--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Seneca devoted much of his time to…" description: "\"Seneca devoted much of his time to writing essays in praise of poverty, and in lending money at usurious rates.\" — Josh Billings" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/josh-billings-777_devoted_seneca-devoted-much-of-his-time-to-writi_164094.png" --- # Seneca devoted much of his time to writing essays in… ![“Seneca devoted much of his time to writing essays in praise of poverty, and in lending money at usurious rates.” quote by Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/josh-billings-777_devoted_seneca-devoted-much-of-his-time-to-writi_164094.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/josh-billings-777_devoted_seneca-devoted-much-of-his-time-to-writi_164094.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/josh-billings-777_devoted_seneca-devoted-much-of-his-time-to-writi_164094.png) > “Seneca devoted much of his time to writing essays in praise of poverty, and in lending money at usurious rates.” [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seneca praised poverty yet profited from usury, exposing hypocrisy. **In simple terms:** Seneca’s actions contradict his words. Key Takeaway Watch for hidden contradictions. Themes hypocrisy wealth philosophy Mood critical inquisitive Type historical ethical When to use this quote - moral philosophy - financial ethics - literary criticism - education Key Concepts ethical inconsistency economic critique historical analysis Questions to Reflect On - How do personal actions align with public statements? - What drives contradictory behavior? A Different Perspective May simplify complex historical context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lending money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lending-money/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing essays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-essays/) ## Related quotes > [A hero doesn't have to do extraordinary things to live up to that title. A hero can be someone who helps a neighbor cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hero/a-hero-doesn-t-have-to-do-extraordinary-things-to-live-up-to-that/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hero/) > [If we are lending money that ostensibly we don't have to kids who have no hope of making it back in order to train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/if-we-are-lending-money-that-ostensibly-we-don-t-have-to-kids-who/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [How long can interest rates stay negative? Think about this. Not only are you lending your money to governments, but you're paying them interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-el-erian/how-long-can-interest-rates-stay-negative-think-about-this-not-only/) [Mohamed El-Erian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-el-erian/) > [Be careful about lending a friend money. It may damage her memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-careful-about-lending-a-friend-money-it-may-damage-her-memory/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No, Sir, you will have much more influence by giving or lending money where it is wanted, than by hospitality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/no-sir-you-will-have-much-more-influence-by-giving-or-lending-money/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [I could write a book - if I could write, ha ha - about how many times I've been ripped off lending money to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-redknapp/i-could-write-a-book-if-i-could-write-ha-ha-about-how-many-times-i-ve/) [Harry Redknapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-redknapp/) > [Neither a borrower nor a lender be, for loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/neither-a-borrower-nor-a-lender-be-for-loan-oft-loses-both-itself-and-2/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I had no idea that I would ever get involved with something like lending money to poor people, given the circumstances in which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/i-had-no-idea-that-i-would-ever-get-involved-with-something-like/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [My history of lending money from banks is that they want to know the ins and outs of the backside of a duck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sugar/my-history-of-lending-money-from-banks-is-that-they-want-to-know-the/) [Alan Sugar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sugar/) > [We are lending money we don't have to kids who can't pay it back to train them for jobs that no longer exist. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-rowe/we-are-lending-money-we-don-t-have-to-kids-who-can-t-pay-it-back-to/) [Mike Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-rowe/) > [So you know, everyone points out Greece's default record, but the history of a lot of sovereign nations is not a good one when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-chanos/so-you-know-everyone-points-out-greece-s-default-record-but-the/) [James Chanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-chanos/) > [The invention of money opened a new field to human avarice by giving rise to usury and the practice of lending money at interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-elder/the-invention-of-money-opened-a-new-field-to-human-avarice-by-giving/) [Pliny the Elder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-elder/) > [Friendship Day is the perfect time to thank you for lending me money and to see if I can borrow more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friendship-day-is-the-perfect-time-to-thank-you-for-lending-me-money/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The rich nations of the world are acting like ancient usurers, lending money to the desperate poor on terms that cannot possibly be met…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greider/the-rich-nations-of-the-world-are-acting-like-ancient-usurers-lending/) [William Greider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greider/) > [People cannot live by lending money to one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/people-cannot-live-by-lending-money-to-one-another/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) ## More by Josh Billings > [It ain't because lovers are so sensitive that they quarrel so often; it is because there is so much fun n the making up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/it-ain-t-because-lovers-are-so-sensitive-that-they-quarrel-so-often/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Man was created a little lower than the angels and has been getting a little lower ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/man-was-created-a-little-lower-than-the-angels-and-has-been-getting-a/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [There is only one good substitute for the endearments of a sister, and that is the endearments of some other fellow's sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/there-is-only-one-good-substitute-for-the-endearments-of-a-sister-and/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Life is a grindstone, and whether it grinds a man down or polishes him up depends on the stuff he's made of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/life-is-a-grindstone-and-whether-it-grinds-a-man-down-or-polishes-him/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Its harly my dog A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/its-harly-my-dog-a-dog-is-the-only-thing-on-earth-that-loves-you-more/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Perseverance is king.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/perseverance-is-king/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Unless we put heart and soul into our labor we but brutify our actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/unless-we-put-heart-and-soul-into-our-labor-we-but-brutify-our-actions/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [A secret ceases to be a secret if it is once confided - it is like a dollar bill, once broken, it is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/a-secret-ceases-to-be-a-secret-if-it-is-once-confided-it-is-like-a/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [If a man is right, he can't be too radical; 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Varmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-e-varmus/) > [You'll know you're amazing when you get devoted to making other people amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-ll-know-you-re-amazing-when-you-get-devoted-to-making-other/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [It is hard to work for years with pure motives, and all the time be looked upon by most of those to whom our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livingstone/it-is-hard-to-work-for-years-with-pure-motives-and-all-the-time-be/) [David Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livingstone/) > [The USA is so enormous, and so numerous are its schools, colleges and religious seminaries, many devoted to special religious beliefs ranging from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/the-usa-is-so-enormous-and-so-numerous-are-its-schools-colleges-and/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [There are something like 300 anti-genocide chapters on college campuses around the country. It's bigger than the anti-apartheid movement. There are something like 500…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/there-are-something-like-300-anti-genocide-chapters-on-college/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [The man does not live who is more devoted to peace than I am. None who would do more to preserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-man-does-not-live-who-is-more-devoted-to-peace-than-i-am-none-who/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-elizabeth-ii/i-declare-before-you-all-that-my-whole-life-whether-it-be-long-or/) [Queen Elizabeth II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-elizabeth-ii/) > [Then years back, when I moved to California, I happened to see a book about fashions of 19th-century Victorian England, only four pages of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/then-years-back-when-i-moved-to-california-i-happened-to-see-a-book/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I will always fight for progress and reform, never tolerate injustice or corruption, always fight demagogues of all parties, never belong to any party,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/i-will-always-fight-for-progress-and-reform-never-tolerate-injustice/) [Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/) > [I like people who are devoted to me: men who know I'm the most fabulous thing in the world, and they just look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bowie/i-like-people-who-are-devoted-to-me-men-who-know-i-m-the-most/) [Angela Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bowie/) > [And your Highnesses, as Catholic Christians and Princes, devoted to the holy Christian faith and the propagation thereof - and enemies of the sect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/and-your-highnesses-as-catholic-christians-and-princes-devoted-to-the/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) > [I realized that health is the most important thing and that all the other things come with time if you are devoted enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blanka-vlasic/i-realized-that-health-is-the-most-important-thing-and-that-all-the/) [Blanka Vlasic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blanka-vlasic/) > [Doctoral training is devoted almost entirely to learning to do research, even though most Ph.Ds who enter academic life spend far more time teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/doctoral-training-is-devoted-almost-entirely-to-learning-to-do/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [We know he's been absolutely devoted to trying to acquire nuclear weapons, and we believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/we-know-he-s-been-absolutely-devoted-to-trying-to-acquire-nuclear/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [Congress is full of good, decent, smart people who have devoted their lives to public service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/congress-is-full-of-good-decent-smart-people-who-have-devoted-their/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) Browse all 711 Devoted quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Seneca devoted much of his time to writing essays in praise of poverty, and in lending money at usurious rates.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Josh Billings" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/seneca-devoted-much-of-his-time-to-writing-essays-in-praise-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Devoted" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/seneca-devoted-much-of-his-time-to-writing-essays-in-praise-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/josh-billings-777_devoted_seneca-devoted-much-of-his-time-to-writi_164094.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/josh-billings-777_devoted_seneca-devoted-much-of-his-time-to-writi_164094.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/josh-billings-777_devoted_seneca-devoted-much-of-his-time-to-writi_164094.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Seneca devoted much of his time to writing essays in praise of poverty, and in lending money at usurious…” — Josh Billings", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Josh Billings", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Seneca devoted much of his time...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/seneca-devoted-much-of-his-time-to-writing-essays-in-praise-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/seneca-devoted-much-of-his-time-to-writing-essays-in-praise-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```