4.
But he had fulfilled all the duties of a good citizen, a good friend, a good son; in no respect had he fallen short.
His age may have been incomplete, but his life was complete.
The other man has lived eighty years, has he?
Nay, he has existed eighty years, unless perchance you mean by “he has lived” what we mean when we say that a tree “lives.” Pray, let us see to it, my dear Lucilius, that our lives, like jewels of great price, be noteworthy not because of their width but because of their weight.
Let us measure them by their performance, not by their duration.
Would you know wherein lies the difference between this hardy man who, despising Fortune, has served through every campaign of life and has attained to life’s Supreme Good, and that other person over whose head many years have passed?
The former exists even after his death; the latter has died even before he was dead.
Book: Moral Letters Vol III
Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Author: Seneca
Chapter: On the quality, as contrasted with the length, of life
Location: Chapter 93, Section 4
Content:
4.
But he had fulfilled all the duties of a good citizen, a good friend, a good son; in no respect had he fallen short.
His age may have been incomplete, but his life was complete.
The other man has lived eighty years, has he?
Nay, he has existed eighty years, unless perchance you mean by “he has lived” what we mean when we say that a tree “lives.” Pray, let us see to it, my dear Lucilius, that our lives, like jewels of great price, be noteworthy not because of their width but because of their weight.
Let us measure them by their performance, not by their duration.
Would you know wherein lies the difference between this hardy man who, despising Fortune, has served through every campaign of life and has attained to life’s Supreme Good, and that other person over whose head many years have passed?
The former exists even after his death; the latter has died even before he was dead.