XX. The Final Word

Seneca closes the essay with one of his most famous observations about how people actually live.

Life is long if you know how to use it. That is not a comfort. It is a challenge.

The person reading this essay has already lived some number of years. Some of those years were used well. Most, probably, were not. That is simply how it is for almost everyone. The question is not whether you have wasted time. Of course you have. The question is whether you will keep wasting it.

You are not out of time. You have whatever remains. The question is not whether there is enough. The question is whether you will use what there is.

You have everything you need. You have the capacity to choose. You have the ability to examine your life honestly and to change what you find. You have access to the wisdom of every person who has ever thought clearly about how to live.

What you do not have is unlimited time to decide.

Life is long if you know how to use it.