--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do what you should, not what you may." description: "\"Do what you should, not what you may.\" — Seneca the Younger" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/seneca-the-younger-219_may_do-what-you-should-not-what-you-may-1416_1416779.jpg" --- # Do what you should, not what you may. ![“Do what you should, not what you may.” quote by Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/seneca-the-younger-219_may_do-what-you-should-not-what-you-may-1416_1416779.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/seneca-the-younger-219_may_do-what-you-should-not-what-you-may-1416_1416779.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/seneca-the-younger-219_may_do-what-you-should-not-what-you-may-1416_1416779.jpg) > “Do what you should, not what you may.” [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One should follow duty over desire, prioritizing responsibility. **In simple terms:** Do what is right, not what is easy. Key Takeaway Prioritize duty over desire. Themes ethics self-discipline philosophy virtue Mood reflective serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - career decisions - personal ethics - daily choices Key Concepts Stoicism moral duty Questions to Reflect On - What duties define you? - How to balance duty and desire? A Different Perspective May ignore personal happiness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) ## Related quotes > [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. 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Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-b-joshua/) [Browse all 33,019 May quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Do what you should, not what you may.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seneca the Younger" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/do-what-you-should-not-what-you-may/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "May" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/do-what-you-should-not-what-you-may/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/seneca-the-younger-219_may_do-what-you-should-not-what-you-may-1416_1416779.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/seneca-the-younger-219_may_do-what-you-should-not-what-you-may-1416_1416779.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/921/seneca-the-younger-219_may_do-what-you-should-not-what-you-may-1416_1416779.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Do what you should, not what you may.” — Seneca the Younger", "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": "Seneca the Younger", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Do what you should, not what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/do-what-you-should-not-what-you-may/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/do-what-you-should-not-what-you-may/#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 } } ] } ```