Essay · By Stephen Pasquini
Looking for a meaningful gift for someone who loves Seneca, Stoicism or just a good book on how to live? Here are the best Stoic gifts, grouped by the kind of person you’re shopping for, from first-time readers to history buffs. Seneca would want us to keep it simple, so every pick here is something worth keeping for life.
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A Seneca-approved way to give
Seneca wrote a whole book, On Benefits, about giving well. His point was that the value of a gift lies in the goodwill behind it, not its price. So the best Stoic gift isn’t the fanciest. It’s the one that shows you were thinking about who the person is and who they’re trying to become.
For the beginner
The classic Penguin selection of Seneca’s letters. If you buy just one book, make it this one.
Seneca’s famous little essay on time. Pocket-sized, and it fits in a stocking.
Marcus Aurelius’s private notebook, in Gregory Hays’s readable translation.
For someone building a daily practice
One short Stoic reading for every day of the year. Great for the nightstand.
A question a day for reflection, like the nightly review Seneca practiced.
Ryan Holiday’s modern guide to turning setbacks into strength. A good pick for someone going through a hard year.
For the deep reader
More of Seneca’s essays and letters in one Penguin volume.
Discourses and Selected Writings
Epictetus, the bluntest of the Stoic teachers, on putting philosophy into practice.
Seneca’s On Anger in a short modern translation. Perfect for the hothead you love.
Pierre Hadot on how the ancients practiced philosophy as a daily discipline.
Hadot’s classic study of how Marcus Aurelius actually lived his Stoicism.
For the history lover
James Romm’s gripping story of Seneca at Nero’s court. It reads like a thriller.
Emily Wilson’s sharp, balanced biography of Seneca.
Mary Beard’s lively history of ancient Rome, from its legends to the empire Seneca knew.
Suetonius’s gossipy lives of the emperors, from Julius Caesar to Domitian.
For the listener
Letters from a Stoic (audiobook)
The letters read aloud by Julian Glover. Ideal for commuters, walkers and anyone who says they “don’t have time to read.”
A free gift that keeps giving
Not every good gift costs money. Share this site with someone you care about, or forward them our free daily email: one of Seneca’s letters each morning, in plain modern English, starting with Letter 1. Day by day, they’ll work through all of Seneca’s letters. We’re also working on a complete modern edition of all 124 letters; daily email subscribers will hear first when it’s ready.
How to choose
- Not sure where to start? Letters from a Stoic or Meditations. You can’t go wrong with either.
- Going through a hard time? The Obstacle Is the Way, or On the Shortness of Life for perspective.
- Loves history? Dying Every Day.
- Wants a daily habit? The Daily Stoic paired with The Daily Stoic Journal.
- Always on the move? The audiobook.
Want more context before you buy? Read which Stoic to read first, or browse all our essays.
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