April 29

Day 119/365: Seneca on paying tax

Author

Logan
April 29, 2025

Welcome to The Stoic Ledger, a daily money meditation from one of the Stoic sages.

119/365: Seneca on paying tax

“Nothing will ever befall me that I will receive with gloom or a bad disposition. I will pay my taxes gladly. Now, all the things which cause complaint or dread are like the taxes of life—things from which, my dear Lucilius, you should never hope for exemption or seek escape.” – Seneca

Do you complain about paying taxes? Not only income taxes, property taxes, or any other form of taxation on your wealth, but the costs and frictions that come possessions and desires.

All good things come with their own tax:

  • Meticulous maintenance is a tax against owning the luxury car.

  • Mowing the lawn is the tax against owning a big yard.

  • Excess pounds are the tax for consuming too much candy.

  • Losing friends is a tax against abandoning unproductive, unhealthy habits the group bonded over.

  • Soreness is the tax from a hard workout.

As Seneca points out, we’re better to gladly pay the tax than spend our whole life upset and surprised when the taxes were due.

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