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Seneca: Select Letters
First published by Macmillan in 1910 and frequently reprinted thereafter, this selection includes the Latin text of Letters 5, 7, 11, 12, 15, 18, 21, 27, 28, 33, 40, 43, 44, 47, 51, 53-57, 63, 76-80, 82, 84, 86-88, 90, 107, 108, 114 and 122. Three introductory chapters trace the history of Latin prose style, comment on Seneca's own language and style, and give an account of Seneca's critics and admirers from ancient times to the twentieth century. The edition includes explanatory English notes on the Latin text.
498 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 64
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About the author
Seneca
2,709 books3,889 followersLucius Annaeus Seneca (often known simply as Seneca or Seneca the Younger); ca. 4 BC – 65 AD) was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero, who later forced him to commit suicide for alleged complicity in the Pisonian conspiracy to have him assassinated.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 19, 2018
Seneca’s an amiable fellow. He’s friendly, he’s unpretentious, and his idiosyncrasies are of the more endearing sort. During his asthma attacks, he reminds himself that he could take his final breath at any moment, that every hour of our past has already been claimed by death; that we’re dying every day. He lives above a noisy gymnasium for a while and uses the opportunity to improve his concentration and make himself less susceptible to outside distractions. Then he decides to find another place to live; because after all, who the hell wants to live above a gym?
He plunders nuggets of wisdom from the rival Epicureans, because a philosopher takes everything that’s true and makes it his own. And now, two thousand years later, we’re still plundering him, though we tend not to share many of his philosophical presuppositions. I doubt he would have minded.
To understand a man, you have to understand what he worships. Seneca’s religion is a curious amalgamation of naturalistic, pantheistic, and henotheistic elements which are all allowed to hang together. If Stoic ethical teachings can be summarized in one sentence, it would be, “live according to nature”; but nature, for a Stoic, is always infused with divinity, to the point that nature and the supernatural paradoxically fold together. On top of this, Stoics like Seneca had no trouble believing in the traditional Greco-Roman pantheon, though they devoted themselves primarily to the worship of Jupiter, the king of the gods, who they believed to exist outside of space and time and to sustain the being of the world in a manner approximating monotheism.
They believed that the cosmos was periodically consumed in fire, and that the gods themselves (sans Jupiter) were stacked on top of each other and squeezed into a pinpoint of space, sort of like clothes in those vacuum storage bags. Then the cosmos started over. In one letter, Seneca expresses a belief in something like reincarnation: he says that as the seasons disappear only to return again the next year, so people live and die, but are reconstituted with no memory of their past existence.
To be a Stoic, for Seneca, is to be a natural man; and to be a natural man is to be like the creator of men: the old thunder-thrower himself. Jupiter is free because he doesn’t need anything. He exists and acts for its own sake. He relies on nothing and fears nothing, and so a natural man should be the same way. Fear and hope are the great tyrants of mankind; by submitting to them, we make ourselves hostage to fortune, and our stability comes to rely upon externalities, making us something less than natural.
But fortunately for us, nature’s god gave us the means with which to liberate ourselves from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, including its blackest dart, which is death. This means is called logos; the principle of reason which pervades all things and encapsulates the nature of god, and, by extension, the true nature of man. Through reason, we can recognize our hopes and fears for what they are: irrational phantom images that lie below the level of existence; which is the same thing as to say that they are unnatural, which is the same thing as to say that they are ungodly.
It’s an interesting way of thinking; and to some extent, I find it an appealing one. In the American religion—wherein the pope is Oprah Winfrey, the holy spirit is legal tender, and God wants nothing more than for you to indulge in every impulse—theodicy is a subject of much consternation. When disaster strikes; when the calamitous nature of being alive manifests itself above the din of our frivolous chatterings, we’ve a mind to cast aspersions on a god who greets evil with indifference. Seneca would reply that god is indeed indifferent to the ups and downs of life; and with a little practice, you could be too.
Keep well.
He plunders nuggets of wisdom from the rival Epicureans, because a philosopher takes everything that’s true and makes it his own. And now, two thousand years later, we’re still plundering him, though we tend not to share many of his philosophical presuppositions. I doubt he would have minded.
To understand a man, you have to understand what he worships. Seneca’s religion is a curious amalgamation of naturalistic, pantheistic, and henotheistic elements which are all allowed to hang together. If Stoic ethical teachings can be summarized in one sentence, it would be, “live according to nature”; but nature, for a Stoic, is always infused with divinity, to the point that nature and the supernatural paradoxically fold together. On top of this, Stoics like Seneca had no trouble believing in the traditional Greco-Roman pantheon, though they devoted themselves primarily to the worship of Jupiter, the king of the gods, who they believed to exist outside of space and time and to sustain the being of the world in a manner approximating monotheism.
They believed that the cosmos was periodically consumed in fire, and that the gods themselves (sans Jupiter) were stacked on top of each other and squeezed into a pinpoint of space, sort of like clothes in those vacuum storage bags. Then the cosmos started over. In one letter, Seneca expresses a belief in something like reincarnation: he says that as the seasons disappear only to return again the next year, so people live and die, but are reconstituted with no memory of their past existence.
To be a Stoic, for Seneca, is to be a natural man; and to be a natural man is to be like the creator of men: the old thunder-thrower himself. Jupiter is free because he doesn’t need anything. He exists and acts for its own sake. He relies on nothing and fears nothing, and so a natural man should be the same way. Fear and hope are the great tyrants of mankind; by submitting to them, we make ourselves hostage to fortune, and our stability comes to rely upon externalities, making us something less than natural.
But fortunately for us, nature’s god gave us the means with which to liberate ourselves from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, including its blackest dart, which is death. This means is called logos; the principle of reason which pervades all things and encapsulates the nature of god, and, by extension, the true nature of man. Through reason, we can recognize our hopes and fears for what they are: irrational phantom images that lie below the level of existence; which is the same thing as to say that they are unnatural, which is the same thing as to say that they are ungodly.
It’s an interesting way of thinking; and to some extent, I find it an appealing one. In the American religion—wherein the pope is Oprah Winfrey, the holy spirit is legal tender, and God wants nothing more than for you to indulge in every impulse—theodicy is a subject of much consternation. When disaster strikes; when the calamitous nature of being alive manifests itself above the din of our frivolous chatterings, we’ve a mind to cast aspersions on a god who greets evil with indifference. Seneca would reply that god is indeed indifferent to the ups and downs of life; and with a little practice, you could be too.
Keep well.
May 1, 2016
"We did not realize how many things were superfluous until they began to run out: we made use of them not because we were obliged to but because we had them. What a lot of goods we accumulate because others have accumulated them, because they are in most people's possession. Among the causes of our misfortunes is that we live by the models we copy and are not ordered by reason but misled by habit."
I was fighting to stay alive and so I read Seneca. I believe he has given me the ammunition to stay alive - enough to ease my burden.
I was fighting to stay alive and so I read Seneca. I believe he has given me the ammunition to stay alive - enough to ease my burden.
February 20, 2025
Per quanto io possa apprezzare gli stoici e la loro filosofia di vita, alla lunga questo libro é stato piuttosto ripetitivo e un po' mi ha annoiato. Forse l'errore é stato quello di leggerne grosse parti tutte di seguito, forse a dosi omeopatiche sarebbe durato di piú ma magari mi sarebbe piaciuto di piú.
October 18, 2021
Some questionable views but some worth while stuff in here.
September 16, 2018
Phew...this one was quite a slog. I found the language in this one quite difficult to get to grips with. I'm not sure if that is Seneca's fault or the translators. A comparison with other translations may cause me to revise my opinion. I'm giving this one three stars due to the quality of the introduction and notes which are up to the usual Oxford World's Classics standard.
December 28, 2023
Another one Flynn made me read for Great Books. Mane is based. So many tatooable one liners in this sucker, they read like commands in the epistles without the gospel.
December 25, 2013
A very unintimidating stoic classic. The translator makes benevolent notes before each letter. But the introduction ruins it all. Seneca the stoic becomes Seneca the hypocrite. These letters seem preachy and feigned, especially coming from a man of such wealth and indulgence in his later years. I suspect they were not written to a real-life subject, and am supported by many in my suspicions.
August 20, 2010
The notes in this are great! Very informative.
Want to read
November 21, 2010Roman philosopher humorous. P. 88. --
April 5, 2017
Can be enlightening but also very pessimistic. Life was cruel and yet he dealt with things stoically.
December 24, 2012
(Casi) cada página contiene una o varias frases dignas de ser enmarcadas.
July 20, 2015
Too few letters, too much commentary
February 29, 2016
Demasiada sabiduría y consejos en pocas páginas. Muy actual
March 14, 2016
Fue toda una experiencia leer a Séneca en medio del bosque de Neltume, mirando el lago y discutiendo su contenido con amigos queridos y nuevos. Parece que hay que puro leer los clásicos.
May 24, 2021
Leggere un libro come questo scritto duemila anni fa e trovarlo moderno significa che questo libro è un capolavoro nel senso che quello l'autore scrive va al di là del tempo e dello spazio.
February 26, 2021
I started reading this book on the day my mother died of Coronavirus – and the day after my father died of the same disease. I can’t honestly say that I found much comfort in Seneca’s Stoic-cum-Epicurean philosophy, but then I didn’t expect to. What this edition did do, rather, was help take my mind off my grief.
Be aware that this edition is not new or even recent. It is a reprint of an edition first published in 1910, which means that you’re dealing with a slightly archaic language here. And I’m talking about the English commentary, not Seneca’s Latin. Moreover, the editor, Mr Summers, must have assumed that has readers would be as familiar with Greek as they are with Latin. Hence the notes are interlaced with generous quotations from the Greek philosophers, and these will remain a mystery to you unless you know Greek well because no translation is provided.
This edition also has a comprehensive introduction covering the “pointed” style which Seneca adopted – at least in these moral epistles – and its history in Greek and Latin literature. It then goes on to consider the peculiarities of Seneca’s style and syntax. It does get a bit technical but is useful for understanding things like word use. The notes also help here. For example, there are explanations of unusual words as well as of familiar words used in an unusual way. The editor is also very good at explaining aspects of Roman city and rural life that I for one rarely think about. An example is the letter where Seneca explains that he is living in a horrendously noisy neighbourhood, but he goes on to say that if you’re really focused on what you’re doing no amount of noise will disturb your concentration. Hmmmm, after nearly a year of remote working I’m not convinced. I live in a quiet neighbourhood but I still find the slightest noise gives me an excuse to stop working and have a look to see what’s going on outside……
This edition has a very good selection of the letters (I think only one or two are abridged). They focus on the value of philosophy (as a way of life rather than a dusty intellectual pursuit), but also cover subjects such as wrestling, friendship, suicide, poverty, vegetarianism, noisy neighbours, the fear of death and how to learn from what you read.
Cambridge Classics have a more modern edition of the letters, which might have more up to date notes and commentaries, but I chose this edition because it has more of the letters themselves. I would recommend it as a good introduction to Seneca’s writing. His ideas are not original and he doesn’t pretend they are. He makes it clear that his philosophy derives from many Greek philosophers and he is just trying to put their teachings into practice. There is one letter where he decides to go from A to B by ship rather than by land. The weather gets stormy and things are looking so grim that Seneca decides to jump overboard and swim to shore. Extraordinary. It reminded me of when Nero (Seneca’s pupil, of course) tried to assassinate his mother using a collapsible boat. In the confusion Agrippina’s maid was clubbed to death but Agrippina herself managed to swim to shore. I’ve never seen any reference to upper class Romans learning to swim, except for military blokes like Quintus Sertorius, but apparently they did. There is a lot here that is relevant to modern life, not least the value of living a hard life. No matter how much wealth and leisure you have, live life hard. That means lots of philosophy, rather than empty entertainment, simple food, exercise (but not too much. We’re not trying to be Olympians) and limited aspirations when it comes to wealth and power.
Be aware that this edition is not new or even recent. It is a reprint of an edition first published in 1910, which means that you’re dealing with a slightly archaic language here. And I’m talking about the English commentary, not Seneca’s Latin. Moreover, the editor, Mr Summers, must have assumed that has readers would be as familiar with Greek as they are with Latin. Hence the notes are interlaced with generous quotations from the Greek philosophers, and these will remain a mystery to you unless you know Greek well because no translation is provided.
This edition also has a comprehensive introduction covering the “pointed” style which Seneca adopted – at least in these moral epistles – and its history in Greek and Latin literature. It then goes on to consider the peculiarities of Seneca’s style and syntax. It does get a bit technical but is useful for understanding things like word use. The notes also help here. For example, there are explanations of unusual words as well as of familiar words used in an unusual way. The editor is also very good at explaining aspects of Roman city and rural life that I for one rarely think about. An example is the letter where Seneca explains that he is living in a horrendously noisy neighbourhood, but he goes on to say that if you’re really focused on what you’re doing no amount of noise will disturb your concentration. Hmmmm, after nearly a year of remote working I’m not convinced. I live in a quiet neighbourhood but I still find the slightest noise gives me an excuse to stop working and have a look to see what’s going on outside……
This edition has a very good selection of the letters (I think only one or two are abridged). They focus on the value of philosophy (as a way of life rather than a dusty intellectual pursuit), but also cover subjects such as wrestling, friendship, suicide, poverty, vegetarianism, noisy neighbours, the fear of death and how to learn from what you read.
Cambridge Classics have a more modern edition of the letters, which might have more up to date notes and commentaries, but I chose this edition because it has more of the letters themselves. I would recommend it as a good introduction to Seneca’s writing. His ideas are not original and he doesn’t pretend they are. He makes it clear that his philosophy derives from many Greek philosophers and he is just trying to put their teachings into practice. There is one letter where he decides to go from A to B by ship rather than by land. The weather gets stormy and things are looking so grim that Seneca decides to jump overboard and swim to shore. Extraordinary. It reminded me of when Nero (Seneca’s pupil, of course) tried to assassinate his mother using a collapsible boat. In the confusion Agrippina’s maid was clubbed to death but Agrippina herself managed to swim to shore. I’ve never seen any reference to upper class Romans learning to swim, except for military blokes like Quintus Sertorius, but apparently they did. There is a lot here that is relevant to modern life, not least the value of living a hard life. No matter how much wealth and leisure you have, live life hard. That means lots of philosophy, rather than empty entertainment, simple food, exercise (but not too much. We’re not trying to be Olympians) and limited aspirations when it comes to wealth and power.
February 3, 2022
No hay forma de calificar a un filósofo romano, hay mucho que contextualizar antes de decir que se está o no se está de acuerdo con sus postulados. En este caso, este extracto de las Cartas morales a Lucilo muestra reflexiones acerca de la vida, la sobriedad, la frugalidad, la virtud y la postura frente a la muerte que, como el propio Séneca dice, no son críticas hacia aquello que acongoja a Lucilo, sino lecciones para sí mismo. Y de aquello que dice -salvando extemporaneidades- podemos sacar muchísimo. Tal como eso que asegura sobre el viajar para alejarse de lo que mal funciona en la vida: nada se soluciona si el compañero de ese viaje es uno mismo. Si es el alma la malherida, no hay lugar que pueda aliviarla. Luego, muchas citas a Epicuro, y bastante sobre la base del estoicismo: la vida es un camino hacia la muerte y hay que aprender a morir; lo único que necesita el hombre es lo que la naturaleza puede proveer, por lo que no hay que desear lo que no se necesita realmente; no hay que anticiparse a la tragedia, porque se sufre por dos; hay que prepararse para el dolor y la pobreza aún en el bienestar y la riqueza. Esto dice Séneca, entre otras cosas; cada cual interpretará la conveniencia y verosimilitud de sus palabras.
March 3, 2018
Seneca is personally my favorite writers of the Stoic classics.
This particular translation was pretty good, but defintiely not my favorite. I understand the reasoning given as to why it was only a selection of the letters of Seneca (MUCH more than the overly hyped Penguin Classics edition... I think double the number of letters), but I feel that he wrote 124 letters for a reason (that we know of/have available). And even if there may be some repitition or similar topics covered from others, all 124 need to be included.
That said, I still gave the book a fair shot. It was much better of a translation that the Penguin Classics version, but not as good as the much older edition done by Gummere... which to me is odd. A book from the early 1900's is an easier read than a much more recent edition? That is indeed the case, at least for me. I frequently found myself going back and forth among the two and more often than not, being quite amazed that I prefer the older for its readability. YMMV however.
For what it is, it is NOT a bad book/translation. If you were given this, or this was all you could find to buy, it will do you well. It's just not my first choice.
This particular translation was pretty good, but defintiely not my favorite. I understand the reasoning given as to why it was only a selection of the letters of Seneca (MUCH more than the overly hyped Penguin Classics edition... I think double the number of letters), but I feel that he wrote 124 letters for a reason (that we know of/have available). And even if there may be some repitition or similar topics covered from others, all 124 need to be included.
That said, I still gave the book a fair shot. It was much better of a translation that the Penguin Classics version, but not as good as the much older edition done by Gummere... which to me is odd. A book from the early 1900's is an easier read than a much more recent edition? That is indeed the case, at least for me. I frequently found myself going back and forth among the two and more often than not, being quite amazed that I prefer the older for its readability. YMMV however.
For what it is, it is NOT a bad book/translation. If you were given this, or this was all you could find to buy, it will do you well. It's just not my first choice.
October 11, 2023
Лет до Фиренце био је идеална сценографија за читање овог легендарног бегефанк класика (као што би до душе био и превоз аутобусом до Лебана).
Ова књижица се састоји из Сенекиних гајдлајнса на тему како треба живети. Сенека је био један од главних представника епикурејства или једног од сродних филозофских покрета. Како је врло често неизоставни део разних мудролија и bite-sized умотворина и ова књига представља једну збирку нанизаних кристијанизама.
Основна порука је потрага за врлином и узимање врлине као основног и јединог критеријума када је у питању исправан живот. Шта је заправо врлина је очекивано мало нејјасније. И док током целе књиге Сенека енергично прети прстом свима који одбијају његове идеје ипак на неколико места оставља одшкринут прозор да буквално сви можемо да се потпрпамо.
Каже Сенека да је сасвим ОК бити богаташ, љубитељ лагодног живота и уопште гледано један класичан Боб из Врућег ветра уколико тај став и статус долази као резултат, паз' сад, ПОШТЕНОГ РАДА... хахахахахахахахахах
Љуби те брат устима
Ова књижица се састоји из Сенекиних гајдлајнса на тему како треба живети. Сенека је био један од главних представника епикурејства или једног од сродних филозофских покрета. Како је врло често неизоставни део разних мудролија и bite-sized умотворина и ова књига представља једну збирку нанизаних кристијанизама.
Основна порука је потрага за врлином и узимање врлине као основног и јединог критеријума када је у питању исправан живот. Шта је заправо врлина је очекивано мало нејјасније. И док током целе књиге Сенека енергично прети прстом свима који одбијају његове идеје ипак на неколико места оставља одшкринут прозор да буквално сви можемо да се потпрпамо.
Каже Сенека да је сасвим ОК бити богаташ, љубитељ лагодног живота и уопште гледано један класичан Боб из Врућег ветра уколико тај став и статус долази као резултат, паз' сад, ПОШТЕНОГ РАДА... хахахахахахахахахах
Љуби те брат устима
December 27, 2024
Un libro para leer, releer y reflexionar a lo largo del tiempo. Una obra que, con una sensibilidad extraordinaria, celebra la riqueza de la experiencia acumulada, la serenidad de la madurez y la sabiduría que solo los años pueden ofrecer. Una invitación a la introspección y una conexión profunda con la esencia de la vida.
September 22, 2017
Good translation. The notes for each letter are clear and give an overview of the themes Seneca writes about. Thought provoking and some of them give an insight into the workings of Roman times. A book borrowed from the library, and one which I intend to buy for my own collection.
February 23, 2020
I find this to be the weakest of the original Stoic writings (along perhaps Musonius Rufus extant lectures). I prefer Seneca's selected essays (also from the same Oxford collection) as they are more focused.
August 10, 2021
You may not be able to find a better bridge to the speculations on metempsychosis of Ovid's Metamorphoses, the book I am scheduled to read next, then this classic text featuring a series of letters intended for philosophical instruction and education.
October 8, 2023
un grande classico
Una lettura fatta già al tempo del liceo che adesso, a distanza di tempo, assume tutta un'altra veste. Un'analisi dell'uomo e della vita che passano i confini del tempo.
Una lettura fatta già al tempo del liceo che adesso, a distanza di tempo, assume tutta un'altra veste. Un'analisi dell'uomo e della vita che passano i confini del tempo.
August 10, 2018
A slightly odd selection: I think Seneca has more interesting things to say than one might guess reading some of these. The notes are very thorough.
December 27, 2020
If you are looking for ways to live a purposeful life, this a read for you.
January 13, 2025
Holy run on sentences.
June 29, 2025
lettere varie, non so se scritte per davvero a Lucilio o se sia una finzione letteraria. In ogni caso sj evince quale sia il messaggio stoico che Seneca vuole trasmettere. Alcune lettere le ho trovate molto belle, altre noiose. Memento Mori!
July 5, 2019
Es uno de mis filósofos preferidos de la Antigüedad. Ahonda en temas que a muchos nos parecerán triviales y los analiza a través de ejemplos sencillos que nos llenan de enseñanzas acerca de lo bueno y del deber ser.
June 1, 2019
Séneca es para releer y releer. Me encanta.
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