Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Lucius Annaeus Senecawas a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature...
NationalityRoman
ProfessionStatesman
largest progress wish
To wish to progress is the largest part of progress.
ancestry boast brag owe
Those who boast of their decent, brag on what they owe to others.
cannot escape overcome
You cannot escape necessities, but you can overcome them.
deal egyptian palate pleasures strangle whom
The pleasures of the palate deal with us like the Egyptian thieves, who strangle those whom they embrace.
avarice evil promise promises purple rewards robe varied vices
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.
genius mixture
There is no genius without a mixture of madness.
bounds due security state whatever
Whatever has overstepped its due bounds is always in a state of instability.
close either god openly placed whatever
Whatever is to make us better and happy, God has placed either openly before us or close to us.
creature fellow hold remember whenever
Whenever you hold a fellow creature in distress, remember that he is a man.
fashion vices
What were once vices are the fashion of the day.
appearance general greater people whom
There are no greater wretches in the world than many of those whom people in general take to be happy.
difficulty
It's not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It's because we dare not venture that they are difficult.
governed liberty
A well governed appetite is the greater part of liberty.
learning
That is never too often repeated, which is never sufficiently learned.