--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: According to Seneca, “A man is as…" description: "\"“According to Seneca, “A man is as wretched as he has convinced himself that he is.” He therefore recommends that we “do away with complaint about past..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/william-b-irvine-29486_suffering_according-to-seneca-a-man-is-as-wretched_179458.jpg" --- # According to Seneca, “A man is as wretched as he has… ![“According to Seneca, “A man is as wretched as he has convinced himself that he is.” He therefore recommends that we “do away with complaint about past sufferings and with all language like this: ‘None has ever been worse off than I. What sufferings, what evils have I endured!’” After all, what…” quote by William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/william-b-irvine-29486_suffering_according-to-seneca-a-man-is-as-wretched_179458.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/william-b-irvine-29486_suffering_according-to-seneca-a-man-is-as-wretched_179458.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc5/william-b-irvine-29486_suffering_according-to-seneca-a-man-is-as-wretched_179458.jpg) > ““According to Seneca, “A man is as wretched as he has convinced himself that he is.” He therefore recommends that we “do away with complaint about past sufferings and with all language like this: ‘None has ever been worse off than I. What sufferings, what evils have I endured!’” After all, what point is there in “being unhappy, just because once you were unhappy?”21”” [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑perception shapes suffering; letting go of self‑pity and comparing past hardships reduces ongoing unhappiness. **In simple terms:** Let go of self‑pity to lessen suffering. Key Takeaway Release self‑pity to improve well‑being. Themes psychology philosophy self‑compassion resilience mindfulness Mood thoughtful calm inquisitive Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - recovering from trauma - daily stress - personal growth - mental health counseling - journaling Key Concepts cognitive reframing Stoic practice emotional regulation Questions to Reflect On - How can you acknowledge past pain without self‑pity? - What practices help you reframe suffering? A Different Perspective Overcoming may may lead to neglecting valid emotions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Sufferings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sufferings/) ## Related quotes > [I still preserve those relics of past sufferings and experience, like pillars of witness set up in travelling through the valve of life, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/i-still-preserve-those-relics-of-past-sufferings-and-experience-like/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [“According to Seneca, Apicius committed suicide because, having spent one tenth of a considerable fortune on his kitchen, he realized that he could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/according-to-seneca-apicius-committed-suicide-because-having-spent/) [Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/) > [“According to Seneca, the Greek word euthymia is one we should think of often: it is the sense of our own path and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/according-to-seneca-the-greek-word-euthymia-is-one-we-should-think-of/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“According to Seneca, Chrysippus’ quipped that the wise man needs nothing and yet he can make good use of anything, whereas the fool ‘needs’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/according-to-seneca-chrysippus-quipped-that-the-wise-man-needs/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But, you know, if you choose to be with someone you should feel good with them, otherwise it doesn't make sense... 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Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-q-cannon/) > [“Living with one’s passions amounts to living with one’s sufferings, which are the counterpoise, the corrective, the balance and the price. When a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/living-with-one-s-passions-amounts-to-living-with-one-s-sufferings/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“I’ve brought the sufferings on myself, I’d say. I’ve made mistakes aplenty.” “Show me a man who hasn’t, and I will show you a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcguire/i-ve-brought-the-sufferings-on-myself-i-d-say-i-ve-made-mistakes/) Ian McGuire > [In this way, his unhappy soul struggled with its anguish. 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They talk about sages primarily so they will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/for-the-stoics-however-the-near-impossibility-of-becoming-a-sage-is/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“Indeed, pursuing pleasure, Seneca warns, is like pursuing a wild beast: On being captured, it can turn on us and tear us to pieces.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/indeed-pursuing-pleasure-seneca-warns-is-like-pursuing-a-wild-beast/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“Your primary desire, says Epictetus, should be your desire not to be frustrated by forming desires you won’t be able to fulfill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/your-primary-desire-says-epictetus-should-be-your-desire-not-to-be/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“reason tends to be the servant rather than the master of desire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/reason-tends-to-be-the-servant-rather-than-the-master-of-desire/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“Whenever you undertake an activity in which public failure is a possibility, you are likely to experience butterflies in your stomach. I mentioned above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/whenever-you-undertake-an-activity-in-which-public-failure-is-a/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“They warn us to be careful in choosing our associates; other people, after all, have the power to shatter our tranquility—if we let them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/they-warn-us-to-be-careful-in-choosing-our-associates-other-people/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“Stoic tranquility was a psychological state marked by the absence of negative emotions, such as grief, anger, and anxiety, and the presence of positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/stoic-tranquility-was-a-psychological-state-marked-by-the-absence-of/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“WHAT DO YOU WANT out of life?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/what-do-you-want-out-of-life/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“Before Socrates, philosophers were primarily interested in explaining the world around them and the phenomena of that world—in doing what we would now call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/before-socrates-philosophers-were-primarily-interested-in-explaining/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“the art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.”46”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/the-art-of-living-is-more-like-wrestling-than-dancing-46/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“he is blessed who dies not late but well.”) It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/he-is-blessed-who-dies-not-late-but-well-it/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“If you refuse to enter contests that you are capable of losing, you will never lose a contest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/if-you-refuse-to-enter-contests-that-you-are-capable-of-losing-you/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“Throughout the millennia and across cultures, those who have thought carefully about desire have drawn the conclusion that spending our days working to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/throughout-the-millennia-and-across-cultures-those-who-have-thought/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) > [“My time is coming, I told myself, and I must do what I can to prepare for it. T”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-b-irvine/my-time-is-coming-i-told-myself-and-i-must-do-what-i-can-to-prepare/) [William B. Irvine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) [Explore all 18 William B. Irvine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-b-irvine/) ## More Suffering quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [“What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-can-we-do-in-any-hardship-we-can-hope-with-prayerful-praise/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“But, you know, if you choose to be with someone you should feel good with them, otherwise it doesn't make sense... How do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assia-petricelli/but-you-know-if-you-choose-to-be-with-someone-you-should-feel-good/) Assia Petricelli > [Suffering did different things to different people...Some souls became tempered, unshakable in their faith, while others became twisted and mis-shapen, throwing off all connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-ragen/suffering-did-different-things-to-different-people-some-souls-became/) [Naomi Ragen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-ragen/) > [... how much of our inner substance is it good for us to give to public griefs? The whole modern tendency to agonize over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/how-much-of-our-inner-substance-is-it-good-for-us-to-give-to-public/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/) [Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Because we live in a fallen world, we suffer. 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