Letters From a Stoic - Seneca: Summary of all 124 Letters
Greatness only develops from long intervals. So when a man is seen or portrayed as “good”, this springs from existence without bearing. The way to determine if a man is good is to give them power equal to their wishes.
A ship that looks large on the river looks tiny in the ocean.
If your deeds are honourable, let everybody know them; if base, what matters it that no one knows them, as long as you yourself know them?
Perform the right actions, and you will be grateful people look to you to provide good actions and results.
Philosophy does not look toward pedigrees. Look in the way things progress towards the end. Life can be made happy by its own merits. Yet men gather together and worry. They set themselves back worrying about their future and the achievements which they seek.
This is what happens when you hurry through a maze; the faster you go, the worse you are entangled.
A limited list of reading allows you to understand what is important vs. unimportant. Don’t spend time quibbling in sophistical argumentation if it does not reliably travel to a conclusion. At times, we can tie up words and then spend time trying to untangle what we have said.
Vices creep into our hearts under the name of virtues.
Argumentation, deems Seneca, shall be made subordinate instead of a supreme nature. In this way perhaps we respect the importance of our ignorance.
Choose productive topics to ponder about. With a smooth and eloquent manner, you can understand the “force” in which you describe to be not forceful, but persuasive.
Seneca praises Lucilius for dining with his slave. You will have as many enemies as you do slaves.
Treat your inferiors as you would be treated by your betters.