Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.
Seneca The YoungerRead
There are many things akin to highest deity that are still obscure. Some may be too subtle for our powers of comprehension, others imperceptible to us because such exalted majesty conceals itself in the holiest part of its sanctuary, forbidding access to any power save that of the spirit. How many heavenly bodies revolve unseen by human eye!
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the idea that there are many profound and divine elements in existence that remain beyond human understanding.
Seneca the Younger expresses the notion that while there is much about the divine and the universe that is known, there are also subtle and profound aspects that elude human understanding. The reference to 'heavenly bodies' indicates that many significant phenomena exist beyond our perception, and this speaks to the limitations of human comprehension in the face of the vastness and complexity of existence.
Themes
DivineUnderstandingPerceptionExistenceComprehension
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophy lecture discussing the limits of human knowledge.
More from Seneca The Younger
All quotes →No tree becomes rooted and sturdy unless many a wind assails it. For by its very tossing it tightens its grip and plants its roots more securely; the fragile trees are those that have grown in a sunny valley.
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Slavery takes hold of few, but many take hold of slavery.
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To be able to endure odium is the first art to be learned by those who aspire to power.
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Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.
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Loyalty is the holiest good in the human heart.
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