Q0030
“All else belongs to others; time alone is ours.” — Seneca (Letters to Lucilius, Ep. 1.1–3)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Letters to Lucilius, Ep. 1.1–3. Theme: time.
English
All else belongs to others; time alone is ours.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Letters to Lucilius, Ep. 1.1–3 and files it under Stoicism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Seneca
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c. 4 BCE–65 CE) was a Cordoban-born Stoic, tragic playwright, and adviser—later forced suicide victim—under Nero.
How to read this passage
Is time a river, a dimension, or a structure of consciousness? Augustine, Bergson, and modern metaphysics offer rival pictures while ethics asks how finite time should be spent. This passage enters that discussion through time, attention, autonomy.
Concepts in this quote
- Time
- Philosophy of time asks what tense and duration are—and how memory, death, and history shape a human life.
- Attention
- Attention appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat attention as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Autonomy
- Autonomy appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat autonomy as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Seneca. (n.d.). All else belongs to others; time alone is ours. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0030
MLA: Seneca. “All else belongs to others; time alone is….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0030.
Chicago: Seneca. “All else belongs to others; time alone is….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0030.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “All else belongs to others; time alone is…”?
The passage is attributed to Seneca, Letters to Lucilius, Ep. 1.1–3. The archive attributes this English wording to Letters to Lucilius, Ep. 1.1–3 and files it under Stoicism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Seneca mean by time?
Is time a river, a dimension, or a structure of consciousness? Augustine, Bergson, and modern metaphysics offer rival pictures while ethics asks how finite time should be spent. This passage enters that discussion through time, attention, autonomy.