Letters From a Stoic - Seneca: Summary of all 124 Letters
The only evil is when we complain. There is no misery in the universe except for the man who thinks it is miserable. Agree with God’s decisions. All thinks to which we moan and groan are the taxes of life, things which we shall never desire nor seek to escape.
People who face hardship and tossed all around are fighters and heroes, but people who live in rotten luxury are despised.
Luxury are vices of mankind, not a specific epoch. More crime is committed than investigated. All ages will produce bad men, but not all will produce the good. The road to vice is a steep downhill.
The errors of life are a positive source of pleasure.
Every man enjoys their own crimes and wrongdoings. Crimes can possibly be guarded, but not the anxiety which produces from them.
Good luck frees many men from punishment, but no man from fear.
In place of suffering arrives fear.
Someone who depends on happiness cannot be happy. Things can serve in utility and delight only if they depend on us, not the other way around.
A bad man makes everything around him bad, even the things which are best. The honest man stands up to Fortune and in the way of it, his mind an impenetrable wall.
We may question this as an anticipation to one day lose everything we have, losing the present blessings we currently enjoy. Attempt to plan for these situations, don’t fancy yourself a constant collector of gifts of chance.
Don’t be surprised when losing something, or losing anything, because everyday you have the chance to lose something.
We must lose our lives as surely as we lose our property, and this, if we understand the truth, is itself a consolation. Lose it with equanimity; for you must lose your life also.
Let us become harden and steadfast in acceptance, so that one day we may say to Fortune:
“You have to deal with a man; seek someone whom you can conquer!”