Seneca - On the Shortness of Life: Adapted for the Contemporary Reader

By: Lucius Seneca, James Harris

Narrated by: Scott R. Smith

De Brevitate Vitae (frequently referred to as On the Shortness of Life in English) is a moral essay written by Seneca the Younger, a Roman Stoic philosopher, to his father-in-law Paulinus. The philosopher brings up many Stoic principles on the nature of time, namely that men waste much of it in meaningless pursuits. According to the essay, nature gives man enough time to do what is really important and the individual must allot it properly. In general, time can be best used in the study of philosophy, according to Seneca.

This essay has been carefully adapted into a contemporary form.

©2016 James Harris (P)2016 James Harris

Greatness...This is a manual on being a Powerhouse

The narrator is very good and the update on language was a great idea. The words are updated to modern speech and modern usage.

The greatness of Seneca is timeless. It is an excellent buy for any reader of stoic work. I will buy a physical version for my young kids.

Short Audiobook on Brief Lesson: Life is Short

Any additional comments?

King of Persia shed a bounty of tears, not for his victory of the war instead that he had lived so long and was able to witness and survive the wars of his feared enemies. This audiobook was a letter about living your life and acknowledging that it is a brief life. Realizing, it is not that we have a short space of time but that we waste so much of it. This is a valuable lesson even for today when life feels so much longer and we are able to take advantage of so much more.

I really enjoyed the narrator. I did not have to change the speed on the audiobook which is nice when you are wrapped up in the story. This audiobook is short enough to have a few listens to absorb all the lessons.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Boom, but the gift did not bias my review.

I will definitely listen to this again.

Very very thought-provoking!! Highly recommend for today's world experience. I will listen to this again and again.

Grating, amateurish narration

Ok wisdom from 20 centuries ago, but the narration was poor and in an unpleasant voice which projected a whiny tone and often nonexistent or misplaced inflection.

This is a true nugget of gold. Recommended to all.

Great translation. Very digestible. Lots of practical wisdom for the daily life. Written for fellow humans thousands of years ago and still applies to current days.