Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war.
Lucius Annaeus SenecaRead
It is the superfluous things for which men sweat, - superfluous things that wear our togas theadbare, that force us to grow old in camp, that dash us upon foreign shores.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the futility of striving for unnecessary possessions that ultimately lead to suffering and instability.
Seneca's quote reflects on the human tendency to pursue superfluous things, or excessive desires, which distract us from more meaningful pursuits. He suggests that this relentless chase can lead to spiritual and physical exhaustion, causing us to wear ourselves thin, lose our way, and ultimately forget what truly matters in life.
Themes
SuperfluousDesiresFutilityWisdomMeaning
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared during a discussion on minimalism and the impact of consumerism on our lives.
More from Lucius Annaeus Seneca
All quotes →Everything is the product of one universal creative effort. There is nothing dead in Nature. Everything is organic and living, and therefore the whole world appears to be a living organism.
Lucius Annaeus SenecaRead
The things hardest to bear are sweetest to remember.
Lucius Annaeus SenecaRead
A kingdom founded on injustice never lasts.
Lucius Annaeus SenecaRead
True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.
Lucius Annaeus SenecaRead
A well governed appetite is the greater part of liberty.
Lucius Annaeus SenecaRead
Similar quotes
When there’s something in the Word of God that I don’t like, the problem is not with the Word of God, it’s with me.
R. C. SproulRead
I surrendered my beliefs and found myself at the tree of life injecting my story into the veins of leaves only to find that stories like forests are subject to seasons
Saul WilliamsRead
All that I would like to be is human, having a share_x000D_ in a civilized, articulate and well-adjusted_x000D_ community where the mind is given its due_x000D_ but the body is not distrusted
Louis MacneiceRead
Laughter on American television has taken the place of the chorus in Greek tragedy. In other countries, the business of laughing is left to the viewers. Here, their laughter is put on the screen, integrated into the show. It is the screen that is laughing and having a good time. You are simply left alone with your consternation.
Jean BaudrillardRead
I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life. We cannot support any act of killing; no killing can be justified. But not to kill is not enough ... If in your thinking you allow the killing to go on, you also break this precept. We must be determined not to condone killing, even in our minds.
Nhat HanhRead
Last year, Americans spent $450 billion on Christmas. Clean water for the whole world, including every poor person on the planet would cost about $20 billion. Let's just call that what it is: A material blasphemy of the Christmas season.
Jim WallisRead