Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.
Seneca The YoungerRead
That which is given with pride and ostentation is rather an ambition than a bounty.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Generosity should come from humility, not the desire for recognition or status.
This quote by Seneca emphasizes that true generosity is characterized by sincerity and humility, rather than a desire for praise or to elevate one's social standing. When one gives to show off or to gain approval, it reflects a sense of ambition rather than genuine kindness, suggesting that the motivation behind the act of giving is as important as the act itself.
Themes
GenerosityHumilityGivingPrideService
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a charity event to remind volunteers of the true essence of giving.
More from Seneca The Younger
All quotes βNo 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.
Seneca The YoungerRead
Slavery takes hold of few, but many take hold of slavery.
Seneca The YoungerRead
To be able to endure odium is the first art to be learned by those who aspire to power.
Seneca The YoungerRead
Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.
Seneca The YoungerRead
Loyalty is the holiest good in the human heart.
Seneca The YoungerRead
Similar quotes
It is better to discuss things, to argue and engage in polemics than make perfidious plans of mutual destruction.
Mikhail GorbachevRead
I preach there are all kinds of truth, your truth and somebody else's. But behind all of them there is only one truth and that is that there's no truth.
Flannery O'ConnorRead
The people that once bestowed commands, consulships, legions, and all else, now concerns itself no more, and longs eagerly for just two things: bread and circuses!
JuvenalRead
All animals communicate. What's special about gossip is that it's not about the here and now. You don't gossip about lions. You don't gossip about clouds. You only gossip about other people. And once you do, you can keep track of many more people - this is the basis for forming larger communities.
Yuval Noah HarariRead
Even nothing cannot last forever.
Neil GaimanRead
The value comes from what is there, but the use comes from what is not there.
LaoziRead