De Brevitate Vitae, a philosophical essay written in Latin, stands as a notable work of Lucius Annaeus Seneca, a Roman philosopher, statesman, playwright, dramatist, satirist, poet, aphorist, and naturalist who wrote in both Latin and Ancient Greek and whose thought belongs to the movement of Stoicism.

Seneca was born in approximately 4 BCE in Corduba. He was a citizen of Ancient Rome and held the office of consul, serving as both a politician and a statesman. Across these roles he produced a body of writing in multiple forms. His notable works include the philosophical treatises De Vita Beata and De ira, the collection of letters known as the Epistulae morales ad Lucilium, and the tragedy Medea. He also produced one work in the mode of satire.

Seneca died on April 10, 65 CE, in Rome. The Epistulae morales ad Lucilium, addressed to a correspondent named Lucilius, remains among the works most closely associated with his name and with the Stoic tradition he represented.