Quote Of The Day By Seneca: 'No Man Can Have A Peaceful Life Who Thinks...'

Seneca, whose full name was Lucius Annaeus Seneca, was one of the most important thinkers in Roman history. Born in Córdoba, Spain in 4 BCE, Seneca was the son of a well-known rhetoric teacher. He studied philosophy and oration and went on to pursue a political career. During that time, he was a tutor and speechwriter for Nero, who would go on to become emperor. Seneca left the world of politics in 62 BCE and created philosophical writings that would live on long after he was gone. An accusation, believed by some to be untrue, against Seneca resulted in an order for him to take his own life, which he did in 65 BCE.

Seneca believed in Stoicism. He advocated for humans to become in sync with the natural world. He urged others to focus on nature over trivial, man-made goals and wants. To him, not getting too wrapped up in worry or emotional ups and downs and instead treating each day as a new opportunity was the key to achieving peace. That's why Seneca's view on what may keep many of us from living a truly peaceful life is today's quote of the day.

Seneca once wrote, "No man can have a peaceful life who thinks too much about lengthening it, or believes that living through many consulships is a great blessing." Seneca shared these words in "On the terrors of death" from "Moral Letters to Lucilius" (also known as "Letters from a Stoic"), which he penned some time between 63 and 65 CE. This quote asserts that too much focus on our own mortality robs us of peace.

We all know that everyone's life will come to an end one day. This thought can be difficult to grapple with, and different people handle it in different ways. In Seneca's view, though, worrying about death or how to live longer will only steal your peace. Ruminating on trivial societal ideas like status or titles will likely do the same. Seneca said in his letter "On groundless fears" that "we suffer more often in imagination than in reality." To him, spending too much energy worrying about things that may never happen or things that are inevitable won't do us any good.

Avoiding getting overwhelmed by worry is easier said than done — especially today, as we have views of the horrors and depravity happening everywhere at our fingertips. With social media and how we get our news these days, it can be hard to separate ourselves from the frightening things going on in the world around us. Yet, we all strive for inner peace. Seneca's words can offer a welcome reminder to cut ourselves off from the thoughts that worry us that really have no attachment to the present. As they say, "we're all on a floating rock," and letting go of our hangups about the future, our mortality, and what may or may not happen is liberating and does us no harm.

• "Only my vices, and the outward aids to these vices, have reached senility; my mind is strong and rejoices that it has but slight connexion with the body. It has laid aside the greater part of its load."
• "He who has much desires more — a proof that he has not yet acquired enough; but he who has enough has attained that which never fell to the rich man's lot — a stopping-point.
• "All art is but imitation of nature."
• "Therefore, my dear Lucilius, begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life."
• "The mind must be exercised both day and night, for it is nourished by moderate [labor]; and this form of exercise need not be hampered by cold or hot weather, or even by old age."