Welcome to Letters From a Stoic. These terms explain what you can do with the content here, what this site is (and isn’t), and the few rules that keep it running. They’re written in plain English. By using the site, you agree to them.
Effective October 15, 2026.
Who runs this site
Letters From a Stoic (www.lettersfromastoic.net) is run by Stephen Pasquini. When these terms say “we,” “us” or “I,” they mean Stephen. You can reach me at stephen@lettersfromastoic.net.
What’s free to use, and what’s ours
Seneca’s letters and Richard M. Gummere’s English translation are in the public domain. Gummere’s Loeb translation (1917–1925) is free for anyone to use, and you can find it on Wikisource and elsewhere. Nothing on this site changes that.
Our modern English renderings are ours. The modern versions of the letters on this site are new renderings based on Gummere’s public-domain translation. They, along with the introductions, “Breaking It Down” commentary, key takeaways, essays, timelines, maps, graphics, emails and the design of the site, are © Stephen Pasquini. All rights reserved.
Here’s what that means in practice:
- Please do: read, share links, print letters for your own personal study, and use them in a class or discussion group.
- Please do: quote short passages, such as a line or a pull quote, in your own writing, posts or talks, with credit to “Letters From a Stoic” and a link back to the page you quoted.
- Please don’t: republish whole letters, essays or large portions of the site, sell them, or put them in a book, course, app or product without written permission.
- Please don’t: scrape or bulk-copy the site to republish it or to build a dataset or competing product.
If you’d like to use more than the above allows, just ask. I’m happy to hear from teachers, students and fellow Stoics.
This is philosophy, not professional advice
Everything here is for education and reflection. It isn’t medical, mental health, legal or financial advice, and it doesn’t create any professional relationship. Seneca wrote nearly two thousand years ago, and some of his views (including on slavery and on choosing death) are ones most of us, and modern medicine, see very differently.
If you or someone you love is struggling, please reach out. In the US, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline). Help is available in most countries.
Affiliate links
Some links on this site go to books on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra. See the Affiliate Disclosure for details.
The daily email
If you sign up for the daily letter, you’ll get emails from me through Kit, our email service. You can unsubscribe at any time with the link at the bottom of every email. How we handle your email address is explained in the Privacy Policy.
Be decent
Please don’t try to break, overload or hack the site, submit spam or fake signups, or use the site for anything unlawful.
Links to other sites
We link to other websites, such as Amazon, Wikisource and other resources. We don’t control those sites and aren’t responsible for their content or how they handle your information.
No guarantees
I work hard to make the renderings faithful and the information accurate, but the site is provided “as is,” without warranties of any kind. To the fullest extent the law allows, Stephen Pasquini isn’t liable for any loss or damage that comes from using the site or relying on its content.
Changes to these terms
I may update these terms from time to time. The date at the top shows when they last changed. If you keep using the site after a change, you agree to the updated terms.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, USA.
Questions
Email stephen@lettersfromastoic.net. Thanks for reading, and for spending time with Seneca.