of people do admire, are most of them such things as are very general, and may be…
- Marcus Aurelius Those who chase applause make their welfare depend on others; lovers of pleasure make it depend on sensation. The…
- 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 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 comfort thyself in the expectation of thy natural dissolution, and in the meantime not grieve at the delay;…
- 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 find out, and set to thyself some certain way and method of contemplation, whereby thou mayest clearly discern and…
- Marcus Aurelius To go on straight, whither right and reason directed him, and by so doing to follow God, was the only thing that he…
- Marcus Aurelius To live with the Gods. He liveth with the Gods, who at all times affords unto them the spectacle of a soul, both…
- 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 suffer change can be no hurt; as no benefit it is, by change to attain to being. The age and time of the world is…
- Marcus Aurelius To the stone that is cast up, when it comes down it is no hurt unto it; as neither benefit, when it doth ascend.
- 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 To them that ask thee, Where hast thou seen the Gods, or how knowest thou certainly that there be Gods, that thou art…
- Marcus Aurelius To these ever-present helps and mementoes, let one more be added, ever to make a particular description and…
- Marcus Aurelius To which end it was, that Diogenes took also the same liberty. After these, what were either the Middle, or New Comedy…
- Marcus Aurelius Today I escaped pressure—or rather cast it out—for it was not in events but in the judgments I made about them.
- Marcus Aurelius Turn it over and inspect it: see what it becomes with age, sickness, or disgrace. Brief are praise and fame, memory…
- Marcus Aurelius Use thyself therefore often to meditate upon this, that the nature of the universe delights in nothing more, than in…
- 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 are incense grains cast upon one altar: one falls sooner, another later; the difference is nothing.
- 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 a subject, and what a course of life is it, that thou doest so much desire to be rid of. For all these things,…
- Marcus Aurelius What are their minds and understandings; and what the things that they apply themselves unto: what do they love, and…
- Marcus Aurelius What art thou, that better and divine part excepted, but as Epictetus said well, a wretched soul, appointed to carry a…
- 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 it then that should be dear unto us? to hear a clattering noise? if not that, then neither to be applauded by…
- 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 manner of men they be whom they seek to please, and what to get, and by what actions: how soon time will cover…
- Marcus Aurelius What remains worth valuing? To restrict action and restraint to what accords with the discipline that shapes us. This…
- 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 Whatsoever dieth and falleth, however and wheresoever it die and fall, it cannot fall out of the world, here it have…
- Marcus Aurelius Whatsoever doth happen in the ordinary course and consequence of natural events, neither the Gods, (for it is not…
- Marcus Aurelius Whatsoever in any kind doth happen to any one, is expedient to the whole. And thus much to content us might suffice,…
- Marcus Aurelius Whatsoever is expedient unto thee, O World, is expedient unto me; nothing can either be 'unseasonable unto me, or out…
- Marcus Aurelius Whatsoever is material, doth soon vanish away into the common substance of the whole; and whatsoever is formal, or,…
- Marcus Aurelius Whatsoever it is that thou goest about, consider of it by thyself, and ask thyself, What? because I shall do this no…
- 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 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 pain comes, remember it is no disgrace and cannot corrupt your ruling mind or prevent rational, social action. Do…
- Marcus Aurelius When something seems hard for you, do not judge it impossible. What is possible and fitting for another person is…
- 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 Where the matter may be effected agreeably to that reason, which both unto the Gods and men is common, there can be no…
- Marcus Aurelius Who can choose but wonder at them? They will not speak well of them that are at the same time with them, and live with…
- 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 imprudent unlearned souls trouble that which is both learned, and prudent? And which is that that is so?…
- Marcus Aurelius Why then should that rather be an unhappiness, than this a happiness? But however, canst thou, O man! term that…
- Marcus Aurelius Why then shouldest thou so earnestly either seek after these things, or fly from them, as though they should endure…
- Marcus Aurelius Will any contemn me? let him look to that, upon what grounds he does it: my care shall be that I may never be found…
- Marcus Aurelius Will either passengers, or patients, find fault and complain, either the one if they be well carried, or the others if…
- 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 Within a while the earth shall cover us all, and then she herself shall have her change. And then the course will be,…
- Marcus Aurelius Within ten days, if so happen, thou shalt be esteemed a god of them, who now if thou shalt return to the dogmata and…
- 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 can possess now what you pray to gain by a long route, if only you stop withholding it from yourself.
- Marcus Aurelius You do not resent having a given weight rather than twice it; why resent receiving a given span of life rather than…
- Marcus Aurelius Your long wandering proves that the art of living was not found in logic, wealth, reputation, or pleasure. It lies in…
- Musonius Rufus A worthy ruler is necessarily philosophical, and the true philosopher has a kingly character from the beginning.
- 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 A person's character is their own; titles and offices are handed out by chance. Welcome some because they deserve it,…
- Seneca Above all, measure yourself truthfully, since we usually imagine ourselves capable of more than we are.
- 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 All life is slavery: let each man therefore reconcile himself to his lot, complain of it as little as possible, and…
- Seneca Am I to expect that evil speaking will respect anything, seeing that it respected neither Rutilius nor Cato? Will any…
- Seneca Anger makes many men cripples, or invalids, even when it meets with an unresisting victim: and besides this, no…
- Seneca At the same time he reflects that all men are too low to venture to look down upon what is so far above them.
- Seneca Be assured that the same rule applies both to public and private life: simple and manageable undertakings proceed…
- Seneca Be assured that the same thing would be the case if no one’s offence is pardoned: it will quickly be discovered how…
- Seneca Be assured, when you see the Forum crowded with a multitude, 83the Saepta swarming with people, or the great Circus,…
- Seneca Believe me: it is better to keep accounts of your own life than of the grain market.
- Seneca But come! let virtue lead the way: then every step will be safe. Too much pleasure is hurtful: but with virtue we need…
- Seneca “But how is it that this man studies philosophy and nevertheless lives the life of a rich man? Why does he say that…
- Seneca Clemency, then, makes princes safer as well as more respected, and is a glory to empires besides being their most…
- Seneca Consequently, the empire of the world has almost always remained in the hands of those nations who enjoy a milder…
- Seneca Consider the truly wealthy: how often they resemble the poor. When traveling, they limit their baggage; when speed is…
- Seneca Consider what we chase so fiercely: little of it is useful; much is needless, and much else is worth far less than it…
- Seneca Death is a release from and an end of all pains: beyond it our sufferings cannot extend: it restores us to the…
- Seneca Disaster weighs more when it surprises us; the unexpected always deepens pain. Let nothing be wholly unforeseen:…
- 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 not envy the person always displaying rank or fame; such prizes are purchased with life, and many reach the summit…
- Seneca Do not, then, make any mistake: riches belong to the class of desirable things. “Why then,” say you, “do you laugh at…
- 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 Finally, the other passions seize upon individuals; anger is the only one which sometimes possesses a whole state. No…
- Seneca Fire will burn all people equally, male and female, of every rank and every age: steel will exhibit its cutting power…
- Seneca For this reason we say that nothing comes upon the wise contrary to expectation.
- Seneca Fortune overwhelms no one who has not first trusted her too much. The person who remains modest in prosperity is not…
- Seneca Fortune's reach is shorter than we imagine; it besieges only those who cling to it. Let us withdraw from her as far as…
- Seneca Give up hope and you will give up fear; both arise because we send our thoughts too far beyond the present.
- Seneca Good fortune can reach even the humble and untalented. Greatness belongs to the one who overcomes the shocks and…
- Seneca Greed has no point of enough, while nature is satisfied with little. Exile is therefore no calamity: no land is so…
- 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 gave me the praetorship. Yes, but I had hoped for the consulship. He bestowed the twelve axes upon me: true, but…
- 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 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 How many funerals pass our houses? yet we do not think of death. How many untimely deaths? we think only of our son’s…
- Seneca How shameful when an aged advocate dies in court, still pleading for strangers and chasing the praise of an uninformed…
- Seneca However, to pass by all other instances, not to speak of the other deaths which have occurred in my own house. Fortune…
- Seneca I do not praise those who rush into life's torrent and wrestle daily with hardship by choice. A wise person can endure…
- Seneca I do not see how these very different matters can have any connexion with one another. What is there, I pray you, to…
- Seneca I know, however, that there are some who imagine that clemency only saves the life of every villain, because clemency…
- Seneca I was wrecked before I sailed; the voyage taught me how much is unnecessary and how readily we can release it when…
- 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 I will set sail unless anything happens to prevent me, I shall 279be praetor, if nothing hinders me, my financial…
- Seneca If you choose to have children, they may be handsome, or they may be deformed; perhaps they will be born dumb. One of…
- Seneca If you think fit, my Serenus, let us distinguish between injury and insult. The former is naturally the more grievous,…
- Seneca If you were to bring to me all the money from all our mines, which we are at this moment sinking, if you were to bring…
- Seneca In the city which possessed that most reverend tribunal, the Court of the Areopagus, which possessed a Senate, and a…
- 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 accords with nature to love our friends and rejoice at their progress as though it were our own. Without this…
- Seneca It appears as though this plague moved in a regular orbit, and spread ruin and desolation among us all without…
- Seneca It is above all things necessary to form a true estimate of oneself, because as a rule we think that we can do more…
- 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 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 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, therefore, most commonly 419found in the worst people; there are old women and girls who are affected by the…
- Seneca It is to guarantee the safety of all these that Fortune has struck you in this quarter: you have many left in whom you…
- 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 It is your trouble, Marcia, which has been dealt with here: it is beside your couch of mourning that Areus has been…
- Seneca It often condemns a man because it dislikes his patron; it loves and maintains error even when truth is staring it in…
- Seneca It ruins the soul to fear the future and suffer before suffering arrives. Longing to keep things forever steals the…
- Seneca King Cambyses was excessively addicted to wine. Praexaspes was the only one of his closest friends who advised him to…
- Seneca Lay aside lamentations and wailings, and all the usual noisy manifestations of female sorrow: you have gained nothing…
- Seneca Let a man, then, obtain as many books as he wants, but none for show. “It is more respectable,” say you, “to spend…
- Seneca Let different qualities in different people keep us from quarrelling with them: let us fear to be angry with some,…
- Seneca Let every effort aim at something and keep that purpose in sight. People are not troubled by activity itself, but by…
- 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 not our ears be easily lent to calumnious talk: let us know and be on our guard against this fault of human…
- Seneca Let them no longer, then, join incongruous matters together, or connect pleasure with 218virtue, a mistake whereby…
- 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 prove what we said before: nay, who will not think this proved if he bethinks himself how great a passion…
- Seneca Let us seek for some blessing, which does not merely look fine, but is sound and good throughout alike, and most…
- Seneca Let us therefore briskly and cheerfully hasten with undaunted steps whithersoever circumstances call us: let us wander…
- 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 Let virtue lead the way and bear the standard: we shall have pleasure for all that, but we shall be her masters and…
- Seneca Let your own goodness of heart be gradually spread and diffused throughout the whole body of the empire, and all parts…
- Seneca Life has no sound direction, and misery has no end, when we allow fear to rule.
- Seneca Look at your father and your grandfather: the former fell into the hands of a foreign murderer: I allowed no man to…
- Seneca Men set the greatest store upon presents or pensions, and hire out their work, their services, or their care in order…
- Seneca Men therefore love their own safety, when they draw up vast legions in battle on behalf of one man, when they rush to…
- Seneca Morning can find someone exalted and evening find them low. Do not rely too much on success or despair of hardship;…
- 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 Nature gave him to you, as she gives others to other brothers, not as an absolute property, but as a loan: afterwards…
- Seneca No one can obtain every object of desire. But each of us can decline to crave what is absent and gladly use what is…
- 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 is sufficient for covetous desire, but Nature can be satisfied even with scant measure. The poverty of an…
- 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 all these propositions that which I have stated first appears the most difficult to prove. I mean, that the things…
- Seneca Of course it does, since Epicurus himself says that at times he would abandon pleasure and actually seek for pain, if…
- Seneca Peace of mind is won only by those with firm and steady judgment. Others keep rising and falling in their decisions,…
- Seneca Philosophy is no performance for display. It deals in deeds, orders the soul and life, directs action, and guides us…
- 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 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 Some are guided by reason, others must be confronted with authority and the names of celebrated persons, whose…
- Seneca Some have been led hither by friendship, some by industry, which finds here a wide field for the display of its…
- Seneca Some men’s leisure is busy: in their country house or on their couch, in complete solitude, even though they have…
- 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 people, through too little effort rather than inconsistency, are so unsettled that they do not live as they wish;…
- 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 The cruelty even of private men has sometimes been revenged by their slaves in spite of the certainty that they will…
- Seneca The foundations of new cities are laid, new names of nations arise, while the former ones die out, or become absorbed…
- Seneca The great Socrates would say the same thing to you. “Make me,” he would say, “the conqueror of all nations: let the…
- Seneca The greatest teachers divide philosophy into moral, natural, and rational study. Moral study orders the soul; natural…
- Seneca The happy man, therefore, is he who can make a right judgment in all things: he is happy who in his present…
- Seneca The higher region of the universe, being more excellently ordered and near to the stars, is never gathered into…
- Seneca The increase which disease produces in bodies swollen with morbid humours is not healthy growth, but bloated…
- Seneca The inventor of wine is called Liber, not from the licence which he gives to our tongues, but because he liberates the…
- 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 maker of the world gave us what is needed to live well, not to live lavishly. What serves us is close at hand;…
- 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 only persons who are really at leisure are those who devote themselves to philosophy: and they alone really live:…
- Seneca The philosopher may own ample wealth, but will not own wealth that which has been torn from another, or which is…
- Seneca The rational soul's chronic diseases are hardened faults such as greed and ambition: they twist judgment until mildly…
- Seneca The reasoning soul is stronger than every turn of fortune. From within itself it directs its life and makes it happy…
- 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 seven wonders of the world, and any even greater wonders which the ambition of later ages has constructed, will be…
- Seneca The talk of these men is not dangerous, their friendship will not lead you to the scaffold, their society will not…
- Seneca The whole house mourned for the leisure of its old master, and did not lay aside its mourning until his work was…
- 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 The wise man knows that all those who strut about in purple-edged togas, healthy and embrowned, are brain-sick people,…
- 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 no reason for you to suppose me conquered and yourself my conqueror. It is your fortune which has overcome…
- 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 of your son’s handsome person, which you had guarded in perfect purity among all the temptations of a voluptuous…
- 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 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 sum up the matter, I ask you whether Cleanthes, Chrysippus, and Zeno lived in accordance with their doctrine? I am…
- Seneca Tradition tells us that Vatinius, a man born both to be laughed at and hated, was a witty and clever jester. He made…
- Seneca True happiness, therefore, consists in virtue: and what will this virtue bid you do? Not to think anything bad or good…
- 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 born to a comfortable position enough, if we 324do not afterwards lose it: the aim of Nature has been to enable…
- 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 We must limit the running to and fro which most men practise, rambling about houses, theatres, and market-places. They…
- Seneca “What then? Will there be no one who will try to do an injury to the wise man?” Yes, some one will try, but the injury…
- Seneca Whatever has arrived at perfection, is ripe for dissolution. Consummate virtue flees away and betakes itself out of…
- Seneca When as they proceeded neither roots nor herbs were to be found in the sand, and they found a wilderness destitute…
- Seneca When Fortune has unjustly divided the common stock, and has given over one man to another, though they were born with…
- Seneca When great and kinglike riches fall into the hands of a bad master, they are dispersed straightway, but even a…
- Seneca When he asked for the watchword Gaius at one time gave him “Venus,” and at another “Priapus,” and by various means…
- Seneca When he was in the act of holding the doorpost and dedicating the Capitol the news of his son’s death was brought to…
- Seneca When he was just of your age, at the end of his twenty-second year, he had already hidden daggers under the clothes of…
- Seneca When I return from seeing it I am a sadder, though not a worse man, I cannot walk amid my own paltry possessions with…
- Seneca When sponges were not forthcoming, he ordered the wretched men’s clothes to be torn up, and the rags stuffed into…
- Seneca Which will he go to meet first? which part of the universal conspiracy will he first oppose? His victory will drag him…
- 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 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 Would to heaven that such savagery had contented itself with foreign examples, and that barbarity in anger and…
- Seneca You are indignant at being answered back by your slave, your freedman, your wife, or your client: and then you…
- Seneca You are mistaken, therefore, when you ask me what it is on account of which I seek after virtue: for you are seeking…
- Seneca You are mistaken! your brother has not lost the light of day, but has obtained a more enduring light: whither he has…
- Seneca You cannot even say that you have been specially marked by the gods for misfortune because you have had no pleasure in…
- 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 do not shine outwardly, all your good qualities are turned inwards; even so does the world neglect what lies…
- Seneca You enviously compare the glories of others with your own dirty actions, and do not understand how greatly to your…
- Seneca You have no grounds, therefore, for supposing that any one has lived long, because he has wrinkles or grey hairs: such…
- 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 make this simile apply to your whole entrance into life. I have explained to you what attractions and what…
- 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 must decide whether your disposition is better suited for vigorous action or for tranquil speculation and…
- Seneca You must now show a virtue equal to hers, recall your mind from grief, and take care that no one may think that you…
- 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 need not, therefore, hasten to the burial-place of your son: that which lies there is but the worst part of him…
- Seneca “You purposely misunderstand what I say,” says he, “for I too say that no one can live pleasantly unless he lives…
- 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, therefore, who allow them to trouble you to an unreasonable extent ought especially to restrain yourselves, and…
- 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 find that the most powerful and highly-placed men let fall phrases in which they long for leisure, praise it,…
- Seneca You will say to me, “Seneca, what are you doing? do you desert your party? I am sure that our Stoic philosophers say…
- Seneca You will see that men are subject to the same influences as dumb animals: we are put out by trumpery, futile matters.…
- Seneca You will show more respect for the youth himself, who well deserves that it should make you glad to speak and think of…
- Seneca Your father sewed up more parricides in sacks during five years, than we hear of in all previous centuries. As long as…