Read like a bee. Gather from many flowers.
Seneca, Letters to Lucilius 84.3
Apes, ut aiunt, debemus imitari
Read like a bee. Gather from many flowers.
Seneca, Letters to Lucilius 84.3
What it means
Bees wander, pick what is useful and turn it into honey of their own. Seneca wants us to read widely, then blend what we gather into something that is ours. Do not just collect quotes; digest them.
The source
"Read like a bee. Gather from many flowers." Seneca said it in Letters to Lucilius 84.3. Translated from the original Latin by Spartan Surfers.
"Apes, ut aiunt, debemus imitari"Original Latin, Letters to Lucilius 84.3. Text read at thelatinlibrary.com.
Who said it
Seneca (c. 4 BC–65 AD). Stoic philosopher, playwright and adviser to the emperor Nero. His letters to his friend Lucilius are the most readable handbook of Stoicism ever written.
Questions
- What does "Read like a bee. Gather from many flowers." mean?
- Bees wander, pick what is useful and turn it into honey of their own. Seneca wants us to read widely, then blend what we gather into something that is ours. Do not just collect quotes; digest them.
- Who said "Read like a bee. Gather from many flowers."?
- Seneca (c. 4 BC–65 AD). Source: Letters to Lucilius 84.3.
- What is the original Latin?
- Apes, ut aiunt, debemus imitari. Translated from the original Latin by Spartan Surfers.
- Is "Read like a bee. Gather from many flowers." on a shirt?
- Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.
Cite this line
"Read like a bee. Gather from many flowers." (Seneca, Letters to Lucilius 84.3, translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/read-like-a-bee-gather-from-many-flowers
Filed under Quotes about calm and Stoic quotes.
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More from Seneca
- Claim yourself back.Letters to Lucilius 1.1
- Most of life slips away doing nothing, or the wrong thing.Letters to Lucilius 1.1
- While you put life off, it runs past.Letters to Lucilius 1.3
- Nothing is truly yours except your time.Letters to Lucilius 1.3
- Be everywhere and you are nowhere.Letters to Lucilius 2.2
- Poor is not having little. Poor is wanting more.Letters to Lucilius 2.6