“The wise man will live as long as he ought, not as long as he can… He always reflects concerning the quality, and not the quantity, of his life.” — Lucius Annaeus Seneca While Stoic philosophy invites us to confront mortality with clarity and equanimity, modern psychology helps explain why many people cling to lives

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli “Without a shadow of doubt or a cloud of uncertainty, I’ve created enough diverse content to throw you off my scent. No footprints remain around the entrance of my cave. Neither the snake nor the dragon entered my lair; I live as one who has no worldly care.”

“The history of the conscience is essentially a journey from an ‘inner witness’ that nags you after you’ve done something wrong, to an ‘inner guide’ that tells you what to do before you act, to an ‘inner weapon’ that subdues instincts and manipulates behavior.” Nietzsche’s aphorism in The Gay Science (§335) dismantles one of our

“The wise man will live as long as he ought, not as long as he can… He always reflects concerning the quality, and not the quantity, of his life.” — Lucius Annaeus Seneca While Stoic philosophy invites us to confront mortality with clarity and equanimity, modern psychology helps explain why many people cling to lives

“Less you drink of my cup you are not worthy of my wine. No man can be brave as he walks thro’ the passage of time; if unable to lay down his life for the best in mankind.” Meletus may have demanded the death penalty, but it was Socrates who forced the hand of the

“Death is a decaying bridge no man would cross of his own accord; unless he has made himself ready by embracing his two-edged sword. He casts aside the looming shadows his grasping heart conceives, and finds himself alone at last, from whence emerged his crimson eve.” – Philosopher Muse (An invitation to the Trial and