Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.
Seneca The YoungerRead
The man who spends his time choosing one resort after another in a hunt for peace and quiet will in every place he visits find something to prevent him from relaxing.
Interpretation
True peace comes from within, not from external circumstances or locations.
Seneca highlights the futility of seeking peace and tranquility through external changes and locations, suggesting that it is an internal state that must be cultivated regardless of one's surroundings. The constant searching for the perfect place to relax can lead to disappointment, as external factors will always pose distractions if one does not find inner serenity.
In practice
During a meditation retreat, I shared the quote to emphasize the importance of finding internal calm.
Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.
No tree becomes rooted and sturdy unless many a wind assails it. For by its very tossing it tightens its grip and plants its roots more securely; the fragile trees are those that have grown in a sunny valley.
Slavery takes hold of few, but many take hold of slavery.
To be able to endure odium is the first art to be learned by those who aspire to power.
Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.
Loyalty is the holiest good in the human heart.
Insomnia is an all-night travel agency with posters advertising faraway places.
It is harder to preserve than to obtain liberty.
Europe and the world are waiting for us to defend the spirit of the enlightenment everywhere.
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.
I think most of us are outsiders. And I think that's good because it makes you question things.
A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.
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