Philosophy

Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium

Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium

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Summary

Selected from the Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium， Seneca's Letters from a Stoic are a set of 'essays in disguise' from one of the most insightful philosophers of the Silver Age of Roman literature。 This Penguin Classics edition is translated from the Latin with an introduction by Robin Campbell。

A philosophy that saw self-possession as the key to an existence lived 'in accordance with nature'， Stoicism called for the restraint of animal instincts and the severing of emotional ties。 These beliefs were formulated by the Athenian followers of Zeno in the fourth century BC， but it was in Seneca that the Stoics found their most eloquent advocate。 Stoicism， as expressed in the Letters， helped ease pagan Rome's transition to Christianity， for it upholds upright ethical ideals and extols virtuous living， as well as expressing disgust for the harsh treatment of slaves and the inhumane slaughters witnessed in the Roman arenas。 Seneca's major contribution to a seemingly unsympathetic creed was to transform it into a powerfully moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind。

Robin Campbell's lucid translation captures Seneca's humour and tautly aphoristic style。 In his introduction， he discusses the tensions between Seneca's philosophy and his turbulent career as adviser to the tyrannical emperor Nero。

Lucius Annaeus Seneca （c。4BC - AD65） was born in Spain but was raised according to the traditional values of the republic of Rome。 In AD48 he became tutor to the future emperor Nero and became his principal civil advisor when he took power。 His death was eventually ordered by Nero in AD65， but Seneca anticipated the emperor's decree and committed suicide。

If you enjoyed Letters from a Stoic， you might like Marcus Aurelius's Meditations， also available in Penguin Classics。

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Reviews

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 ，

This book is like chocolate with a 99% cocoa content: you need to have a taste for it and you definitely can't consume it all at once。 This book is like chocolate with a 99% cocoa content: you need to have a taste for it and you definitely can't consume it all at once。 。。。more

Veselin Dimanov ，

"Творец е оня， който създава прекрасни неща" – мисъл на Оскар Уайлд， написана векове след Сенека， ала имам чувството специално за него。 "Творец е оня， който създава прекрасни неща" – мисъл на Оскар Уайлд， написана векове след Сенека， ала имам чувството специално за него。 。。。more

Hari ，

So long that I have a chance to read a book this good， maybe since I read Nietzsche's books。 I know that Nietzsche hates stoicism but I think it is like brothers who argue with each other。 Seneca's letters have an amazing combination of great teaching and beautiful verse。 He is even wickedly funny when he criticizes the stupidity of the world。This is a book to read again and again whenever I am bored， tired， worrisome， depressed， or happy。 This is a book for all seasons。 I've read Marcus Aureliu So long that I have a chance to read a book this good， maybe since I read Nietzsche's books。 I know that Nietzsche hates stoicism but I think it is like brothers who argue with each other。 Seneca's letters have an amazing combination of great teaching and beautiful verse。 He is even wickedly funny when he criticizes the stupidity of the world。This is a book to read again and again whenever I am bored， tired， worrisome， depressed， or happy。 This is a book for all seasons。 I've read Marcus Aurelius's mediations but that book does not interest me。 。。。more

Atakan Sentürk ，

I loved it。 Everyone should read it。

Nico Bruin ，

Seneca's writing remains， after two millennia， easily readable and highly quotable。His letters， addressed to his friend Lucilius， contains much advice soaked in stoic philosophy which you can read as if it's addressed to you， the reader， personally。It makes for a quite comfy experience from time to time。Seneca does have his faults though， he's quite dismissive of the virtues of travel and crafts， which seems to me a bit of philosophical dogmatism。Also， there's few of his letters in which I found Seneca's writing remains， after two millennia， easily readable and highly quotable。His letters， addressed to his friend Lucilius， contains much advice soaked in stoic philosophy which you can read as if it's addressed to you， the reader， personally。It makes for a quite comfy experience from time to time。Seneca does have his faults though， he's quite dismissive of the virtues of travel and crafts， which seems to me a bit of philosophical dogmatism。Also， there's few of his letters in which I found ideas that were truly profound or novel。3。5/5 。。。more

Bjorn Martensson ，

There's some great life philosophy in this book。 It's great that it's "straight from the source" of stoicism。 It covers fewer aspects， but at great depth。 The downside is that it is incredibly long。 Because it is a collection of letters from Seneca， it doesn't read like a logically organized book。 It's probably best read after having read a more modern book about stoicism such as "a guide to the good life"。 There's some great life philosophy in this book。 It's great that it's "straight from the source" of stoicism。 It covers fewer aspects， but at great depth。 The downside is that it is incredibly long。 Because it is a collection of letters from Seneca， it doesn't read like a logically organized book。 It's probably best read after having read a more modern book about stoicism such as "a guide to the good life"。 。。。more

Sasha ，

This book has some great ideas that have the ability to improve your life if you live by them but it also includes some extreme ideas as well。The 2 biggest problems I have with it is 1。 i dont agree with some of the advice given for living a happy life and 2。 people often take these types of books and information in it as gospel because of "authority bias。"Just because something has been written by the Senecas， the Tolstoys， Ghandis or the president of the United States doesn't make it any more This book has some great ideas that have the ability to improve your life if you live by them but it also includes some extreme ideas as well。The 2 biggest problems I have with it is 1。 i dont agree with some of the advice given for living a happy life and 2。 people often take these types of books and information in it as gospel because of "authority bias。"Just because something has been written by the Senecas， the Tolstoys， Ghandis or the president of the United States doesn't make it any more true。 I think its important to take all these ideas in BUT to also think about them for yourself。 Everyone's situation and circumstances are different which also means the solution may be different。 。。。more

Maria Pashkova ，

Не книжка， а медитація。 Містить відповіді на всі запитання。

Steven Nobody ，

I have copies of some letters I wrote in my 20's and my younger self actually said "Don't talk to me about philosophy。 It won't make me any better。 I'll learn my own through my mistakes。" I wish I could go back in time and introduce that ignorant and pompus young man to Seneca。 What a lot of continual humiliation and disappointment I could have avoided in the following 30 years is staggering。 At least I can procede with my remaining years armed with a Stoic philosophy， although I disagree with S I have copies of some letters I wrote in my 20's and my younger self actually said "Don't talk to me about philosophy。 It won't make me any better。 I'll learn my own through my mistakes。" I wish I could go back in time and introduce that ignorant and pompus young man to Seneca。 What a lot of continual humiliation and disappointment I could have avoided in the following 30 years is staggering。 At least I can procede with my remaining years armed with a Stoic philosophy， although I disagree with Seneca on at least one point， my final years will not be the dregs at the bottom of the bottle。 。。。more

Ryan ，

I went into this book having read The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius and the works of Epictetus and had assumptions about Seneca and his writing。 I found this book to be a joy to pick up。 The translation is easy to read in modern English and Seneca is a great writer。 The wisdom contained in the pages of this book is concise and practical。

Sanjida Rahman ，

I read it regularly，it's my life's guideline。I hope others also find it 。 I read it regularly，it's my life's guideline。I hope others also find it 。 。。。more

Mihai Pop ，

Far longer read than the page count assumes。 Despite written in a time of confusion between knowledge and superstition， the book assumes quite a number of modern questions， and gives palatable answers， although one hears too much of soul， gods， right， as if these are common knowledge rather than shades of superstition。 Much better read than some of the same period's life advices， so highly recommended。 Far longer read than the page count assumes。 Despite written in a time of confusion between knowledge and superstition， the book assumes quite a number of modern questions， and gives palatable answers， although one hears too much of soul， gods， right， as if these are common knowledge rather than shades of superstition。 Much better read than some of the same period's life advices， so highly recommended。 。。。more

Javier Rivero ，

Brutal life advice from Seneca， strict to his Stoic principles。

Stefan Andrei ，

Another one to add to the read-once-every-year book club。

Lindsay ，

DNF。 I don't think that audiobook is the way to go for this。 I think that these letters might need to be digested a bit more with reading physically。 DNF。 I don't think that audiobook is the way to go for this。 I think that these letters might need to be digested a bit more with reading physically。 。。。more

Neeraj ，

Full of wisdom。"No man's good by accident。 Virtue has to be learnt。 Pleasure is a poor and petty thing。 " Full of wisdom。"No man's good by accident。 Virtue has to be learnt。 Pleasure is a poor and petty thing。 " 。。。more

Siddharth ，

I knew vaguely about Seneca as being a philosopher of some kind， but I had not considered reading any of his work before seeing this note。 Now， I have read the book and it is at the top of the list of books that I strongly recommend to everyone。 In this post， I have put together some of the most insightful things that I think Seneca talks about in this book。 This book is a perennial guide to living the life of a "wise person": happy， contented， and prepared for whatever fortune might throw I knew vaguely about Seneca as being a philosopher of some kind， but I had not considered reading any of his work before seeing this note。 Now， I have read the book and it is at the top of the list of books that I strongly recommend to everyone。 In this post， I have put together some of the most insightful things that I think Seneca talks about in this book。 This book is a perennial guide to living the life of a "wise person": happy， contented， and prepared for whatever fortune might throw their way。 This book was written in the first century， some 2000 years ago。 Going into the book， I expected to find some references to things that were simply outdated and ancient。 But this was not the case at all: The maladies that Seneca says affect society have remained unchanged through a variety of events that we believe have changed the world， but which have only changed the presentation of those maladies， without getting rid of them or even altering the underlying anxieties that people tend to feel in society （envy， fear， contempt， etc）。 This is a book of letters that Seneca rights to his friend and student Lucilius。 In these letters， Seneca gives Lucilius direct advice about how to behave and how to lead a life that is contented and free of the anxieties that Lucilius or the people around him have probably been facing。 There is a tinge of mystery as we get to see only one side of the communication between these two men， leading to the reader having to fill in the blank about what it was that Lucilius asked Seneca for counsel on。 This mystery did not hamper my ability to learn from this book， and identify the "rules" that I can apply to my own life。 Seneca's writing （and Campbell's translation） is fresh and lucid。 It is not the stuffy， intellectual writing of a philosopher who is trying to find arguments and connect dots that don't deserve or need to be connected to gain something new。 This is addressed in one of the letters where Seneca says how philosophy has been reduced to philology， the study of words and how modern philosophers （modern when the letters were written， i。e。 1-100 AD） were splitting hairs about what a word means or how a syllogism is inaccurate etc。 This meta-theme， "what should philosophy do for the reader"， can be found in several letters throughout the book and it was one of the important thingsthat I learned from this book。 Bonus: He has a really good sense of humor。 'Mouse is a syllable， and a mouse nibbles cheese; therefore， a syllable nibbles cheese。' Suppose for the momentI can't detect the fallacy in that。 What danger am I placed in by such lack of insight？ What serious consequencesare there in it for me？ What I have to fear， no doubt， is the possibility， one of these days， of my catching asyllable in a mousetrap or even having my cheese eaten up by a book if I'm not careful。 Unless perhaps thefollowing train of logic is a more acute one: 'Mouse is a syllable， and a syllable does not nibble cheese;therefore， a mouse does not nibble cheese。' What childish fatuities these are！ Is this what we philosophersacquire wrinkles in our brows for？ Is this what we let our beards grow long for？ Is this what we teach with facesgrave and pale？ This is the kind of joke I would not be surprised to find in a Jerry Seinfeld stand-up comedy act。 There are 3 themes that recur through the book and are approached from various angles and when dealing with problems faced by various people。 0。1 Steel yourselves against misfortune For what is there that fortune does not when she pleases fell at the height of its powers？ What is there that is not the more assailed and buffeted by her the more lustrous its attraction？ What is there that is troublesome or difficult for her？ This is why we need to envisage every possibility and to strengthen the spirit to deal with the things that may conceivably come about。 Rehearse them in your mind: exile， torture， war， shipwreck。 Misfortune may snatch you away from your country， or your country away from you， may banish you into some wilderness - these very surroundings in which the masses suffocate may become a wilderness。 All the terms of our human lot should be before our eyes; we should be anticipating not merely all that commonly happens but all the that is conceivably capable of happening， if we do not want to be overwhelmed and struck numb by rare events as if they were unprecedented ones; fortune needs envisaging in a thoroughly comprehensive way。 – Letter XCI This might sound pessimistic to some readers。 It felt like the pragmatic course of action to me。 0。2 Study philosophy to build a better character， not a better intellect This is a meta thread of reasoning that runs through the book。 （As this is a book with philosophical arguments， the philosophical argument for what the purpose of philosophical arguments are can be considered to be "meta"）。 Seneca is convinced that the purpose of philosophy is to reform people's characters and make them better people and that it is not to improve the reader's intellect or make them look well-read or intelligent to their friends through syllogisms， clever turns of phrase or "the other toys of sterile intellectual cleverness" （Letter CVIII）。 The purpose of the philosopher's audience is to "rid oneself of his faults and acquire a rule of life by which to test his character" （paraphrase from Letter CVIII）。 0。3 Don't expect a change in surroundings to fix you What good does it do you to go overseas， to move from city to city？ If you really want to escape the things that harass you， what you’re needing is not to be in a different place but to be a different person。 – Letter CIV There is a lot to be said about the merits of travel and going to a new place。 It makes you worldly; it puts you in a surrounding that you haven't been before， reducing you to a child， lost and alone; it lets you see new mountains， landscapes and rivers。 But don't expect the change in surroundings to change you， even if you don't put in any effort yourself。 I don't know if a lot of people travel to get rid of anxiety in the present day。 I have thought about doing this before， so this piece of advice resonated with me。 1 Not completely convinced I am not completely convince about one point that he brings up in one of his letters。 He says that the recounting of past sufferings and one's victory over them is a pointless exercise and serves only to be detrimental to one's conception of the past， that suffering and one's spirit。 What's the good of dragging up sufferings which are over， of being unhappy now just because you were then？ What is more， doesn't everyone add a good deal to his tale of hardships and deceive himself as well in the matter？ Besides， there is a pleasure in having succeeded in enduring， something the actual enduring of which was very far from pleasant; when some trouble or other comes to an end the natural thing is to be glad。 There are two things， then， the recollecting of trouble in the past as well as the fear of troubles to come， that I have to root out: the first is no longer of any concern to me and the second has yet to be so。 – Letter LXXVIII This is an abridged version of my full review。 。。。more

Robert ，

I have been reading Seneca’s letters off and on for the past two years。 Recently I resolved to read all the letters and try to apply Seneca’s wise lessons to my life， and I read one or two most mornings and think about them throughout the day。 For those searching for some sort of secular devotional or daily read that doesn’t focus on the news or anything trivial， I highly recommend reading a letter every morning。 The longest is about 15 pages; most are about 2-3 pages long。 As with any philosoph I have been reading Seneca’s letters off and on for the past two years。 Recently I resolved to read all the letters and try to apply Seneca’s wise lessons to my life， and I read one or two most mornings and think about them throughout the day。 For those searching for some sort of secular devotional or daily read that doesn’t focus on the news or anything trivial， I highly recommend reading a letter every morning。 The longest is about 15 pages; most are about 2-3 pages long。 As with any philosophy， especially for those new to Stoicism and without full understanding of its cultural contexts， some of the ideas here might seem hokey or reductive， but I think the key is always constant evaluation and continuous improvement。 For instance， Seneca once challenges Lucilius， saying that he tends to call everyone a “friend” without necessarily being close to or trustful of them。 Seneca says that if we choose to call someone our friend， we should entrust all our closest secrets to them！ He thinks it is better to be trustful than wary without friends。 This may seem naive， but in an internet that values oversharing to one’s “friends” or “followers”， it’s an idea worth thinking about and seeing whether we might not reevaluate our relationships， whether online and in-person。 Note: this Dover edition’s translation is the same as one on the Wikimedia website （found by accessing the Wikipedia page for this book）， by Richard Mott Gummere （ca。 1915）。 It’s a bit stodgy with its idioms， but it does read remarkably lucidly on the whole。 。。。more

Szymon Bialkowski ，

Through the first half of the book I was lukewarm about the book， it was definitely good but nothing extraordinary。It does pick up， mostly what’s impressive about it is the descriptions of Seneca’s life and death， a man who failed to practice what he teaches but never lets go of his ideas。He has greatly reconciled stoicism to me; as mentioned in the introduction it is no longer a philosophy of apathy and repression of human nature but one which continues to be focused on the goal in light of dev Through the first half of the book I was lukewarm about the book， it was definitely good but nothing extraordinary。It does pick up， mostly what’s impressive about it is the descriptions of Seneca’s life and death， a man who failed to practice what he teaches but never lets go of his ideas。He has greatly reconciled stoicism to me; as mentioned in the introduction it is no longer a philosophy of apathy and repression of human nature but one which continues to be focused on the goal in light of deviations。 。。。more

Nate Hansen ，

Really， really good。

Jakub Capák ，

So far， my favourite philosophical work。 This format is ideal for philosophy – the letters usually aren't too long， so you don't have to wait long for a change of topic if you get tired of the one being discussed， and if you find yourself losing focus， the end of the letter， which affords a natural stopping point， probably isn't far。 Also， I find that philosophy is best read in small batches over a longer period of time – again， the letters are perfect for this。 Furthermore， philosophy about how So far， my favourite philosophical work。 This format is ideal for philosophy – the letters usually aren't too long， so you don't have to wait long for a change of topic if you get tired of the one being discussed， and if you find yourself losing focus， the end of the letter， which affords a natural stopping point， probably isn't far。 Also， I find that philosophy is best read in small batches over a longer period of time – again， the letters are perfect for this。 Furthermore， philosophy about how we should live （like Stoicism） is generally easier to understand compared to contemplating abstract philosophical ideas。There is lots of good advice in here， and plenty of good quotes if you are into that （though Seneca， if memory serves， criticizes people who quote others constantly in one of the letters）。 As I was finishing the book today， it evoked a weird feeling of fulfilment in me， like I was fulfilling some higher need I didn't know I had。 I have no idea how to describe the feeling， though my best attempt would say that I felt intellectually stimulated and noble at the same time。 Sounds pretentious， I know。 There are some things to criticize， however。 Even though my edition is a selection of only about 40 of the 124 letters， some topics were repeated multiple times。 On the other hand， this also has a good side: hearing something stated multiple times in different ways helps you memorize it and put it into practise。 Another minor nit-pick would be that Seneca likes to quote poets a lot （especially Virgil）。 I am not a huge fan of this: he uses these quotes to reinforce his points， which may sometimes sound like "If Virgil wrote about it， then it must be true！" Overall， it's still worth reading。 The letters in my edition take up only 200 pages， so it's not even that long。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0