Q0428
“It is not that we have a short time to live, but…” — Seneca (On the Shortness of Life 1.3)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: On the Shortness of Life 1.3. Theme: time.
English
It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a great deal of it.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to On the Shortness of Life 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.
Interpretation
Seneca opens On the Shortness of Life by rejecting the complaint that life is too short. His claim is that we are given enough time and lose most of it to things we did not choose deliberately — obligation, distraction, postponement. The argument is a criticism of how time is spent rather than a consolation about its quantity. He is writing to a man with public duties, which is why the examples are of busy people who feel their time vanish.
Why it matters
The claim is harder than it sounds: if time is sufficient and mostly wasted, the loss is attributable rather than tragic, which removes the usual excuse.
Concepts in this quote
- Time
- Philosophy of time asks what tense and duration are—and how memory, death, and history shape a human life.
- Life
- Philosophy quotes about life ask what makes a life good, meaningful, or worth examining—questions that drive ethics, religion, and everyday decision.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Seneca. (n.d.). It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a great deal of it. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0428
MLA: Seneca. “It is not that we have a short….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0428.
Chicago: Seneca. “It is not that we have a short….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0428.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “It is not that we have a short…”?
The passage is attributed to Seneca, On the Shortness of Life 1.3. The archive attributes this English wording to On the Shortness of Life 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, life.