Everlasting misfortune does have one blessing, that it ends up by toughening those whom it constantly afflicts - Seneca

• We are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it.
• You think you can retire when you’re old? But who says you’ll live up to then? Aren’t you ashamed to keep only a few years of your life to yourself, and to dedicate most of it to others?
• Your life could last a thousand years, it will still be short if you waste it. Partying, wars, all of these activities are a waste of time.
• You will find no one willing to share his money, but to how many does each of us divide up his life! People are frugal in guarding their personal property, but as soon as it comes to squandering time they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy.
• Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.
• Life will inevitably be not just very short but very miserable for those who acquire by great toil what they must keep by greater toil.

• Truly, I believe, Curius Dentatus used to say that he preferred real death to living death, for the ultimate horror is to leave the number of the living before you die.
• So we should make light of all things and endure them with tolerance: it is more civilized to make fun of life than to bewail it.
• The mind should not be kept continuously at the same pitch of concentration, but given amusing diversions.
• Bias always affects our judgment.
• There are those too who suffer not from moral steadfastness but from inertia, and so lack the fickleness to live as they wish, and just live as they have begun.
• We must realize that our difficulty is not the fault of the places but of ourselves. We are weak in enduring anything, and cannot put up with toil or pleasure or ourselves or anything for long.

• Often a very old man has no other proof of his long life than his age.
• In any situation in life, you will find delights, relaxation and pleasures if you are prepared to make light of your troubles and not let them distress you.
• So you have to get used to your circumstances, complain about them as little as possible, and grasp whatever advantage they have to offer: no condition is so bitter that a stable mind cannot find some consolation in it.
• Think your way through difficulties: harsh conditions can be softened, restricted ones can be widened, and heavy ones can weigh less on those who know how to bear them.
• The next thing to ensure is that we do not waste our energies pointlessly or in pointless activities: that is, not too long either for what we cannot achieve or for what, once gained, only makes us realize too late and after much exertion the futility of our desires.

• Life is divided into three periods: past, present and future. Of these, the present is short, the future is doubtful, and the past is certain.
• Some men are preoccupied even in their leisure: in their country house, on their couch, amid solitude, even when quite alone, they are their own worst company. You could not call theirs a life of leisure, but an idle preoccupation.
• Everyone hustles his life along and is troubled by a longing for the future and weariness of the present. But the man who spends all his time on his own needs, who organizes every day as though it were his last, neither longs for nor fears the next day.
• You must not think a man has lived long because he has white hair and wrinkles: he has not lived long, just existed long.
• Each of us could have the tally of his future years set before him, as we can of our past years, how alarmed would be those who saw only a few years ahead, and how carefully would they use them!
• You will hear many people saying: ‘When I am fifty I shall retire into leisure, when I am sixty I shall give up public duties. And what guarantee do you have of a longer life? Who will allow your course to proceed as you arrange it? Aren’t you ashamed to keep for yourself just the remnants of your life, and to devote to wisdom only that time which cannot be spent on any business? How late it is to begin really to live just when life must end! How stupid to forget our mortality, and put off sensible plans to our fiftieth and sixtieth years, aiming to begin life from a point at which few have arrived!

• In this kind of life, you will find much that is worth your study: the love and practice of the virtues, forgetfulness of the passions, the knowledge of how to live and die, and a life of deep tranquillity.
• Everlasting misfortune does have one blessing, that it ends up toughening those whom it constantly afflicts.
• I’m afraid that habit, which induces firmness in things, may drive this fault more deeply into me: long association brings a love of evil as well as good.
• Let no one rob me of a single day who is not going to make me an adequate return for such a loss.
• ‘What can happen to one can happen to all.’ If you let this idea sink into your vitals, and regard all the ills of other people (of which every day shows an enormous supply) as having a clear path to you too, you will be armed long before you are attacked.

• What is the point of having countless books and libraries whose titles the owner could scarcely read through in his whole lifetime? The mass of books burdens the student without instructing him, and it is far better to devote yourself to a few authors than to get lost among many.
• Living isn’t easy. It takes a whole life to learn how to live. The wisest among us refused riches, power, and wars and dedicated their lives to learning how to live.
• The man who takes care of his needs and lives every day as if this was his last day has no regrets.
• Men may live to be old but may not live at all. Do not be distracted by pointless actions, jobs, thoughts, people, etc. Live passionately and you will live a long life no matter how young you die
• You must especially avoid those who are gloomy and always lamenting, and who grasp at every pretext for complaint. Though a man’s loyalty and kindness may not be in doubt, a companion who is agitated and groaning about everything is an enemy to peace of mind.
  ‍

            Seneca's message is clear: fear of death is common, but life can be rich if used wisely. He warns against procrastination, which steals the present by fixating on the future. By embracing the present, finding joy in challenges, and letting go of past regrets and future worries, we can lead a meaningful and fulfilling life, regardless of its length.
‍

Reasons to read it:

• Seneca's insights about the brevity of life and the importance of living in the present are still relevant and thought-provoking today. Worth rereading.
• The essay offers a fresh perspective on how to approach life, encouraging readers to let go of worries and make the most of each moment.
  ‍

Reasons to skip it:

• If you're looking for entertainment or light reading, the philosophical nature of the essay might not align with your current preferences.