“Our luxuries have condemned us to weakness; we have ceased to be able to do that which we have long declined to do.”

Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter LV: On Vatia’s Villa

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Aug. 9, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Our luxuries have condemned us to weakness; we have ceased to be able to do that which we have long declined to do." by Seneca the Younger?
Seneca the Younger photo
Seneca the Younger 225
Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist -4–65 BC

Related quotes

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg photo

“Once we know our weaknesses they cease to do us any harm.”

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742–1799) German scientist, satirist

D 5
Aphorisms (1765-1799), Notebook D (1773-1775)

Barack Obama photo

“And having you in this building has made this place work better. It keeps us honest, it makes us work harder. You have made us think about how we are doing what we do and whether or not we’re able to deliver on what’s been requested by our constituents.”

Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America

On his reationship with the press in Washington, D.C. and its role in a democracy
2017, Final News Conference as President (January 2017)
Context: We have traveled the world together. We did a few singles, a few doubles together. I’ve offered advice that I thought was pretty sound, like don’t do stupid stuff.(LAUGHTER) And even when you complained about my long answers, I just want you to know that the only reason they were long was because you asked six-part questions.(LAUGHTER)But I have enjoyed working with all of you. That does not, of course, mean that I’ve enjoyed every story that you have filed, but that’s the point of this relationship. You’re not supposed to be (inaudible) fans, you’re supposed to be skeptics, you’re supposed to ask me tough questions. You’re not supposed to be complimentary, but you’re supposed to cast a critical eye on folks who hold enormous power and make sure that we are accountable to the people who sent us here, and you have done that. And you have done it for the most part in ways that I could appreciate for fairness, even if I didn’t always agree with your conclusions. And having you in this building has made this place work better. It keeps us honest, it makes us work harder. You have made us think about how we are doing what we do and whether or not we’re able to deliver on what’s been requested by our constituents.

James Baldwin photo

“Generations do not cease to be born, and we are responsible to them because we are the only witnesses they have.”

James Baldwin (1924–1987) (1924-1987) writer from the United States

From Nothing Personal, a collaboration with the photographer Richard Avedon (1964). Baldwin's text for the volume can be found " here https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1042&context=cibs".
Context: One must say Yes to life, and embrace it wherever it is found - and it is found in terrible places. … For nothing is fixed, forever and forever, it is not fixed; the earth is always shifting, the light is always changing, the sea does not cease to grind down rock. Generations do not cease to be born, and we are responsible to them because we are the only witnesses they have. The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.

Anne Rice photo
Dave Eggers photo
Clement Attlee photo
Joseph Goebbels photo
Iain Banks photo

“As a people, we have not been able to chart a clear map toward a common destiny. We will not be able to do this if our leaders continue to promote sectional and separate development.”

Epeli Ganilau (1951) Fijian politician

Guest speech to the conference of the Fiji Labour Party, Lautoka, 30 July 2005

Jean Vanier photo

Related topics