Seneca · c. 4 BCE – 65 CE
To Marcia, on Consolation 9 ¶3 — Seneca
Translation by Aubrey Stewart (1889)
Seneca, To Marcia, on Consolation 9 ¶3
That man has lost his children: you may lose yours. That man has been convicted: your innocence is in peril. We are deceived and weakened by this delusion, when we suffer what we never foresaw that we possibly could suffer: but by looking forward to the coming of our sorrows we take the sting out of them when they come.
Cite this passage
Seneca, To Marcia, on Consolation 9 ¶3, tr. Aubrey Stewart (1889)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/to-marcia-on-consolation/9.3
Seneca, Dialogues, tr. Aubrey Stewart (1887–1889). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesWhatever has happened to others, a lost child or a ruinous conviction, can happen to you. We are weakened by the delusion of being exempt, and by looking ahead to our sorrows we take the sting out of them when they come.
Themes and situations
- Preparing for difficulty
- Fear and anxiety
- Acceptance and fate
- Grief and mourning
- Anxiety about the future
- Bereavement
- Parenting
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