A stoic once said, “We suffer more in imagination than in reality”—here’s why that truth hits hard

Stoicism was always a key part of the formation of our character. Stoic philosophy is pure action. Hold on: resistance.

A stoic once said, “We suffer more in imagination than in reality”—here’s why that truth hits hard

A couple of years ago, I stumbled across a line from the Stoic philosopher Seneca that has stuck with me ever since: “We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” I’ll be honest—I didn’t quite grasp how true that was until life forced me to slow down. Until things didn’t go to plan. Until the “what ifs” became loud enough to keep me up at night. But now? That line hits like a punch to the chest. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably ca…