Letters from a Stoic: The Ancient Classic
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- Author：Seneca
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Summary
Throughout the centuries， Seneca has been admired as one of the greatest writers of antiquity。 He has a way of expressing Stoic philosophy that makes it seem just as relevant to life today as it was two thousand years ago。 Seneca taught that we should remain grounded in the present moment by being fully aware of the impermanence of life。
In being clear-sighted and dealing with adversity head-on， it's possible to live a life of meaning and contentment in the here and now， truly enjoying nature， art， friends and loved ones。 The rise and rise in popularity of Stoic philosophy has made Seneca's letters bedside reading for many。
This collectible， hard-back edition of Letters from a Stoic includes an insightful introduction by series editor and self-help expert Tom Butler-Bowdon。 Tom is an authority on classic self-help texts and connects the content of this book with the concerns of modern readers。
In being clear-sighted and dealing with adversity head-on， it's possible to live a life of meaning and contentment in the here and now， truly enjoying nature， art， friends and loved ones。 The rise and rise in popularity of Stoic philosophy has made Seneca's letters bedside reading for many。
This collectible， hard-back edition of Letters from a Stoic includes an insightful introduction by series editor and self-help expert Tom Butler-Bowdon。 Tom is an authority on classic self-help texts and connects the content of this book with the concerns of modern readers。
Reviews
Pyry Takala
，
I found this one a pretty dry read。 Didn’t end up finishing but just reading maybe 20 letters。
Kristiana
，
This translation is a brilliant translation of sixty five letters from Seneca the Younger to his friend Lucilius。 It was easy to follow and the footnotes elucidated on customs， people and places within the historical context。 The introduction is worth the read too as it analyses Seneca's place within Stoicism and his latent hypocrisy during the reign of Emperor Nero。 This said， the actual philosophy within Seneca's letters can become quite repetitive and often felt as if Seneca was borrowing con This translation is a brilliant translation of sixty five letters from Seneca the Younger to his friend Lucilius。 It was easy to follow and the footnotes elucidated on customs， people and places within the historical context。 The introduction is worth the read too as it analyses Seneca's place within Stoicism and his latent hypocrisy during the reign of Emperor Nero。 This said， the actual philosophy within Seneca's letters can become quite repetitive and often felt as if Seneca was borrowing continually from Epicurus。。。 It showcases why Seneca was not embraced by his contemporary Stoics or those who came after him。 My only other gripe is the design of the Capstone Classics。 The grey banding is just paper and I eventually took it off and without it the book is completely black and although the title etc。， is embossed， on a bookshelf it cannot be easily identified。 Overall， not a published set I would personally invest in。 。。。more
Tamás Végh
，
The letters regarding friendship， and calmness of the mind were fantastic。 The rest is mediocre。 Seneca's stocism is nothing compared to Marcus Aurelius， but still worth a read。 The letters regarding friendship， and calmness of the mind were fantastic。 The rest is mediocre。 Seneca's stocism is nothing compared to Marcus Aurelius， but still worth a read。 。。。more
Halle Rubera
，
These letters contain wisdom for a young soul figuring out life。 It’s crazy to me how much resonates this many years later， which I’ve come to learn is the nature of philosophical texts。 I would recommend this book to anyone unsure of their life decisions and place in this world。 The writings answered my questions， validated my fears and thoughts and almost provided recommendations for ‘what next’。 The one part I disagreed with was his take on grief。 I don’t believe grief is something you can ju These letters contain wisdom for a young soul figuring out life。 It’s crazy to me how much resonates this many years later， which I’ve come to learn is the nature of philosophical texts。 I would recommend this book to anyone unsure of their life decisions and place in this world。 The writings answered my questions， validated my fears and thoughts and almost provided recommendations for ‘what next’。 The one part I disagreed with was his take on grief。 I don’t believe grief is something you can just get over quickly and if you don’t， then you’re being pretentious or seeking attention。 I guess from the perspective of a stoic， every life challenge/pleasure should be met with equal indifference。 But to me， grief can’t be one of those feelings。 Grief never leaves you。 With these thoughts， I felt an internal resistance towards his stance on grief but generally enjoyed reading his letters。 。。。more
Shane
，
At times Seneca seems to have tapped into the same well of wisdom as the Buddha or Lao-tze， prescribing freedom from want and fear， but then goes on logical， rational tangents into absurdities such as， art and exercise are bad for the soul， or even about the metaphysical existence of the soul。 His dogmatic stances are what most distances him from the moderation that is key to Eastern wisdom。 His sexism is also hard to stomach。
Wagsy
，
"Of this one thing make sure against your dying day-that your faults die before you do。"-Seneca Imagine writing something and having people still reading it two thousand years later。 Or， in the case of the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca， personal letters written to a friend of yours。 Even more incredible。 I highly doubt any future civilisations will want to read any of the messages or emails I've sent to my friends over the years。 Or maybe they will。 Hmm。 This collection of letters by Seneca "Of this one thing make sure against your dying day-that your faults die before you do。"-Seneca Imagine writing something and having people still reading it two thousand years later。 Or， in the case of the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca， personal letters written to a friend of yours。 Even more incredible。 I highly doubt any future civilisations will want to read any of the messages or emails I've sent to my friends over the years。 Or maybe they will。 Hmm。 This collection of letters by Seneca is hardly what you'd call an outpouring of emotional confession to a close companion （he was a stoic after all）。 The relationship between him and Lucilius， the receiver of the letters， is far more teacher-pupil。 Each letter is or becomes a mini lecture on the right way for a man to live。 Now I personally am drawn to certain aspects of the Stoic way of life。 I dig it， man。 I especially value and admire those who are able to take the knocks that life gives them， no matter how hard it hurts， with dignity equanimity。 So there was a decent amount contained in these letters that I found quite inspiring。 The gripes that stop me giving this top marks are two-fold。 First， like a lot of ancient greek or roman writers， when talking about the sciences he's on dodgy ground。 Some of his medical advise to his friend had me smirking。 Then again this was nigh on 20 centuries ago so what do I want？ Secondly， he comes across as a very preachy philosopher with a real holier than thou attitude towards everyone else。 I get the feeling， if I knew him， I would not get on with the man whilst admiring his works and words。 。。。more
Wilf
，
Not as purely philosophy-based as Meditations perhaps but insightful and fascinating nonetheless。
Dan
，
Some nuggets if you're willing to sift for them Some nuggets if you're willing to sift for them 。。。more
Sindi Breshani
，
The beliefs the Seneca proposes are very strong。 I took time to reflect upon key ideas， which is why it took my so long to finish it。 I read it at the most difficult period of my life， and this quote will stay with me forever: “Perhaps one day， this sorrow will even bring delight。”
Constantin
，
“Philosophy calls for simple living， not for doing penance， and the simple way of life need not be a crude one。”/------------------/A truly remarkable collection of letters from Seneca， filled with Stoic wisdom and lessons。 There are multiple reasons why this book is regarded as one of the pillars of stoicism。 The themes encountered are many， such as friendship， philosophy and it's applications， living in accordance in nature， stoic cardinal values， （lack of） fear of death etc。 Any single letter “Philosophy calls for simple living， not for doing penance， and the simple way of life need not be a crude one。”/------------------/A truly remarkable collection of letters from Seneca， filled with Stoic wisdom and lessons。 There are multiple reasons why this book is regarded as one of the pillars of stoicism。 The themes encountered are many， such as friendship， philosophy and it's applications， living in accordance in nature， stoic cardinal values， （lack of） fear of death etc。 Any single letter can be picked apart and dissected in many ways， yet every time it will still feel as Seneca is writing directly to you。Many letters also offer a glance into life back then and Seneca's biography is worthy of a separate study， nevertheless one can surely derive the parallels from how one ought to live nowadays as well。 。。。more
Jil Diamante
，
That book that one perhaps should consider as his bible for life。 “What progress， you ask， have I made？ I have begun to be a friend to myself。” That was indeed a great benefit; such a person can never be alone。 You may be sure that such a man is a friend to all mankind。 Farewell。”
Greg Rice
，
Really need a 4。5 option for this one。 If I read it a second time， which I think I would at a later date， I would keep a notepad with me because there are so many stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks aphorisms throughout that， as I'm sure I've already forgotten， that I would love to write down。 The whole thing is written in a fatherly， musing tone with lots of humor， day-to-day relatability and casualness。 The wisdom contained herein will be inspiring for a Christian as so much of it gives practical-sen Really need a 4。5 option for this one。 If I read it a second time， which I think I would at a later date， I would keep a notepad with me because there are so many stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks aphorisms throughout that， as I'm sure I've already forgotten， that I would love to write down。 The whole thing is written in a fatherly， musing tone with lots of humor， day-to-day relatability and casualness。 The wisdom contained herein will be inspiring for a Christian as so much of it gives practical-sense reasoning to the Christian ideal of detachment。 I didn't give it 5-stars just because I found some inconsistency in Seneca's realism。 At points I felt he lacked empathy for the human lot that made his points lose grounding。 。。。more
Ladyfilosopher
，
These were given to me by a fellow a few years younger than me during a fling。 It was one of the best unconditional presents I have ever received。 I felt seen。 Difficult， life threatening times were assailing me and this book was my 'rock'。 I read these letters in Italian， in Italy， home of Latin， with Latin on the facing page。 A meditation on languages， translations， eras and geography， power dynamics and self-awareness in training which kept me sane and savvy。 Seneca works were on my philosoph These were given to me by a fellow a few years younger than me during a fling。 It was one of the best unconditional presents I have ever received。 I felt seen。 Difficult， life threatening times were assailing me and this book was my 'rock'。 I read these letters in Italian， in Italy， home of Latin， with Latin on the facing page。 A meditation on languages， translations， eras and geography， power dynamics and self-awareness in training which kept me sane and savvy。 Seneca works were on my philosophy course in Italy， where I learned that Shakespeare had consulted them while writing。 One letter a week to digest the content and you have a philosophy course under your belt in Stoicism。 We do need to learn boundaries， continence instead of incontinence （greed， FOMO and more） and about what is really necessary and desired in life。 These are lessons many learn in their tragic lives as refugees， and exiles， which we， too， with a twist of fate can all risking turning into。 Stoicism is what we need to get through hard times。 When finally in a safe place， we do ourselves to hang the stoicism on the rack at the door， and open ourselves to the world and joys。 。。。more
Michael Bartolone
，
Saying "I liked it" seems low， because there is some truly astounding insight here， which is still so relevant to our modern times。 （Most notable example for me being the letter describing how to contend with one's envy or resentment of another's possessions or accomplishments。） Yet， in my own subjective way， it was very tough to get through at times。 I had very little exposure to Seneca or stoicism beforehand， so that may have had something to do with it。 The writer of the introduction states t Saying "I liked it" seems low， because there is some truly astounding insight here， which is still so relevant to our modern times。 （Most notable example for me being the letter describing how to contend with one's envy or resentment of another's possessions or accomplishments。） Yet， in my own subjective way， it was very tough to get through at times。 I had very little exposure to Seneca or stoicism beforehand， so that may have had something to do with it。 The writer of the introduction states that Seneca's style is tough in part because it's so pithy， and I agree。 His gift for language is wonderful to enjoy， but the letters are so dense and the subjects change so rapidly that it can be jarring and difficult to see a narrative within even a few paragraphs of the same letter。 Part of that is because you are seeing half of a conversation， I'm sure。 Perhaps more focused collections on specific topics would be better for beginners like myself。All of the above said， I will be returning repeatedly to this collection to reread the letters that resonated the most with me。 。。。more
Dan Brigman
，
Seneca’s letters， now nearly 2000 years old， offer a guide to modern readers about what Stoicism boils down to: a path to tranquility。The letters serve as more than simple guide， though。 They offer Seneca’s thoughts on friendship， wealth， ethics， life， death， and emotion。 The letters also deserve a strict focus insofar that one is plumbing the depths of wisdom that we all need to consider。 Philosophers like Seneca deserve several read throughs – at least four times， in my opinion， to better unde Seneca’s letters， now nearly 2000 years old， offer a guide to modern readers about what Stoicism boils down to: a path to tranquility。The letters serve as more than simple guide， though。 They offer Seneca’s thoughts on friendship， wealth， ethics， life， death， and emotion。 The letters also deserve a strict focus insofar that one is plumbing the depths of wisdom that we all need to consider。 Philosophers like Seneca deserve several read throughs – at least four times， in my opinion， to better understand and grasp the knowledge。 Fortunately， this volume is relatively short and can broken up into the letters individually – perhaps one/day – without needing to read the entire volume in just a few sittings。Also， don’t let the word Stoicism bog you down。 In the modern parlance， Stoicism tends to evoke the ideas stodginess， being boring， rigid， and unyielding。Rather， Stoicism can help anyone learn how to better cope with the many stresses that our society throws at us。 。。。more
Moeen
，
"we suffer more in imagination than in reality" - SenecaI wish I have read this book in my early 20s。 definitely a must read。 it helps a lot dealing with anxieties and everyday life， full of valuable advises。 "we suffer more in imagination than in reality" - SenecaI wish I have read this book in my early 20s。 definitely a must read。 it helps a lot dealing with anxieties and everyday life， full of valuable advises。 。。。more
Olenka Dobosh
，
Це книга-глиба。 Просто неймовірно вдячна за чудовий переклад Андрія Содомори。 Це підручна книга， яку можна читати окремими листами， можна читати окремими параграфами， можна відкласти， і знову відкрити。 Коли бракує співрозмовника， з яким глибоко хотілося б зануритись в сенси та розуміння - думаю Сенека чудовий співрозмовник， ба більше він вчитель， порадник， наставник。 Як на мене - точно must have в домашній бібліотеці
Jack
，
Review forthcoming。
Gonzalo Ziadi
，
Seneca is unlikeable and was most likely a huge asshole， but his writing is （for the most part） terrific。 His letters are infinitely quotable and a good intro to Stoicism。
Antonio C。 Montecristo
，
One of the best book I have never read。 Some of the letters written by Seneca are really astonishing。 You can take any single sentence and making a quotation on its own。 Brilliant work。 My congratulations。 A must read to anyone who wants to under how to love better and what really matters in this world。
Eshaah
，
provides excellent codes of conduct to live by
Hans
，
Ik trap misschien een open deur in， maar dit boek is na al die eeuwen nog zó actueel， ongelofelijk。。。 2000 jaar oud， maar het leest alsof het gisteren geschreven is。 En dat zegt een niet-filosofisch aangelegd iemand。
Joyce
，
Not sure how I feel about this book。At first， I was reading every word avidly， highlighting and taking notes。 And indeed， there are parts that I really resonated with， and that I will be applying to my life。Parts such as: What man can you show me who places any value on his time， who reckons the worth of each day， who understands that he is dying daily？ For we are mistaken when we look forward to death; the major portion of death has already passed。 Whatever years be behind us are in death's Not sure how I feel about this book。At first， I was reading every word avidly， highlighting and taking notes。 And indeed， there are parts that I really resonated with， and that I will be applying to my life。Parts such as: What man can you show me who places any value on his time， who reckons the worth of each day， who understands that he is dying daily？ For we are mistaken when we look forward to death; the major portion of death has already passed。 Whatever years be behind us are in death's hands。 And: A man may rule the world and still be unhappy， if he does not feel that he is supremely happy。 However， as I continued reading， I started to find it harder and harder to identify with his writing。He talks about being indifferent a lot。 And yet， I can’t help but wonder， if he is truly indifferent， if he truly prefers his own company – would he be writing so many letters to Lucilius？ For someone who has no preference as to the outcome， he seems to be investing an awful lot of time and emotions into trying to mould someone else into a shape that he prefers。Furthermore， all the examples he selects suffer from sample bias。 He cites situations of when famous philosophers and generals face death/hardships without blinking an eye。 But he’s forgetting that if they were indifferent to power and fortune from the outset， if they never had personal ambition， they wouldn’t be famous for him to cite。 It seems an inherent paradox， unless you believe that some people are blessed from the outset and never have to try to achieve fame and fortune。He also talks an awful lot about God in the monotheistic， omnipotent， capital G sense。 And he talks a lot about life after death。 As someone who aims to be indifferent to pain and pleasure – why is he so fervent in his belief in a powerful Creator and in his belief that death is not the end？ Shouldn’t it make no difference to him？ Not a super huge issue， but it confuses me。In conclusion: eh。 Not my cup of tea。 There are takeaways from this， but it’s not as life-changing as I’d hoped it would be。 。。。more
Zachary Spiro
，
Amazeballs
Bogdan Muclea
，
When in doubt， read the Stoics。
Leo Davies
，
A personal guide on how to live as a mature and maintained stoic。When reading this collection of letters， Seneca's persuasive and personal language to Nero somehow manages to seem applicable to anyone who may wish to apply these same words of advice to their own lives。 Seneca manages to cover a range of subjects which the human race battle on a daily， and nightly， basis。 These range from moderation， to drunkenness， to death。 After reading Seneca's 'Letters from a Stoic，' I most certainly find my A personal guide on how to live as a mature and maintained stoic。When reading this collection of letters， Seneca's persuasive and personal language to Nero somehow manages to seem applicable to anyone who may wish to apply these same words of advice to their own lives。 Seneca manages to cover a range of subjects which the human race battle on a daily， and nightly， basis。 These range from moderation， to drunkenness， to death。 After reading Seneca's 'Letters from a Stoic，' I most certainly find myself wishing that I had my own personal Seneca to follow me about and give me even more advice on my own dealings and tribulations that I happen to find myself in here and there （as I am sure he would have much to say）。 But through the pages of his writings， I have still managed to apply many of the guidances which he did manage to write down。 There are in fact some points of Seneca's dotted throughout the book which I also do not personally fully agree with。 But due to Seneca's style of writing， that of honest advice to one he would hope would listen （Nero）， I also find that it is easy to accept his perspective， respectfully disagree， and continue being educated in other matters that he touches upon。It is a true shame that Nero did not listen to his mentor。 。。。more
Radu Giurgiu
，
These ancient letters contain some absolute gems to apply in today's life。 Even if you read this review when my today is your yesterday， his lessons will still be as relevant as ever。 I dropped one star from the rating just because some letters were very long and wandering and lost me in some parts。 But my kindle version is full of highlights。 A book to give to friends together with Meditations from Marcus Aurelius。 These ancient letters contain some absolute gems to apply in today's life。 Even if you read this review when my today is your yesterday， his lessons will still be as relevant as ever。 I dropped one star from the rating just because some letters were very long and wandering and lost me in some parts。 But my kindle version is full of highlights。 A book to give to friends together with Meditations from Marcus Aurelius。 。。。more
Oliver Bateman
，
At my father's behest， I'd browsed the Loeb "Epistles" nearly two decades ago， but nothing stuck。 It seemed like the groundless bitching of a tired old rich man。 However， approaching the letters now， through the lens of Robin Campbell's translation， I find them to be a singular "vade mecum" - something that will always "go with me。" Seneca's epistolary "hot takes" resonate across the centuries， explaining how one can balance success in life （which I've enjoyed myself， after a fashion） against th At my father's behest， I'd browsed the Loeb "Epistles" nearly two decades ago， but nothing stuck。 It seemed like the groundless bitching of a tired old rich man。 However， approaching the letters now， through the lens of Robin Campbell's translation， I find them to be a singular "vade mecum" - something that will always "go with me。" Seneca's epistolary "hot takes" resonate across the centuries， explaining how one can balance success in life （which I've enjoyed myself， after a fashion） against the gloom of looming mortality， the recognition that everything is transitory， and the realization that one's station in life is a matter of a fortune， but one's duty cannot be shirked or avoided。 Along the way， he offers some great zingers about academics （"He wrote 4000 books， and I'd feel almost as bad for him if he had merely read 4000 of them"）， gluttons， rakes， meatheads， &c。， while providing the usual treasure trove of fascinating Roman "period color" （hot-water heating， revolving ceilings， bathing innovations contrasted with Scipio's "dark tub，" and so on）。 Keep this one by the bedside， kids - next to the old sweat sock， the blackjack， the stun gun， and the stack of dog-eared muscle magazines。 。。。more
Yohanes Saputra
，
Seneca is probably the only dead writer I want to conversed with if I have the chance。Why Seneca is so essential to us:1。 Seneca is a "no-whine" person。2。 Seneca knows you。3。 He cares deeply about friendship。When I got to Seneca and read one of his letters just for the personal topics， I found that this man is a profound discovery。 Not only it is interesting and engaging reading his writings， but he writes likes no other。 You just can feel his writing so different than others， so distinctive， th Seneca is probably the only dead writer I want to conversed with if I have the chance。Why Seneca is so essential to us:1。 Seneca is a "no-whine" person。2。 Seneca knows you。3。 He cares deeply about friendship。When I got to Seneca and read one of his letters just for the personal topics， I found that this man is a profound discovery。 Not only it is interesting and engaging reading his writings， but he writes likes no other。 You just can feel his writing so different than others， so distinctive， that， only his style I can distinguish between multitude of great authors。Seneca is probably the easiest ancient author to read， too。 You want an introduction to an easy ancient philosophy （not like dry-dialogues of plato）？ Try Seneca。 。。。more
Bogdan
，