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SENECA
Seneca the Younger, a Roman philosopher and statesman, wrote 124 letters of advice and wisdom at the end of his life. In these letters, Seneca gave Lucilius tips on how to become a more devoted Stoic. Lucilius was, at that time, the governor of Sicily. Seneca’s writings give us valuable insights into daily life in ancient Rome. Two thousand years later, his practical advice for managing our time and work still rings true.
Therefore, Lucilius, do as you write me that you are doing: hold every hour in your grasp. Lay hold of today’s task, and you will not need to depend so much upon tomorrow’s. While we are postponing, life speeds by. Nothing, Lucilius, is ours, except time. We were entrusted by nature with the ownership of this single thing, so fleeting and slippery that anyone who will can oust us from possession. What fools these mortals be! They allow the cheapest and most useless things, which can easily be replaced, to be charged in the reckoning, after they have acquired them; but they never regard themselves as in debt when they have received some of that precious commodity—time! And yet time is the one loan which even a grateful recipient cannot repay.