Letters from a Stoic Key Takeways

[expand title=”How To Use”]This is a collection of short key takeaways (less than 500 words) from the letters sent by Seneca to Lucilius. Seneca’s letters are one of our favorite stoic reflections so we put into a collection some of the most important stoic concepts that Seneca discussed in the letters and the most beautiful pieces of advice he gave to Lucilius.  We recommend using Letters from a Stoic by Robert Mott Gummere as a reference as it is the most complete with all the 124 letters. Other books have missing letters. Free free to BOOKMARK this page so you can go back to it later as you read through the letters.

There are three ways to use these key takeaways:

(1) You can use it as a preview before you read a letter so you get a sneak peek of the most important concepts
(2) You can use it as a review after you read a letter to wrap  up things up
(3) Or if you have read all the letters before you can use these to refresh your memory

Regardless of how you use it, we hope you find values in these key takeaways. If you have questions or if you like to get more content in stoicism in general you can follow us with our social media pages via the links on top of the page. We are most active in our twitter page which is @moderntimestoic [/expand]

Letters from a Stoic Summary (1-20)
Click on a letter (violet text)

Letter 1 :
              (1) The importance of valuing time
              (2) Live each day as if it is the last

Letter 2 :
              (1) Productivity and the well-ordered thinking man
              (2) Defining what it means to be a poor

Letter 3 :
             Choosing friends and what means to be real friends

Letter 4 :
             (1) Nourishing the mind
             (2) Fear on life challenges and death

Letter 5 :
              (1) Living a higher standard with the majority
              (2) The chain that binds hope and fear

Letter 6 :
              (1) The joy of sharing possession (knowledge)
              (2) walk the talk

Letter 7 :
              (1) Avoiding the crowd
              (2) Empathy for crowd

Letter 8 :
              (1) Retirement and writing ideas to inspire younger generation
              (2) Learning philosophy over chasing wealth and possessions

Letter 9 :
             (1) what it means to be self-sufficient
             (2) fair-weather friendships

Letter 10:
             (1) reiterating avoidance from the crowd
             (2) trusting oneself

Letter 11:
            (1) About physiological changes that we cannot fully eliminate
            (2) Importance of finding good role models

Letter 12:
            (1) Embracing old age
           (2) We only have one day to live
           (3) Celebrating life by celebrating burial (Pacuvius)

Letter 13:
        Part 1:
            (1) Fortifying oneself against life challenges
            (2) Understanding anxiety 
        Part 2:
            Dealing with anxiety

Letter 14:
           (1) Controlling our pleasure-seeking and pain-avoidant behaviors
           (2) Respecting people in power

Letter 15:
           (1) Why nourish the mind over the body
           (2) Gratitude: Appreciating what we have

Letter 16:
           (1) Importance of philosophy – guide for life
           (2) Living in accordance with nature

Letter 17:
           (1) Studying philosophy regardless of financial status
           (2) Philosophy can makes us rich

Letter 18:
           (1) Temperance and self-control on indulgences
           (2) Preparing setbacks by simulating the worst
           (3) How to combat anger

Letter 19:
           (1) Insatiable desires and the benefits of retirement
           (2) Power and wealth do not guarantee real friends
           (3) Choosing people to help with

Letter 20:
           (1) Practicing what you preach
           (2) Consistency with actions
           (3) Poverty can reveal true friends

Explore:

Letters 21-40

Letters 41-60