13.
But do not of your own accord make your troubles heavier to bear and burden yourself with complaining.
Pain is slight if opinion has added nothing to it; but if, on the other hand, you begin to encourage yourself and say, “It is nothing,—a trifling matter at most; keep a stout heart and it will soon cease”; then in thinking it slight, you will make it slight.
Everything depends on opinion; ambition, luxury, greed, hark back to opinion.
It is according to opinion that we suffer.
Book: Moral Letters Vol II
Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Author: Seneca
Chapter: On the healing power of the mind
Location: Chapter 78, Section 13
Content:
13.
But do not of your own accord make your troubles heavier to bear and burden yourself with complaining.
Pain is slight if opinion has added nothing to it; but if, on the other hand, you begin to encourage yourself and say, “It is nothing,—a trifling matter at most; keep a stout heart and it will soon cease”; then in thinking it slight, you will make it slight.
Everything depends on opinion; ambition, luxury, greed, hark back to opinion.
It is according to opinion that we suffer.