10.
And then we begin to speak as follows: “Virtue, Philosophy, Justice—this is a jargon of empty words.
The only way to be happy is to do yourself well.
To eat, drink, and spend your money is the only real life, the only way to remind yourself that you are mortal.
Our days flow on, and life—which we cannot restore—hastens away from us.
Why hesitate to come to our senses?
This life of ours will not always admit pleasures; meantime, while it can do so, while it clamours for them, what profit lies in imposing thereupon frugality?
Therefore get ahead of death, and let anything that death will filch from you be squandered now upon yourself.
You have no mistress, no favourite slave to make your mistress envious; you are sober when you make your daily appearance in public; you dine as if you had to show your account-book to ‘Papa’; but that is not living, it is merely going shares in someone else’s existence.
Book: Moral Letters Vol III
Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Author: Seneca
Chapter: On the conflict between pleasure and virtue
Location: Chapter 123, Section 10
Content:
10.
And then we begin to speak as follows: “Virtue, Philosophy, Justice—this is a jargon of empty words.
The only way to be happy is to do yourself well.
To eat, drink, and spend your money is the only real life, the only way to remind yourself that you are mortal.
Our days flow on, and life—which we cannot restore—hastens away from us.
Why hesitate to come to our senses?
This life of ours will not always admit pleasures; meantime, while it can do so, while it clamours for them, what profit lies in imposing thereupon frugality?
Therefore get ahead of death, and let anything that death will filch from you be squandered now upon yourself.
You have no mistress, no favourite slave to make your mistress envious; you are sober when you make your daily appearance in public; you dine as if you had to show your account-book to ‘Papa’; but that is not living, it is merely going shares in someone else’s existence.