Quotes checked, by author
Seneca: what is (and is not) in the Letters and dialogues
Each sentence below was searched in the Letters to Lucilius and in the dialogues we hold, in English and in French. The title never says more than the weakest verdict.
How we check
- The sentence is split into two fragments of four to six words, in English and in French.
- Each fragment is searched, normalized (case, apostrophes, punctuation, line breaks), in every public-domain edition we hold — the search is replayed by the build.
- A hit at the place the idea comes from, without the wording, is a paraphrase; a hit with the wording is attested.
- No hit anywhere gives “not found”, with the exact extent of what was searched; a documented earlier source gives “misattributed”.
- The title of a page never says more than the weakest verdict, and the edition’s own text is quoted whenever there is one.
By verdict
10 sentences checked
- Paraphrase
- 4
- Not found
- 2
- Misattributed
- 0
- Attested
- 4
| Sentence | Verdict | Page | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body. | Paraphrase | On Providence, IV | Page → |
| Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men. | Paraphrase | On Providence, V | Page → |
| What progress, you ask, have I made? I have begun to be a friend to myself. | Not found | in the 30 letters of Gummere’s translation (1917–1925) we hold, out of 124, and in the ten dialogues we have from Stewart’s 1889 volume | Page → |
| After friendship is formed you must trust, but before that you must judge. | Paraphrase | Letters to Lucilius, 3, §2 | Page → |
| Sometimes even to live is an act of courage. | Paraphrase | Letters to Lucilius, 78, §2 | Page → |
| Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. | Not found | in the 30 letters of Gummere’s translation (1917–1925) we hold, out of 124, and in the ten dialogues we have from Stewart’s 1889 volume | Page → |
| Linger among a limited number of master thinkers, and digest their works. | Attested | Letters to Lucilius, 2, §2 | Page → |
| While we are postponing, life speeds by. | Attested | Letters to Lucilius, 1, §2 | Page → |
| We suffer more often in imagination than in reality. | Attested | Letters to Lucilius, 13, §4 | Page → |
| It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor. | Attested | Letters to Lucilius, 2, §6 | Page → |
Editions searched
What “not found” means depends on what was searched. These are the editions, with their real extent.
- Letters to Lucilius — Richard Mott Gummere, 1917–1925 · 30 letters of 124
- Minor Dialogues — Aubrey Stewart, 1889 · 10 dialogues, 6 aligned with Baillard chapter for chapter
- Letters to Lucilius — Joseph Baillard, 1861 · 29 letters of 124
- Dialogues — Joseph Baillard, 1861 · 11 works, 6 aligned with Stewart chapter for chapter
SenecaLetters to LuciliusOn ProvidenceOn the Firmness of the Wise ManOn AngerOn a Happy LifeOn ClemencyTo Marcia on ConsolationAll quote checks
Every passage in Stoïque carries its reference, on the Home Screen and the Lock Screen.
Download on theApp StoreFree to download, for iPhone.