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
despised hate learned until
No one can be despised by another until he has learned to despise himself.
discipline evil heart human powerful propensity subdued
No evil propensity of the human heart is so powerful that it may mot be subdued by discipline.
cases envy estimate evil less loss troubles
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.
poverty-and-the-poor whose wishes
Not he who has little, but he whose wishes more, is poor.
philosophers-and-philosophy philosophy plato received regard
Philosophy does not regard pedigree, she received Plato not as a noble, but she made him one.
act action considered unless
No action will be considered blameless, unless the will was so, for by the will the act was dictated.
flow flowing inward peace tears
Let tears flow of their own accord: their flowing is not inconsistent with inward peace and harmony.
dry eyes merely observe shed tears
Many shed tears merely for show, and have dry eyes when no one's around to observe them.
behind constant evil fault looks quality
It is the constant fault and inseparable evil quality of ambition, that it never looks behind it.
admirer audiences provoke
It's the admirer and the watcher who provoke us to all the inanities we commit.
cure wish
It is part of the cure to wish to be cured.
deal egyptian palate pleasures strangle whom
The pleasures of the palate deal with us like the Egyptian thieves, who strangle those whom they embrace.
corrupted speakers-and-speaking speech
When ever the speech is corrupted so is the mind.
fashion vices
What were once vices are the fashion of the day.