Reviews - De Brevitate Vitae

You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

De Brevitate Vitae by Lucius Annaeus Seneca

631 reviews for:

This is a short read-- I wanted to give it three stars, but the fact that it was written in the year 65 makes it a four star. You will likely not enjoy this much if you have had to deal with mortality at an early age, but who knows. Worth an afternoon of your life for sure.

xispo's review against another edition

5.0

If you can mentally change all the use of “man” to “human” and accept the mentions of servants/slaves and latent misogyny as par for the course in Ancient Rome, there are some nice nuggets of Stoicism to tuck into. Some things that I hope to remember or use as a lens when thinking about my life and how to live it:

The importance of gratitude.
Be deliberate, flexible and self reliant.
Life is made more complete with public service or service toward fellow humans.
Reflect on the past; don’t dwell in the chaos of the present.
Modesty: live simply, but not carelessly.
Indulge the mind, but also allow it leisure.

Most importantly, remember that time is by far the most precious resource in your life. Guard against those who would take it from you without consideration.

greaydean's review against another edition

4.0

Perhaps I am simply late to the table, but it is hard to grasp the ancients clear grasp of the human experience and how they understood life can be stripped of its joy. Seneca's guidance about how to have tranquility and "lengthen" life are remarkably insightful. Maybe it is not remarkable, I am simply acclimated to assuming that this sort of insight belongs to the moderns and post-moderns.

Wake up!