Seneca: Slave to Greed
on Saturday, December 30, 2023Meaning of Seneca Money Quote: saying men are often slaves to their internal drives, including greed and not free. Seneca said:
“‘He is a slave’ But shall that stand in his way? Show me a man who is not a slave; one is a slave to lust, another to greed, another to ambition, and all men are slaves to fear” — Seneca
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Seneca is pointing out that true freedom is freedom from inner vices and emotions that control us, not just freedom from external forces. His quote suggests that while some may not be physically enslaved, all people are enslaved to certain desires, weaknesses and fears inside themselves.
No one is fully free from being a “slave” to lust, greed, ambition or fear according to Seneca. Therefore, even if one is not legally owned by another person, one can still be ruled by their base impulses and psychological drives rather than living according to reason.
Overall, Seneca argues that true liberation comes from having power and mastery over one’s own mind, not from escaping external bondage alone, since internal slavery to passions still leaves one not fully free.
Birthday: c. 4 BC – Death: AD 65