Q0103

“Man is a sacred thing to man.” — Seneca (Letters to Lucilius, Ep. 95.33)

Verified English quotation. Primary source: Letters to Lucilius, Ep. 95.33. Theme: dignity.

English

Man is a sacred thing to man.
Thinker Seneca
School Stoicism
Source Letters to Lucilius, Ep. 95.33
Theme Dignity
Another quotation More from this thinker

Source and attribution

The archive attributes this English wording to Letters to Lucilius, Ep. 95.33 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

Kantian and rights-based ethics make dignity central; other traditions speak of face, honor, or Buddha-nature. Politics asks how institutions honor or violate dignity. This passage enters that discussion through dignity, humanity.

Concepts in this quote

Dignity
Dignity names the worth that persons claim simply as persons—and the respect that worth demands.
Humanity
Humanity names both the species and the moral quality of being humane—bridging anthropology and ethics.

How to cite this quotation

APA: Seneca. (n.d.). Man is a sacred thing to man. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0103

MLA: Seneca. “Man is a sacred thing to man..” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0103.

Chicago: Seneca. “Man is a sacred thing to man..” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0103.

Frequently asked questions

What is the source of the quotation “Man is a sacred thing to man.”?

The passage is attributed to Seneca, Letters to Lucilius, Ep. 95.33. The archive attributes this English wording to Letters to Lucilius, Ep. 95.33 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 dignity?

Kantian and rights-based ethics make dignity central; other traditions speak of face, honor, or Buddha-nature. Politics asks how institutions honor or violate dignity. This passage enters that discussion through dignity, humanity.

Same thinker

More from Seneca

  1. It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
  2. Fate leads the willing and drags the unwilling.
  3. There are more things that frighten us than crush us, and we suffer more often in imagination than in reality.
  4. All else belongs to others; time alone is ours.
  5. If you wish to be loved, love.

All quotations by Seneca

Same theme

More on dignity

  1. Man is only a reed, the weakest in nature; but he is a thinking reed.
  2. Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never merely as a means.
  3. It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.
  4. I rebel — therefore we exist.
  5. There are more things to admire in men than to despise.

Browse the dignity theme