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Seneca · Letter LIII

You will outstrip all mortals — and even the gods will hardly stand above you. The difference? Their span is longer. A great artist proves himself by rendering a full likeness within a miniature.

Seneca, Letters from a Stoic (Letter LIII)

What this means

Seneca tells Lucilius that in virtue a person can rival even the gods, with one difference: the gods last longer. But a great artist, he adds, proves himself by rendering a full likeness in a small space. A short life, lived well, is not a lesser work.

On death, time, nature.

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Letters from a Stoic

Seneca · trans. Robin Campbell · Penguin Classics

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