Seneca

4 BC–65 AD

Stoicism·Roma

Lucius Annaeus Seneca — philosopher, statesman, playwright. Tutor to Nero, which cost him everything. His Letters to Lucilius are the most direct manual of Stoic practice ever written. He wrote about time with an urgency that feels contemporary: we do not lack time, we waste it.

Key Ideas

01

Time is the only true possession — guard it

02

Philosophy is preparation for death, therefore for life

03

Retire into yourself when you cannot control the outside

04

Friendship as philosophical practice, not social utility

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