Seneca Quotes & Seneca Sayings

'Tis a human trait to hate one you have wronged Fortune can take away riches, but not courage. A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer. A good mind possesses a kingdom. A great step towards independence is good humored stomach A man who suffers or stresses before it is necessary, suffers more than is necessary. A man's as miserable as he thinks he is. A multitude of executions discredits a king, as a multitude of funerals a doctor All art is an imitation of nature. All art is but imitation of nature. All cruelty springs from hardheartedness and weakness All cruelty springs from weakness. All things are cause for either laughter or weeping. An honest heart possesses a kingdom. Anger is like those ruins which smash themselves on what they fall. Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it Anger, though concealed, is betrayed by the countenance. ·That anger is not warrantable which hath seen two suns. As for old age, embrace and love it. It abounds with pleasure if you know how to use it. The gradually declining years are among the sweetest in a man's life, and I maintain that, even when they have reached the extreme limit, they have their pleasur Be silent as to services you have rendered, but speak of favours you have received. Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk. Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life. Behold a contest worthy of a god, a brave man matched in conflict with adversity Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agreed, as you can all read the Book? Calamity is virtue's opportunity Consider, when you are enraged at any one, what you would probably think if he should die during the dispute. Constant exposure to dangers will breed contempt for them Consult your friend on all things, especially on those which respect yourself. His counsel may then be useful when your own self-love might impair your judgement. Consult your friend on all things, especially on those which respect yourself. His counsel may then be useful where your own self-love might impair your judgment. Conversation has a kind of charm about it, an insuating and insidious something that elicits secrets from us just like love or liquor. Courage leads to heaven; fear leads to death. Courage leads to heaven; fear to death Death ne'er can fail the man who wills to die Death without dread of death is welcome death Death's the discharge of our debt of sorrow Death? 'Tis one of life's duties Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body. Do everything as in the eye of another. Drunkenness is nothing but voluntary madness Drunkenness is nothing but voluntary madness. Drunkenness is simply voluntary insanity Enjoy present pleasures in such a way as not to injure future ones. Epileptics know by signs when attacks are imminent and take precautions accordingly; we must do the same in regard to anger Even after a bad harvest there must be sowing. Every guilty person is his own hangman. Every man prefers belief to the exercise of judgment. Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. Every reign must submit to a greater reign. Everything is the product of one universal creative effort. There is nothing dead in Nature. Everything is the product of one universal creative effort. There is nothing dead in Nature. Everything is organic and living, and therefore the whole world appears to be a living organism. Everywhere is nowhere. When a person spends all his time in foreign travel, he ends by having many acquaintances, but no friends. Expecting is the greatest impediment to living. In anticipation of tomorrow, it loses today. Fate rules the affairs of mankind with no recognizable order Fear drives the wretched to prayer For greed, all nature is too little. For many men, the acquisition of wealth does not end their troubles, it only changes them. Four things does a reckless man gain who covets his neighbor's wife - demerit, an uncomfortable bed, thirdly, punishment, and lastly, hell. Freedom is not being a slave to any circumstance, to any constraint, to any chance; it means compelling Fortune to enter the lists on equal terms. Friendship always benefits; love sometimes injures. From a certain point onward there is no longer any turning back. That is the point that must be reached. God has given some gifts to the whole human race, from which no one is excluded God is the universal substance in existing things. He comprises all things. He is the fountain of all being. In Him exists everything that is. Gold is tried by fire, brave men by adversity Great grief does not of itself put an end to itself. Great men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war Happy is the man who can endure the highest and lowest Fortune. He who has endured such vicissitudes with equanimity has deprived misFortune of its power. He is a king who fears nothing, he is a king who desires nothing! He is most powerful who has power over himself He who decides a case without hearing the other side, though he decides justly, cannot be considered just. He who does garrison duty is as much soldier as he that is in the fighting line He who dreads hostility too much is unfit to rule. He who is brave is free. I am like a book, with pages that have stuck together for want of use: my mind needs unpacking and the truths stored within must be turned over from time to time, to be ready when occasion demands I don't consider myself bald, I'm just taller than my hair. I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good. I truly enjoy no more of the world's good things than what I willingly distribute to the needy If one does not know to which port is sailing, no wind is favorable. If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable. If sensuality were happiness, beasts were happier than men; but human felicity is lodged in the soul, not in the flesh If thou live according to nature, thou wilt never be poor; if according to the opinions of the world, thou wilt never be rich. If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living. If wisdom were offered me with this restriction, that I should keep it close and not communicate it, I would refuse the gift If you wish to be loved, love If you wished to be loved, love. Ignorant people see life as either existence or non-existence, but wise men see it beyond both existence and non-existence to something that transcends them both; this is an observation of the Middle Way. In every good man a God dwell Injustice never rules forever It better befits a man to laugh at life than to lament over it It does not matter how many books you have, but how good the books are which you have It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence. It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness. It is another's fault if he be ungrateful, but it is mine if I do not give. To find one thankful man, I will oblige a great many that are not so. It is easier to exclude harmful passions than to rule them, and to deny them admittance than to control them after they have been admitted. It is extreme evil to depart from the company of the living before you die It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult. It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that things are difficult. It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult It is not the man who has little, but he who desires more, that is poor. It is proof of a bad cause when it is applauded by the mob It is safer to offend certain men than it is to oblige them; for as proof that they owe nothing they seek recourse in hatred It is the constant fault and inseparable evil quality of ambition, that it never looks behind it It is the sign of a great mind to dislike greatness, and to prefer things in measure to things in excess. It is the sign of a weak mind to be unable to bear wealth. It's not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It's because we dare not venture that they are difficult. Leisure without literature is death and burial alive. Let him that hath done the good office conceal it; let him that hath received it disclose it Let us train our minds to desire what the situation demands Levity of behavior is the bone of all that is good and virtuous Life is a gift of the immortal Gods, but living well is the gift of philosophy Life is neither a good nor an evil: it is a field for good and evil Life is the fire that burns and the sun that gives light. Life is the wind and the rain and the thunder in the sky. Life is matter and is earth, what is and what is not, and what beyond is in Eternity. Life should be like the precious metals, weigh much in little bulk Life without the courage for death is slavery Life's like a play; it's not the length but the excellence of the acting that matters Life, if well lived, is long enough. Live among men as if God beheld you; speak to God as if men were listening. Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Luck never made a man wise. Malice drinks one half of its own poison. Malice drinks one-half of its own poison. Man at his birth is content with a little milk and a piece of flannel: so we begin, that presently find kingdoms not enough for us Men love their country, not because it is great, but because it is their own. Modesty once extinguished knows not how to return Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power. My joy in learning is partly that it enables me to teach Night brings our troubles to the light, rather than banishes them. No choice maxims - we Stoics don't practice that kind of window dressing No evil is without its compensation. The less money, the less trouble; the less favor, the less envy. Even in those cases which put us out of wits, it is not the loss itself, but the estimate of the loss that troubles us. No evil propensity of the human heart is so powerful that it may not be subdued by discipline. No man ever became wise by chance No man is free who is a slave to the flesh No man was ever wise by chance. No one finds his proficiency in a study just where he dropped it No one is better born than another, unless they are born with better abilities and a more amiable disposition. No one is laughable who laughs at himself. No untroubled day has ever dawned for me. Nothing is as certain as that the vices of leisure are gotten rid of by being busy. Nothing is so bitter that a calm mind cannot find comfort in it. Nothing is so contemptible as the sentiments of the mob. Nothing is so wretched or foolish as to anticipate misfortunes. What madness is it to be expecting evil before it comes. Other men's sins are before our eyes; our own are behind our backs Our care should not be to have lived long as to have lived enough. People do not care how nobly they live, only how long, despite the fact that it is within everyone's reach to live nobly, but within no one's reach to live long. Precepts or maxims are of great weight; and a few useful ones at hand do more toward a happy life than whole volumes that we know not where to find. Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. Remember that pain has this most excellent quality. If prolonged it cannot be severe, and if severe it cannot be prolonged. Rules make the learner's path long, examples make it short and successful Sadness usually results from one of the following causes either when a man does not succeed, or is ashamed of his success Savageness is always due to a sense of weakness Shall I tell you what the real evil is? To cringe to the things that are called evils, to surrender to them our freedom, in defiance of which we ought to face any suffering. Shame may restrain what law does not prohibit. Shun no toil to make yourself remarkable by some talent or other; yet do not devote yourself to one branch exclusively. Strive to get clear notions about all. Give up no science entirely; for science is but one. Sometimes even to live is an act of courage. That which is given with pride and ostentation is rather an ambition than a bounty That which is never too often repeated, is never sufficiently learned. The approach of liberty makes even an old man brave. The articulate voice is more distracting than mere noise The artist finds a greater pleasure in painting than in having completed the picture The belly will not listen to advice The best ideas are common property. The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity. The comfort of having a friend may be taken away - but not that of having had one. The cure for anger is delay. The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity. The deferring of anger is the best antidote to anger. The first step in a person's salvation is knowledge of their sin. The first step towards amendment is the recognition of error. The greater part of progress is the desire for progress The greatest loss of time is delay and expectation, which depend upon the future. We let go the present, which we have in our power, and look forward to that which depends upon chance, and so relinquish a certainty for an uncertainty. The greatest remedy for anger is delay. The heart is great which shows moderation in the midst of prosperity. The key to getting everything you want is to never put all your begs in one ask-it! The mind is never right but when it is at peace within itself The mind that is anxious about the future is miserable. The pressure of adversity does not affect the mind of the brave man. . . . It is more powerful than external circumstances. The pressure of adversity does not affect the mind of the brave man... It is more powerful than external circumstances. The primary sign of a well-ordered mind is a man's ability to remain in one place and linger in his own company The road to learning by precept is long, but by example short and effective. The spirit in which a thing is given determines that in which the debt is acknowledged; it's the intention, not the face-value of the gift, that's weighed The spirit in which a thing is given determines that in which the debt is acknowledged; it's the intention, not the face-value of the gift, that's weighed. The sun also shines on the wicked The things hardest to bear are sweetest to remember. The whole world is my native land There are more things to alarm us than to harm us, and we suffer more often in apprehension than reality. There are more things, Lucilius, that frighten us than injure us, and we suffer more in imagination than in reality. There are none more abusive to others than they that lie most open to it themselves; but the humor goes round, and he that laughs at me today will have somebody to laugh at him tomorrow There is as much greatness of mind in acknowledging a good turn as in doing it. There is no delight in owning anything unshared. There is no evil that does not promise inducements. Avarice promises money; luxury, a varied assortment of pleasures; ambition, a purple robe and applause. Vices tempt you by the rewards they offer. There is no genius free from some tincture of madness There is no great genius without some touch of madness. There is nothing in the world so much admired as a man who knows how to bear unhappiness with courage. There is nothing more despicable than an old man who has no other proof than his age to offer of his having lived long in the world. There is nothing which persevering effort and unceasing and diligent care cannot accomplish. There's one blessing only, the source and cornerstone of beatitude -- confidence in self. They that mistake life's accessories for life itself are like them that go too fast in a maze: their very haste confuses them Things that were hard to bear are sweet to remember. This body is not a home but an inn, and that only briefly This is the law of benefits between men; the one ought to forget at once what he has given, and the other ought to never forget what he has received This is the reason we cannot complain of life:it keeps no one against his will This winter, [North Carolina has] had one heck of a spat of cold weather, Thrift comes too late when you find it at the bottom of your purse. Time discovers truth. Time heals what reason cannot To be always fortunate, and to pass through life with a soul that has never known sorrow, is to be ignorant of one half of nature. To forgive all is as inhuman as to forgive none To greed, all nature is insufficient. To know how to despise pleasure is itself a pleasure Toil to make yourself remarkable by some talent or other. Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind. True happiness is to understand our duties toward God and man; to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence on the future; not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears, but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is abundantly sufficient True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future. True praise comes often even to the lowly; false praise only to the strong. True wisdom consists in not departing from nature and in molding our conduct according to her laws and model Vice may be learnt, even without a teacher Voyage, travel, and change of place impart vigor We all sorely complain of the shortness of time, and yet have much more than we know what to do with. Our lives are either spent in doing nothing at all, or in doing nothing to the purpose, or in doing nothing that we ought to do. We are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end of them. We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality. We are more wicked together than separately. If you are forced to be in a crowd, then most of all you should withdraw into yourself We learn not in the school, but in life We live not according to reason, but according to fashion We never reflect on how pleasant it is to ask for nothing We should every night call ourselves to an account: what infirmity have I mastered to-day? what passions opposed? what temptation resisted? what virtue acquired? Our vices will abate of themselves if they be brought every day to the shrift. We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers. Wealth is the slave of a wise man. The master of a fool. What difference does it make how much you have? What you do not have amounts to much more. What is required is not a lot words, but effectual ones. What should a wise person do when given a blow? Same as Cato when he was attacked; not fire up or revenge the insult., or even return the blow, but simply ignore it. What was hard to suffer is sweet to remember. Whatever begins, also ends Whatever begins, also ends. Whatever one of us blames in another, each one will find in his own heart. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind. When I think over what I have said, I envy dumb people. Wherever there is a human being, there is a chance for a kindness. Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness. Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness. While we teach, we learn. Whom they have injured they also hate Women give nothing to friendship except what they borrow from love. You can tell the character of every man when you see how he receives praise.