Plain
Seneca — The Senator

You'll also create endless problems if you try to hide your true feelings and never show anyone who you really are. Many people live fake lives to impress others. But constantly watching yourself becomes torture. You're always afraid someone will catch you acting differently than usual. And you can never relax if you think everyone is judging your worth. Many things happen that tear off your disguise, no matter how hard you try to keep it on. Even if you succeed at fooling everyone, life is neither happy nor safe when you always have to wear a mask.

On Peace of Mind, Section 17 91 of 100
Knowing Yourself Calm Your Mind
Seneca — The Senator Original

It also proves a fertile source of troubles if you take pains to conceal your feelings and never show yourself to any one undisguised, but, as many men do, live an artificial life, in order to impose upon others: for the constant watching of himself becomes a torment to a man, and he dreads being caught doing something at variance with his usual habits, and, indeed, we never can be at our ease if we imagine that every one who looks at us is weighing our real value: for many things occur which strip people of their disguise, however reluctantly they may part with it, and even if all this trouble about oneself is successful, still life is neither happy nor safe when one always has to wear a mask.

On Peace of Mind, Section 17 91 of 100
Seneca — The Senator

I will never weep for someone who dies bravely, nor for someone who dies crying. The brave person stops my tears. The crying person makes himself unworthy of any tears. Should I weep for Hercules because he burned alive? Should I weep for Regulus because he was pierced by so many nails? Should I weep for Cato because he tore open his wounds a second time? All these men learned how to trade a little bit of time for immortality. Through their deaths, they gained eternal life.

On Peace of Mind, Section 16 90 of 100
Death & Mortality Doing The Right Thing
Seneca — The Senator Original

I will never weep for a man who dies cheerfully, nor for one who dies weeping: the former wipes away my tears, the latter by his tears makes himself unworthy that any should be shed for him. Shall I weep for Hercules because he was burned alive, or for Regulus because he was pierced by so many nails, or for Cato because he tore open his wounds a second time? All these men discovered how at the cost of a small portion of time they might obtain immortality, and by their deaths gained eternal life.

On Peace of Mind, Section 16 90 of 100
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Ancient philosophy, in plain English.

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