--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Prove - and an easy task it is - that…" description: "\"“Prove - and an easy task it is - that so-called pleasures, when they go beyond a certain limit, are but punishments...”\" — Lucius Annaeus Seneca" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/lucius-annaeus-seneca-3079_crime_prove-and-an-easy-task-it-is-that-so-cal_1402901.jpg" --- # Prove - and an easy task it is - that so-called pleasures… ![“Prove - and an easy task it is - that so-called pleasures, when they go beyond a certain limit, are but punishments...” quote by Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/lucius-annaeus-seneca-3079_crime_prove-and-an-easy-task-it-is-that-so-cal_1402901.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/lucius-annaeus-seneca-3079_crime_prove-and-an-easy-task-it-is-that-so-cal_1402901.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/lucius-annaeus-seneca-3079_crime_prove-and-an-easy-task-it-is-that-so-cal_1402901.jpg) > ““Prove - and an easy task it is - that so-called pleasures, when they go beyond a certain limit, are but punishments...”” [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excessive pleasure becomes harmful; moderation prevents self‑punishment. **In simple terms:** Too much pleasure turns into pain; keep balance. Key Takeaway Practice moderation to avoid harm. Themes pleasure moderation self‑control Mood cautious serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - feasting - luxury spending - entertainment choices Key Concepts stoicism ethics Questions to Reflect On - What pleasures tempt you beyond limits? - How can you enforce moderation? A Different Perspective Self‑control is difficult in a culture of excess. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Called Pleasures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-pleasures-3721820/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Limit Punishments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limit-punishments-3721819/) [Pleasures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasures/) [Pleasures Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasures-certain-3138192/) [Punishments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishments/) ## Related quotes > [So called pleasures, when they go beyond a certain limit, are but punishments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/so-called-pleasures-when-they-go-beyond-a-certain-limit-are-but/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [To me, the idea of heaven would give you certain pleasures, certain joys - but it's very important to have an intellectual understanding of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/to-me-the-idea-of-heaven-would-give-you-certain-pleasures-certain/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“Don’t get me wrong, Brianna. Punishments aren’t pleasant. They aren’t meant to be, but they are bearable. And it’s not like you don’t know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherri-hayes/don-t-get-me-wrong-brianna-punishments-aren-t-pleasant-they-aren-t/) [Sherri Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherri-hayes/) > [Rewards and punishments, to speak frankly, are the desk of the soul, that is, a means of enslaving a child's spirit, and better suited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/rewards-and-punishments-to-speak-frankly-are-the-desk-of-the-soul/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [In any case, frequent punishments are a sign of weakness or slackness in the government. 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It's because we dare not venture that they are difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/it-s-not-because-things-are-difficult-that-we-dare-not-venture-it-s/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [“Often a very old man has no other proof of his long life than his age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/often-a-very-old-man-has-no-other-proof-of-his-long-life-than-his-age/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [“But nothing will help quite so much as just keeping quiet, talking with other people as little as possible, with yourself as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/but-nothing-will-help-quite-so-much-as-just-keeping-quiet-talking/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [“Qui mori didicit servire dedidicit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/qui-mori-didicit-servire-dedidicit/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [“You should … live in such a way that there is nothing which you could not as easily tell your enemy as keep to yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/you-should-live-in-such-a-way-that-there-is-nothing-which-you-could/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [A physician is not angry at the intemperance of a mad patient, nor does he take it ill to be railed at by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/a-physician-is-not-angry-at-the-intemperance-of-a-mad-patient-nor/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [It even helps stupid people to try hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/it-even-helps-stupid-people-to-try-hard/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [The mind that is anxious about the future is miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/the-mind-that-is-anxious-about-the-future-is-miserable/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [“It is a great man that can treat his earthenware as if it was silver, and a man who treats his silver as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/it-is-a-great-man-that-can-treat-his-earthenware-as-if-it-was-silver/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [“Conversation has a kind of charm about it, an insinuating and insidious something that elicits secrets just like love or liquor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/conversation-has-a-kind-of-charm-about-it-an-insinuating-and/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [“I am not born for one corner; the whole world is my native land.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/i-am-not-born-for-one-corner-the-whole-world-is-my-native-land/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [“As often as I have been amongst men, I have returned less a man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/as-often-as-i-have-been-amongst-men-i-have-returned-less-a-man/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [A punishment to some, to some a gift, and to many a favor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/a-punishment-to-some-to-some-a-gift-and-to-many-a-favor/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [“Once you have rid yourself of the affliction there, though, every change of scene will become a pleasure. You may be banished to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/once-you-have-rid-yourself-of-the-affliction-there-though-every/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [“When a person spends all his time in foreign travel, he ends by having many acquaintances, but no friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/when-a-person-spends-all-his-time-in-foreign-travel-he-ends-by-having/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) [Explore all 133 Lucius Annaeus Seneca quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) ## More Crime quotes > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. 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I don't want to make the same mistakes the criminals do! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-notes-while-watching-forensic-files-and-snapped-i-don-t-want/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. 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