7 Fantastic And Interesting Quotes From Seneca
You may have heard of the Roman philosopher Seneca , or this may be the first time. Either way, you will surely like these quotes from Seneca. They are some real pearls of wisdom from one of the wisest men of the Roman Empire, whose writings have had a great impact on society.
The strength of Seneca’s phrases lies in his ethical message. In almost all writings and even his life, there is almost always a moral insight. He belonged to a philosophical school called Stoicism. The idea with this philosophy was that one should live in moderation. Seneca lived in a time when infinite wealth was the ideal.
This great thinker had an amazing intelligence and was also a skilled speaker, which made many people jealous of him. He suffered from asthma throughout his life. He also lived close to power, knowledge and philosophy. Here are some quotes from Seneca that have inspired many.
One of Seneca’s best phrases reads as follows: “There are many things we do not dare do because they are difficult, but they are difficult because we do not dare to do them”. An impressive observation made 2000 years ago.
By this quote, Seneca meant that we often make things more complicated than they really are. He understood that man often makes a hen out of a feather because of fear.
This is without a doubt one of our best quotes from Seneca. He said “Why complain about the sea if you once again ride on its waves?”. By this, Seneca meant that there is no reason to complain about something that is actively sought. The first time you may be indulgent, but not if you do it over and over again. If you sail again, it is because you have done it before. If you do not like it, then why do you do it?
If Seneca knew anything, it was hatred. He was not someone who conspired against others. His intelligence therefore gave rise to envy and suspicion in his fellow men.
It is perhaps the reason why our next quote sounds like this: “Hidden hatred is worse than bare hatred”. We have probably all experienced this truth at some point. The bitterest hatred is not the most visible.
When Seneca followed Stoicism, he considered that difficulties had an intrinsic value. He did not consider difficulties to be negative, nor did he try to avoid the problems that arose. Instead, he believed that problems make one develop as a human being.
He highlights this insight with the words: “Difficulties strengthen the mind as work does with the body”. In other words, Seneca sees difficulties as an opportunity to develop mental ability.
Here is another of Seneca phrases that surprises us with both its simplicity and its depth: “The greatest remedy for anger is to be expected”. This gives us a complete solution to deal with anger. It is a simple and very effective formula for those who put it into practice.
It is a practice that never fails. In most cases, the anger can be controlled with a short pause. Just stay quiet and calm for a few minutes. The calm returns and we will not say things that we will regret in the future.
Seneca’s life was certainly not a dance on roses. Seneca suffered from health problems and was severely affected by his asthma attacks. One of his main phrases therefore reflects his own life: “Sometimes it is even brave to even live”.
Our last quote from Seneca highlights the fact that it is important to have good habits: “Good habits complement each other, and they will therefore be lasting”. As in the cases above, he compresses a whole wisdom into a single simple sentence.
He believes that good habits are not isolated realities. A good habit does not survive among several negative habits. They must be consistent and coherent in order to be stable.
There are hundreds of great quotes from Seneca. It is not surprising that his quotes still exist today and that they are just as true still.
