“The part of life we really live is small.”
- Source
- On the Shortness of Life
- Date
- c. 49
- Attribution
- Source identified
- Voice / speaker
- Quoted earlier source · Earlier poet quoted by Seneca — identity uncertain
- English wording
- John W. Basore — Translator · from Latin
What does this quote mean?
Seneca distinguishes existing from deliberately living, warning that a large calendar can still contain very little time that feels genuinely one’s own.
Where does it come from?
On the Shortness of Life, Chapter II; Seneca cites the line while arguing that much existence is merely time.
Who voices the line?
Quoted earlier source · Earlier poet quoted by Seneca — identity uncertain. On the Shortness of Life, Chapter II. Seneca says the sentence was uttered by “the greatest of poets,” but the surviving passage does not securely identify that poet; v4.95 preserves the quoted-source layer without inventing a name.
The source author and the local speaker can be different, especially in fiction, drama, dialogue and poetry.
How should this attribution be read?
This wording is connected with the named source shown above. Translations and editions can vary, so consult the source note when exact wording matters.