- The Reading Life
- Posts
- On the Shortness of Life, by Seneca
On the Shortness of Life, by Seneca
Matt Karamazov
January 22, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes
YOUTUBE đź“š THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE đź“š PATREON
Read on The Reading Life.com | Read Time: ~6 Minutes
📚 Hey, I’m here with more books!
There are now just nine days left to enter the massive book giveaway I’m running with my friends Kody and Merott ($33k in prizes are going to 400 winners) in case you haven’t done that yet!
My latest book notes are going out to my Patreon supporters this week too, and this is the year when I finally get the majority of my book notes from the 1,250+ books I’ve read fully updated for you guys.
The last housekeeping thing I’ll mention quickly is that the latest video is available in the members area of my time management course, Time Mastery.
It’s a two-minute video about…the “Two-Minute Rule” strangely enough.
This is something I first read about in one of Gretchen Rubin’s books, and since then it’s saved me countless hours - at least an hour a week for the last five years or so.
I’m not the greatest at math (or reaching for calculators), but I’d say it’s a pretty powerful rule worth learning.
But hey, my book recommendation today is all about the shortness of life, so let’s not spend any more time talking about rules or calculators.
Let’s talk about…
My summary of this book and all my notes are available on Patreon, as well as my personal notes from more than 1,250+ other books. Updated monthly.
The support I’ve received on Patreon over the years has been nothing less than incredible and I just want to quickly mention two of my biggest supporters by name:
Jeremy Steingraber and Will Ramadan (KnowleDJ)!
I’ve been working 12- to 16-hour days for long stretches to build my business and grow my impact, putting in long, tough hours at the gym (and the library), and my Patreon supporters are among those who make it all worth it.
They make my days brighter, and the weights lighter.
I didn’t try to make that rhyme, but here we are!
Anyway, there are plenty of other cool rewards available there too, but the main thing is that you get more than 1,250+ summaries and thousands of pages of book notes for just $1! Also organized by year and by book.
They’re updated monthly with all the new books I’ve been reading and taking notes on, although, to be completely honest (as usual), I’m still a bit behind on my notes and working hard to catch up.
You can always just preview my notes here on this page though before you make that $1 leap :)
Now, let’s get back to today’s book!
As far as moral essays go, this one from the ancient Roman statesman Seneca is one of my favorites. Written in 49CE, it’s addressed to his father-in-law Paulinus, whom he advises about how to expand time, prevent it from being squandered on nonsense, and use it in the best way we can.
I read this book in 2015, and since then, I’ve probably taken about 5 full years of my life back due to taking Seneca’s advice and rejecting everything that diminishes the value of my time, and placing my focus squarely on where I’m able to experience true fulfillment and purpose.
Spoiler Alert: It’s NOT where modern society keeps dragging your focus back to.
Nothing against society - I love society! - but it’s not set up to help you be happy or fulfilled in any way. Pretty much the opposite, in fact.
You’re born and bred to keep the system going: pay attention, get good grades, get into a good school, pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans, hundreds of thousands more to experience “the dream of home ownership,” etc. Again, nothing against education or owning your own house. It’s just that these things are expensive; in money, yes, but also in time. And society’s answer doesn’t have to be your own.
What Thoreau said is true: the price of anything is the amount of life you’re required to exchange for it, and so you can think of On the Shortness of Life as a collection of Seneca’s best arguments against trading your life away for trivialities.
It’ll teach you the true value of time, how little we actually need to acquire and possess in order to experience peace of mind, and how you can defend yourself against the priorities of those who would steal your most important possession and give you back something infinitely less valuable in return.
“Life is long if you know how to use it.”
“It is not that we have so little time but that we lose so much.”
“People are frugal in guarding their personal property; but as soon as it comes to squandering time, they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy.”
“Often a very old man has no other proof of his long life than his age.”
“But life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.”
“The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today. You are arranging what lies in Fortune’s control, and abandoning what lies in yours. What are you looking at? To what goal are you straining? The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.”
“You live as if you were destined to live forever, no thought of your frailty ever enters your head, of how much time has already gone by you take no heed. You squander time as if you drew from a full and abundant supply, though all the while that day which you bestow on some person or thing is perhaps your last.”
“As far as I am concerned, I know that I have lost not wealth but distractions. The body’s needs are few: it wants to be free from cold, to banish hunger and thirst with nourishment; if we long for anything more we are exerting ourselves to serve our vices, not our needs.”
“No one could endure lasting adversity if it continued to have the same force as when it first hit us. We are all tied to Fortune, some by a loose and golden chain, and others by a tight one of baser metal: but what does it matter? We are all held in the same captivity, and those who have bound others are themselves in bonds - unless you think perhaps that the left-hand chain is lighter.”
“I imagine many people could have achieved wisdom if they had not imagined they had already achieved it.”
“The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.”
“So you must match time’s swiftness with your speed in using it, and you must drink quickly as though from a rapid stream that will not always flow.”
Currently, I don’t have a complete breakdown of On the Shortness of Life published on the Stairway to Wisdom (my library of expert book breakdowns), but below I’ve listed some similar breakdowns that you may enjoy instead.
When you become a member of the Stairway to Wisdom, you’ll gain access to more than 120+ book breakdowns like these ones here, as well as a premium weekly newsletter that will help you build the kind of life for yourself that you’ll love living.
Forced to commit suicide by a psychopathic dictator, the great Stoic philosopher Seneca never once abandoned his belief that we can maintain our peace of mind in any situation. And in this book, he shows us how it's done.
35-Minute Read | 9,100 Words
You fear getting older, but you want to live a long time! How does one reconcile that? In this book, one of the leading figures of the Roman Empire explains why old age can be among the best years of your life, and how you can prepare to live them well.
22-Minute Read | 5,600 Words
“If the whole world were to appear to mortals now, for the first time; if it was suddenly and unexpectedly exposed to their view; what could one think of more marvelous than these things, and which mankind would less have dared to believe?"
13-Minute Read | 3,400 Words
Forward this to a friend you think would love this book!
If you were sent this, click here to subscribe.
To read past editions, click here.
​Click here to recommend The Reading Life on Twitter (X).
That’s it! I hope you found these book recommendations helpful, and I’ll be back with even more books for you very soon!
Mere “information” is everywhere today, but what’s going to separate you (and give you the life you desire) is consistent, meaningful action, backed up with the most powerful ideas from the greatest books ever written.
That’s what I aim to provide you with.
With that said, I hope you enjoyed this edition of The Reading Life, and enjoy the rest of your day!
Until next time…happy reading!
All the best,
Matt Karamazov
P.S. Whenever you're ready, here are six more ways I can help you:
Work with me personally to take control of your schedule, grow your business, and enhance your learning, performance, and productivity
My online course, Time Mastery, breaks down the 52 mindsets, strategies, and tactics I use to get so much done (33% off right now)
Become a Premium Member of The Reading Life and enjoy exclusive, early access to new posts and videos, plus discounts on all my courses and memberships
These are 50 of the greatest books I’ve ever read (out of more than 1,200+), along with complete breakdowns of all the key ideas
Get my summaries and book notes from all 1,200+ books
Join The Competitive Advantage, my newsletter for winners and high-achievers, and achieve your 5-year goals in 6 months
Reply