Full Idea
As it is with a play, so it is with life - what matters is not how long the acting lasts, but how good it is.
Gist of Idea
Life is like a play - it is the quality that matters, not the length
Source
Seneca the Younger (Letters from a Stoic [c.60], 077)
Book Reference
Seneca: 'Letters from a Stoic (Selections)', ed/tr. Campbell,Robin [Penguin 1969], p.130
A Reaction
A very nice epigram, culminating the wonderful Letter 77 on the subject of death. A play needs to be a decent length if it is to exhibit its qualities. It would be heartbreaking if all of Shakespeare's plays were just 20-minute sketches.