Summary and important key points from Letters of the Stoic written by the Stoic Seneca the Younger to his friend Lucilius Junior
In the same way as the fourth letter, Seneca begins by praising Lucilius’ effort in improving himself. He added this time that all his endeavors to be a better man should not be to seek social approval. Seneca reminds us to live a higher standard than most people and continue to realize our potentials to the fullest but not to the point of being out of sync with the…
The fourth letter begins with Seneca praising Lucilius for progress in improving his mind. Center to the stoic philosophy is in nourishing the mind over the body and above all else as it is the only thing we have control and the ultimate source of good well-being. “Doubtless you will derive enjoyment during the time when you are improving your mind and setting it at peace with itself, but…
This third letter to Lucilius is all about friendship. Seneca talked about choosing our friends carefully. Once we have decided who we should be friends with we have to put all trust to them as we put trust in ourselves. “Ponder for a long time whether you shall admit a given person to your friendship; but when you have decided to admit him, welcome him with all your heart and…
The central theme of this second letter is productivity. Seneca advises Lucilius that the key to getting the most of something whether be it reading a book, learning from different mentors, finishing a task, or traveling is to focus on one book, mentor, task, or place. He stressed out that the ability to focus on one thing or stay in one place is an indication of organized thinking. “The primary indication,…
In this first letter, Seneca stressed out the importance of valuing time. To make a point he said that time is the only commodity we own. “Nothing, Lucilius, is ours, except time.” Seneca describes how we waste our time and how we can make use of it to the fullest. As for the former, he said that we waste our time if we do bad things (vices), do nothing, or…