Moral Letters to Lucilius Section 17

Vis adversus hoc corpus liber esse? Tamquam migraturus habita. Propone tibi quandoque hoc contubernio carendum; fortior eris ad necessitatem exeundi. Sed quemadmodum suus finis veniet in mentem omnia sine fine concupiscentibus?

Veux-tu être indépendant de ton corps ? Ne l’habite que comme un lieu de passage. Considère-le comme une tente dont tôt ou tard il faudra te passer : tu subiras avec plus de courage la nécessité d’en sortir. Mais comment la pensée de finir viendrait-elle à qui désire tout et sans fin ?

Would you be free from the restraint of your body? Live in it as if you were about to leave it. Keep thinking of the fact that some day you will be deprived of this tenure; then you will be more brave against the necessity of departing. But how will a man take thought of his own end, if he craves all things without end?