Seneca
“Everything is alien to us; time alone is ours.”
Omnia, Lucili, aliena sunt, tempus tantum nostrum est.
Letters to Lucilius, Letter I · 1st c. AD
Documented Source
| Source | Seneca, Letters to Lucilius, Letter I |
| Latin | Omnia, Lucili, aliena sunt, tempus tantum nostrum est. |
| English | “Everything is alien to us; time alone is ours.” (literal gloss) |
| Date | 1st century AD |
| Note | Adjacent to dum differtur vita transcurrit in Letter I — both lines form the opening argument of Seneca’s first letter. |
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About This Line
In his first letter, Seneca argues that everything else can be taken from you — money, status, the roof over your head, the people you love. Time is the only thing that was ever actually yours, and the one most people give away most freely.
The Latin names Lucilius directly: Omnia, Lucili — “Everything, Lucilius.” He wasn’t writing an aphorism. He was looking his friend in the eye and saying: you are giving away the only thing you actually own.
Why We Carry This Line
Time is the only thing that was ever actually yours, and it’s the thing people give away most freely. We should all embrace every second. That’s worth wearing.
