A passage from Seneca
Seneca, On the Shortness of Life 17.4
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It is inevitable that life will be, not just very short, but very miserable, for those who acquire by great toil what they must keep by greater toil.
Related passages
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Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains... But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself.
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At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: 'I have to go to work — as a human being.'
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Everything you're trying to reach — by taking the long way round — you could have right now, this moment. If you'd only stop thwarting your own attempts.