Letters from a Stoic
Ratings24
Average rating4.5
15
Ratings24
Average rating4.5
Since Roman antiquity, Lucius Annaeus Seneca’s Letters have been one of the greatest expressions of Stoic philosophy. In a highly accessible and timeless way, Seneca reveals the importance of cultivating virtue and the fleeting nature of time, and how being clear sighted about death allows us to live a life of meaning and contentment.
Letters from a Stoic continues to fascinate and inspire new generations of readers, including those interested in mindfulness and psychological techniques for well-being. This deluxe hardback selected edition includes Seneca’s first 65 letters from the Richard M. Gummere translation.
An insightful introduction by Donald Robertson traces Seneca’s busy life at the centre of Roman power, explores how he reconciled his Stoic outlook with vast personal wealth, and highlights Seneca’s relevance for the modern reader.
Reviews with the most likes.
While there were a lot of points that I disagreed with, for the most part there were lots of insights that I will try taking with me. There were a couple funny letters, I liked letter 88 when he was just clowning Liberal Arts lol. A couple of my other favorites were 90, 65, and 78. The introduction was also very interesting it's funny how he preached all these stoic values but didn't practice it. He definitely led a really crazy life with lots of ups and downs. It is interesting to see how people wrote to each other back then, and how his writing changed over time. It is interesting how much he quoted Epicurious in his earlier letters and how he changed it views to be that one should not just spout quotes.
