Seneca Quotes

There has never been any great genius without a spice of madness.

No evil propensity of the human heart is so powerful that it may not be subdued by discipline.

The Best sign of Wisdom is the consistency between the words and deeds.

What's the good of dragging up sufferings which are over, of being unhappy now just because you were then.

He who is brave is free.

Let us train our minds to desire what the situation demands.

Injustice never rules forever.

Gold is tried by fire, brave men by adversity.

A good mind possesses a kingdom.

Philosophy does not regard pedigree, she received Plato not as a noble, but she made him one.

The worst thing about getting old is evil men cease to fear you

Whatever one of us blames in another, each one will find in his own heart.

Be not too hasty either with praise or blame; speak always as though you were giving evidence before the judgement-seat of the Gods.

If wisdom were offered me with the proviso that I should keep it shut up and refrain from declaring it, I should refuse. There's no delight in owning anything unshared.

It is the fault of youth that it cannot restrain its own impetuosity.

The rust of the mind is the destruction of genius.

Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.

The wish for healing has always been half of health.

No one can be happy who has been thrust outside the pale of truth. And there are two ways that one can be removed from this realm: by lying, or by being lied to.

If a man does not know to what port he is steering, no wind is favorable to him. Ignoranti quem portum petat, nullus suus ventus est.

I know that nothing comes to pass but what God appoints; our fate is decreed, and things do not happen by chance, but every man's portion of joy and sorrow is predetermined.

The mind is slow to unlearn what it learnt early.

It is not that we have so little time but that we lose so much. ... The life we receive is not short but we make it so; we are not ill provided but use what we have wastefully.

That loss is most discreditable which is caused by negligence.

You can tell the character of every man when you see how he receives praise.

It is the practice of the multitude to bark at eminent men, as little dogs do at strangers.

Human affairs are like a chess-game: only those who do not take it seriously can be called good players. Life is like an earthen pot: only when it is shattered, does it manifest its emptiness.

The velocity with which time flies is infinite, as is most apparent to those who look back.

True happiness is...to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.

While we are postponing, life speeds by.

Shall I tell you what the real evil is? To cringe to the things that are called evils, to surrender to them our freedom, in defiance of which we ought to face any suffering.

Let us be brave in the face of adversity.

To govern was to serve, not to rule.

A great mind becomes a great fortune.

Nothing is our except time.

Voyage, travel, and change of place impart vigor

Our fears are always more numerous than our dangers.

The worst evil of all is to leave the ranks of the living before one dies.

It is medicine, not scenery, for which a sick man must go searching.

The greatest hindrance to living is expectancy, which depends upon tomorrow and wastes today

It is the characteristic of a weak and diseased mind to fear the unfamiliar.

He who is penitent is almost innocent.

Life's like a play; it's not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters.

Laugh at your problems; everybody else does.

Time discovers truth. Time heals what reason cannot.

We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers.

No one can keep a mask on long.

All art is but imitation of nature.

To keep oneself safe does not mean to bury oneself.

A quarrel is quickly settled when deserted by one party; there is no battle unless there be two.