3 Seneca Quotes on Mindset and Living Life—So Simple You Can Apply Right Now
Let’s see how they fit into our modern world.
When I was in my early teens, I used to think philosophy was for those who didn’t want to live the modern lifestyle.
“It’s a classic, and that’s why it may not cater to our modern needs,” I’d think.
But little did I know anything about philosophy at all.
Then I grabbed a book called The Almanack of Naval Ravikant.
This was one of the best decisions of my life, hands down.
This book has a small section on philosophy. It’s my first introduction to what philosophy actually means.
Thank God it was not filled with jargon and fancy ideas. The best first appearance possible.
After that point, philosophy started to sound sexy, unlike before that, when it appeared nothing but as boring as the sky.
Now the same sky is brightly lit by the moon and stars.
I started reading philosophy just for fun. Not a staple for a 16-year-old, you know.
I picked this book called Selected Letters From A Stoic by Seneca.
I read 30 pages and left it for a week. I picked it up again today and was re-reading some highlights.
That’s where I got this idea from.
“Why not share some cool highlights and a couple of words about how they fit/can be applied in our modern lives?”
Perfect idea! Let’s get into it.
Who is poor?
“It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.” —Seneca
We are all unsatisfied.
I think it’s okay to be unsatisfied, but up to a limit.
Satisfaction as a mindset makes us feel contempt for what we have.
The opposite of that burns the fire within to achieve more.
A healthy mix of these two is the perfect recipe for growth.
But excess is what’s dangerous.
You become poor not because you have too little, but because you want too much.
Interestingly, it’s not limited to money or monetary things. But applies to virtually everything.
Being satisfied with what one has is more of a mindset than a skill. Cultivate this mindset.
How to navigate life the right way?
“You should not copy the bad simply because they are many, not should you hate the many because they are unlike you.” —Seneca
This quote can become a rule of thumb of its own and can help us navigate life.
If we closely observe our lives, we find that most of the time, we are in either of the scenarios:
- “copying the bad because they are too many” or
- “hating the many because they are unlike us.”
Taking a moment and reflecting on the choices we are about to make may prevent a lot of regrets we may have in the future.
We can closely relate “copying the bad because they are too many” with the herd mentality.
I’m not terming anyone bad, but it’s a general comment on the overall situation.
You’re not doing justice to yourself if you just follow what everyone else is doing without listening to yourself.
Anyone can defeat you in anything except being you. Don’t let go of that superpower.
Also, I can relate to “hating the many because they are unlike us.”
I am a 16-year-old and I haven’t had too much experience with this thing called life.
But I can well relate to this hating thing. Teenagers like myself often hate their parents for not letting them do what they want or for forcing stuff onto them.
It’s common. It’s more of an excuse than logical or reasonable.
For all we can’t achieve, who is responsible? Our parents. Wow!
Yes, they are unlike us. They might have grown without technology and all, but if we have any well-wishers, it’s none other than our parents.
This quote is fast becoming a mindset I want to incorporate into myself and use every time I feel like I am doing something wrong.
It’s rightly said: “Solution lies in simplicity.”
We unnecessarily complicate it.
The opposite of bad is not necessarily good
“One needs no silver plate, encrusted and embossed in solid gold; but we should not believe the lack of silver and gold to be proof of the simple life.”
We often deduce things instead of building them from the ground up.
Yes, that’s effortless, but not necessarily correct every time.
I take this quote for the meaning: “things aren’t always black and white, it’s grey.”
We often tend to put everything in either the “right” bucket or the “wrong” bucket.
Be it people, situations, or actions. We don’t bother ourselves with valuing the nuances or the subjectivity of anything.
This quote embraces that mindset.
You don’t need X, but the lack of X alone isn’t enough to prove righteousness.
In modern days, we judge people a lot: on their actions, mindset or perspective. And put them in an imaginary bucket. This quote should be remembered at that moment.
No one thing is enough to draw the complete picture, accurately.
We are all different. We are all unique. In our own unique ways.
I hope you liked the article.
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