Seneca Letters From a Stoic

EPISTULAE MORALES AD LUCILIUM · 63–65 AD

Seneca's letters on how to live, in a fresh modern translation. Free.

Written by a Roman statesman to a friend in the last years of his life. Each letter is short and practical, and comes with a plain-English breakdown of what it means for us now.

Start with Letter 1: On Saving TimeBrowse all 124 letters

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All 124 letters published

“This isn’t fear; it’s a natural reaction that reason can’t drive out.” Letter 57: On the Trials of Travel

Letter 33: On the Futility of Learning Maxims

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Letter 33, “On the Futility of Learning Maxims,” is Seneca’s declaration of intellectual independence. Lucilius has grown used to the little bonus quotation that closes each letter, and asks for more. Seneca refuses — and explains why. The great Stoics didn’t write in quotable soundbites; their wisdom runs through the whole fabric of their work, […]