5.
Do you ask, then, what it is that has pleased me?
It is this noble saying which I have discovered: “The wise man is the keenest seeker for the riches of nature.” “What,” you ask, “will you present me with an empty plate?
What do you mean?
I had already arranged my coffers; I was already looking about to see some stretch of water on which I might embark for purposes of trade, some state revenues that I might handle, and some merchandise that I might acquire.
That is deceit—showing me poverty after promising me riches.” But, friend, do you regard a man as poor to whom nothing is wanting? “It is, however,” you reply, “thanks to himself and his endurance, and not thanks to his fortune.” Do you, then, hold that such a man is not rich, just because his wealth can never fail?
Book: Moral Letters Vol III
Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Author: Seneca
Chapter: On nature as our best provider
Location: Chapter 119, Section 5
Content:
5.
Do you ask, then, what it is that has pleased me?
It is this noble saying which I have discovered: “The wise man is the keenest seeker for the riches of nature.” “What,” you ask, “will you present me with an empty plate?
What do you mean?
I had already arranged my coffers; I was already looking about to see some stretch of water on which I might embark for purposes of trade, some state revenues that I might handle, and some merchandise that I might acquire.
That is deceit—showing me poverty after promising me riches.” But, friend, do you regard a man as poor to whom nothing is wanting? “It is, however,” you reply, “thanks to himself and his endurance, and not thanks to his fortune.” Do you, then, hold that such a man is not rich, just because his wealth can never fail?