Seneca

Stoic philosopher

Ancient influential 89 sayings

Sayings by Seneca

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 104, Section 26
Strange & Unusual Confirmed

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 30, Section 11
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

To be everywhere is to be nowhere.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 2, Section 2
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius) (general sentiment, often attributed as a …
Strange & Unusual Confirmed

We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 13, Section 4
Strange & Unusual Confirmed

As long as you live, keep learning how to live.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 76, Section 3
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius) (general sentiment, not a direct quote but…
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 9, Section 16
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Every man is the architect of his own fortune.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 110, Section 10
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 66, Section 28
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 71, Section 3
Strange & Unusual Confirmed

The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 101, Section 10
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.

c. 65 AD — De Providentia (On Providence), Chapter 4, Section 11
Strange & Unusual Confirmed

Until we have begun to live, we have nothing to do but prepare to live.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 12, Section 5
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 90, Section 34
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

He who is brave is free.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 46, Section 3
Strange & Unusual Confirmed

It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 2, Section 6
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

To be feared is to fear: no one has been able to strike terror into others and at the same time enjoy peace of mind.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 105, Section 7
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Ignorance is the cause of fear.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 38, Section 4
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

There are more things likely to frighten us than there are to harm us; we suffer more often in imagination than in reality.

c. 65 AD — Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter 13, Section 4
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable