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Dialogues and Letters
Included in this volume are the dialogues On the Shortness of Life and On Tranquility of Mind , which are eloquent classic statements of Stoic ideals of fortitude and self-reliance. This selection also features extracts from Natural Questions , Seneca's exploration of such phenomena as the cataracts of the Nile and earthquakes, and the Consolation of Helvia , in which he tenderly tries to soothe his mother's pain at their separation.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 65
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
November 11, 2020
Seneca was a master of rhetoric. I remember reading about him in college in my Rhetoric class. Cicero, Gorgias, and Seneca are often mentioned in this context. Moral arguments, arguments of state, debate and philosophical essays - one might go on reading them for years. Seneca's words, in this small Penguin collection, are more lively than Plato in my opinion, and can be read today with as much freshness as I imagine they could in ancient times.
His words provide the recipes for our consolation. In all points in history, humanity has suffered from the same ills. These ills and troubles he addresses directly with great clarity and pithy elegance. A restless mind is short on inner resources, and an anxious mind will find a faithful friend in the literary remains of this author. Seeking approval from others is often like grasping at stars. I'm paraphrasing, but these aphorisms can remind us of our own behavior, as we navigate the chaotic world, searching for our own brand of meaning and a state in which we can exist or belong while dispelling the innate anxiety engendered by the roiling forces of our maniacal society.
His vigorous arguments, strong moral fiber, pointed delivery, consistency, sympathetic tone, and palpable confidence are inspiring. Shame, desire, ambition - our multifarious chains - are all part of his wheelhouse. How we might proceed with humbleness, come down off the throne and start enjoying the existence we forsake for our dreams - his answers to these questions are both intimate and universal.
While, when removed from their source, many of these statements come off as platitudes, they certainly succeed in their preserved form. You must consider these arguments as persuasive within their established architecture. You will discover his modes of processing grief, his prescriptions for the management of our emotional responses, how to seek wisdom, take control of our circumstances, wrestle with our inborn restlessness, how to avoid chasing variety in life, and how to confront the necessity within us for continual progress. By nurturing our awareness, serving the faculties of perception unclouded by worldly illusions, we might come to see the virtues of poverty, encountering wealth where others see deprivation. To a great extent, the attitude of the mind is capable of enhancing our lives. Follow this with: be well-disposed toward others and yourself, follow the straight and steady course, count gains not losses, explore the sources of your inner turmoil, avoid self-induced weariness, and much more to constitute the sum of his practical, relevant advice here, which is always positive and profound, relentlessly wise, endearing and logical, enriching in the extreme, and utterly magnificent.
This volume is but a very small offering of Seneca's total extant output. Enlist him into your canon. Follow the path he blazed with his bottomless compassion and perception.
His words provide the recipes for our consolation. In all points in history, humanity has suffered from the same ills. These ills and troubles he addresses directly with great clarity and pithy elegance. A restless mind is short on inner resources, and an anxious mind will find a faithful friend in the literary remains of this author. Seeking approval from others is often like grasping at stars. I'm paraphrasing, but these aphorisms can remind us of our own behavior, as we navigate the chaotic world, searching for our own brand of meaning and a state in which we can exist or belong while dispelling the innate anxiety engendered by the roiling forces of our maniacal society.
His vigorous arguments, strong moral fiber, pointed delivery, consistency, sympathetic tone, and palpable confidence are inspiring. Shame, desire, ambition - our multifarious chains - are all part of his wheelhouse. How we might proceed with humbleness, come down off the throne and start enjoying the existence we forsake for our dreams - his answers to these questions are both intimate and universal.
While, when removed from their source, many of these statements come off as platitudes, they certainly succeed in their preserved form. You must consider these arguments as persuasive within their established architecture. You will discover his modes of processing grief, his prescriptions for the management of our emotional responses, how to seek wisdom, take control of our circumstances, wrestle with our inborn restlessness, how to avoid chasing variety in life, and how to confront the necessity within us for continual progress. By nurturing our awareness, serving the faculties of perception unclouded by worldly illusions, we might come to see the virtues of poverty, encountering wealth where others see deprivation. To a great extent, the attitude of the mind is capable of enhancing our lives. Follow this with: be well-disposed toward others and yourself, follow the straight and steady course, count gains not losses, explore the sources of your inner turmoil, avoid self-induced weariness, and much more to constitute the sum of his practical, relevant advice here, which is always positive and profound, relentlessly wise, endearing and logical, enriching in the extreme, and utterly magnificent.
This volume is but a very small offering of Seneca's total extant output. Enlist him into your canon. Follow the path he blazed with his bottomless compassion and perception.
July 12, 2019
“We can argue with Socrates, express doubt with Carneades, cultivate retirement with Epicurus, overcome human nature with the Stoics, and exceed its limits with the Cynics. Since nature allows us to enter into a partnership with every age, why not turn from this brief and transient spell of time and give ourselves wholeheartedly to the past, which is limitless and eternal and can be shared with better men than we?” With these words Seneca unwittingly explains why I enjoy reading Seneca so much.
Forty or so years from now, when I’m dead and my ashes have been thrown into the eyes of my enemies as stipulated in my will, my wife will haul all my books down to the used bookstore, get ripped off by the store’s owner, and then leave this (by then terribly yellowed and crumbling) collection of writings behind. The person who buys it will be irritated by all the underling I did with ugly baby blue ink. But as I read this everything seemed underlinable and the baby blue pen was the only writing utensil within reach.
When I got home from work yesterday I was upset and in a gloomy frame of mind because of an escalating series of catastrophes the day had thrown at me. This book was waiting for me on the porch in its bubblewrap envelope. I flipped through the pages, noticed an essay called “On Tranquility of Mind” and I began reading. By the time I finished I felt better. I felt inspired. Seneca’s words somehow traveled across the immense distance of twenty centuries and spoke right too me. And not just the first essay I read, but almost everything in the book.
I loved this book, although I don’t know if I’d feel comfortable recommending it to anybody else. It was just one of those situations where I stumbled into the right book at the right time. Seneca wasn’t the most original Stoic philosopher, but he files down the hard edges of guys like Epictetus and gives us a stoic philosophy that seems almost livable.
Forty or so years from now, when I’m dead and my ashes have been thrown into the eyes of my enemies as stipulated in my will, my wife will haul all my books down to the used bookstore, get ripped off by the store’s owner, and then leave this (by then terribly yellowed and crumbling) collection of writings behind. The person who buys it will be irritated by all the underling I did with ugly baby blue ink. But as I read this everything seemed underlinable and the baby blue pen was the only writing utensil within reach.
When I got home from work yesterday I was upset and in a gloomy frame of mind because of an escalating series of catastrophes the day had thrown at me. This book was waiting for me on the porch in its bubblewrap envelope. I flipped through the pages, noticed an essay called “On Tranquility of Mind” and I began reading. By the time I finished I felt better. I felt inspired. Seneca’s words somehow traveled across the immense distance of twenty centuries and spoke right too me. And not just the first essay I read, but almost everything in the book.
I loved this book, although I don’t know if I’d feel comfortable recommending it to anybody else. It was just one of those situations where I stumbled into the right book at the right time. Seneca wasn’t the most original Stoic philosopher, but he files down the hard edges of guys like Epictetus and gives us a stoic philosophy that seems almost livable.
November 26, 2017
Some treastises, some letters. . . reflections on life, and philosophy. Also views of ancient Roman life. It's interesting to read an account of a philosopher who scorns to look for a runaway slave on the grounds that if the slave can live without him, it's disgraceful that he can't live without the slave.
September 8, 2023
(Reread Sep8/2023)
Remains one of my favorite translations
———
"What you need is not those more radical remedies which we have now finished with — blocking yourself here, being angry with yourself there, threatening yourself sternly somewhere else — but the final treatment, confidence in yourself and the belief that you are on the right path."
"[People] are undermined by the restlessness of a mind that can discover no outlet, because they can neither control nor obey their desires, by the dithering of a life that cannot see its way ahead."
"Every chance of stimulation and distraction is welcome to all those inferior characters who actually enjoy being worn out by busy activity."
"Above all it is essential to appraise oneself, because we usually overestimate our capabilities."
"Many people who lives are false and aimed only at outward show. For it is agonizing always to be watching yourself in fear of being caught when your usual mask has slipped."
"Uninterrupted productivity will soon exhaust it, so constant effort will sap our mental vigour, while a short period of rest and relaxation will restore our powers."
"External goods are of trivial importance and without much influence in either direction: prosperity does not elevate the sage and adversity does not depress him."
"Do you think that any wise man can be affected by disgrace, one who relies entirely on himself and holds aloof from common beliefs?"
"No man is despised by another unless he is first despised by himself."
Remains one of my favorite translations
———
"What you need is not those more radical remedies which we have now finished with — blocking yourself here, being angry with yourself there, threatening yourself sternly somewhere else — but the final treatment, confidence in yourself and the belief that you are on the right path."
"[People] are undermined by the restlessness of a mind that can discover no outlet, because they can neither control nor obey their desires, by the dithering of a life that cannot see its way ahead."
"Every chance of stimulation and distraction is welcome to all those inferior characters who actually enjoy being worn out by busy activity."
"Above all it is essential to appraise oneself, because we usually overestimate our capabilities."
"Many people who lives are false and aimed only at outward show. For it is agonizing always to be watching yourself in fear of being caught when your usual mask has slipped."
"Uninterrupted productivity will soon exhaust it, so constant effort will sap our mental vigour, while a short period of rest and relaxation will restore our powers."
"External goods are of trivial importance and without much influence in either direction: prosperity does not elevate the sage and adversity does not depress him."
"Do you think that any wise man can be affected by disgrace, one who relies entirely on himself and holds aloof from common beliefs?"
"No man is despised by another unless he is first despised by himself."
February 25, 2014
Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, contemporary of Jesus, and the original antifragilist (see also: Nassim Nicholas Taleb's
Antifragile
).
Dialogues and Letters collects "On the Shortness of Life," "On Tranquility of Mind," and extracts from "Natural Questions," and it served as my introduction to a mind that I'll probably continue to study for the duration of my days.
Although no English translation of Seneca's writings holds a candle to the University of Chicago Press's recent Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca series (expensive but, for devotees, worth it), this volume still stands as a fine primer on the core philosophies of this singular thinker and historical bad boy (he spent eight years in exile, allegedly for an affair with Caligula’s sister).
(Quoted from #SmallBooksMonth )
Dialogues and Letters collects "On the Shortness of Life," "On Tranquility of Mind," and extracts from "Natural Questions," and it served as my introduction to a mind that I'll probably continue to study for the duration of my days.
Although no English translation of Seneca's writings holds a candle to the University of Chicago Press's recent Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca series (expensive but, for devotees, worth it), this volume still stands as a fine primer on the core philosophies of this singular thinker and historical bad boy (he spent eight years in exile, allegedly for an affair with Caligula’s sister).
(Quoted from #SmallBooksMonth )
April 21, 2021
An amazing read.
Excellent knowledge and wisdom, even after nearly 2000 years.
Highly recommended.
Very accessible read too!
4.2/5
Excellent knowledge and wisdom, even after nearly 2000 years.
Highly recommended.
Very accessible read too!
4.2/5
February 18, 2014
Care to read the thoughts of a man chosen to tutor an emperor? Seneca the Younger lived in the opening century of the Roman Empire, and was such an accomplished author that even the early Roman Church tried to claim him. I've previously read a collection of his letters (Letters from a Stoic), part of an exchange between Seneca and his friend Lucilius, but Analogs and Essays is far more sharply focused. The theme of the letters ran toward the general; here, Seneca writes on particular topics, beginning with theodicy and touching on anger, happiness, tranquility of mind, sorrow, and -- oddly -- earthquakes.
This is a magnificent collection. If the translators' rendering in English is representative of the power Seneca imbued his Latin with, little wonder the early Church regarded a 'pagan' author with such admiration. Seneca here is clear, direct, and forcefully dramatic. After I finished the final piece, I re-read several essays over again, just to savor the experience. Stoicism is the reigning influence, of course: the ideas of Zeno are utterly pervasive. In the opening essay "On Providence", Seneca asserts that the universe is a fundamentally sensible and moral place: nothing happens without good purpose, and even the harshest of circumstances can prove a boon to the wise man. It matters not what we endure, Seneca writes, but how we endure it. Difficulties are not punishments: they are opportunities. The worst of luck is in fact a sign of favor of the gods, that they have deemed a man worthy of his character being tested. While I don't particularly agree with the notion that everything that happens is the product of a deity enforcing character training on we poor mortals, I rather like the indomitable attitude, and the idea that can winnowed out from the text -- life is nothing without struggle. We are creatures made to run and strive, not sit idly whining.
Although Stoicism dominates, Seneca is no puritan: he freely borrows from Epicurus, and not simply to 'know his enemy' as he piously defended himself in the Letters. Seneca sees Epicurus as quite wise, in fact, and not at all deserving the slander heaped upon him because of the abuses of those who call themselves his followers. Epicurus is in Seneca's eyes the soul of virtuous moderation -- and Seneca defends comfort and wealth at several points, perhaps feeling guilty at his own success. But lest we think him a hypocrite, when the time came Seneca followed in the path of his heroes, Cato and Socrates -- accepting death in the manner he advocated several times in this collection. (The final piece on earthquakes isn't quite as odd as it might seem: while Seneca spends most of it musing on how earthquakes might happen, he uses the then-recent destruction of Pompeii to point out that nothing in the material universe is truly reliable: only virtue matters, only it can maintain us against the ravages of fickle fortune.)
I have been sharing excerpts from this book on facebook's Stoics group, and they've found a very will-pleased audience there. This is the stuff of excellence; obviously of interest to those interested in philosophy, mindfulness, and wisdom literature, but a must-read for moderns who find such value in the Stoa as I do. Seneca's essays are elaborations on the potent thoughts of Epictetus' Handbook and Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.
This is one to re-read, remember, and recommend.
This is a magnificent collection. If the translators' rendering in English is representative of the power Seneca imbued his Latin with, little wonder the early Church regarded a 'pagan' author with such admiration. Seneca here is clear, direct, and forcefully dramatic. After I finished the final piece, I re-read several essays over again, just to savor the experience. Stoicism is the reigning influence, of course: the ideas of Zeno are utterly pervasive. In the opening essay "On Providence", Seneca asserts that the universe is a fundamentally sensible and moral place: nothing happens without good purpose, and even the harshest of circumstances can prove a boon to the wise man. It matters not what we endure, Seneca writes, but how we endure it. Difficulties are not punishments: they are opportunities. The worst of luck is in fact a sign of favor of the gods, that they have deemed a man worthy of his character being tested. While I don't particularly agree with the notion that everything that happens is the product of a deity enforcing character training on we poor mortals, I rather like the indomitable attitude, and the idea that can winnowed out from the text -- life is nothing without struggle. We are creatures made to run and strive, not sit idly whining.
Although Stoicism dominates, Seneca is no puritan: he freely borrows from Epicurus, and not simply to 'know his enemy' as he piously defended himself in the Letters. Seneca sees Epicurus as quite wise, in fact, and not at all deserving the slander heaped upon him because of the abuses of those who call themselves his followers. Epicurus is in Seneca's eyes the soul of virtuous moderation -- and Seneca defends comfort and wealth at several points, perhaps feeling guilty at his own success. But lest we think him a hypocrite, when the time came Seneca followed in the path of his heroes, Cato and Socrates -- accepting death in the manner he advocated several times in this collection. (The final piece on earthquakes isn't quite as odd as it might seem: while Seneca spends most of it musing on how earthquakes might happen, he uses the then-recent destruction of Pompeii to point out that nothing in the material universe is truly reliable: only virtue matters, only it can maintain us against the ravages of fickle fortune.)
I have been sharing excerpts from this book on facebook's Stoics group, and they've found a very will-pleased audience there. This is the stuff of excellence; obviously of interest to those interested in philosophy, mindfulness, and wisdom literature, but a must-read for moderns who find such value in the Stoa as I do. Seneca's essays are elaborations on the potent thoughts of Epictetus' Handbook and Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.
This is one to re-read, remember, and recommend.
July 25, 2021
Stoicism is just really up my street. Recognising, accepting and moving past your emotions. Not being controlled by them, but realising you control them. And the only thing you can control is just that: yourself. To assume you can control anything or anyone else, be that another person, nature, events, even ageing, is a waste of your time.
And it is precisely why time is your only true valuable resource. It’s the one thing we have all been granted at birth. So spend your time wisely.
And it is precisely why time is your only true valuable resource. It’s the one thing we have all been granted at birth. So spend your time wisely.
September 18, 2012
Stoic thought in the format of dialogues to mother and some friends & letters recording travels and advice. Liked the dialogue with Serenus on tranquility of mind which deals with questions of moral purpose. Good intro to stoicism via this Roman statesman. Hope to keep reading this genre more with time.
March 26, 2016
I have read Meditations and The art of Living. Both of them I enjoyed more than these books/letters.
I simply found that there was too long between those truly inspiring and timeless guidings, which Meditations was full of.
The last book is still unread, but I needed a break from this kind of reading.
I simply found that there was too long between those truly inspiring and timeless guidings, which Meditations was full of.
The last book is still unread, but I needed a break from this kind of reading.
February 25, 2017
While the material in this compilation tends to be a bit repetitive, there are still useful nuggets of wisdom scattered throughout. The dialogues 'On Tranquility of Mind' and 'On the Shortness of Life' were definitely the highlights, and if I re-read in the future I will likely skip the letters altogether (they're quick, but don't add much that isn't covered in the dialogues).
August 24, 2017
“By the toil of others we are led into the presence of things which have been brought from darkness into light. We are excluded from no age, but we have access to them all; and if we are prepared in loftiness of mind to pass beyond the narrow confines of human weakness, there is a long period of time through which we can roam.”
January 15, 2015
Good introduction to Seneca but I think his "Letters from a Stoic" or Marcus Aurelius' Meditations would be better first choices to Stoicism. Also, this book has such a density of thought to it that multiple readings are required for even moderate understanding of his messages.
April 14, 2015
This book did not meet my expectations, but party it is my fault. I should have gone for Letter to a Stoic, by the same author as I was more interested in Seneca's philosophical thought and not his literature. Obviously, I did find some his philosophy but maybe not at the extend I had expected it.
Want to read
August 7, 2010Bilingual edition preferred.
November 14, 2015
An excellent collection of works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca. Politician, Lawyer, philosopher, and tutor to the man who would become the emperor Nero.
A must read author!
A must read author!
August 13, 2019
This book is an anthology of Seneca’s personal letters, mostly to his friends asking advice on specific circumstances. Consolation to Helvia, On the Tranquility of Mind, and On the Shortness of Life—rightfully selected to be the first letters in this anthology—have some of the best hidden gems of classic practical wisdom.
I've been into Stoicism for a few months, listening to some audiobooks and podcasts and watching videos essays lectures on YouTube. As for actual reading, I’ve only read a few blogs online. So lately, I decided to read the ancient Stoics themselves. I plan to finish reading all the major writings of the big three: Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. I decided to start with Seneca, as he's the oldest the three.
One of the things we appreciate most about the Stoics is how, among most of the other philosophies, they communicated to be genuinely understood, not to be pretentiously admired. They focused on philosophizing life that is practically helpful, rather than waste time contemplating whether a goddamn chair exists at all.
Seneca—and the other ancient philosophers, for that matter—who wrote more than two thousand years ago, can be understood much easier than the philosophers of just the recent century. It's amazing how these words written more than two thousand years ago, in a vastly different culture, addressed to specific persons, speak as though it's written for you.
I've been into Stoicism for a few months, listening to some audiobooks and podcasts and watching videos essays lectures on YouTube. As for actual reading, I’ve only read a few blogs online. So lately, I decided to read the ancient Stoics themselves. I plan to finish reading all the major writings of the big three: Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. I decided to start with Seneca, as he's the oldest the three.
One of the things we appreciate most about the Stoics is how, among most of the other philosophies, they communicated to be genuinely understood, not to be pretentiously admired. They focused on philosophizing life that is practically helpful, rather than waste time contemplating whether a goddamn chair exists at all.
Seneca—and the other ancient philosophers, for that matter—who wrote more than two thousand years ago, can be understood much easier than the philosophers of just the recent century. It's amazing how these words written more than two thousand years ago, in a vastly different culture, addressed to specific persons, speak as though it's written for you.
March 4, 2024
The book is conformed by three long letters, which I will call them treatises, and subsequent short letters. The substance of the book is within these treatises in which Seneca presents his ideas on how to deal with several moral vices present on the Roman society of his time. Three topics of importance I took away from here: how to deal with the distress of exile, how to deal with insatisfaction and importance to acknowledge and care about our own time and mortality.
In my perspective, Seneca is viewed as a " Doctor of the soul,": he identifies and characterizes the problems and prescribes remedies that leads, in most cases,to the study of philosophy, or liberal arts, and to serve others through the state.
I feel like Seneca starts with a preconception of morality in which all we can agree on and, from there, build on his ideas. It is different from other authors in the sense that he is not exhaustive in the principles he offers. That is, it is not the aim to capture and study the essence of things. But it is more like "applied philosophy," in which we see actions varios principles from people of ancient times.
In my perspective, Seneca is viewed as a " Doctor of the soul,": he identifies and characterizes the problems and prescribes remedies that leads, in most cases,to the study of philosophy, or liberal arts, and to serve others through the state.
I feel like Seneca starts with a preconception of morality in which all we can agree on and, from there, build on his ideas. It is different from other authors in the sense that he is not exhaustive in the principles he offers. That is, it is not the aim to capture and study the essence of things. But it is more like "applied philosophy," in which we see actions varios principles from people of ancient times.
Read
January 23, 2024A major writer and a leading figure in the public life of Rome, Seneca (c. 4BC–AD 65) ranks among the most eloquent and influential masters of Latin prose. This selection explores his thoughts on philosophy and the trials of life. In the Consolation to Helvia he strives to offer solace to his mother, following his exile in AD 41, while On the Shortness of Life and On Tranquillity of Mind are lucid and compelling explorations of Stoic thought. Witty and self-critical, the Letters – written to his young friend Lucilius – explore Seneca’s struggle to acquire philosophical wisdom. A fascinating insight into one of the greatest minds of Ancient Rome, these works inspired writers and thinkers including Montaigne, Rousseau, and Bacon, and continue to intrigue and enlighten.
January 12, 2020
I picked this up because I was interested in the essay "On the Shortness of Life" after reading a recommendation for it. After I finished that story, I ended up reading the whole thing. It's amazing how human nature has not at all changed in 2000 years - much of what he writes is still relevant today. Docked a star because he tends to go off on tangents sometimes and discusses examples of contemporaries of the period. Those parts probably made more sense in the time in which it was written, but without looking up the history of each person he mentions the relevance is lost on me today.
September 16, 2022
Almost two millennia have passed since Seneca’s time, and it’s safe to say that human character hasn’t changed much. People tend to suffer the same afflictions, crave peace of mind and a fulfilled life, but they fall short at the same vices and distractions. The essays and letters are full of words to live by. Just a bit weird that Seneca’s preaching modesty - even promotes poverty instead of the vices of wealth - and thoughtfulness, yet he was one of the richest men in Rome.
November 22, 2022
“Men find it more difficult to gain leisure from themselves than from the law. Meanwhile as they rob and are robbed, as they disturb each other’s peace, as they make each other miserable, their lives pass without satisfaction, without pleasure, without mental improvement. No one keeps death in view, no one refrain from hopes that look far ahead; indeed, some people even arrange things that are beyond life Dash massive tombs, dedications of public buildings, shows for their funerals, and ostentatious burials. But in truth, such peoples funerals should be conducted with torches and wax tapers, as though they had lived the shortest of lives.“ - On the Shortness of Life
Endlessly quotable and thought provoking in a steering and undisturbing way, I find that the texts here express thoughts I had previously not known how to put to words and further expand on them as ideologies one could follow. I feel like people could greatly benefit from reading this.
Endlessly quotable and thought provoking in a steering and undisturbing way, I find that the texts here express thoughts I had previously not known how to put to words and further expand on them as ideologies one could follow. I feel like people could greatly benefit from reading this.
July 6, 2020
It's hard to rate a book like this considering it is a "classic." With that said, I thought it was still very good. It offers insights and perspectives on life that are well written and well thought-out. I think my favorite was the small essay on how everyone has more than enough time in their life, it's just that everyone wastes so much of it! Definitely relevant for today's reader.
August 2, 2023
Interesting collection of essays, letters and dialogues from Roman Stoic philospher Seneca. Full of wit and humor while presenting his philsophy of acceptance of whatever comes in life. Suffers in comparison to Marcus Aurelius however as Seneca is rather long-winded perhaps reflecting the politician/statesmen he was in ancient Rome.
November 24, 2020
Why read Seneca for Stoicism when you can read Epictetus? Pick up the Penguin Classics edition of Epictetus' Discourses and Selected Writings. Not that these scribblings from Seneca are without merit. It's just that there's a better author of his kind that is more inspiring.
February 12, 2017
Excellent. surprisingly easy read. Reminds me of Emerson.
September 29, 2018
Pleasant, consoling, bolstering. An enjoyable and inspiring read from tutor to an emperor.
Many misfortunes may befall us. It is shown here it is possible to bear them in good grace.
Many misfortunes may befall us. It is shown here it is possible to bear them in good grace.
November 29, 2018
Wise and insightful
July 15, 2020
Short, yet contains timeless wisdom that still rings true after 2000 years from its creation. My personal favorite is "on the shortness of life."
Read
October 17, 2023seneca is philosphically fractured but god can he write these are some of the best essays/letters i have ever read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews