Letters From a Stoic - Seneca: Summary of all 124 Letters
When speaking leave it solely to the oration so that your point shall got across and you shall need nothing else to assist you in your lack of oratory excellence, for that is one of the main purposes of the mouth.
Let us say what we feel, and feel what we say; let speech harmonize with life.
It is not sufficient to memorize philosophy, but it is crucial to put it into practice. Three types of men like this are as follows:
The ones who have not attained wisdom but have a place close. These are the ones who have not put their good into practice yet. That which is far away is still outside.
The next class is those who are ignorant of their knowledge, describes Seneca. They enjoy their good but don’t know for sure what good is.
The next class is the ones who are making progress from escaping the diseases of the minds but not the passions. These men are on slippery grounds, because they are still in connection with danger.
All this is great, says Seneca, but we only worship the good if we believe we have time for it.
But what a rich reward awaits us if only we break off the affairs which forestall us and the evils that cling to us with utter tenacity!
It is never foolish for a man to keep learning, even if he returns to it after some time. Keep learning as long as you are ignorant and as long as you live. You shall make as much progress as you desire and work to make. Therefore, why wait? Virtue will not strike you merely by chance.
What is the attribute you look for in a good man? Well, a man possesses reason which nothing else does, then reason shall be this good.
We do not ask how beautiful it is, but how straight it is.
Each thing shall be praised with respect to the purpose of the object. Therefore we shall only ask for the goodness of a man, not whatever he wears or materially owns. If he does not flinch at the flash of a sword, if he understands there is no difference between a soul at rest and a soul in transit, then what is there to fear?
We sometimes hear the inexperienced say: “I knew that this was in store for me.” But the wise man knows that all things are in store for him. Whatever happens, he says: “I knew it.”
Life is not incomplete if it is honourable. At whatever point you leave off living, provided you leave off nobly, your life is a whole.
For reasons that don’t need to be grandeur, similarly our exit to the world beyond does not need to be so.