On the Shortness of Life

The author is the father of Roman Stoicism. His brand of this philosophy values a code of ethics that focus on living the present, without fear of pain and sorrow, and without attributing much importance to joyful, yet fleeting, desires. The past is gone and cannot be changed, the future is unknown and potentially too short to do what one thinks should be done. So, you do it now. You live your ideals now. You do good now. Don't waste time in regret for what has passed, or in anticipation or fear of what is to come. Your Time is only Now. You learn from the past, for your present's sake; and you don't busy yourself with matters of the future that could steal it (the present) from you.Since one's life is too short, one has expand it with many lifetimes, but has to make them count: he advised you and me to learn what great thinkers before us learned in their own short lives. (He recommended the company of past philosophers and their works)A very sobering advice on life, from a man who cheated death, and came to teach us 2 thousand years after his own "shoet" life.-------Quotes from the book:You have all the fears of mortals and all the desires of immortals.In guarding their fortune men are often close-fisted, yet, when it comes to the matter of wasting time, in the case of the one thing in which it is right to be miserly, they show themselves most prodigal.They lose the day in expectation of the night, and the night in fear of the dawn.Envy works upon what is close at hand, and things that are far off we are more free to admireMoreover, what is doomed to perish brings pleasure to no one;  very wretched, therefore, and not merely short, must the life of those be who work hard to gain what they must work harder to keep.By great toil they attain what they wish, and with anxiety hold what they have attained; meanwhile they take no account of time that will never more return.  New engrossments take the place of the old, hope leads to new hope, ambition to new ambition.Reasons for anxiety will never be lacking, whether born of prosperity or of wretchedness; life pushes on in a succession of engrossments.  We shall always pray for leisure, but never enjoy it.Now while the blood is hot, we must enter with brisk step upon the better course. In this kind of life there awaits much that is good to know -the love and practice of the virtues, forgetfulness of the passions, knowledge of living and dying, and a life of deep repose

"One the Shortness of Life" is a philosophical / moral essay authored by the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca sometime after the death of Caligula, probably around 49 A.D. It is not a lengthy work. It takes the form of a correspondence addressed to an individual named Paulinus. Basically it explains the importance of not wasting time on things that do not matter and focusing on what does matter. I am glad that I read the work.Speaking for myself, the most important part of the work is from the perspective of historical study. The essay itself is relatively brief. I have been engaged in a study of Roman and Italian history. Therefore I took the time to look up every individual and other reference in the essay. From that standpoint I learned a good deal. I also wanted to know something of Seneca and read something that he had authored. This work fulfills those needs. From that prospective, I had approximately the same experience with "The Prince" and ultimately with a much longer, heavily annotated "Divine Comedy".This work can be read in a short amount of time. It makes sense, but no more to me than other works or authors. It really suited me as yet another piece in a metamorphical Italian historical jig saw puzzle. Thank You...

Too little time? Life's too short? Across the millennia the richest man in Rome and one of the sanest philosophers you will meet across the ages offers advice to get more out of your limited time span.Seneca rightly observes that someone who wastes your time steals the most precious commodity you have - time lost can never be restored. He describes first century Rome as if it is today, you never have time for friends, or they for you. You don't get to see anybody without an appointment. Time flies. But then comes some of the most beautifully true words in the history of advice on the art of living: The great philosophers of the past always have time for you Plato, Aristotle, Epictetus, they are all at your disposal in the middle of the night. They are never too busy for you. Engage with them through their words. And as you read well into the past, you transcend the limitations of your own life, suddenly your own life stretches across the centuries. You gain longevity by living into the past, even if your future is limited! I came across this book of Seneca some ten years ago and I could never understand why it was never prescribed to us in academic philosophy! And then the potency of the insights are matched by the brevity of the writing. This book can rightly be called a source for a sane and inspirational life.

I am not sure if it's the translation or it's not the right time for me to read this book. I love whatever Seneca has to offer but this translation is so confusing and hard to read and understand. I might go back to this book in future again.

Para alguien como yo, que lee en inglés, pero no es su lengua materna, el libro puede resultar muy díficil de entender. Utiliza términos poco usuales y la lectura debe apoyarse con un diccionario.El fondo del mensaje del libro, que el tiempo es valioso y debe utilizarse en el mayor beneficio propio, o del interés propio, es valioso.

The entire book can be found on-line for free, with footnotes. However, I enjoyed turning the pages of my hardcover copy.Seneca cautions against wasting time. Either to prevent wasting our time, or to not waste his own, he wrote a very short book. Seneca points out the fruitlessness of seeking prosperity and recommended retirement to a life of pursuing philosophy. Of course the book was issued in 49 CE, the same year that Seneca was recalled to Rome after an eight year exile. His biography implies that, while in Rome, he may no longer have been "master of his time."

This is a short and enjoyable book on Stoicism. I must read for those interested in the topic. The price is definitely worth it.

The binding and quality of the book itself is cheap and no effort has been put into it. I don't think the text has been proofread as there are many grammatical errors and omissions. The knowledge and information of the book however is good and thought provoking, just a shame about the poor way the information has been delivered. Maybe find a different edition/ translation as the way in which it was written is confusing for me, someone of average reading ability.

I'm not sure whether I'm reviewing the translation or the sentiments expressed in the book! It's a short book and I found it enlightening. I'm not sure any more needs to be said, really, except that "life is not short, when you know how to use it".

It is fast to get and I am loosing my sight and felt I needed to reread this. The narrator comes over well for me, measured without a flat inflection but not over-played either.

Arrived in good time so no complaints. The language and words are slightly out of touch and dated, could be revised for greater understanding.

An interesting insight

I found it hard to understand most of the English is all old fashion style, almost like a riddle.

Wise thoughts which are very true still today. Makes you think about your life and your priorities. Recommend.

Great book easy to dip in and out of.

Shortest book in world massive child like letters and it's more like a badly written poem worste thing I have ever read.

Classic.

Very good translation. The language of Seneca seems to echo through the ages. I'm planning to read the collected works of Seneca. I'm a stoic.

Please don't be put off because it is old and a "classic".  Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium (Classics)  is great too. Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium (Classics)

An easy read.

The old ness of the language makes it sound poetic and awespiring. Loved the quotes! We often don’t realize not only how short the life is, also how insignificant it is in the scale of the universe. This book helped me realize it.

Excellent book, but this kindle edition does not contain complete book of Seneca by the same name. I am supplied only one part of the book. Other two parts are missing.