The Tao of Seneca: Practical Letters from a Stoic Master, Volume 1

The Tao of Seneca

by Timothy Ferriss (Compiller, Narrator)

http://www.audible.com/pd/Nonfiction/...

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development, Audiobook, Psychology, Spirituality

1 pages, Audible Audio

About the author

Tim Ferriss is author of three #1 NYT/WSJ bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, and The 4-Hour Chef. He is also a start-up advisor specializing in positioning, PR, and marketing (Uber, Evernote, etc.). When not damaging his body with abusive sports, he enjoys chocolate, bear claws, and Japanese animation.

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are the first 65 letters of Seneca to Lucilius. There's a lot to gain from reading about stoicism if only to compare one's way of living to the way of living of the stoics.

Seneca tells Lucilius how to live a good life. At the heart of it: learning to distinguish vice from virtue and developing the discipline to follow the virtuous path. He tackles on various themes: friendship, death, grief, fear, travel, work, inequalities, wealth, poverty...

What can I say? Lucilius was a lucky guy.

[Brad Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great daily listen for short trips. Buy if you like meditation, etc., January 22, 2016

Note re: all the negative reviews.
Yes, there's a few bugs in the audio every 10 mins for the first hour or so. The audio glitches last like 2-3 seconds, but that resolves pretty quickly. I'm sure they will fix it. Don't let 5 seconds of glitched audio taint your view of the value of the other 99.9% of the audio. Funny enough, the stoic philosophy helps you let things slide a little easier, so a bit of buggy audio may be a brilliant test to see if you get thrown into 1-star-review-rage ;)
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When I hear Seneca I think BORING, like reading the Bible. I tried to read "Letters From A Stoic" but I just couldn't do it, it felt like something I was forced to read in high school, so I resisted it.

My philosophy on audio is that I'd rather listen to a podcast, but I'm glad I bought this audiobook.

The first letter is pretty long, and so is the last one ... the rest aren't like that.

The bulk of the letters are short enough to make part of your daily ritual. You can listen to one a day since the majority of them are bite size 5-15 minute chunks.

The preface is a fun origin story.

If you are in a high stress environment, in a high performance career or trying to attain a greater level of self-development, these ancient letters give good insight on the Stoic philosophy.

Well worth the 1 credit on audible, I preordered the other 2 as well.

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My 3 favorite quotes from this book have been:
"Why do you wonder that globetrotting does not help you, seeing that you take yourself with you ." - BAM you just got served by Socrates.

"You know Harpaste, my wife's female clown; she has remained in my house, a burden incurred from a legacy. I particularly disapprove of these freaks; whenever I wish to enjoy the quips of a clown, I am not compelled to hunt far; I can laugh at myself. Now this clown suddenly became blind. The story sounds incredible, but I assure you that it is true: she does not know that she is blind. She keeps asking her attendant to change her quarters; she says that her apartments are too dark."
^My wife's female clown? If anything, this book is an eye opening look into the lives of people in Roman times.

"I have no fear of ceasing to exist. It is the same as not having begun."
^Wise words on death.

UPDATE June 2016:
I started this book in January 2016 and I just finished it. My goal was 1 letter a day ... I obviously fell off the rails more than a few times, since there are ~70 chapters - but I'm very happy with the book. The insight into the daily lives and thoughts of people in Seneca's time is very interesting. I will definitely move on to Volume 2.

[Sotiris Makrygiannis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tim Ferriss, an angel investor, advisor to big companies like Facebook, Uber, etc reprinted some Seneca papers as "guiding manual" to those big CEOs. Not all papers are good, not all advice makes sense, should have been a mix between various philosophers and not only Seneca. I liked the most the papers around slavery and of Masters, that even the rich have one once they get older...makes a lot of sense. Otherwise, I find it as a good way to influence those CEOs to Stoicism and in an extension to cynicism.

[Nathaniel Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Seneca's arguments have a lot of the trappings of most of the philosophers of that time using for example "great chain of being" arguments to justify particular beliefs, which is a bit of a turnoff. But, many of the topics discussed were surprisingly relevant, and made me put a more critical eye on my feelings towards old age, speaking plainly vs speaking with unnecessary flourish, death, valor and honor, purposeful philosophy vs wasteful mental gymnastics, and so on. In short, the reasoning was shaky but the subject matter and viewpoint was pretty interesting.

[Steven Willmott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice reading of the letters - some of which have some genuine substance. There is a lot of material so some does get a bit repetitive. Definitely worth it though to unleash your inner Stoic.. just remember not the be afraid of death or poverty...

[Nathan Roberton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seneca's letters are surprisingly accessible and packed with wisdom. Not a quick read, however. Each letter needs to be pondered. They definitely left me thirsting for more stoic philosophy.

I could have done without Tim Ferriss' introduction, however. In one place he interrupts the flow of the letters to warn us that the next letter "On Being" was not as practical and applicable as the rest of the letters. What he derided as "Seneca on Shrooms" turned out to be one of my favorites.

"On The Faults of the Spirit" had my sides splitting. You can read it here: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_...

My only reservation about this work is that he is so preoccupied with death that in places he seems to be speaking of suicide in somewhat glorifying terms. I get his point, but it's belabored.

[Sana Vasli · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot of recent hype about Stocism. Instead of reading tweets and small factoids it's good to read some of the early work on it to form your own opinion. This book is just that.

It's amazing that these letters were written around 2,000 years ago as it's just as relevant today. For those familiar with modern self help books or NLP etc there isn't anything groundbreaking here. Still worth the read as a side book.

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

These ancient letters from a philosopher to his friend/student are fascinating. They have practical wisdom and simple challenges to offer. They're especially suited for those who are wealthy, as Seneca and his friend were from the elite class of Roman society. So they challenge the idea that pleasure is worth pursuing and warn against the corrupting influence of the crowds. They include challenges to fast and wear simple clothing for a few days and ask yourself, "Is this the condition I so feared?"

And they're also redundant and pompous. I liked them, but I don't know that I'll live differently because of them.

[cellomerl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook. This is completely excellent, a highly inspiring work. It's the first volume of a series of letters written by a Roman mentor to his young compatriot. The intervening 20 centuries have removed nothing of the wisdom and relevance of the statements. The original translation is from the early 20th century (and it brings a full flavor of Seneca's writings to suggest that he seems to have been very impressed with himself!).
The basic premise of Stoicism is existentialism of the soul; regardless of circumstance, or even the condition of the body, the reality of one's soul transcends all. Everything is external except the soul, which remains preserved as long as it is not defied or denied by one's lifestyle or attitude. It posits that a person can never be truly enslaved if his soul is free. This principle has been echoed in many teachings since Seneca's day.
The style of delivery may not be for everyone; it's certainly not touchy-feely or woo-woo but a blunt, self-reliant, and self-controlled approach to personal enlightenment and moral improvement. It would be very useful reading for anyone going through a tough time such as personal loss or illness, but it's also inspiring when things are going well and you need to be reminded not to take good times for granted. Stoicism has much in common with other philosophies, and my thought is that if everyone attempted to live by these basic principles then the world would be a happier place.
I'd have to admit that I was pleased to have read this as an audiobook. Listening to someone read this to me while I did other things (cycle commuting, working out on my indoor rower, watering my garden) was a lot easier than if I had sat down to read it myself. That might sound a bit lazy, but in fact the reading was absolutely meditative and allowed me to drink in the gist while my subconscious was flowing on other things. If I had tried to read the text from a book while on my couch, I would have found it difficult to concentrate fully on it.

[Thiago Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most important books that I read in my entire life. It changed me in so many ways that is indescribable.

Full of knowledge on how to live well, in peace with your mind and soul. How to be good (in a sense of justice). How to not fall into the traps of your own mind. How to be polite, to live in the present, to not be hunted by the past or worried about the future.

How to connect with nature and other people. How to be honorable and respectful.

The stoicism has a lot to teach, especially in this world we live where people tend to give more meaning to things that one should.

It took me almost a year to read this. (Actually listen to). Because every letter Seneca writes to Epicurius is so full of wisdom that you need time to digest.

[Jeffrey Debris · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I rate the writings of Seneca highly, this audiobook left a lot to be desired. First of all the introduction and interruptions by Tim Ferriss are annoying. I don't care what his favourite letters are, or why. Or that he thinks that the next letter is "Seneca on mushrooms." It's up to the listener of these letters to decide which are relevant or interesting.

I also found it incredibly cheap that this is just volume 1, when I have the entire collection of letters in one volume at home. The narration was also weird, in that the narrator puts on a voice to sound more like Seneca (a wise, Roman philosopher with a beard). This gets old really fast and you can tell that it's an act the longer you listen to it. It doesn't add anything of value to the actual letters.

For me, this version of Seneca's letters to Lucilius are quite mediocre in the way they are brought to us. Next time I'll try to steer clear of audiobook versions of classic philosophical works.

[Nick Mclean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good and useful compilation of the works of one of my favourite philosophers. The audiobook is a collection of Seneca's letters. The narration is fine and well paced. It is definitely a good introduction to Seneca and the Stoics and a very useful tool to build resilience, and hopefully, to grow a little wiser.

[Rand Cardwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I use it regularly while commuting. It’s good to reinforce stoic principles and concepts on a daily basis.

[Caroline Whitten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know it’s in the next letter but
“With that stump of an arm he conquered two kings” sums it up quite nicely.

[Samy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highlights

Tao of Seneca Highlights

Tao of Seneca — page 100

. The primary indication, to my thinking, of a well-ordered mind is a man’s ability to
remain in one place and linger in his own company.

You must linger among a limited number of master thinkers,

When a person
spends all his time in foreign travel, he ends by having many
acquaintances, but no friends. And the same thing must hold true
of men who seek intimate acquaintance with no single author, but
visit them all in a hasty and hurried manner.


. So you should always read standard
authors; and when you crave a change, fall back upon those whom
you read before. Each day acquire something that will fortify you
against poverty,

“Contented poverty is an honourable estate.” Indeed,
if it be contented, it is not poverty at all. It is not the man who
has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.


if you consider any man a friend whom you do not trust as you trust
yourself, you are mightily mistaken and you do not sufficiently
understand what true friendship means.

judge a man after they have made him their friend, instead of making him their friend after they have judged him.

welcome him with all your heart and soul. Speak as boldly with him as with yourself.

Why need I keep back any words
in the presence of my friend? Why should I not regard myself as
alone when in his company?

In like manner you should rebuke these two kinds of men—
both those who always lack repose, and those who are always
in repose. For love of bustle is not industry—it is only the
restlessness of a hunted mind.

Rehearse this thought every day, that you may be able to depart
from life contentedly; for many men clutch and cling to life, even
as those who are carried down a rushing stream clutch and cling
to briars and sharp rocks.

No good thing renders its possessor
happy, unless his mind is reconciled to the possibility of loss;
nothing, however, is lost with less discomfort than that which,
when lost, cannot be missed.

“Poverty brought into conformity with the law of
nature, is great wealth.”

you make it each day
your endeavour to become a better man

Inwardly, we
ought to be different in all respects, but our exterior should
conform to society

The first thing which philosophy undertakes to give is fellowfeeling with all men; in other words, sympathy and sociability. We
part company with our promise if we are unlike other men. We
must see to it that the means by which we wish to draw admiration
be not absurd and odious. Our motto,[1] as you know, is “Live
according to Nature”; but it is quite contrary to nature to torture
the body, to hate unlaboured elegance, to be dirty on purpose,
to eat food that is not only plain, but disgusting and forbidding.
Just as it is a sign of luxury to seek out dainties, so it is madness
to avoid that which is customary and can be purchased at no great
price. Philosophy calls for plain living, but not for penance; and
we may perfectly well be plain and neat at the same time. This
is the mean of which I approve; our life should observe a happy
medium between the ways of a sage and the ways of the world at
large

so hope and fear, dissimilar as
they are, keep step together; fear follows hope.
I am not surprised that they proceed in this way; each alike
belongs to a mind that is in suspense, a mind that is fretted by
looking forward to the future. But the chief cause of both these
ills is that we do not adapt ourselves to the present, but send our
thoughts a long way ahead. And so foresight, the noblest blessing
of the human race, becomes perverted.
Beasts avoid the dangers which they see, and when they have
escaped them are free from care; but we men torment ourselves
over that which is to come as well as over that which is past. Many
of our blessings bring bane to us; for memory recalls the tortures
of fear, while foresight anticipates them. The present alone can
make no man wretched. Farewell.

the
living voice and the intimacy of a common life will help you more
than the written word. You must go to the scene of action, first,
because men put more faith in their eyes than in their ears,[1] and
second, because the way is long if one follows precepts, but short
and helpful, if one follows patterns

To consort with the crowd is harmful; there is no person who
does not make some vice attractive to us, or stamp it upon us, or
taint us unconsciously therewith. Certainly, the greater the mob
with which we mingle, the greater the danger.

Much harm is done by a single case of indulgence or greed;
the familiar friend, if he be luxurious, weakens and softens
us imperceptibly; the neighbour, if he be rich, rouses our
covetousness; the companion, if he be slanderous, rubs off some
of his rust upon us, even though we be spotless and sincere. What
then do you think the effect will be on character, when the world
at large assaults it! You must either imitate or loathe the world.
But both courses are to be avoided; you should not copy the
bad simply because they are many, nor should you hate the many
because they are unlike you. Withdraw into yourself, as far as you
can. Associate with those who will make a better man of you.
Welcome those whom you yourself can improve.

“One man means as much to me as a multitude, and a
multitude only as much as one man.”
“I write this not for the many, but for you; each of us is
enough of an audience for the other.”

scorn the
pleasure which comes from the applause of the majority. Many
men praise you; but have you any reason for being pleased with
yourself, if you are a person whom the many can understand?

nothing except the soul is worthy of wonder

the wise man is self-sufficient.
Nevertheless, he desires friends, neighbours, and associates, no
matter how much he is sufficient unto himself.

And mark how self-sufficient he is; for on occasion he can be
content with a part of himself. If he lose a hand through disease
or war, or if some accident puts out one or both of his eyes, he
will be satisfied with what is left, taking as much pleasure in his
impaired and maimed body as he took when it was sound.


“It is more pleasant to make than to keep a friend, as
it is more pleasant to the artist to paint than to have finished
painting.” When one is busy and absorbed in one’s work, the very
absorption affords great delight; but when one has withdrawn
one’s hand from the completed masterpiece, the pleasure is not
so keen.

He who begins to be your friend because it pays
will also cease because it pays. A man will be attracted by some
reward offered in exchange for his friendship, if he be attracted
by aught in friendship other than friendship itself.

For what purpose, then, do I make a man my friend? In order
to have someone for whom I may die, whom I may follow into
exile, against whose death I may stake my own life, and pay the
pledge, too.


The wise
man needs hands, eyes, and many things that are necessary for
his daily use; but he is in want of nothing. For want implies a
necessity, and nothing is necessary to the wise man.

: “Whoever does not
regard what he has as most ample wealth, is unhappy, though he
be master of the whole world.”

Unblest is he who thinks himself unblest.[15]

not how one
feels on one particular day, but how one feels at all times.

“Cherish some man
of high character, and keep him ever before your eyes, living as
54 THE TAO OF SENECA | VOLUME 1
if he were watching you, and ordering all your actions as if he
beheld them.”

One who
can so revere another, will soon be himself worthy of reverence.

Choose a master whose life,
conversation, and soul-expressing face have satisfied you; picture
him always to yourself as your protector or your pattern. For we
must indeed have someone according to whom we may regulate
our characters; you can never straighten that which is crooked
unless you use a ruler. Farewell.

I liked Marcus Aurelius and Seneca, too, but Epictetus was
definitely my favorite—I think he’s the funniest. With Marcus
Aurelius you have this world-weary emperor who is kind of a
mystic; Seneca writes in this flowery Latin, he’s a famous tragedian
and a speechwriter for Nero, so he has that whole thing going;
but Epictetus is born a slave, and then he becomes a teacher, and
all he cares about is teaching

After I read the Enchiridion, I got the Discourses and Selected
Writings, the Penguin Classics one edited by Robert Dobbin,
which was marvelous, even better than the Enchiridion I had
downloaded for free online somewhere. N

Fruits are most
welcome when almost over; youth is most charming at its close;
the last drink delights the toper, the glass which souses him and
puts the finishing touch on his drunkenness

. Life is most delightful when it is on the downward
slope, but has not yet reached the abrupt decline. A

we suffer more often in imagination than in reality


you know your own
affairs better than anyone else does.

Men have survived
their own executioners. Even bad fortune is fickle. Perhaps it will
come, perhaps not; in the meantime it is not. So look forward to
better things.

The mind at times fashions for itself false shapes of evil when
there are no signs that point to any evil; it twists into the worst
construction some word of doubtful meaning; or it fancies some
personal grudge to be more serious than it really is, considering
not how angry the enemy is, but to what lengths he may go if
he is angry. But life is not worth living, and there is no limit
to our sorrows, if we indulge our fears to the greatest possible
extent;

Well, what if
it does happen? Let us see who wins! Perhaps it happens for my
best interests;

We should cherish the body with the greatest care;
but we should also be prepared, when reason, self-respect, and
duty demand the sacrifice, to deliver it even to the flames

It is clear to you, I am sure, Lucilius, that no man can live a happy
life, or even a supportable life, without the study of wisdom;

Assume that fortune carries you far beyond the
limits of a private income, decks you with gold, clothes you in
purple, and brings you to such a degree of luxury and wealth that
you can bury the earth under your marble floors; that you may
not only possess, but tread upon, riches. Add statues, paintings,
and whatever any art has devised for the luxury; you will only
learn from such things to crave still greater.
Natural desires are limited; but those which spring from false
opinion can have no stopping-point. The false has no limits.
When you are travelling on a road, there must be an end; but
when astray, your wanderings are limitless. Recall your steps,
therefore, from idle things, and when you would know whether
that which you seek is based upon a natural or upon a misleading
desire, consider whether it can stop at any definite point. If you
find, after having travelled far, that there is a more distant goal
always in view, you may be sure that this condition is contrary
to nature. Farewell.

Set aside a certain number of days, during
which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare,
with coarse and rough dress, saying to yourself the while: “Is this
the condition that I feared?”
It is precisely in times of immunity from care that the soul
should toughen itself beforehand for occasions of greater stress,
and it is while Fortune is kind that it should fortify itself against
her violence. In days of peace the soldier performs manoeuvres,
throws up earthworks with no enemy in sight, and wearies himself
by gratuitous toil, in order that he may be equal to unavoidable
toil.

this can
be accomplished only by persuading yourself that you can live
happily without it as well as with it

Observe yourself, then, and see whether your dress and your
house are inconsistent, whether you treat yourself lavishly and
your family meanly, whether you eat frugal dinners and yet build
luxurious houses. You should lay hold, once for all, upon a single
norm to live by, and should regulate your whole life according to
this norm

[Edrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great performance by the audiobook narrator. As for the content, if we're reading it 2000 years later, it really should be an automatic 5.0 on Goodreads.

[Paul Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tao of Seneca is an introduction to Stoic philosophy through the words of Seneca. If you study Seneca, you’ll be in good company. He was popular with the educated elite of the Greco-Roman Empire, but Thomas Jefferson also had Seneca on his bedside table. Thought leaders in Silicon Valley tout the benefits of Stoicism, and NFL management, coaches, and players alike – from teams such as the Patriots and Seahawks – have embraced it because the principles make them better competitors. Stoicism is a no-nonsense philosophical system designed to produce dramatic real-world effects. Think of it as an ideal operating system for thriving in high-stress environments. This is your guide.

I have studied stoicism before, but I had not read Seneca. I knew of Seneca by reputation alone. This audio book was my first encounter with this wise and thoughtful man.

I made some notes about the ideas that stuck me as being valuable:

Key ideas/notes:
• Periodically rehearse the worst-case scenarios to toughen up yourself mentally
• A well-ordered mind is a man’s ability to remain in one place and linger in his own company
•Linger among the limited number of master thinkers and digest their works if you would derive
ideas which shall win firm hold in your mind
• If a man is contented, he is not poor. It is not the man who has little, but the man who craves more that is poor
• What is the proper limit to wealth? First, to have what is necessary. Second, to have what is enough
• If you consider someone a friend whom you do not trust as much as you trust yourself, you are mistaken
• Make judgement before when getting to know someone, and then make them your friend without anymore judgement
• Share all your worries and reflections. Regard him as loyal, and you will make him loyal
• No man can have a peaceful life who thinks too much about lengthening it
• Nature provides what is necessary. It is the superfluous that makes men sweat
• He who has made a fair compact with poverty is rich
• Be persistent with your studies and make it each day your endeavor to become a better person
• Do not be conspicuous with your philosophy. Inwardly, we are to be different in all respects. Our exterior, however, should conform to society
• Try to maintain a higher standard of life than the multitude, but not a contrary standard. Otherwise, we shall frighten away and repel the very persons we are trying to improve
• The first thing philosophy aims to give is empathy and sociability
• Motto: live according to nature
• Plain living, but not penance
• Limiting desires curves fears
• Fear follows hope, they are closely aligned together
• Memory recalls the torches of fear, while foresight anticipates them
• No good thing is pleasant to possess without friends to share it
• Withdraw into yourself, associate with those who will make a better man out of you, welcome those whom you yourself can improve. The process is mutual for men learn while they teach
• Despise everything that useless toil creates an object of ornament and beauty. Nothing except the soul is worthy of wonder
• The very service of philosophy is freedom
• The wise man is self-sufficient, though he does desire friends
• If you are loved, love. There is great pleasure in maintaining old and established friendships and in beginning and acquiring new ones
• The wise man is sufficient unto himself for a happy existence
• As we hate solitude and crave society, as nature draws man to each other, there is an attraction that makes us desire friendship
• Whoever does not regard what he has as ample wealth is unhappy, though he be master of the whole world
• Unblessed is he who thinks himself unblessed. What does your condition matter if it is bad in your own eyes
• Happy is the man who can make others better not merely when he is in their company but even when he is in their thoughts
• We must have someone according to whom we may regulate our character
• Life is most delightful when it’s gone its downward slope but not its abrupt decline
• Death should be looked in the face by old and young alike
• Let us go to sleep everyday with joy and gladness
• The best ideas are common property
• The only man who can go in confidently is the one who has seen his own blood
• We suffer more in imagination that in reality
• We can indulge the body once in a while, but do not be a slave to it
• 3 main causes of fear: want, sickness, and the troubles which result from the violence of the stronger
• Avoid 3 things: hatred, jealousy, and scorn
• He who needs riches least enjoys riches most
• He who craves riches feels fear on their account
• By overloading the body with food, you strangle the soul and render it less active
• Exercise the body quickly and don’t spend too much time. Come back to exercising the mind day and night
• Important is the practice of daily reflection. It is more important to keep the resolutions you have already made than to go on and make nobler ones
• Philosophy will teach you to follow God and endure chance
• If you live according to nature, you will never be poor. If you live according to opinion, you will never be rich
• Opinions, the false, and human desires are limitless. The necessity of nature is limited
• No good is without reason, and reason is in accordance with nature. Reason is copying nature. The greatest good that men can possess is to conduct oneself according to what nature wills
• The absolute good of man’s nature is satisfied with peace of the body and peace in the soul
• It is more of an accomplishment to break one’s way through difficulties than to keep joy within bounds

Overall, this book was fantastic. I found myself pausing after many letters and just thinking to myself. I took plenty of time to reflect on how there were several aspects of my life where applying Stoicism would help me create better results as it would force me to keep my emotions in check. Rather, I knew where I could use more logic and rationale to make better decisions.

[Isaac · Rating 2 out of 5]

Might be expected that it's a bit "aged", but that's not the only reason I only awarded 2 stars. It has some entertainment value, and chapters are mostly brief and "autoconclusive" with some fresh perspectives. Nevertheless, the language used in the translation makes it sound condescending, too old-fashioned adding another layer of friction to the already sometimes-hard-to-follow content... which must be taken with quite a few grains of salt, as many analogies are not applicable anymore. In the end I read like the first 50 something letters but did not find it worthy enough to finish it. Sorry :-/

[Alejandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first incursion into stoicism, and in this case, through an audio book. I was amazed by the practicality of the reflection, even though it is not structured as we are often used to by contemporary authors. 


From reflections about how to face death, body fitness and even dressing code, many letters may require a careful rereading as they have more to add than we can take on a first pass through an audio book.

[Tripp Borstel · Rating 5 out of 5]

More sacred text than book, Seneca's letters are as relevant and readable today as they were 2000 years ago. Contains timeless and practical wisdom for making one's way through the world without getting too caught up in its snares. The letters are like daily meditations and reminders on how to get the most from your one wild and precious life.

[Phillip Batch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very excited to begin this book. I chose the audio book thinking that due to the age of the work it would be easier to digest. However, I really struggled to stay interested in this. There was some sound advice, but it seemed like the goal was to sound intelligent more-so than to explain the different concepts. This I found frustrating.

[r · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free ebook: https://fhww.files.wordpress.com/2017...

In many ways it’s just marketing for Tools of Titans, but it’s primarily Seneca’s original letters interspersed with interviews and commentary from “modern day stoics.”

[kutingtin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He who is feared will also end up fearful. No one can arouse terror and also have peace of mind." -Seneca

[James Tomasino · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot here. Too much really. I get more out of meditations.

[Noah Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seneca would have been happier as a pol theologian/self help guru than philosopher.
But in his time those three trades were still one.

[Paul Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally tried listening to a letter a day but lost steam. Eventually listened to it as I would a book. Favorite highlights below!

Letter 40: On the Proper Style for a Philosopher’s Discourse
- “Nevertheless, the word which has been long awaited sinks in more easily than the word which flits past us on the wing.”

Letter 42: On Values
- “Our stupidity may be clearly proved by the fact that we hold that buying refers only to the objects for which we pay cash, and we regard as free gifts the thing by which we spend our very selves... So true it is that each man regards nothing cheaper than himself.”
- “How few men are blessed with ownership of self.”

Letter 47: On Master and Slave
- “Slaves! No, unpretentious friends.”
- “Invite some to your table because they deserve your honor, and others that they may come to deserve it.”

Letter 50: On Our Blindness and Its Cure
- “There is no man to whom a good mind comes before an evil one... Learning virtue means unlearning vice.”

Lesson 52: On Choosing Our Teachers
- “Why do you take pleasure in being praised by men whom you yourself cannot praise?”

Letter 56: On Quiet and Studying
- Just because the body is quiet does not mean the mind is at ease. A mind which demands quiet from others is uneasy.
- I listened to this as I was thinking about whether or not I could tolerate living with a roommate that was renting out a room in my home. Timely perspective.

Letter 60: On Harmful Prayers
- “What then? Did nature give us bellies so insatiable when she gave us these puny bodies that we should outdo the hugest and most voracious animals in greed? Not at all! How small is the amount that will satisfy nature? A very little will send her away contented. It is not the natural hunger of our bellies which costs us fear but our solicitous cravings.”

Letter 61: On Meeting Death Cheerfully
- “See to it that you never do anything unwillingly. That which is bound to be a necessity if you rebel is not a necessity if you desire it. This is what I mean: he who takes his orders gladly escapes the bitterest part of slavery: doing what one does not want to do. The man who does something under orders is not unhappy; he is unhappy who does something against his will. Let us therefore so set our minds in order that we may desire whatever is demanded of us by circumstances and, above all, that we may reflect upon our end without sadness. We must make ready for death before we make ready for life. Life is well enough furnished, but we are too greedy with regard to its furnishings. Something always seems to us lacking, and will always seem to us lacking.”

[Kanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor."

This amazing book (Volume 1 of 3) is filled with words and pearls of wisdom that will guide us to live a wise, contented and practical life. It is in the form of letters, from Seneca to his young protege. Seneca feels that this is the best way to get and pass wisdom - listening to the wise and the old.

The Tao of Seneca: Practical Letters from a Stoic Master, Volume 1 is based on Stoicism, which is a practical philosophy of life. This philosophy is more rational and down-to-earth, particularly when compared to the faith based philosophies like religions. The most important highlight of this philosophy is, that it is first and foremost an ethical way of thought and living.

The contents of this book, even though written way back about 2000 years ago, feel like they were written as recent and fresh as yesterday. They are so very applicable to today`s life. Indeed, the contents of these letters can be counted as timeless truths and pearls of wisdom .

Timothy Ferriss does a pretty good job of deconstructing and simplifying these wise words, by adding his personal notes and life experiences of today`s modern stoics.

A must-read!

"Happy the man who improves other people not merely when he is in their presence but even when he is in their thoughts."

(Source: Wikipedia)
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC - AD 65)

[Richard F · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll give this 4.5 stars. I'm not going for 5 purely because of accessibility to the ideas - reading the original letters with very little accompanying material is hard. It took me over a year because I felt I needed so many breaks to re-frame my mind and digest the material properly.

Without wanting to scare people away, it is tough to read these letters if you are new to philosophy. It requite some effort. My previous introductions were fairly light-on, together with the excellent "Consolations of Philosophy" by Alan de Bitton, which presented philosophical ideas along with the context of the philosopher and the period it was written.

Having said that, it is ultimately rewarding. As I have written elsewhere: every paragraph carries a message and every letter reveals a beautifully written truth. I love the phrasing of these letters, even the occadional sentence is long-winded and overwhelming by modern writing standards.

Having read this on an e-reader (not the audio book), I highlighted many passages (nearly 70) and placed many bookmarks. From:

"Do you ask what is the proper limit to wealth? It is first to have what is necessary, and second to have what is enough."

To:

"Let us greedily enjoy our friends, because we do not know how long this privilege will be ours."

The book also contains some excerpts from "modern-day stoics", which serve to be interesting enough to forgive the fact that they are used to plug the author's latest book.

I recommend reading this if you want to get into the source material, even if you do so slowly. There is a lot to discover that is not repackaged in modern-day interpretations. You will also see that the wisdom is not new, and so will not die out.

[Luke Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This dude wrote a lot of letters. Am glad that I've been able to read the first third of the publicised ones.

Looking forward to reflecting on my notes to absorb more internalised questions, answers & exercises for myself to pursue stoic qualities.

Excerpts from the book:

See how much keener a brave man is to lay hold of danger than a cruel man is to inflict it.

Considering not how angry the enemy is, but to what lengths he may go if he is angry.

I shall conduct you to peace of mind via another route: if you would put off all worry, assume that what you fear may happen will certainly happen in any event; whatever the trouble may be, measure it in your own mind, and estimate the amount of your fear. You will this understand that what you fear either insignificant or short-lived.

You must go to the scene of action, first, because men put more faith in their eyes than their ears, and second, because the way is long if one follows precepts, but short and helpful, if one follows patterns.

We are indeed apt to ascribe certain faults to the place or to the time; but those faults will follow us, no matter how we change our place.

[Bryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, my previous exposure to stoicism left a bias of dislike towards its practice that has never gone away. I had high hopes that hearing directly from Seneca would alter that bias and opinion. In actuality, it only deepens the bias against its value to me as I wholeheartedly disagreed with a lot of ancient Roman thinking and practices. I pity him for shedding so much of his humanity in pursuit of a better way which may have resulted in the elimination of suffering. Obviously his experience holds value in certain situations where his advice may actually benefit a person for the better. However, on the whole, the philosophy robs the individual of some of the most valuable elements of the human experience. I pre-purchased Volume 2 and 3 of this set that this annoying sounding editor put together. This lucky anti-humanist made more than a buck off of me so good for him. Since I already paid for the copies I will definitely finish all of Seneca's letters the editor put together in the next two volumes.