Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Tuesday talks: Seneca

As is usual in the house, there is an after-dinner talk given by an expert on Tuesday night. This term, the first one is by a classicist, on the life of philosopher Seneca the Younger. We enjoyed reading the Stoic's quotes. Here are some of them:

A man's as miserable as he thinks he is.

A man who suffers before it is necessary, suffers more than is necessary.

As long as you live, keep learning how to live.

As was his language so was his life.

He that does good to another does good also to himself.

I don't consider myself bald, I'm just taller than my hair.

I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good.

It is better, of course, to know useless things than to know nothing.

It is pleasant at times to play the madman.

Life, if well lived, is long enough.

The deferring of anger is the best antidote to anger.

We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers.

3 comments:

  1. "As is usual in the house"

    What is the house. The University or where you live?

    ReplyDelete
  2. where i live. it's an all-girls private hall of residence. mostly international students, undergrads and postgrads.

    ReplyDelete
  3. got it.
    thanks.
    always so curious...

    ReplyDelete