A benefit consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer. Seneca the Younger More Quotes by Seneca the Younger More Quotes From Seneca the Younger We ought not to confine ourselves either to writing or to reading; the one, continuous writing, will cast a gloom over our strength, and exhaust it; the other will make our strength flabby and watery. It is better to have recourse to them alternately, and to blend one with the other, so that the fruits of one's reading may be reduced to concrete form by the pen. Seneca the Younger readingwritingadvice This is the difference between us Romans and the Etruscans: We believe that lightning is caused by clouds colliding, whereas they believe that clouds collide in order to create lightning. Since they attribute everything to gods, they are led to believe not that events have a meaning because they have happened, but that they happen in order to express a meaning. Seneca the Younger cloudsorderbelieve It is easy enough to arouse in a listener a desire for what is honorable; for in every one of us nature has laid the foundations or sown the seeds of the virtues. We are born to them all, all of us, and when a person comes along with the necessary stimulus, then those qualities of the personality are awakened, so to speak, from their slumber. Seneca the Younger personalitydesirecharacter Fortune can take away riches, but not courage. Seneca the Younger richescouragefortune Chance makes a plaything of a man's life. Seneca the Younger chancemenlife The foremost art of Kings is the power to endure hatred. Seneca the Younger hatekingsart 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. Seneca the Younger futureletting-gotime He who does not prevent a crime, when he can, encourages it. Seneca the Younger philosophicalencouragementdoe The book-keeping of benefits is simple: it is all expenditure; if any one returns it, that is clear gain; if he does not return it, it is not lost, I gave it for the sake of giving. Seneca the Younger simplegivingbook Nothing is more disgraceful than that an old man should have nothing to show to prove that he has lived long, except his years. Seneca the Younger should-havemenyears If virtue precede us every step will be safe. Seneca the Younger virtuesafesteps Speech is the index of the mind. Seneca the Younger speechmind Health is the soul that animates all the enjoyments of life, which fade and are tasteless without it. Seneca the Younger philosophicalhealthinspirational Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing. Seneca the Younger wellslifelong Many person might have achieved wisdom had they not supposed that they already possessed it. Seneca the Younger possessedpersonsmight Light griefs are plaintive , but great ones are dumb Seneca the Younger dumbgrieflight Our life's a moment and less than a moment, but even this mite nature has mockingly humored with some appearance of a longer span. Seneca the Younger mortalitymomentsappearance 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 pleasure still. Seneca the Younger timelovelife The wise man will not pardon any crime that ought to be punished, but he will accomplish, in a nobler way, all that is sought in pardoning. He will spare some and watch over some, because of their youth, and others on account of their ignorance. His clemency will not fall short of justice, but will fulfill it perfectly. Seneca the Younger forgivenesswisefall What's the good of dragging up sufferings which are over, of being unhappy now just because you were then. Seneca the Younger sadhappinessinspirational
