Preview
  • On the Shortness of Life

  • By: Seneca
  • Narrated by: Victor Craig
  • Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (8 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

On the Shortness of Life

By: Seneca
Narrated by: Victor Craig
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $6.23

Buy for $6.23

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Lucius Annaeus Seneca, known as Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BC - AD 65), is the author of On the Shortness of Life (c. 49 AD). In it, Seneca draws insight from different streams of ancient wisdom: Stoic, Epicurean, Platonic, Skeptic and Cynic, as he addresses some of the important questions humans face. Seneca encourages people to be mindful of time and to use it purposefully. He suggests awareness and acceptance as a remedy for many worries and wasteful dissipations. We need to be aware of how we spend our time, and ideally, plan to spend it wisely. Acceptance of death is necessary for peace of mind, and will, in turn, make us appreciate our limited time all the more.

Chapters 2 to 9 survey the many ways in which life is squandered and time frittered away by people who are preoccupied by pointless pursuits. Chapters 10 to 17 contrast the philosophical approach to leisure (with the deluded common approach. This culminates in Chapters 18 to 20 that show the emancipation of the wise, who can soar above the lives of those mired in preoccupation.

Public Domain (P)2020 Woodkeep Audio
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about On the Shortness of Life

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Stiff

I thought the sample sounded good, but after listening to the full thing, realized somehow the reading sounded unnecessarily dry, it added more distance than the vintage of the writer could. Sounds like a rigid clergy. The book is a private journal of a humble emperor. A mismatch in style.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!