Front: “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” (Seneca)
Back: “We are disturbed not by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens.”

At a glance

• Theme: worry and overthinking: getting back to what is real
• Good for: anxiety, exams, interviews, flights, waiting for news
• Gift for: an overthinker, a student before exams, a son or daughter starting something new
• Finish: Antique Bronze (brass alloy) with an antique patina, so each one is unique; key ring included
• Size: 39 mm, about 1 oz, die struck in the USA

The meaning

Seneca, the Roman Stoic, wrote to his friend Lucilius that we suffer more often in imagination than in reality. Most of the disasters we rehearse never happen. The back adds the idea Epictetus taught: what disturbs us is not the event itself but the story we tell ourselves about it.

On good days and hard days

• On good days, it helps you enjoy the present instead of rehearsing problems that may never come.
• On hard days, when worry and overthinking take over, it reminds you that we suffer more often in imagination than in reality. Ask: is this real?

Why a key tag

Worry often starts on the way somewhere: the drive to the interview, the walk into the exam. With this tag on your keys, the line is already in your hand. Hold it, read it and ask: is this happening, or am I imagining it? It carries the same artwork as the Seneca Coin: a portrait of Seneca with the quote around the edge on the front, and the second quote in rings around a small flame on the back.

Give it

It is a gentle gift for someone who worries: a student before finals, a friend waiting on news, a son or daughter starting something new. It gives them something to hold and a better question to ask.

Specs

• Diameter: 1.54 in (39 mm)
• Thickness: 2.7 mm
• Weight: about 1 oz (28 g)
• Material: brass alloy, Antique Bronze finish
• Made: die struck, minted in the USA
• Each key tag is antiqued with a special patina so it looks like it has already been in circulation. The patina never settles the same way twice, so no two key tags look exactly alike. Small variations in color and shading are normal, and they are what make yours one of a kind.
• Key ring included

Questions

Did Seneca say “we suffer more often in imagination than in reality”?
Yes. It comes from his Letters to Lucilius, Letter 13.

What is a good gift for someone who overthinks?
Something small they carry every day. This key tag gives them Seneca's line to read the moment the worry starts.

Is it the same design as the Seneca Coin?
Yes, the artwork is the same on both sides. The key tag simply adds a loop so it can hang from your keys.

Will my key tag look exactly like the photos?
Very close, but never identical. Each key tag is antiqued with a special patina that settles differently every time, so small variations in color and shading from the photos are normal. They are what make yours one of a kind.

Want it in your pocket instead? See the Seneca Coin.

Care: keep it dry and wipe it with a soft cloth. No polishing needed; the aged finish is part of the look.

Original design by EDC Reminder Coins, protected by copyright. We don't take custom orders.