On the Shortness of Life, Seneca
On the Shortness of Life, Seneca
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On the Shortness of Life

Author: Seneca

Narrator: Madison Neiderhauser

Unabridged: 1 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/03/2020


Synopsis

On the Shortness of Life is a moral essay written by Seneca the Younger, a Roman Stoic philosopher, sometime around the year 49 AD, to his father-in-law Paulinus. The philosopher brings up many Stoic principles on the nature of time, namely that people waste much of it in meaningless pursuits. According to the essay, nature gives people enough time to do what is really important and the individual must allot it properly. In general, time is best used by living in the present moment in pursuit of the intentional, purposeful life.

About Seneca

Seneca (c. 4 BC-65 AD) was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist. As a writer Seneca is known for his philosophical works, and for his plays, which are all tragedies.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Glenn on December 02, 2024

The great Roman philosopher, statesman, dramatist Seneca (BC 4 – AD 64) wrote many letters encouraging friends to apply themselves to the task of living a free, wise, tranquil and joyful life. On the Shortness of Life is one of my personal favorites since Seneca, ever the true eclectic, brilliantly......more

Goodreads review by Bill on July 06, 2019

Now that I've read a few philosophical essays by Seneca the Younger, I am inclined to believe every bad thing I have ever heard about him. Before this, I've cut him some slack. Sure, he—along with his cronies, one of whom was Burrus, prefect of the Praetorian Guard—ruled Rome during his pupil Nero's......more

Goodreads review by Samra on October 21, 2018

"Can anything be more idiotic than certain people who boast of their foresight? They keep themselves officiously preoccupied in order to improve their lives; they spend their lives in organizing their lives. They direct their purposes with an eye to a distant future. But putting things off is the bi......more

Goodreads review by Abubakar on November 08, 2015

This is an excellent philosophical essay written by Seneca, one of the most significant Roman philosophers and one whom we might call the father of Stoicism. The problem is simple, we are never content and happy with our lives and at the end we think it was too short. The solution is even simpler; w......more

Goodreads review by Mark on April 03, 2022

I am writing this review as a layperson, Philosophy isn’t my area of expertise and my level of knowledge is limited at best. I ended up here, as I’ve been researching Rome for an upcoming holiday. I’ve taken an interest in that crazy gang of early Roman Emperors from Augustus to Nero (i.e. the Julio......more