Seneca

'It is philosophy that has the duty of protecting us ... without it no one can lead a life free of fear or worry' For several years of his turbulent life, in which he was dogged by ill health, exile and danger, Seneca was the guiding hand of the Roman Empire. This selection of Seneca's letters shows him upholding the ideals of Stoicism - the wisdom of the self-possessed person immune to life's setbacks - while valuing friendship and courage, and criticizing the harsh treatment of slaves and the cruelties in the gladiatorial arena. The humanity and wit revealed in Seneca's interpretation of Stoicism is a moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind. Selected and translated with an Introduction by Robin Campbell

Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium

Letters from a Stoic

Seneca the Younger

A philosophy that saw self-possession as the key to an existence lived ‘in accordance with nature’, Stoicism called for the restraint of animal instincts and the severing of emotional ties. These beliefs were formulated by the Athenian followers of Zeno in the fourth century BC, but it was in Seneca (c. 4 BC– AD 65) that the Stoics found their most eloquent advocate. Stoicism, as expressed in the Letters, helped ease pagan Rome’s transition to Christianity, for it upholds upright ethical ideals and extols virtuous living, as well as expressing disgust for the harsh treatment of slaves and the inhumane slaughters witnessed in the Roman arenas. Seneca’s major contribution to a seemingly unsympathetic creed was to transform it into a powerfully moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind.

Kendall McClain

Mari

Letters from a Stoic (The Epistles of Seneca)

benja

Vince Nguyen

Took nearly three years to digest and finish this Stoic master writing. Seneca's wisdom is timeless. Likely will take many years to come to revisit and appreciate his philosophy.

Donald

I forgot to mark this as read. My favorite letters described Seneca's boating (mis)adventures, and his discussions of Homer and Virgil were also excellent.

Bryan Maniotakis

I took my time with this one, but I'm glad I did. As a relative newcomer into Stoic philosophy, I think reading this right after Marcus Aurelius' Meditations was perfect. It expounded on some of the main ideas from Marcus but put them in more of a conversational, rounded out manner (this shouldn't be too much of a surprise considering Meditations was essentially a diary).

I covered this thing with my highlighter, and can already tell it will be one of those books I'll never end up getting rid of. I've loved these classic philosophy books because they contain so much actionable advice that is still relevant to this time.

Letters from a stoic now sits in a permanent spot on my favorites shelf.

Jeremy Anderberg

"Nothing, to my way of thinking, is a better proof of a well ordered mind than a man’s ability to stop just where he is and pass some time in his own company."

Seneca was a wealthy old Roman (4 BC - 65 AD) who played the part of philosopher and political advisor. At the age of 64 he was forced to commit suicide for his (likely fabricated) role in a conspiracy. Even in his innocence, he committed the act with a calm and, dare I say, stoic demeanor.

He wrote a number of letters, plays, and essays, which were highly revered almost immediately. The early Christian church even considered him to be nearly on the same plane as the saints. And yet today, unfortunately, his works aren't all that well-known outside of academia or the new Stoic movement.

Letters is, however, one of the pillars of the Stoic oeuvre for good reason. It's pithy, contemplative, inspiring, motivating, and quite clearly to me, an all-time work of philosophical and wisdom literature.

Composed to his friend Lucilius, it's likely that these letters, though indeed sent and received, were actually intended for a broader reading public. The details are a little hazy, which is understandable given that this all happened about 2,000 years ago.

Enough background.

I read these letters over the course of a few months, taking in a single entry each morning as a form of "devotional" reading.

"Each day, too, acquire something which will help you to face poverty, or death, and other ills as well. After running over a lot of different thoughts, pick out one to be digested thoroughly that day."

You can see in the quote above that Seneca himself was a fan of this type of reading. Just 5-15 minutes or so each morning, and my mind was well-primed — to face whatever challenge may arise, to do the work necessary, to accept whatever the day would bring.

While common with religious texts, devotional reading can also happen with anything that stirs the soul, whether it's philosophy, poetry, essays, personal development, etc. (Now that I'm done with Seneca, I'm moving to reading a few pages of Whitman's collected poems each morning.)

One more bit of advice from Seneca that I'm particularly fond of:

"You should be extending your stay among writers whose genius is unquestionable, deriving constant nourishment from them if you wish to gain anything from your reading that will find a lasting place in your mind."

Ricardo

patrice

Jonathan Phillips

Tareq

Christian Bager Bach Houmann

Kevin Wammer

Seeing self-possession as the key to an existence lived 'in accordance with nature', the Stoic philosophy called for the restraint of animal instincts and the importance of upright ethical ideals and virtuous living. Seneca's writings are a profound, powerfully moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind.

Letters from a Stoic Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium

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