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
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.
In practice
This quote could be shared during a discussion on minimalism and the impact of consumerism on our lives.
Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war.
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.
The things hardest to bear are sweetest to remember.
A kingdom founded on injustice never lasts.
True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.
A well governed appetite is the greater part of liberty.
The Experience of Sacred Space makes possible the founding of the world: where the sacred Manifests itself in space, the real unveils itself, the world comes into existence.
Growing up on our estate, we were all different colours, but we were all really poor. I never really realised that black was a problem for some people.
And when man faces destiny, destiny ends and man comes into his own.
Against the suffering which may come upon one from human relationships the readiest safeguard is voluntary isolation, keeping oneself aloof from other people. The happiness which can be achieved along this path is, as we see, the happiness of quietness. Against the dreaded external world one can only defend oneself by some kind of turning away from it, if one intends to solve the task by oneself.
My destination is no longer a place, rather a new way of seeing.
Obviously a primary liberal conviction is that we should be tolerant of other peoples' convictions. But if we believe in something, we had better find ways to say so convincingly.
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