In Letter 67, titled “On Ill-Health and Endurance of Suffering” , Seneca addresses the challenges and virtues associated with enduring physical hardships. Seneca begins with a light-hearted remark about the inconsistent spring weather, using it as a metaphor for the uncertainties and fluctuations in life, particularly those related to health.
Seneca mentions his personal struggles with old age and cold weather: “I do not yet trust myself to a bath which is absolutely cold; even at this time I break its chill. You may say that this is no way to show the endurance either of heat or of cold; very true, dear Lucilius, but at my time of life one is at length contented with the natural chill of the body.”
He explains that he is grateful for old age, as it keeps him confined to his bed and engaged with his books, allowing him to focus on intellectual pursuits rather than physical ones: “Most of my converse is with books. Whenever your letters arrive, I imagine that I am with you, and I have the feeling that I am about to speak my answer, instead of writing it.”
Seneca addresses Lucilius’s question about whether enduring suffering is a good to be desired. He clarifies that while no one wishes for pain or torture, the virtue demonstrated in enduring such hardships is indeed desirable: “I should prefer to be free from torture; but if the time comes when it must be endured, I shall desire that I may conduct myself therein with bravery, honour, and courage.”
"I should prefer to be free from torture; but if the time comes when it must be endured, I shall desire that I may conduct myself therein with bravery, honour, and courage."
He distinguishes between the hardships themselves and the virtuous endurance of those hardships, asserting that it is the latter that is desirable:
"Not that hardships are desirable, but that virtue is desirable, which enables us patiently to endure hardships.
Seneca highlights that virtue encompasses bravery, resilience, and foresight, which are all essential in facing and enduring suffering: “For it is not mere endurance of torture, but brave endurance, that is desirable. I therefore desire that ‘brave’ endurance; and this is virtue.”
"For it is not mere endurance of torture, but brave endurance, that is desirable. I therefore desire that 'brave' endurance; and this is virtue."
He underscores the idea that true virtue is tested and proven through adversity, and that facing challenges with courage and dignity is admirable: “When one endures torture bravely, one is using all the virtues. Endurance may perhaps be the only virtue that is on view and most manifest; but bravery is there too, and endurance and resignation and long-suffering are its branches.”
"When one endures torture bravely, one is using all the virtues. Endurance may perhaps be the only virtue that is on view and most manifest; but bravery is there too, and endurance and resignation and long-suffering are its branches."
Seneca also reflects on historical examples of virtue in the face of suffering, such as Regulus, Decius, and Cato, who embraced their hardships and faced them with unparalleled courage:
"Clothe yourself with a hero’s courage, and withdraw for a little space from the opinions of the common man."
In conclusion, Seneca reinforces that the pursuit of virtue is not about avoiding pain but about transcending it and demonstrating moral excellence regardless of circumstances: “Nothing is more excellent or more beautiful than virtue; whatever we do in obedience to her orders is both good and desirable.”
"Nothing is more excellent or more beautiful than virtue; whatever we do in obedience to her orders is both good and desirable."
This letter highlights the Stoic belief that true happiness and contentment come from within, through the cultivation of virtue and the strength to endure life’s inevitable challenges.
***** Letters from a Stoic Key Takeaways is a collection of short key takeaways from the letters sent by Seneca to Lucilius. Read each letter’s key takeways here .
