He who fears death will never act as becomes a living man.

Seneca the Younger, On Tranquillity of Mind (60)

Genuine

Yes. In On Tranquillity of Mind (60), Chapter 11, section 6 (De Tranquillitate Animi 11.6).

Found word for word by program in the Latin original and in Aubrey Stewart’s English translation (1889).

Work: On Tranquillity of Mind (De Tranquillitate Animi), 60
Where: Chapter 11, section 6 (De Tranquillitate Animi 11.6)
Found at: Paragraph 36 of the Latin text, 29 of the English
Translation: Aubrey Stewart, 1889

Researched by AI; checked by program against the full text on 31 October 2026. Editorial review: pending. How we check

On the page

¶27 en¶34 la

[…] By acting thus certain desires will rouse up our spirits, and yet being confined within bounds, will not lead us to embark on vast and vague enterprises.

[…] Sic et aliquae cupiditates animum acuent et finitae non in immensum incertumque producent.

¶29 en¶36 la

English, Aubrey Stewart, 1889

[…] He who fears death will never act as becomes a living man: but he who knows that this fate was laid upon him as soon as he was conceived will live according to it, and by this strength of mind will gain this further advantage, that nothing can befall him unexpectedly: for by looking forward to everything which can happen as though it would happen to him, he takes the sting out of all evils, which can make no difference to those who expect it and are prepared to meet it: evil only comes hard upon those who have lived without giving it a thought and whose attention has been exclusively directed to happiness. […]

Latin, the original

[…] Idem euenire nobis scias: saepe enim causa moriendi est timide mori. 5 Fortuna illa, quae ludos sibi facit: “Quo, inquit, te reseruem, malum et trepidum animal? Eo magis conuulneraberis et confodieris, quia nescis praebere iugulum. At tu et uiues diutius et morieris expeditius, qui ferrum non subducta ceruice nec manibus oppositis, sed animose recipis.” 6 Qui mortem timebit, nihil umquam pro homine uiuo faciet; at qui sciet hoc sibi cum conciperetur statim condictum, uiuet ad formulam et simul illud quoque eodem animi robore praestabit, ne quid ex iis quae eueniunt subitum sit. […]

¶30 en¶37 la

“What one hath suffered may befall us all.”

Cuiuis potest accidere quod cuiquam potest.

¶31 en¶38 la

If a man takes this into his inmost heart and looks upon all the misfortunes of other men, of which there is always a great plenty, in this spirit, remembering that there is nothing to prevent their coming upon him also, he will arm himself against them long before they attack him. […]

Hoc si quis in medullas demiserit et omnia aliena mala, quorum ingens cotidie copia est, sic aspexerit tamquam liberum illis et ad se iter sit, multo ante se armabit quam petatur. […]

The scene

Seneca advises Serenus to remember that life and possessions are held on uncertain terms. After a personification of Fortune as the spectator of an arena, he returns to his own counsel: mortality is a condition of birth, and anticipating what can happen prevents events from taking one wholly by surprise. The following examples include illness, captivity, fire and changes of fortune.

What it means

Fear of dying can prevent a person from living and acting with courage.

Often misread

The sentence belongs to an argument for accepting mortality and preparing for uncertainty, not a promise that courage removes danger or makes a person immune to loss.

Topics

Life, Death, Emotions, Courage, Wisdom

Related quotes

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King Jr.
It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. (paraphrase) Marcus Aurelius
We do not have a very short time assigned to us, but we lose a great deal of it
It does not matter what you bear, but how you bear it.
The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it. (paraphrase) Marcus Aurelius

Cite it

Seneca the Younger, On Tranquillity of Mind (60), Chapter 11, section 6 (De Tranquillitate Animi 11.6), translated by Aubrey Stewart (1889). Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/he-who-fears-death-will-never-act-as-a-living-man/ (31 October 2026).

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People who checked this entry against its source, under their own names. Their checks do not change the verdict: an editor reviews every entry.