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
nature requires
What nature requires is obtainable, and within easy reach. It is for the superfluous we sweat.
despised hate learned until
No one can be despised by another until he has learned to despise himself.
beautiful friendship friends-or-friendship qualities understand
One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.
fools-and-foolishness hatred inflicted
A foolishness is inflicted with a hatred of itself.
cringe defiance face ought shall surrender
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.
favorable man port wind
If a man does not know what port he is steering for, no wind is favorable to him.
ancestry boasts deed praises
He who boasts of his descent, praises the deed of another.
desires fears king
He is a king who fears nothing, he is a king who desires nothing!
contentment deprived endure endured happy highest lowest man misfortune
Happy the man who can endure the highest and the lowest fortune. He, who has endured such vicissitudes with equanimity, has deprived misfortune of its power.
authority founded injustice
Authority founded on injustice is never of long duration.
admirer audiences provoke
It's the admirer and the watcher who provoke us to all the inanities we commit.
bent cares hungry justice listens nor people prayers
A hungry people listens not to reason, nor cares for justice, nor is bent by any prayers
articulate mere noise voice
The articulate voice is more distracting than mere noise
bear hard memory sweet
Things that were hard to bear are sweet to remember.