Seneca · c. 4 BCE – 65 CE
On a Happy Life 20 ¶3 — Seneca
Translation by Aubrey Stewart (1889)
Seneca, On a Happy Life 20 ¶3
But you, who hate both virtue and those who practise it, do nothing at which we need be surprised, for sickly lights cannot bear the sun, nocturnal creatures avoid the brightness of day, and at its first dawning become bewildered and all betake themselves to their dens together: creatures that fear the light hide themselves in crevices. So croak away, and exercise your miserable tongues in reproaching good men: open wide your jaws, bite hard: you will break many teeth before you make any impression.
Cite this passage
Seneca, On a Happy Life 20 ¶3, tr. Aubrey Stewart (1889)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-a-happy-life/20.3
Seneca, Dialogues, tr. Aubrey Stewart (1887–1889). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesPeople who hate goodness react like night creatures at dawn and hide from it, and the critic who bites at virtue only breaks his own teeth. Good people need not be shaken by such attacks.
Older wording
- “nocturnal”
- — active at night
Themes and situations
- Insult and criticism
- Virtue and character
- Resilience and endurance
- Being criticised or insulted
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