Lucius Seneca

On the Shortness of Life in English is a moral essay written by Seneca the Younger in 49 AD, a Roman Stoic philosopher, to his father-in-law Paulinus. The philosopher brings up many Stoic principles on the nature of time, namely that men waste much of it in meaningless pursuits. According to the essay, nature gives man enough time to do what is really important and the individual must allot it properly. In general, time can be best used in the study of philosophy, according to Seneca.The same title is also given to a different letter, number 49 in the Letters to Lucilius.

On the Shortness of Life

Seneca

John W. Basore

Kyler Phillips

Solitude will cure our distaste for a crowd, and a crowd will cure our boredom with solitude.

So we should buy enough books for use, and none just for embellishment.

Life will be driven on through a succession of preoccupations: we shall always long for leisure, but never enjoy it. 

Life will follow the path it began to take, and will neither reverse nor check its course. It will cause no commotion to remind you of its swiftness, but glide on quietly. It will not lengthen itself for a king's command or a people's favour.

Timeless advice on the art of living well, from the celebrated Penguin Great Ideas series The writings of the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca offer powerful insights into stoicism, morality and the importance of reason, and continue to provide profound guidance to many through their eloquence, lucidity and wisdom. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. The Penguin Great Ideas series brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are.

sina (she/her) 

Seneca the Younger

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves--and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives--and destroyed them. Now, Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are. Penguin's Great Ideas series features twelve groundbreaking works by some of history's most prodigious thinkers, and each volume is beautifully packaged with a unique type-drive design that highlights the bookmaker's art. Offering great literature in great packages at great prices, this series is ideal for those readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped the world. The Stoic writings of the philosopher Seneca offer powerful insights into the art of living, the importance of reason and morality, and continue to provide profound guidance to many through their eloquence, lucidity and timeless wisdom.

Ironically, i think this book could have benefited from a little more brevity. I was moved at the beginning, distant towards the middle, and then recoiled in towards the end.

Kelly Kim

Aamna

"life isn't short, we make it so." 

Should be made mandatory reading for everyone who calls for a meeting

Heiki Riesenkampf

Just a short reminder why we should treat the most valuable resource in our lives with more respect.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Charles Desmond Nuttall Costa

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves � and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives � and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are. The Stoic writings of the philosopher Seneca offer powerful insights into the art of living, the importance of reason and morality, and continue to provide profound guidance to many through their eloquence, lucidity and timeless wisdom.

Well-teanslated, timeless wisdom. Will make you want to cut out distractions from your life and pursue shelves goals. Books that inspire should be cherished.

Sawyer Stever

Anthony

This book was something I really needed personally. I have spent the last two months with my head down, buried in work that needed to get done. It was amazing and changed my life, but now I have a lot of free time on my hands.

It is very easy these days to spend our free time wasting away. Watching Netflix, drinking at the bar, or whatever it may be. I fall into the trap very easily, and when I do, I often find myself being filled with despair and depression. 

Seneca has reminded me of the things that truly bring value to my life. He has reminded me to work on them while I can. Of course, this is sort of an obvious thing, but I find myself swayed to follow other people more than I should.

I want to keep a copy of this book around. I know that I will need to reconnect in the near future.

There may not be a lot of solid examples in this book on HOW to apply what Seneca suggests, but for me I just need to keep these lessons in the back of my mind, ready for pondering.

It was my first reading of anything by Seneca and I am excited to get into more!

Charlotte Dann

Great Ideas Week is upon us! Starting with On the Shortness of Life, watch the video here.

Morgan Holland

Stellar intro to stoic philosophy, very quick read, easy to revisit

Amy Thibodeau

Seneca seemed like a bit of an asshole to me.

Andy Sporring

Yet another Classic and it was a good one

brendan sudol

“There will always be causes for anxiety, whether due to prosperity or to wretchedness.”

“It is the mind that creates our wealth, and this goes with us into exile, and in the harshest desert places it finds sufficient to nourish the body and revels in the enjoyment of its own goods.”

“But nothing delights the mind so much as fond and loyal friendship. What a blessing it is to have hearts that are ready and willing to receive all your secrets in safety, with whom you are less afraid to share knowledge of something than keep it to yourself, whose conversation soothes your distress, whose advice helps you make up your mind, whose cheerfulness dissolves your sorrow, whose very appearance cheers you up!”

“We must go for walks out of doors, so that the mind can be strengthened and invigorated by a clear sky and plenty of fresh air. At times it will acquire fresh energy from a journey by carriage and a change of scene, or from socializing and drinking freely.”

This is perfect reading for a new year, I just got a late start this year; explains the rough month I've had.

Josh Clement

Took me a while to get into it. Now covered in notes. Extremely relevant to modern life: find your "tranquility"

Diana Platgalve

Timeless wisdom! Life is not short, it’s just...you waste most of it. By making an effort to learn how to live, you’ll have a long life. You are going to die, but make of your time the best you can. Aim for stability, focus on freedom and philosophy ❤️

A two-thousand year old classic that continues to find new fans in the digital age, On the Shortness of Life is a Stoic Philosophy masterpiece and, perhaps, the first and greatest of self-help books. Packed with pithy timeless wisdom, SenecaÕs famous collection of letters to his father-in-law Paulinus is a short but powerful work, one of Western literatureÕs finest and most enduring answers to the eternal question, How should I best live my life?

On the Shortness of Life

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