Author

Seneca

· Roman Stoic philosopher, tragedian and statesman, adviser to the emperor Nero

Posthumous or imagined likeness of Seneca.
Posthumous or imagined likeness of Seneca. Source · CC BY-SA 3.0

About Seneca

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c. 4 BCE–65 CE) was a Roman Stoic philosopher, tragedian, statesman and adviser to Nero. His political life ended in forced suicide after accusations of conspiracy. The Moral Letters to Lucilius blend ethical instruction, self-scrutiny and practical therapy for fear, anger, grief, wealth and death.

Notable works

  • Letters from a Stoic (c. AD 63-65)
  • On the Shortness of Life
  • On Anger
  • On Clemency
  • Natural Questions
  • Thyestes

Frequently Cited

On this site

Letters from a Stoic

c. 63–65 CE · Ancient · Philosophy

Letters from a Stoic selects from Seneca’s Moral Letters to Lucilius, a sequence of philosophical letters that turn daily life into training for freedom. Seneca writes as an older adviser to a younger friend, but the letters are also exercises for himself.