Seneca the Younger
Often known simply as Seneca, or Seneca the Younger, was a Roman philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and humorist.
Thrift comes too late when you find it at the bottom of your purse. (translator unknown)
This quote is often directly attributed to Seneca, but he is referring to lines 368-369 of Works and Days by the Greek poet Hesiod : Take your fill when the cask is first opened and when it is nearly spent, but midways be sparing: it is poor saving when you come to the lees. (translated by Hugh G. Evelyn-White)
Nihil aliud esse ebrietatem quam voluntariam insaniam.
Non refert quam multos sed quam bonos habeas.
sciant quae optima sunt esse communia.
We are all chained to fortune: the chain of one is made of gold, and wide, while that of another is short and rusty. But what difference does it make? The same prison surrounds all of us, and even those who have bound others are bound themselves; unless perchance you think that a chain on the left side is lighter. Honors bind one man, wealth another; nobility oppresses some, humility others; some are held in subjection by an external power, while others obey the tyrant within; banishments keep some in one place, the priesthood others. All life is slavery. Therefore each one must accustom himself to his own condition and complain about it as little as possible, and lay hold of whatever good is to be found near him. Nothing is so bitter that a calm mind cannot find comfort in it. Small tablets, because of the writer's skill, have often served for many purposes, and a clever arrangement has often made a very narrow piece of land habitable. Apply reason to difficulties; harsh circumstances can be softened, narrow limits can be widened, and burdensome things can be made to press less severely on those who bear them cleverly.
Quemadmodum omnium rerum, sic litterarum quoque intemperantia laboramus: non vitae sed scholae discimus.
Confragosa in fastigium dignitatis via est.
bonus iudex damnat inprobanda, non odit.
Satius est supervacua scire quam nihil.
To be able to endure odium is the first art to be learned by those who aspire to power. (translator unknown).
sic vive cum hominibus tamquam deus videat, si loquere cum deo tamquam homines audiant.
Whom they have injured they also hate. (translator unknown).
Not for life, but for school do we learn. (translator unknown)
Leve aes alienum debitorem facit, grave inimicum.
Alternate translation : It is not how many [books] you have, but how good. (translator unknown).
magnus gubernator et scisso navigat velo.
Eo animo quidque debetur quo datur, nec quantum sit sed a quali profectum voluntate perpenditur.
Nulli potest secura vita contingere qui de producenda nimis cogitat.
Compare with the following : No man ruleth safely but that he is willingly ruled.