On Peace of Mind, Section 11 — In Plain English

Seneca — The Senator

We need to stop seeing life as so precious. We should think of breathing as cheap and common. Cicero said, "We hate gladiators who desperately cling to life by any means. But we respect those who openly don't care if they die." The same thing happens with us. We often die precisely because we're so afraid of death. Fortune watches our lives like a show in the arena for her entertainment. She says, "Why should I spare you, you coward? You'll get stabbed and cut up even worse because you don't know how to offer your throat to the blade. But you — the one who takes the blow without pulling back or raising your hands to block it — you'll live longer and die faster."

Seneca — The Senator Original

We must, therefore, take away from this commodity its original value, and count the breath of life as a cheap matter. "We dislike gladiators," says Cicero, "if they are eager to save their lives by any means whatever: but we look favourably upon them if they are openly reckless of them," You may be sure that the same thing occurs with us: we often die because we are afraid of death. Fortune, which regards our lives as a show in the arena for her own enjoyment, says, "Why should I spare you, base and cowardly creature that you are? you will be pierced and hacked with all the more wounds because you know not how to offer your throat to the knife: whereas you, who receive the stroke without drawing away your neck or putting up your hands to stop it, shall both live longer and die more quickly,"