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.On the Shortness of Life (De Brevitate Vitae in Latin) is a moral essay written by Seneca the Younger, a Roman Stoic philosopher, to his friend Paulinus. The philosopher brings up many Stoic principles on the nature of time, namely that men waste much of it on empty pursuits. Seneca asserts that nature gives man enough time to do what is really important and the individual must allot it properly. According to Seneca, time is best used in the study of philosophy.The bestselling author of the Four-Hour Workweek and Four-Hour Body, Timothy Ferriss, considers Seneca his favourite stoic philosopher.This essay was translated from Latin to English by John W. Basore, Loeb Classical LibraryLondon: William Heinemann, 1932.