Seneca the Younger Quotes on Death
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, commonly known as Seneca the Younger, was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist of the first century. This page collects quotes attributed to Seneca the Younger on the topic of death, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
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Attributed to Seneca the Younger:
“Our care should not be to have lived long, but to have lived enough.”
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“On him does death lie heavily, who, but too well known to all, dies to himself unknown.”
Thyestes | lines 401-403; ( Chorus ). -
“Alternate translation: Death weighs on him who is known to all, but dies unknown to himself. ( The Philisophical Life by James Miller).”
Thyestes -
“Most men ebb and flow in wretchedness between the fear of death and the hardships of life; they are unwilling to live, and yet they do not know how to die.”
Letter IV: On the terrors of death -
“Before I became old I tried to live well; now that I am old, I shall try to die well; but dying well means dying gladly.”
Letter LXI: On meeting death cheerfully | Line 2. -
“Great also are the souls of the defenders—men who know that, as long as the path to death lies open, the blockade is not complete, men who breathe their last in the arms of liberty.”
Letter LXVI: On Various Aspects of Virtue -
“What man can you show me who places any value on his time, who reckons the worth of each day, who understands that he is dying daily?”
Letter I: On Saving Time