“While we are postponing, life speeds by.”
- c. 4 BC – AD 65
- Roman
- Philosopher, Statesman, Dramatist, Stoic Thinker, Advisor to Emperor Nero
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Quote
“While we are postponing, life speeds by.”
Explanation
Seneca delivers a stark reminder of the brevity of life and the danger of procrastination. In Stoic thought, time is our most precious and fleeting possession, and to defer living—waiting for the “right moment” to act, change, or pursue meaning—is to let life slip through our fingers. The quote emphasizes that life does not wait; as we delay, it continues on, indifferent to our hesitation.
Seneca wrote extensively on the value of time, particularly in his essay On the Shortness of Life, where he criticized those who squander their days on trivial pursuits while postponing true fulfillment. To the Stoic, the present moment is all we ever truly own, and virtue demands that we live deliberately and urgently, rather than sleepwalking through our days under the illusion of infinite tomorrows.
In the modern world, where distractions and deferred ambitions abound, this quote strikes at the heart of how we often put off what matters—whether it’s mending relationships, pursuing our calling, or cultivating wisdom. Seneca’s message is timeless: stop waiting and start living, because life’s pace does not slow for indecision, and meaning is found not in planning, but in doing.
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