Seneca, Moral Epistles 21.1-2

“Do you believe that you have a problem with those people you wrote me about? Your biggest problem is you: you are an obstacle to yourself. You don’t know what you want. You are better at identifying the right choices than following them. You can picture where happiness is but you don’t dare to go there. I will tell you what the issue is–what is holding you back–because you cannot see it clearly.

You imagine that that this place you will abandon is a big deal and once you have conceived off that peace you would join, the shine of this life you want to leave holds you back, as if you were headed into garbage and darkness. But you are wrong, Lucilius, The trip from this life to that one is an improvement!”

Cum istis tibi esse negotium iudicas, de quibus scripseras? Maximum negotium tecum habes; tu tibi molestus es. Quid velis nescis; melius probas honesta quam sequeris; vides, ubi sit posita felicitas, sed ad illam pervenire non audes. Quid sit autem, quod te inpediat, quia parum ipse dispicis, dicam.

Magna esse haec existimas, quae relicturus es, et cum proposuisti tibi illam securitatem, ad quam transiturus es, retinet te huius vitae, a qua recessurus es, fulgor tamquam in sordida et obscura casurum. 2Erras, Lucili; ex hac vita ad illam adscenditur.