Seneca：Seneca's Morals, Excerpt 32

When we come to the matter of patrimony, how strictly do we examine what every man is worth before we will trust him with a penny! “Such a man,” we cry, “has a great estate, but it is shrewdly encumbered—a very fair house, but it was built with borrowed money—a numerous family, but he does not keep touch with his creditors—if his debts were paid he would not be worth a groat.” Why do we not take the same course in other things, and examine what every man is worth? It is not enough to have a long train of attendants, vast possessions, or an incredible treasure in money and jewels—a man may be poor for all this. There is only this difference at best—one man borrows of the _usurer_, and the other of _fortune_. What signifies the carving or gilding of the chariot; is the master ever the better of it?

Source： https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56075
Locator：Excerpt 32 · Verified：2026-10-19 · Verification：Short excerpt

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