On the Shortness of Life, On Self-Control, and other Essays

by Seneca

As former tutor and adviser to Emperor Nero, philosopher and statesman Seneca was acutely aware of how short life can be - his own life was cut short when the emperor ordered him to commit suicide (for alleged involvement in a conspiracy). And Seneca proved true to his words - his lifelong avowal to Stoicism enabled him to conduct himself with dignity to the end.

During his rich and busy life, Seneca wrote a series of essays that have advised and enriched the lives of generations down to the present day. This collection contains five of the key essays - 'On the Shortness of Life', 'On the Happy Life', 'On the Tranquil Mind', 'On Providence' and 'On the Firmness of the Wise Person' - and they are replete with observations to remember.

'Those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear for the future have a life that is very brief and troubled,' Seneca warns.

'You have all the fears of mortals and all the desires of immortals.'

'As long as we wander at random, not following any guide except the shouts and discordant clamours of those who invite us to proceed in different directions, our short life will be wasted in useless roamings.'

Clarity, steadfastness and true enjoyment are his watchwords.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Audiobook

42 pages, Paperback

Published October 24, 2018

About the author

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (often known simply as Seneca or Seneca the Younger); ca. 4 BC – 65 AD) was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero, who later forced him to commit suicide for alleged complicity in the Pisonian conspiracy to have him assassinated.

Reviews

[Benjamin Lawrence Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel quite a pressure marvel and rave and be all like, “oh gollie” over this book. I feel like that quality comes along with readings these old philosophers.

You must love their works and revere them in order to sound intelligent.

Or maybe that’s just me.

Either way I honestly didn’t love this book. Save yourself some time and go read Ecclesiastes. Same vibe. Looks like Seneca didn’t sight his sources 👀

[Pardis TD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prefer the original version, but the English one isn't so bad after all: "Decrepit old
men beg in their prayers for the addition of a few more years; they pretend that they are younger than they are;
they comfort themselves with a falsehood, and are as pleased to deceive themselves as if they deceived Fate at
the same time. But when at last some infirmity has reminded them of their mortality, in what terror do they die,
feeling that they are being dragged out of life, and not merely leaving it. They cry out that they have been fools,
because they have not really lived, and that they will live henceforth in leisure if only they escape from this
illness; then at last they reflect how uselessly they have striven for things which they did not enjoy, and how all
their toil has gone for nothing."

[Juan Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read Seneca, a great moralist and supreme representative of Stoicism, you seem to be reading Jesus Christ or the Buddha. His moral teachings, his lack of interest in material things, the superiority of morally superior man are some of his main teachings.

Thank you Di Corletts for having recommended this book: "On the shortness of life, on the happy life and other essays". In fact, many of the teachings resemble Buddhism.

However, when I read something of Seneca's life, I saw that he was not as holy as he himself was proclaimed, so superior or so elevated. Is it because he had to be an advisor to the Roman emperor Nero, perhaps one of the worst emperors?

[TheTeapot · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great piece of stoic literature.

A recurrent criticism I have of classic philosophy is that the writing can be made harder to decipher simply because it was written in a different age, doubly so when describing lofty esoteric concepts.

Fortunately Seneca writes in a simple and straightforward manner, so much so that the bulk of his observations and instructions feel absolutely relevant to the present day (except for maybe the slave stuff).

Stoicism is above all a useful and practical philosophy, who better than Seneca to drive that point home.

[Toby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timeless wisdom, delivered in concise and easy to consume observations. Some dry humor in here as well. Remarkable how well this holds up. Comparable to the (also highly recommended) Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.

[Ant · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much of this is absolutely spot on. I spent enough time reading out passages to my partner to be even more annoying than usual. I find it quite striking that someone writing 2000 years ago describes people in a way that makes you think “Oh, yea, I know that person”. For me it highlights that the extent to which we’ve advanced intellectually is not matched by a similar advance in wisdom.

[Oscar Vel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend who dwells in my mind, the young Seneca.

[Ricardo Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buone basi stoiche, ma bisogna essere concentrati al 100%, altrimenti si può perdere facilmente il filo. 🧭😵📉