Philosophy

On the Shortness of Life

On the Shortness of Life

  • Downloads：4542
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-14 13:54:39
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Seneca
  • ISBN：014101881X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

The Stoic writings of the philosopher Seneca offer powerful insights into the art of living， the importance of reason and morality， and continue to provide profound guidance to many through their eloquence， lucidity and timeless wisdom。

Throughout history， some books have changed the world。 They have transformed the way we see ourselves—and each other。 They have inspired debate， dissent， war and revolution。 They have enlightened， outraged， provoked and comforted。 They have enriched lives—and destroyed them。

Now， Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers， pioneers， radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization， and helped make us who we are。 Penguin's Great Ideas series features twelve groundbreaking works by some of history's most prodigious thinkers， and each volume is beautifully packaged with a unique type-drive design that highlights the bookmaker's art。 Offering great literature in great packages at great prices， this series is ideal for those readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped the world。

Download

Reviews

Frank Lawton ，

It makes a sound point and at times makes it well。 Unfortunately I gained very little from this read。 Perhaps it serves more as an introduction to the concept of using one's alloted time intelligently - a reminder of the shortness of life - rather than any particularly well constructed implication for action or model of values & realities。 To me the book seemed say little more than the following "life is short， look at all of you unaware idiots running around frantically and wasting your time， y It makes a sound point and at times makes it well。 Unfortunately I gained very little from this read。 Perhaps it serves more as an introduction to the concept of using one's alloted time intelligently - a reminder of the shortness of life - rather than any particularly well constructed implication for action or model of values & realities。 To me the book seemed say little more than the following "life is short， look at all of you unaware idiots running around frantically and wasting your time， you should do what I'm doing， it's the only valid use of time"。 Whilst I deeply agree that reflection and learning on the subjects Seneca's translator describes as "philosophy" is a constructive use of time， Seneca offered almost no clarity as to what activities he was really romanticising and what benefits they held beyond one's ideas carrying on for a long time。 My ratings BTW are not literary or conceptual critiques just how much I reckon I personally gained from the book。 A lot of the ideas in here are deeply true and eternally underheard it is a v good book。 。。。more

Naghma ，

'The life that we receive is not short， but we make it so， nor do we have any lack of it， but are wasteful of it。' 'The life that we receive is not short， but we make it so， nor do we have any lack of it， but are wasteful of it。' 。。。more

Leonardo Maia ，

One of those books to keep in the bookshelf to be re-read throughout life。 Timeless guidance to a more meaningful existence。 Especially relevant in an age of abundance of distractions。

Debashri ，

I may have missed the mark completely with this classic。 But here are my thoughts- Seneca’s view point for a “worthy” life reeks of privilege， arrogance and selfishness。 Any pursuit in life that doesn’t involve studying philosophy is deemed a waste of time。 Here’s a crazy thought- an old Roman philosopher may not actually know what the best way to live your life is。 Throughout the two essays， it was hard to find any nuggets of wisdom that would still be applicable today。 Also， it felt very long I may have missed the mark completely with this classic。 But here are my thoughts- Seneca’s view point for a “worthy” life reeks of privilege， arrogance and selfishness。 Any pursuit in life that doesn’t involve studying philosophy is deemed a waste of time。 Here’s a crazy thought- an old Roman philosopher may not actually know what the best way to live your life is。 Throughout the two essays， it was hard to find any nuggets of wisdom that would still be applicable today。 Also， it felt very long and repetitive。 And that’s rich for a book with less than 150 pages。 。。。more

Adove ，

I read the two pdf version。 Since whenever one lacked other supplemented。 I think this should be a must read， even if you read the first three paragraphs， you will get 80% of the gist。 The other half are like body of the essay with more examples。

Wander Wall ，

I can't wait to read more from you！ If you have some great pieces like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top I can't wait to read more from you！ If you have some great pieces like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top 。。。more

Lalit Mohan ，

Do apes live long or exist for long？ What is it to live？ If society is a drain， does being on top of the whirlpool for most time constitute to a well lived life？ Should one be full of themselves to call their life full？ I think no amount of philosophy will ever level the human nature with possible human experiences。 So just choose whatever you like and stick by it。 Just like Seneca。

Oliver Bateman ，

I've read a lot of Seneca lately， such as that corpus is， so let me get right to the pro and contra。Contra（a） Seneca is extremely repetitive - the same concepts about preparing for sudden downturns and maintaining an "even mind" recur throughout these three pieces and his other letters。 （b） Seneca is given to turns of phrase that， even in translation， read like a collection of epigrams or bons mots that have swelled into larger works。（c） Seneca was a really rich guy， something of a political sch I've read a lot of Seneca lately， such as that corpus is， so let me get right to the pro and contra。Contra（a） Seneca is extremely repetitive - the same concepts about preparing for sudden downturns and maintaining an "even mind" recur throughout these three pieces and his other letters。 （b） Seneca is given to turns of phrase that， even in translation， read like a collection of epigrams or bons mots that have swelled into larger works。（c） Seneca was a really rich guy， something of a political schemer， etc。 And in "Helvia" he's consoling his mother about his *own* exile！ How about that？ Procounter to （a） - Seneca understands the work of repetition。 Also， the topics here are fairly distinct， dealing， respectively， with the inevitability of death， coping with loss （Seneca's thoughts on women's reading and women's studies are vaguely - vaguely！ - "progressive" in some sense of that term）， and dealing with a downturn in one's fortunes （and thus the need to maintain a "tranquil mind"）。（b） These repetitive epigrams ensure that you don't forget his main points， and since the number of main points anyone can keep "ready at hand" at any given time is quite low， this is a wise move， rhetorically speaking， if the reader or listener is to "know Seneca" （meaning said person "knows some of the claims of Seneca，" at best）。（c） Seneca was rich and a political animal， to be sure， but he's aware of all that。 He was by all accounts a decent steward in Nero's early days， and when it became clear that Nero needed to go， he likely threw in his lot with that group。 And when it was time for him to put all this "preparation for the end" / "your spirit isn't yours" work into practice， he did so。 As with my own father， whose rotten life was somewhat redeemed by his impressive stoicism while choosing a natural death at home， Seneca's decision to end his own life "operationalized" his philosophy。 Hardly the stuff of Jesus or Socrates， but far less whiny than Boethius pissing and moaning about fortune while doing the work of theodicy。 。。。more

Vladimiro Sousa ，

Read this book as part of "The ultimate stoicism collection" - "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius，"On the shortness of life" by Seneca and "Enchiridion" by Epictetus。Three nice books。 Lots of things to think about it。 Amazing how the knowledge a Continent possessed in every field is no guarantee of a future without darkness。 No matter how wise the powerful are， and even how technological sophisticated we are， if we do not all stand together， if we leave some behind on the account of the success we Read this book as part of "The ultimate stoicism collection" - "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius，"On the shortness of life" by Seneca and "Enchiridion" by Epictetus。Three nice books。 Lots of things to think about it。 Amazing how the knowledge a Continent possessed in every field is no guarantee of a future without darkness。 No matter how wise the powerful are， and even how technological sophisticated we are， if we do not all stand together， if we leave some behind on the account of the success we want to appear or the work we don’t want to have， if we fail to recognize our own shortness and prejudice， if we look good for the sake of looking good， if we are not able of “everyday simple acts of kindness and love”， if we won’t do good， then we are only as strong as our week are and “darkness is always at bay”。“Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check， but that is not what I have found。 I have found it is the small things， everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay。。。 simple acts of kindness and love。“ （Gandalf） 。。。more

Daniil Lanovyi ，

Stoic philosophy at its unachievable best。

Lei ，

The shortest book ever， only makes the impact even more concentrated。 I feel more kinship to this ancient flawed philosopher than to any contemporary author， thanks to the translator a great deal no doubt。 I bought the penguin version paperback。 It’s such a little gem to be held in hand。

Iida-Maija ，

"Olen kuunnellut kun lohdutat toisia。 Silloin vasta näkisin， mikä olet miehiäsi， jos joutuisit lohduttamaan itseäsi， kieltämään itseäsi suremasta。"Elämän lyhyydestä -teos sisältää selfhelp-mestari Senecan tärkeimmät elämän luonnetta pohdiskelevat esseet Elämän lyhyydestä， Joutilaisuudesta ja Johdatuksesta kätevästi yksissä kansissa。 Kirjoitukset on taidokkaasti ja luontevasti suomentanut Juhana Torkki， ja suomennoksesta välittyy Senecan kielen lennokkuus - lähes jokainen lause on kiinnostava lai "Olen kuunnellut kun lohdutat toisia。 Silloin vasta näkisin， mikä olet miehiäsi， jos joutuisit lohduttamaan itseäsi， kieltämään itseäsi suremasta。"Elämän lyhyydestä -teos sisältää selfhelp-mestari Senecan tärkeimmät elämän luonnetta pohdiskelevat esseet Elämän lyhyydestä， Joutilaisuudesta ja Johdatuksesta kätevästi yksissä kansissa。 Kirjoitukset on taidokkaasti ja luontevasti suomentanut Juhana Torkki， ja suomennoksesta välittyy Senecan kielen lennokkuus - lähes jokainen lause on kiinnostava lainaus tai mietelause itsessään。 Torkki on kirjoittanut kirjaan myös hyvin kontekstia tarjoavan esipuheen， joka syventää varmasti monen lukijan näkemystä kirjoituksista。 。。。more

TrZaLu ，

this book is absolutely amazing

Pollyanna Steiner ，

One of my favourite reads of 2020。Ancient philosophy akin to modern daoism。LOVE SENECA and the Stoics in general。As an aspiring Buddhist and minimalist this book resonated deeply。

George Rolls ，

Seneca once again proving himself as my favourite of the Stoic writers。 He's more accessible than Epictetus and makes more sense than reading Marcus Aurelias's diary。I'll write a full review for my website later。。。 Seneca once again proving himself as my favourite of the Stoic writers。 He's more accessible than Epictetus and makes more sense than reading Marcus Aurelias's diary。I'll write a full review for my website later。。。 。。。more

Jen du Châtelet ，

It is unfair to put him on a pedestal since I know not much of his history as a person， although I concur with a portion of his insights about the expenditure of one’s life and only that。Although these are a few favorite picks of mine from the book:“It is not that we have a short time to live， but that we waste a lot of it。 Life is long enough， and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested。 But when it is wasted in heedless luxu It is unfair to put him on a pedestal since I know not much of his history as a person， although I concur with a portion of his insights about the expenditure of one’s life and only that。Although these are a few favorite picks of mine from the book:“It is not that we have a short time to live， but that we waste a lot of it。 Life is long enough， and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested。 But when it is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on no good activity， we are forced at last by death's final constraint to realize that it has passed away before we knew it was passing。 So it is: we are not given a short life but we make it short， and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it。”“It is a small part of life we really live。 Indeed， all the rest is not life but merely time。”“You will realize that you are dying prematurely。” —> pertaining to unduly wasting one’s life。 “So what is the reason for this？ You are living as if destined to live for ever; your own frailty never occurs to you; you don't notice how much time has already passed， but squander it as though you had a full and overflowing supply - though all the while that very day which you are devoting to somebody or something may be your last。”“You act like mortals in all that you fear， and like immortals in all that you desire。” damn “How stupid to forget our mortality， and put off sensible plans to our fiftieth and sixtieth years， aiming to begin life from a point at which few have arrived！”“Believe me， it is the sign of a great man， and one who is above human error， not to allow his time to be frittered away: he has the longest possible life simply because whatever time was available he devoted entirely to himself。 None of it lay fallow and neglected， none of it under another's control; for being an extremely thrifty guardian of his time he never found anything for which it was worth exchanging。” 。。。more

Amitoj Singh ，

So basically this guy wants you to have intercourse ONLY for the purpose of reproduction and NOT for the pleasure。 But then he hits you with that YOLO and claims that its ok to let loose sometimes。

Ben ，

Audiobook

Gabriel Soares ，

*3，5⭐Sobre a Brevidade da Vida- 5⭐ & FavoritadoSobre a Firmeza do Sábio- 2⭐ & Decepcionado （dei meia estrela de favor nesse）

JL ，

My favorite thing here was how relevant just about everything seemed。 Reminded me that （social） progress is an illusion。

Andrew ，

Wonderfully quotable！

Shannon T。 ，

I struggle with old school philosophy like this because I can just smell the privilege coming from the writer。 I wonder what genuine worldly experience and poverty could make them feel confident in lecturing the best way to live life for any social group。 I agreed with some of his argument， but not with other parts， and I'm happy to pick and choose what suits my personal philosophy。 I struggle with old school philosophy like this because I can just smell the privilege coming from the writer。 I wonder what genuine worldly experience and poverty could make them feel confident in lecturing the best way to live life for any social group。 I agreed with some of his argument， but not with other parts， and I'm happy to pick and choose what suits my personal philosophy。 。。。more

Els Lens ，

Dit is een dun， zeer toegankelijk boekje。Toch een beetje té vereenvoudigd。 Ik kan me voorstellen dat de echte teksten van Seneca wel wat moeilijker zijn。 Op de achterflap staat: "Wie dit boekje leest heeft geen cursus timemanagement meer nodig。" Nou！Het komt er op neer dat Seneca zegt dat ons leven helemaal niet te kort is， maar dat we ons met te veel nutteloze dingen bezig houden。 We moeten meer in het "hier en nu" leven。Niets nieuws dus。 Ik ben het daar trouwens niet mee eens。 Alleen maar voor Dit is een dun， zeer toegankelijk boekje。Toch een beetje té vereenvoudigd。 Ik kan me voorstellen dat de echte teksten van Seneca wel wat moeilijker zijn。 Op de achterflap staat: "Wie dit boekje leest heeft geen cursus timemanagement meer nodig。" Nou！Het komt er op neer dat Seneca zegt dat ons leven helemaal niet te kort is， maar dat we ons met te veel nutteloze dingen bezig houden。 We moeten meer in het "hier en nu" leven。Niets nieuws dus。 Ik ben het daar trouwens niet mee eens。 Alleen maar voor het "hier en nu" leven， dat is leven zoals de dieren， toch？ Het is juist een essentieel gegeven van het mens-zijn dat we onze herinneringen hebben en een toekomstbeeld。 Waar hij wél gelijk in heeft， is dat we ons niet zo moeten uitsloven om iets te bereiken， want de toekomst is onzeker。 Je kan altijd vroegtijdig dood vallen en dan heb je al die moeite voor niks gedaan。 De Romeinen geloofden niet in een leven na de dood。 Seneca had ook geen angst voor de dood。 Na je dood ben je gewoon opnieuw in de toestand zoals voor je geboorte。 。。。more

Library of ，

A timeless classic - will likely re-read continously for the rest of my life。 Below are my notes/summary， can also be found here: https://libraryof。xyz/portfolio/on-th。。。”De Brevitate Viate” （the original title） was written by Seneca the Younger， a Roman Stoic philosopher， about 50 years after Christ was born。 The book is about stoic principles about the nature of time and man’s waste of his life。 The thesis is that nature has given us long enough time to live， but that most of us do not know ho A timeless classic - will likely re-read continously for the rest of my life。 Below are my notes/summary， can also be found here: https://libraryof。xyz/portfolio/on-th。。。”De Brevitate Viate” （the original title） was written by Seneca the Younger， a Roman Stoic philosopher， about 50 years after Christ was born。 The book is about stoic principles about the nature of time and man’s waste of his life。 The thesis is that nature has given us long enough time to live， but that most of us do not know how to live。 Although the book is almost 2，000 years old， it is still very current。LIFE IS LONG ENOUGH。 Seneca believes that many live as if they will live forever。 That many let life flow without caring much about what does， and does not， make them happy。 They waste time as if time were infinite。 In addition， they hold tight to their property， but are unreasonably generous with their time – even though the latter is in many ways the most valuable thing they have。 Seneca believes that it is only a short time of our lives we live – the rest of the time is not life， it is just time。”But life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past， neglect the present， and fear the future。 When they come to the end of it， the poor wretches realize too late that for all this time they have been preoccupied in doing nothing。”DO NOT HOLD BACK。 As if the waste of time were not enough， Seneca believes that many behave as mortals when it comes to what they consider important in life。 Many holds back， comes up with excuses and takes no risks。 Many people go and think “when I’m 50 I should do x”。 We behave as mortals in everything we are afraid of， and as immortals in everything we desire。 We do not live as we want， we live as we have ever begun。 Then we contend ourselves and park comfortably on the curve of life。DO NOT POSTPONE LIFE。 Seneca believes that many people live too much in the future。 They sacrifice everything of the present to improve the future – a future that is far from guaranteed。 He writes “putting things off is the biggest waste of life: it snatches away each day as it comes and denies us the present by promising the future”。 Instead， time is best used by living in the present in the pursuit of the purposeful and purposeful life。 The braver you are， the happier you become。PLAN FOR A STORM。 Seneca writes “A great number of people plan a sea voyage with no thought of a storm”。 We do not want to be the one who， when a serious illness strikes us， suddenly comes to our mortality。 We must be prepared for a storm to come – the question is not if， the question is when。DO A LIFE AUDIT。 Everyone should specify how much of their lives they have spent on work， family， social contexts， as happy， as worried or in laziness。 After all this – how much time was actually left for ourselves？ Often only a few leftover crumbs remained。 Seneca believes that just because a man has white hair， he does not have to have lived long， he has often only existed for a long time。 His only proof of a long life is his age。WE CAN CHOOSE WHOSE CHILD WE ARE。 We cannot choose our parents， but we can choose whose children we want to be。 By studying the great thinkers of world history， we can get to know them and become friends with them。 They will never be too busy to meet us and will make us happier and wiser。 By choosing to be adopted by them， we will not only inherit their name but also their property。 Not only do we live our own lives， but we can also add to the years that passed before we were born。“If you apply yourself to study you will avoid all boredom with life， you will not long for night because you are sick of daylight， you will be neither a burden to yourself nor useless to others， you will attract many to become your friends and the fines people will flock about you。”FOCUS & REST。 He who is constantly busy and distracted does not absorb new knowledge。 On the contrary， the mind pushes away what is being pushed in。 We must have a clear goal picture of what we want to achieve and then focus on working towards it – with aggressively minimizing the distractions that try to take our time。 But in addition to focus， rest is important。 Our mind is like a fertile farmland – uninterrupted effort will deplete it。LONELINESS & TOGETHERNESS。 Seneca believes that we must vary solitude in dealing with people。 One makes us long for people and the other makes us long for ourselves， one is a cure for the other; loneliness cures our distaste for the crowd， and the crowd cures the boredom of loneliness。 。。。more

Brimstone ，

A timeless masterpiece！

Philip ，

This is ‘not giving a f**k’ taken to the next level。 Makes me want to get rid of everything I ever owned and loved and just be me。 Of course I won’t， but worrying less and enjoying the leisure I have in life is still going to affect my life positively。 I feel like I just bought myself more time by reading this book。Oh， and it’s very quotable。

ken ，

reading this a year into a pandemic seems designed to touch on raw nerves and exacerbate the feeling of youth passing one by， but in fact it's quite the opposite。 it vindicates me in a way， that I don't think i would spend the past year any differently。 sure， i miss the ability to go anywhere i wanted with little fear of getting sick， but the core aspects of my self， my reading， my art， remain unchanged。 ever present， regardless of the pandemic or not。what left me emotional in reading this text reading this a year into a pandemic seems designed to touch on raw nerves and exacerbate the feeling of youth passing one by， but in fact it's quite the opposite。 it vindicates me in a way， that I don't think i would spend the past year any differently。 sure， i miss the ability to go anywhere i wanted with little fear of getting sick， but the core aspects of my self， my reading， my art， remain unchanged。 ever present， regardless of the pandemic or not。what left me emotional in reading this text is Seneca's passage on the provenance and genealogy of wisdom。 there is nothing quite like being touched by all those that came before me:Of all people， they alone who give their time to philosophy are at leisure， they alone really live。 For it's not just their own lifetime that they watch over carefully， but they annex every age to their own; all the years that have gone before are added to their own。 Unless we prove most ungrateful， those most distinguished founders of hallowed thoughts came into being for us， and for us they prepared a way of living。 We are led by the work of others into the presence of the most beautiful treasures， which have been pulled from darkness and brought to light。 From no age are we barred， we have access to all; and if we want to transcend the narrow limitations of human weakness by our expansiveness of mind， there is a great span of time for us to range over。 We can debate with Socrates， entertain doubt with Carneades， be at peace with Epicurus， overcome human nature with the Stoics， and go beyond it with the Cynics。 Since nature allows us shared possession of any age， why not turn from this short and fleeting passage of time and give ourselves over completely to the past， which is measureless and eternal and shared with our betters？ 。。。more

An Idler ，

A short reflection on the brevity of life。 Generally， Seneca argues that life is sufficiently long but people waste their time on public service， social ladder climbing， empty pleasures， etc。 Life would be long enough if you employed your time well， which Seneca eventually clarifies as pursuing philosophy。You have to keep the context of his original audience in mind， but there's universal wisdom here。 A short reflection on the brevity of life。 Generally， Seneca argues that life is sufficiently long but people waste their time on public service， social ladder climbing， empty pleasures， etc。 Life would be long enough if you employed your time well， which Seneca eventually clarifies as pursuing philosophy。You have to keep the context of his original audience in mind， but there's universal wisdom here。 。。。more

Mohammad ，

اگر به تاریخ کتاب نگاه کنی فکر میکنی که انقدر انسان دو سه هزاره‌ی پیش متفاوت از انسان امروزی بوده که تقرییا باید یک گونه‌ی دیگه حسابش کرد。 ولی وقتی شروع به خوندن کتاب میکنی و میبینی که فرقی نمیکنه که انسان توی چه هزاره‌ای متولد بشه ولی همیشه مشکلات وجودی یکسانی ذهنش رو درگیر میکنه。 شاید مهم ترینش، زندگی کردن به بیشرین شدت و اندازه‌ی ممکن باشه。 ممکنه دو نفر با سنی همانند، شمار روزهای متفاوتی رو زندگی کرده باشند

Ian Tamawidjaja ，

What a long letter it is， although it is long it is a relatively short book。 I would say some of the part in this letter bores me， it does have some profound saying and especially in the consolation to Seneca’s mother。 In it’s essence the message here is not to waste one’s time with useless things and let go yourself from too much material goods which I agree off， or agree mostly。 I find it hard to read maybe because of the different context between now and ancient Rome， but it is a pretty good What a long letter it is， although it is long it is a relatively short book。 I would say some of the part in this letter bores me， it does have some profound saying and especially in the consolation to Seneca’s mother。 In it’s essence the message here is not to waste one’s time with useless things and let go yourself from too much material goods which I agree off， or agree mostly。 I find it hard to read maybe because of the different context between now and ancient Rome， but it is a pretty good read nontheless。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=On the Shortness of Life

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=On the Shortness of Life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,On the Shortness of Life&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0