De brevitate vitae english on the shortness of life is a moral essay written by seneca the younger a roman stoic philosopher sometime around the year 49 ad to his father in law paulinus the philosopher brings up many stoic principles on the nature of time namely that people waste much of it in meaningless pursuits. In his moral essay on the shortness of life seneca the stoic philosopher and playwright offers us an urgent reminder on the non renewability of our most important resource our time it is a required reading for anyone who wishes to live to their full potential and it is a manifesto on how to get back control of your life and live it to the fullest. On the shortness of life the stoic writings of the philosopher seneca offer powerful insights into the art of living the importance of reason and morality and continue to provide profound guidance to many through their eloquence lucidity and timeless wisdom throughout history some books have changed the world. On the shortness of life lucius seneca the majority of mortals paulinus complain bitterly of the spitefulness of nature because we are born for a brief span of life because even this space that has been granted to us rushes by so speedily and so swiftly that all save a very few find life at an end just when they are getting ready to live