Timeless wisdom for modern life
Written during his final years, Seneca's letters to his friend Lucilius offer profound insights into Stoic philosophy and the art of living well. These aren't abstract theories, but practical wisdom from someone who lived through wealth and poverty, fame and exile, political intrigue and personal loss.
Each letter addresses the fundamental questions we still face today: How do we find meaning? How do we handle adversity? What makes a life worth living? Seneca's answers, grounded in two thousand years of wisdom, remain startlingly relevant.
A curated selection of Seneca's most profound insights
"It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough if you know how to use it. Reclaim your time from the hands of others."
Seneca opens his correspondence with perhaps the most fundamental question of human existence: how do we use our time? This letter lays the foundation for all philosophical practice.
Read Letter →"Every new thing excites the mind, but a thing which is familiar becomes an object of contempt. External things are not the problem—it is your assessment of them."
A profound meditation on mortality and the courage required to live fully. Seneca explores how our perspectives shape our reality and our relationship with life itself.
Read Letter →"Set aside certain days during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare..."
Read →"Do you ask me what you should regard as especially to be avoided? I say, crowds."
Read →"Let us examine ourselves and rid ourselves of the faults we have acquired over the years."
Read →124 letters on philosophy, virtue, and the art of living well
Greetings from Seneca to his friend Lucilius. Continue to act thus, my dear Lucilius—set yourself free for your own sake; gather and save your time...
Judging by what you write me, and by what I hear, I am forming a good opinion regarding your future...
You have sent a letter to me through the hand of a friend of yours, as you call him. Then you warn me not to discuss with him all the matters that concern you...
Every new thing excites the mind, but a thing which is familiar becomes an object of contempt. This contempt, however, does not extend to the matter of fearing death...
I commend you and rejoice in the fact that you are persistent in your studies, and that, putting all else aside, you make it each day your single endeavor to become a better man than you were...
I feel, my dear Lucilius, that I am being not only reformed, but transformed. I do not yet, however, assure yourself free to derive the value that has been proved to me.