Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.
Seneca The YoungerRead
For men in a state of freedom had thatch for their shelter, while slavery dwells beneath marble and gold.
Interpretation
True freedom is found in simplicity, while material wealth does not guarantee freedom.
In this quote, Seneca the Younger highlights the contrast between the superficial comforts of material wealth and the deeper value of freedom. He suggests that true liberty can be found in humble living, while a life of luxury under conditions of servitude is a life devoid of real autonomy. This reflects the Stoic philosophy that emphasizes virtue and wisdom over material possessions.
In practice
In a speech about the value of simplicity, one might say, 'As Seneca the Younger reminds us, true freedom is found in simplicity, while luxury may bind us.'
Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.
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.
Slavery takes hold of few, but many take hold of slavery.
To be able to endure odium is the first art to be learned by those who aspire to power.
Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.
Loyalty is the holiest good in the human heart.
Forgive, son; men are men; they needs must err.
Nip the shoots of arbitrary power in the bud, is the only maxim which can ever preserve the liberties of any people.
Liberty, taking the word in its concrete sense, consists in the ability to choose.
When I look back on what I did for the Left, I'm in a small way quite proud of some of it - I only wish I'd done more.
Mom said, "His spirit is there," and that made me really angry. I told her, "Dad didn't have a spirit! He had cells!" "His memory is there." "His memory is here," I said, pointing at my head. "Dad had a spirit," she said, like she was rewinding a bit in our conversation. I told her, "He had cells, and now they're on rooftops, and in the river, and in the lungs of millions of people around New York, who breathe him every time they speak!
People are looking for something a little more stable; people are feeling like they need to get closer to God.
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