How to Keep Your Cool: An Ancient Guide to Anger Management

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers

by Seneca (Introduction), James S. Romm (Translator)

Timeless wisdom on controlling anger in personal life and politics from the Roman Stoic philosopher and statesman Seneca

In his essay “On Anger” (De Ira), the Roman Stoic thinker Seneca (c. 4 BC–65 AD) argues that anger is the most destructive passion: “No plague has cost the human race more dear.” This was proved by his own life, which he barely preserved under one wrathful emperor, Caligula, and lost under a second, Nero. This splendid new translation of essential selections from “On Anger,” presented with an enlightening introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, offers readers a timeless guide to avoiding and managing anger. It vividly illustrates why the emotion is so dangerous and why controlling it would bring vast benefits to individuals and society.

Drawing on his great arsenal of rhetoric, including historical examples (especially from Caligula’s horrific reign), anecdotes, quips, and soaring flights of eloquence, Seneca builds his case against anger with mounting intensity. Like a fire-and-brimstone preacher, he paints a grim picture of the moral perils to which anger exposes us, tracing nearly all the world’s evils to this one toxic source. But he then uplifts us with a beatific vision of the alternate path, a path of forgiveness and compassion that resonates with Christian and Buddhist ethics.

Seneca’s thoughts on anger have never been more relevant than today, when uncivil discourse has increasingly infected public debate. Whether seeking personal growth or political renewal, readers will find, in Seneca’s wisdom, a valuable antidote to the ills of an angry age.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Classics, Self Help, Psychology, Audiobook, History

239 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Lucius 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.

Reviews

[Peter Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to Keep Your Cool by Seneca/ James Romm

Please vote for my Amazon review - https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-re...


I came to this book after reading St. Thomas Aquinas's articles on anger in the Summa Theologica. I was surprised at how much the Christian saint relied on the Roman Stoic philosopher for his Christian analysis of anger as both a virtue and a vice.

This book is part of Princeton's "Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers" series. In this series, the texts of classical Roman philosophers are selected and arranged to address a single issue, in this case, anger. The text in question is Seneca's "De Ira" ("On Anger"). The format involves an introduction and fairly extensive extracts from the relevant text. I haven't read De Ira, but I found this format to be very accessible.

It is fair to say that Seneca's view of anger was extremely negative. Anger overrode reason by inflaming the passions. In an angry state people ere prone to act inordinately and imprudently. The ugliness of anger can be seen in the distortion of face and demeanor which were external signs of the ugliness that anger imposed on the spirt.

There were those who argued that anger was a virtue in that it impelled action against injustice. Seneca disagreed since duty impelled action and anger tended to make appropriate action excessive or misguided. ("The good man will carry out his duties without fear or tumoil; he'll act in a manner worthy of a good man such that he'll do nothing unworthy of a man. My father is being killed; I'll defend him. He has been killed; I'll avenge - but beause it's right, not because I'm grieved.")

In addition, a person should seek tranquility and peace, not anger, which enmeshed the individual in a cycle of mindless revenge and counter-revenge. Life is short enough as it is for it to be spent in this way. In one passage, Seneca used the image of a bull and bear tied together and baited to fight, all the while there waited a man with a sword at the ready to end the life of the winner of this contest.

Seneca offers a variety of solutions for the problem of anger. "Delay is the greatest remedy for anger." Waiting a bit to let the emotions cool off a bit will permit a calmer assessment of the facts. So will humility since it is often the case that pride causes anger over perceived or real slights. In any event, slights are often, in retrospect, hardly sufficient to get angry about. Don't take on too much since people who are stressed easily succumb to anger. "Let the reading of poetry calm them and the reading of history amuse them with its stories." Practice a studied ignorance; "It is not to your benefit to see and hear everything."

A final suggestion was to practice a "pact of mutual leniency." Who is there who is perfect and has never done anything wrong or given offense? Certainly not one of us can say this about ourselves, so when someone does something to slight us, remind oneself that just as we need leniency, we should give leniency. My personal favorite aphorism that I often have resort to is from St. Ephraim the Syrian: "Be merciful for everyone is fighting a great battle."

This is a quick read. I think it is better than most self-help books you can find.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it was because I listened to this rather than reading it, but this came across like something written for someone who would like to read a book but just wants the 'talking points'. It felt really disjointed to listen to, a highlight reel of Seneca's essay "On Anger" with the checklist of things you should do to 'get' how to avoid anger along with some flashy parts of torture and bad behavior to maybe titillate and not make you feel like you are just reading a grocery list on how not let anger control your life.

The short passages illustrating various tyrants anger / cruelty, was probably my 'take away' and reminded me how seriously fucked up the ruling class was in ancient Rome, where even fairly good or not down right evil emperors did things that would be deemed horrific by today's standards. Suetonis'

[Shane Parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up a few days ago after losing my cool. The book is a short selection of essays by Seneca for anyone trying to keep themselves in check. Seneca wrote them for Nero, who he was trying to influence.

[Massimo Pigliucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to Keep Your Cool is a new translation, by James Romm, of excerpts from one of the classics of Stoic thought: Seneca's On Anger. It is one of the most useful books ever written, no hyperbole. For the Stoics, emotions come in two flavors: healthy (love, joy, a sense of justice) and unhealthy (anger, fear, hatred). Both types are partially cognitive, in agreement with modern cognitive behavioral therapy. Which means we can, with proper training, argue ourselves out of certain emotions (or into certain other ones). For instance, say you are angry because so-and-so said that you are stupid. Counter-argument: why do you care about what so-and-so says? That person obviously meant to hurt you. Why are you allowing them to succeed? And so forth. This is one of the most practical entries in the ongoing Princeton University Press's series Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers. Highly recommended. It may change your life.

[Maddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh the Stoics, how I love them!

This very easy to read and accessible lesson on how to manage the anger in your life was actually very helpful, having read many explanations as to why we are angry in the past and those were not always helpful or practical, Seneca however lays out useful examples and solutions that make the most sense as to the why of our anger. He offers up alternative reactions in various practical situations, which are still applicable in the 21st century.
For those who are interested in Latin this book has the original text in Latin on the left hand side of the page together with footnotes. Altogether a very enjoyable read.

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Selain konten flexing sana-sini, apalagi konten yang bikin capek audiensnya?

Yak, konten dikit-dikit ngamuk.

Marah yang dimaksud adalah yang nggak nyoba untuk bermediasi atau berbicara secara personal dulu. Namun ujug-ujug ngomel di media sosial.

Perkara mengelola emosi marah memang "easier said than done." Aku sendiri masih kelepasan ketimbang mencoba meredakannya terlebih dahulu. Dan memang betul, amarah ini emosi yang sekalinya "keluar" bisa menyeret diri kita hingga menuju penyesalan.

Seperti yang dikatakan oleh Seneca melalui esainya yang diberi judul "Ihwal Amarah." Seneca mengingatkan bahwa emosi kemarahan kita ini bak kegilaan (madness) karena seringkali nggak bisa kita kendalikan.

Menurut pengamatan Seneca, kemarahan muncul karena adanya perasaan nggak puas. Lantas, nggak mau saling bertoleransi untuk mencoba menjalin komunikasi.

Amarah juga muncul karena ketidaksesuaian ekspektasi, hingga ketergesaan dalam hidup. Semua yang serba tergesa, akan memantik perasaan marah. Kalau bahasa kekiniannya sih, jadinya nggak "mindful."

Sebagaimana anak judulnya, How to Keep Your Cool memang bak petuah kuno tentang pengendalian amarah. Bukunya betulan mengacu pada esai Seneca, tapi masih saja relevan dibaca sekarang.

Sepanjang membaca buku ini, aku jadi merefleksikan kembali bagaimana "character development"-ku. Apakah sudah makin baik atau malah mundur.

Edisi bahasa Indonesia yang diterjemahkan oleh Inggrid Nimpoeno & Y.D. Anugrahbayu enak untuk diikuti. Nggak perlu takut kesulitan mencerna kosakata sulit.

Meski How to Keep Your Cool masuk dalam topik filsafat, tapi rasanya dia bisa saja digolongkan sebagai "self-help" 🤭

[Erica Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

For my reference:

“‘Let’s be kinder to one another,’ Seneca exhorts, in the impassioned final segment of his treatise. ‘We’re just wicked people living among wicked people. Only one thing can give us peace, and that's a pact of mutual leniency.’”

“You urged me, Novatus, to write about the way in which anger can be softened, and I think you are right to be most frightened of this emotion, the ugliest and most savage of all emotions.”

“Other things can be hidden away and nurtured in secret, but anger announces itself and comes out onto the face; the greater its degree, the more openly it seethes. Don’t you see how all animals, as soon as they have reared up to inflict harm, send for signals of the attack? How their entire bodies abandon their accustomed calm appearance and whet the edge of their wildness?” (9).

“First, however, it’s easier to shut out harmful things than to govern them, easier to deny them entry than to moderate them once they have entered. Once they’ve established residence, they become more powerful than their overseer and do not accept retrenchment or abatement. That is why Reason itself, to which the reins are entrusted, stays potent only so long as it’s kept apart from the passions; if it mingles and pollutes itself with them, it can no longer restrain that which it formerly could have rebuffed” (17).

“Why are you afraid that duty alone, without anger’s help, will be too little motivation for him?” (21)

“Everyone who’s transported beyond mortal thinking by an insane mind believes he’s breathing in something elevated and sublime. But there’s nothing firm underneath; things that grow without foundations are likely to slide into ruin” (25 - 27).

“No, rather, from those who don’t know what true greatness is, just like that dread and hateful expression ‘Let them hate, so long as they fear.’” ...Do you think that was spoken by a great spirit? You’re wrong; that was not greatness but monstrosity” (27).

“There is no reason to trust the words of angry people, which make loud and menacing noise despite the great timidity of the mind that lies beneath” (27).

“Sure, terrible and turbulent and lethal things can exist, but they won’t have greatness, the foundation of which is strength and goodness. They will give the illusion of greatness with their speech, their effort and all their external show; they will shout out something that you might think belongs to a great mind — like Caligula: angered at the sky because its clamor interrupted the pantomimes, and because his revels were terrorized by thunderbolts” (29 - 31).

“There’s nothing great or noble in anger, not even when it seems brash and scornful of men and gods. Or, if it seems that anger does bring forth greatness of mind in anyone, then so would extravagance, for it likes to be held up by ivory, dressed in purples, and covered in gold; to move lands from place to place, dam up oceans, turn rivers into waterfalls, build forests in the air. Then, greed too would seem to come from a great mind, for it lies down on heaps of gold and silver, tends fields that are called “provinces,” holds estates under single managers that stretch out farther than what consuls get assigned. Lust would seem to come from a great mind, since it swims across straits, castrates whole crowds of boys, goes under a husband’s sword with no regard for death….All these things, no matter how far they go, how far they extend themselves, are really small, base, and lowly. Virtue alone is elevated and lofty. Nothing is great unless it’s also at peace” (31 - 33).

“Prosperity nurtures the angry temperament, when a crowd of yes-man whispers in arrogant ears, 'Can he talk that way to you? You’re not taking the measure of your full stature; you sell yourself short,' and other things that even healthy minds, build on strong foundations from the start, have scarcely resisted” (43).

“Let it not obtain anything by getting angry; what’s refused to the whiner should be freely given to the child who keeps silent. Let him keep his parents’ wealth in view but not in use. Let him be upbraided for any falsehoods. It will be important too that he be given teachers and attendants who are calm, since everything gentle attaches itself to what lies adjacent and grows to resemble those things” (43 - 45).

"So: since we ought to fight against first causes, the cause of anger is the sense of having been wronged; but one ought not to trust this sense. Don’t make your move right away, even against what seems overt and plain; sometimes false things give the appearance of truth. One must take one’s time; a day reveals the truth. And don’t give accusers ready access to your ears, but take note of this flaw in human nature and always suspect it: what we hate to hear, we readily believe, and we grow angry before we use our judgement. Think then: what if we are driven to act, not by accusations, but by mere suspicions, and grow angry at the guiltless because we read the worst into someone’s facial expression or laughter? No, we must plead the case of the absent defendant despite our own interests, and we must hold back anger pending judgement. A punishment that’s delayed can still be imposed, but once imposed, it can’t be withdrawn” (47 - 49).

“‘This man greeted me with too little courtesy; that one cut me off when I had just started talking; that one seemed to turn his face from me more than usual.’ There will be no lack of rationale to back up this suspicion. Let’s trust only that which we can see, plainly, with our eyes; and whenever our suspicion turns out to be hollow, let’s punish our credibility, for that castigation will instill a habit of not trusting easily” (51).

“If we want to be fair judges of all matters, let’s convince ourselves first of all of this: none of us is without guilt. The greatest outrage arises from this attitude: 'I’ve committed no wrong' and 'I didn’t do anything.' No, it’s only that you don’t admit to anything. We take umbrage at receiving any admonition or punishment, even though we are doing wrong at that very moment, by adding arrogance and presumption to our misdeeds” (59).

“We hold the flaws of others before our eyes but turn our backs toward our own. Thus a father who’s worse than his son condemns his son’s dinner parties, though they’re not excessive; the man who denies nothing to his own extravagance forgives nothing in another’s; the tyrant grows angry at the murderer; the temple robber punishes theft. The majority of humankind gets angry not at the wrongs but at the wrongdoers” (65).

“Do you condemn a friend on the spur of the moment? Will you get angry before you hear him out, before you question him, before he’s allowed to know his accuser or his crime? Have you already heard [what] both sides have to say?” (69)

“Those whose minds have grown scornful due to their great fortunes have this as their worst failing: those whom they’ve hurt, they also hate” (85).

“We must, then, hold back our anger, whether the one who needs to be taken on is our equal, our better, or our inferior. To fight with an equal is a chancy affair with a better, insane; with an inferior, tawdry. It is the act of a cowardly and base person to seek redress from the one who bites him” (91).

“Mice and ants turn to face you if you raise your hand to them; only weak things think they’re being wounded if they’re touched” (91).

“If the mind could be revealed and could shine out in some concrete form, it would astonish those who saw it—black, spotted, roiling, twisted, swollen. As things are, its ugliness is so extreme, as it seeps through bones and flesh and so many things in its path; what would it look like if laid bare?” (103)

“So won’t everyone want to call themselves back from anger’s borders, once they understand that its first onset is to their detriment? Don’t you want me to advise those people who wield anger from the height of power, who think it a testament to their strength, who reckon a ready revenge to be one of the great benefits of great wealth, that he who is a prisoner of anger cannot be called powerful, or even free?” (119)

“The arrogant ones will offend you with their scorn, the acerbic with their insults, the impudent with their slights, the spiteful with their malice, the belligerent with their quarrels, the boastful and false with their vanity; you’ll find unbearable that you’re feared by the mistrustful, bested by the unrelenting, sniffed at by the fussy. Choose the company of the straightforward, the easygoing, the mild, who neither provoke your anger nor put up with it. Even more to our benefit are those who are humble, humane, and sweet” (139).

“It is not to your benefit to see and hear everything. Many injuries ought to pass over us; if you ignore them, you get no more injury from them. You want to be less angry? Ask fewer questions. Those who investigate what was said against them, who flush out mean-spirited talk even if it was being kept secret, are themselves the source of their own turmoil. It's only interpretation that causes things to look like injuries—in fact, some of them ought to be put off until later; others, laughed off; still others, forgiven” (151).

“Let [anger] stay buried in the deepest recess of the heart; let it be borne, not bear us with it. Rather, let’s change all its manifestations to their opposite: relax the face, soften the voice, slow the step; bit by bit, inner feelings will conform to outer signs” (155).

“But you reply, ‘I can’t let it pass; it’s hard to endure a wrong.’ That’s a lie. For who is unable to bear a wrong, if they can bear feeling angry? Consider in addition that what you’re doing makes you endure both anger and injury. Why do you put up with the ravings of a sick man, the abuse of a lunatic, or the bold hands of young children? No doubt because they don’t seem to know what they’re doing. What does it matter what shortcoming makes each one reckless? Recklessness serves all men equally as a plea. ‘What then?’ you ask. ‘Will he get off scot-free?’ Pretend that’s what you want. Nevertheless, it won’t happen; the greatest punishment of a wrong that’s been committed is having committed it. No one suffers a weightier consequence than those who are handed over to the torture of regret” (179).

“All of us are imprudent and thoughtless, all are unstable, contentious, ambitious, and—why hide with gentler words a sore that’s clearly seen?—we’re all of us evil. So whatever each of us finds to reproach in another, he’ll find also in his own breast. [...] Let’s be kinder to one another” (179).

“Your rage at this man drives you one way at that man, another; your fury will go on and on, fed by newly arising grievances. So then, unhappy fellow, will you ever love? Oh, the good time you waste in an evil business! How much better to build friendships and lessen enmities, tend to the common good, shift your effort into your household affairs, rather than looking around to see what harm you can do to someone, what wound you can inflict on his reputation or his estate or his body—even though this must involve you in struggle and danger, even if it’s a lesser man you contend with!” (181)

“[Our senses] are by nature resilient, if the mind—which needs to be called to account every day—ceases to undermine them. Sextius used to do this, when, at the day’s end, as he prepared himself for nighttime rest, he would ask his own mind: ‘Which of your offenses have you cured today? Which fault have you blocked? In what area are you better?’ Anger will abate and become more temperate if it knows that it must come before a judge every day. What could be finer than this method of shaking off all that the day has brought? What a sleep follows after this inspection of oneself; how peaceful, deep, and free of care—after the mind has been either praised or scolded, and the observer and hidden justice of the self has searched one’s character!” (189).

“I become an inspector and reexamine the course of my day, my deeds and words; I hide nothing from myself, I omit nothing” (191).

“Next time consider not the truth of what you say but whether the one you say it to can endure hearing the truth; good folk are glad to be chastised, but the worst sort find their preceptor very grating” (191).

“Is anyone surprised at getting a chill in winter? Or getting seasick while on the sea? Or that they get bumped walking a city street? The mind is strong against things it has prepared for” (195).

“You’ve been seated in a less honored place at table, so you start to get angry at your fellow guest, at your host, at the one wo was seated in a more favored spot. Mad-man! What does it matter what part of the dining-couch you park yourself on? Can a cushion make you either nobler or baser?” (195).

“Let’s each say to each other and to ourselves: ‘What joy is there in proclaiming our grievances and wasting our brief lifespan, as though we were born to live forever? What joy in taking the days that could be devoted to honorable pleasures and devoting them instead to someone’s pain and torture? Such days aren’t disposable; we don’t have spare time to squander. Why do we rush into a fight? Why bring quarrels on ourselves? Why take up huge hatreds, forgetful of our own weakness, and though breakable ourselves, be roused to break others? Soon a fever, or some other bodily ill, will put a stop to the enmities that we maintain with a resolute mind; soon death will intervene to halt the most bitter contest. Why do we get into an uproar and, like mutineers, throw our lives into disorder? Fate stands over our heads and counts up our waning days, coming nearer and nearer. That space of time you allot to cause another’s death is perhaps about right for your own. Why not rather hoard this brief space of life and make it peaceful for yourself and for others? Why not merit the love of all while you live and their fond regret after you’re gone? [...] Why do you get angry at a slave, a master, a king, a dependent? Hold back a bit; look, here’s death, arriving to make you equal with them” (201).

“What do we see in struggles and treachery? Surely there’s nothing more than death you can wish on the person you’re angry with—and he will die, even if you do nothing. You’re wasting effort if you want to bring about that which is going to happen anyway….But whether you contemplate the ultimate punishment, or something more lenient, how little time remains, either for him to be tortured by paying the penalty, or for you to take your wicked joy in imposing it. Soon we’ll spit out our life’s breath. For the moment, while we still draw it, while we’re in the human world, let’s cherish our humanity. Let’s not be a source of fear or danger to anyone. Let’s cast scorn on injuries, harms, insults, and taunts; let’s put up with brief annoyances. As they say, the moment we turn to look behind us, death stands right there” (205).

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compact little life lesson, with examples from Seneca's time that are totally exemplary today. My favourite part is the very end, in which he discusses death. The critically important factor is to not waste time being angry at stuff or people. Exploit the time you have for goodness and positive deeds. 3.5 stars, actually.

[Heather-Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Your anger is a kind of madness, for you set a high price on worthless things."

Spectacular. I urge everyone who has access to Hoopla, to look for the audio versions of these essays on stoicism. Most are between one and two hours long and far from being stuffy, droning lectures, the ideas are fascinating, accessible and surprisingly relevant.

How to Keep Your Cool by Seneca
This essay concerns the Stoics' view on self-control as it relates to offense, injustice and anger. I personally found it challenging as well as inspiring.

This one in particular stands out to me because I was vehemently in disagreement with the exhortation to cage and control our anger at all cost. My thinking was that this was an unhealthy suppression and rejection of an authentic and useful emotional signal that things are not okay. Then, halfway through, I suddenly and completely changed my mind. I realized that the central message wasn't to ignore or pretend that anger didn't exist, but to be in mastery of how a person conducts themselves when we feel the emotion. Ya know, classic stoicism in action. I could finally see the distinction being made.

This revelation was helped along by remembering something similar I'd come across while studying psychological welfare. It's very clear that whatever emotions we demonstrate or express is a form of reinforcement. I.e., people who express their anger, may experience temporary catharsis, but are far more likely to feel anger and to express anger again in the future. Angry people inevitably become angrier. The old advice to scream and punch a pillow when you're angry is actually very very bad advice.*

In other words, what we practice becomes permanence. This essay exhorts us to practice peace, patience, and tolerance. With very practical suggestions for self care.

I want to listen to this at least a couple more times before I give it back! YAY for Hoopla 🖤


*If anyone reading this finds this ridiculous or intriguing, I highly recommend watching this lecture by Guy Winch on YouTube. It was pretty mind-blowing to me, and will hopefully help others, too.
Peace ✌️🖖


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 Big Gleaming Stars


***

GR Personal Rating System:
5 ~ LOVED
4 ~ ENJOYED
3 ~ LIKED
2 ~ MEH
1 ~ NOPE

***

More Quotes and Takeaways

"Your anger is a kind of madness, for you set a high price on worthless things."

What, if anything, is worth our anger? Pride, dignity, self importance? The many sources of our outrage seem hollow, especially when we zoom out to a more global perspective. (And this is written from the perspective of living within the nightmare of Caligula's rule.)

The onset of anger threatens our moral condition more than any other emotion, for it is the most intense, irresistible, and destructive of the passions. Our spiritual well-being demands that we let go of anger, for it will never let go of us.

"Let us be kinder to one another. We are just wicked people living among wicked people. Only one thing can give us peace and that's a pact of mutual leniency."

"Anger... the ugliest and most savage of all emotions. The others have some have some measure of peace and quiet in them, but this one rages in turmoil and furious movement, with an eagerness hardly human... until it harms others while discarding its own good... It resembles nothing so much as a collapsing building that breaks apart upon that which it crushes."

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid entry to Princeton's Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers series. The volume is exactly what the title says. Some of the examples don’t work for modern audiences, but the underlying advice shows how, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Similar to How to Die – also written by Seneca – there's a level of hypocrisy to his advice that's almost endearing in that it reminds me of how none of us ever quite manage to live up to our ideals. Recommended.

[Alli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tiny book with big philosophy, the English translation laid simultaneously on opposite page of the original Latin, which I wish I had studied more deeply in college. These prescriptions for calm civility should be self-administered immediately in these riotous times, both just and unjust, to transport us back to a time where cooler heads prevailed.

[Ariel Seraphino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baca buku ini jadi semacam tamparan untuk diri sendiri. Well, semua buku non fiksi yang menyangkut pengembangan kepribadian biasanya bisa berdampak begitu sih. Nah salah satunya buku ini, Seneca ngajarin gimana caranya menahan amarah karena katanya ini adalah sesuatu yang tidak ada harganya, lebih jauh justru ini memberikan kerugian lebih besar bagi jiwa kita yang sejatinya penuh welas asih. Berbagai kisah menarik bagaimana orang jaman dulu menahan amarahnya bahkan bisa dibilang di luar nalar kita sebagai manusia, menyaksikan kekejaman terjadi di depan mata dan bisa tetap menjaga emosi adalah pekerjaan luar biasa dan dampaknya bisa jadi tidak hanya menyelamatkan jiwa tetapi nyawa sekaligus. Seneca percaya bahwa amarah itu memang nyata dan bisa dikelola dengan baik dengan menahannya, membatasi ruang gerak di mana amarah bisa muncul dan sejatinya setiap hal yang berada di luar diri kita bisa jadi memicu amarah kita. Coba hitung berapa banyak hal yang tidak sesuai dengan keinginan kita di luar sana? Bisa jadi daftarnya tidak habis-habis dibicarakan. Mengelola amarah adalah menahan diri dan menjaga satu-satunya orang yang bisa kita kendalikan, yaitu diri sendiri. Dampaknya bisa sangat luas memberikan manfaat, bukan hanya pada manusia tetapi juga pada hewan, alam dan lingkungan sekitar, baca lebih jauh bakalan lebih dalem deh bahasannya. Tetapi di akhir Seneca ngasih tahu, daripada kita buang-buang waktu dengan meledakkan amarah kita, lebih baik ingat bahwa kita bisa mati kapan saja, dan membuat sesuatu yang indah dengan waktu kita yang terbatas ini adalah cara yang lebih bijaksana.

[frikelovato · Rating 3 out of 5]

Materi yang ada di buku cukup bagus, meskipun sebenernya bukan hal baru yang biasa kita lakukan dikehidupan sehari-hari atau mungkin sedang di lakukan.

Karna ini buku terjemahan dari Bahasa Latin ke Bahasa Inggris kemudian di terjemahkan lagi ke Bahasa Indonesia, jadi selama baca aku sedikit kesusahan untuk menikmati bukunya. Disisi lain, meskipun bukunya tentang filsafat tapi isinya bukan tentang filsafat yang buat otak ngefreeze.

Isi materinya sendiri mengkaji secara lengkap meskipun kurang detail, dari mulai:

1. Faktor internal & eksternal yang membuat amarah muncul dan jadi lebel pada diri seseorang.
2. Adanya tips & trick bagaimana cara agar menghilangkan amarah dan memblokirnya.
3. Memberikan contoh dari kisah-kisah orang terkenal jaman romawi.
4. Memberikan cerita atau pengalaman dari orang lain untuk dijadiinkan bahan refleksi diri.

Sebagai tips, buat kalian yang mau lebih berkesan lagi sama buku ini, usahakan untuk dibuat resensi atau notes supaya ilmu nya bisa diterapkan di kehidupan sehari.

[Baroness · Rating 1 out of 5]

Words that meant nothing to me...

[Ryan Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seneca gets a lot right in this short book on anger. I especially appreciated the parts on self reflection and considering the consequences of anger. “Let’s be kind to one another. We’re just wicked people living among wicked people.”

[Patrick Fay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short review of Seneca’s writings on anger that I have rated highly because: 1) it caused me to order more of Seneca’s complete works; 2) I found his arguments about the uselessness and self-destructiveness of anger completely convincing; and 3) there are very practical tips that I am going to work on incorporating into my daily life

[Gijs Limonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars; timeless wisdom pointers neatly packaged into this slim volume; written 2 millennia ago, just as relevant now; absolutely nothing has changed in the experience of and the subsequent putting into words of this emotion; human all too human; Seneca (the younger!) could be posting this on his blog if he were alive today (and not forced to suicide by his one time pupil and kid turned tiran: Nero).

[Sang Cast · Rating 4 out of 5]

این کتاب شامل تمام رساله سنکا با عنوان «درباره خشم» نیست؛ اما بخش‌های خوب و قابل‌توجهی از آن را گرد آورده و به نظر من، همه باید لااقل یک بار این کتاب را بخوانند.

نمی‌دانم که سبک ادبی کتاب و نظام کلمات و ساختار جملاتش را مستقیما مدیون سنکا هستیم، یا مترجم انگلیسی آن چنین ذوقی به خرج داده، یا صرفا هنرنمایی مترجم فارسی‌زبان، آقای سیاح، در بازگردانی کهن‌گونه این متن کهن بوده است یا نه؛ اما به هر حال، هیجان‌انگیزترین مطلب برای من، چیدمان آرامش‌بخش کلمات و ساختار آرام، مطمئن و بی‌خیال جملات بود.
فکر نمی‌کنم خواننده‌ای بتواند در هنگام مطالعه این کتاب ذهن خود را مشوش و جان خود را در تعجیل برای پایان دادنش حس کند.
حس آرامش کتاب و نیازمندی کتاب به آرام-و-شمرده-خوانی است که موجب می‌شود به سادگی در ذهن خواننده اثر کند. چه، اگر سنکا قصد کرده بود در رساله‌ای کوتاه و با خطابه‌های آتشین، به سراغ موضوع «خشم» برود، خود در تله خشم افتاده بود، و آن‌گاه تفاوتش با برانگیزانندگان مردم برای آزار و جنگ و قتل از طریق جملات تند و سوءاستفاده از غلی
ان احساسات آن‌ها می‌داشت؟
او قصد دارد الگوی مناسب و دقیقی باشد، و به نظر می‌رسد که در این راه موفق بوده است. (البته برخی نکات موجود در متن کامل و توضیحات کتاب، نشان می‌دهند که او در زندگی الگوی شگفت‌انگیزی از یک ابرانسان بی‌نقص نبوده است! برای مثال، او زنان را طوری جایزالخطاتر و کم‌خردتر می‌داند، که می‌توان دریافت راهی برای صعود زنان به درجات بالاتر علمی و عملی نمی‌شناسد، و از مردان می‌خواهد که وضعیت زنان را درک کنند و از دست‌شان خشمگین نشوند. یا در جایی که به بی‌ارزشی مال و ثروت دنیا اشاره می‌کند (چیزی مشابه احادیث معروف «به راستی دنیا در نظر من از آب بینی بز کم‌تر است.» یا ««اگر خورشید را در دست راستم و ماه را در دست چپم بگذارند، از راه حق دست برنمی‌دارم و تسلیم نمی‌شوم.»)، توجه‌مان به ثروت عظیمی که سنکا از راه نزول‌خواری به دست آورده بود جلب می‌شود.)
اما اگر بخواهیم از خود او در نوشتن رساله‌اش الگو بگیریم، باید ابتدا در نظر داشته باشیم که هیچ انسانی بری از خطا و مشکل و اشتباه نیست؛ سپس متوجه باشیم که یک گفته می‌تواند فارغ از کیستی گوینده‌اش صحیح و کارآمد باشد، و انسانی که خشم خود را کنار گذاشته و سرکوب نموده باشد، به دام شخص‌ستیزی و مغالطاتی مثل حمله شخصی نخواهد افتاد؛ و در نهایت باید آگاه باشیم که ممکن است سخنان و اندیشه‌های زیادی در جهان عاقلانه و کارآمد و مفید و درست و دقیق باشند، اما هیچ‌یک از این‌ها دلیل نمی‌شوند که انتظار داشته باشیم همه‌شان توسط عموم مردم اجرا شوند.

جملات سنکا آن‌قدر در نظرم زیبا و پرمغز و خوش‌آوا (البته با کمک ترجمه آقای علی سیاح و ویراستاری حسن مرتضوی) هستند، و آن‌قدر دقیق در کنار هم قرار گرفته‌اند که نمی‌توانم بخشی را جدا کنم و به عنوان نقل‌قولی کوتاه بیاورم. اما سخت بر این باورم که اگر چیزی قابل‌مختصرگویی نباشد، یا درست درک نشده، یا مطلب درست و قابل‌فهمی نبوده:
سنکا بر این عقیده است که «عمر کوتاه‌تر از آن است که آن را به خشم و آشوب بگذرانیم و دیگران را از بابت خشم‌مان آزرده کنیم.» و از دیگر سو، راه خشمگین نشدن را نیز چنین می‌داند که «انتظار بی‌جا و فراتر از توانت برای دیگران ایجاد نکن، و از آن‌ها نیز انتظار بی‌جا نداشته باش. (رجوع کنید به این گفته)»
چنین سخنانی را پیش‌تر در کتاب مبانیِ مبارزه‌ی خشونت‌پرهیز از زبان ماهاتما گاندی و مارتین لوتر کینگ خوانده بودم. گاندی بر این عقیده بوده که اساس زندگی بر ساتیاگراها به معنی «پافشاری بر حقیقت و دوری از خشونت» استوار است. او چنین می‌گفت که زندگی طبیعی، شکلی دوستانه و متعادل دارد، و وقتی شخصی دست به خشونت می‌زند، یعنی دارد زندگی را از تعادل خارج می‌کند و باری اضافه را به آن تحمیل می‌کند.
به یاد دارم که وقتی درباره نظر گاندی با دوستی صحبت می‌کردم، از من پرسیده بود که «پس چه‌طور باید اعتراض کنیم و جواب وحشی‌گری‌شونو بدیم؟» و «وقتی دارن می‌کشن‌مون بشینیم و نگاه‌شون کنیم؟» و من در پاسخ حرفش سکوت کرده بودم.
اما سنکا پاسخ خوبی می‌دهد:

می‌پرسد: «آن‌وقت چه؟ آیا هیچ نیکومردی خشمگین نمی‌شود؟ حتی اگر شاهد کشته شدن پدر و تجاوز به مادرش باشد؟» خشمگین نمی‌شود، بلکه انتقام‌شان را خواهد ستاند یا از آن‌ها محافظت خواهد کرد. چرا نگرانید که وظیفه تنها، بدون کمک خشم، انگیزه ناچیزی برای او خواهد بود؟ اما باز می‌گوید: «آن‌وقت چه؟ وقتی آن انسان نیک پدر یا پسرش را مثله‌شده ببیند، شیون نخواهد کرد؟ عقلش او را فرو نخواهد گذاشت؟» ... انسان نیک وظیفه‌اش را انجام خواهد داد، بدون هراس و تشویش به شیوه درخور یک انسان نیک عمل خواهد کرد، چنان‌که به کاری که درخور انسان نیست دست نخواهد زد. پدرم را دارند می‌کشند؛ از او دفاع خواهم کرد. او را کشته‌اند؛ انتقامش را خواهم ستاند -به این خاطر که حق است نه بدان سبب که خشمگینم... خشمگین شدن به خاطر خویشاوندان نشان عقل ضعیف است نه عقل صديق. عمل شریف و درخور چنین است: دفاع کردن از والدین، فرزندان و دوستان تنها از سر وظیفه‌شناسی- خودخواسته، سنجیده و توأم با دوراندیشی، نه واداشته و از روی خشم.

شاید به عنوان نمونه‌ای از کنترل خشم و خشونت‌ورزی و پیشبرد اهداف با کمک آرامش درونی، وضعیت ژاپن پس از جنگ جهانی دوم و حمله اتمی آمریکا به شهرهای ناگاساکی و هیروشیما مثال خوبی باشد: با این‌که جنایت باورنکردنی و هولناکی به وقوع پیوسته بود، و ژاپن عملا برای بازسازی آن دو شهر و آسیب‌ها و خسارات سنگینی که از آن حمله به جا مانده بود، و هم‌چنین هزینه بسیاری که بابت جنگ‌افروزی و در نهایت شکست به او تحمیل شده بود، کاملا ازدست‌رفته تلقی می‌شد. اما ژاپن به جای سرمایه‌گذاری روی خشم عمومی از طریق شعارهای ضدآمریکایی، بر روی توان عمومی و هم‌بستگی اجتماعی برای رفع مشکلات تمرکز کرد. این کار باعث شد نه‌تنها همه ازدست‌رفته‌های خود را جبران کند، بلکه با شتاب بسیار زیادی پله‌های پیشرفت و تکنولوژی را طی، و به سطوح بسیار بالا و به میان رده‌های برتر صعود کند.
می‌بینیم که «وظیفه‌شناسی» بدون خشم و آشوب و نگرانی و اضطراب و... می‌تواند نتایج مثبت و قابل‌قبول و حتی فراتر از انتظار را حاصل آورد. چه بسا که آرامش همواره می‌تواند نتایج بهتر و تمیزتر و جذاب‌تری را حاصل آورد، اگر آن را با تنبلی و مسئولیت‌ناپذیری و بی‌دغدغگی اشتباه نگیریم و اجازه ندهیم آلوده‌شان شود.

به عنوان کلام آخر، بد نیست به این جمله از سنکا بسنده کنیم:

خشم هم ناتوان از تسلط بر خویش است، هم آداب‌دانی را از یاد می‌برد، هم دوستی‌ها را نادیده می‌گیرد، هم سرسختانه و مصمم آن‌چه را آغازیده خاتمه می‌دهد، هم گوش‌هایش را به خرد و اندرز بسته است، هم تحرکات صرف برانگیخته‌اش می‌سازند و هم به کار تشخیص صحیح و صادق نمی‌آید؛ و بیش از همه به عمارتی می‌ماند در حال فروپاشی که روی هر چیزی که به آن برخورد می‌کند آوار می‌شود…

[Rodrigo Paredes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The essay De Ira is an interesting one. I was more interested in the beginning of the book and towards the end. I found some points Seneca made were too repetitive and I wish he was more profound. It is always interesting to read a text as old as this and realize how its still very much applicable today. Do read this book it is a very short read with great points.

[Lsharathkumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Handy little book on anger management. Commentary on a letter written by Seneca to his brother. Personal experience in dealing with Tyrants of low intellect and base natures like Caligula have strengthened Seneca's resolve on the futility of anger!

[Paul Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Healing not Cure

While Seneca’s sage advice didn’t cure my anger, it certainly gave me many resources to ameliorate it. There have been times recently when I have automatically took his advice and aborted my anger, avoiding it's harm. I am healing, though not cured, of anger and rage.

[Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

"First, however, it's easier to shut out harmful things than to govern them, easier to deny them entry than to moderate them once they have entered. Once they've established residence, they become more powerful than their overseer and do not accept retrenchment or abatement."

"It is best to repel instantly the first prickings of anger, to stamp out its very seedlings, to take pains not to be drawn in. For once it has knocked us off course, the return to health and safety is difficult; no space is left for Reason once passion has been ushered in and given jurisdiction. From that point on it will do what it wants, not what you allow."

"To get angry on behalf of one's kin is the mark of a weak mind, not a loyal one. It is this that is noble and worthy: for a defender to act on behalf of parents, children, and friends with his duty leading him on -- willingly, judiciously and with foresight, not driven and raging.
There is no emotion more eager for vengeance than anger, and for that very reason, none *less* suited to the taking of vengeance. Over-hasty and heedless like every greedy desire, it blocks itself on the way to where it is rushing."

"To someone doling out punishment, nothing is less suitable than anger. A penalty is more useful for correction when the judgment imposing it is more sound."

"Since we have explored the questions that result from anger, let's move on to its remedies. These are two, I believe: not falling into an angry state and, once there, not doing wrong. Just as, in the care of the body, some therapies deal with maintaining health and others with restoring it, so we ought to use one method to fend off anger, another to suppress it."

"So: since we ought to fight against first causes, the cause of anger is the sense of having been wronged; but one ought not to trust this sense. Don't make your move right away, even against what seems overt and plain; sometimes false things give the appearance of truth. One must take one's time; a day reveals the truth. And don't give accusers ready access to your ears, but take note of this flaw in human nature and always suspect it: what we hate to hear, we readily believe, and we grow angry before we use our judgment. Think then: what if we are driven to act, not by accusations, but by mere suspicions, and grow angry at the guiltless because we read the worst into someone's facial expression or laughter?
No, we must plead the case of the absent defendant despite our own interests, and we must hold back anger pending judgment. A punishment that's delayed can still be imposed, but once imposed, it can't be withdrawn."

"From this it also follows that we should not get annoyed by tiny and very petty things."

"Where self-indulgence has ruined both the body and mind, nothing seems bearable, not because the task is hard but because the one doing it is soft."

"Nothing nurtures anger so much as luxury that lacks restraint and can't stand setbacks. The mind must be roughly treated so that it does not feel any blows except the heavy ones."

"To get angry at things that are not alive is the mark of a madman, just as it is to get angry at dumb animals that do us no wrong (because they can't have that desire; there's no wrong done if it doesn't proceed from an intent)."

"If we want to be fair judges of all matters, let's convince ourselves first of all of this: none of us is without guilt."

"Let's look at it this way, I ask: in some cases, people are not doing us an injury but returning one; in others, they're acting in our best interest; in others, they're acting under compulsion; in others, they don't realize what they're doing. Or, even if they act willingly and knowingly, their goal is not to injure us when they do so."

"Delay is the greatest remedy for anger. Ask of your anger, at the outset, not to grant forgiveness but to exercise judgment. Its first impulses are harsh ones; it will relent if it waits. And don't try to get rid of it all at once; it will be wholly defeated if it is carved away by pieces."

"There's that very famous saying of a man who had grown old serving under monarchs. When someone asked him how he'd obtained that thing which is most rare at court -- old age -- he said "By accepting hurts and saying thank you.""

"Often it is so disadvantageous to avenge a wrong that it's advantageous to not even admit one has occurred."

"We must, then, hold back our anger, whether the one who needs to be taken on is our equal, our better, or our inferior. To fight with an equal is a chancy affair; with a better, insane; with an inferior, tawdry. ... It will make us gentler if we consider how that person, the one we're angry at, has helped us in the past; his offense will win pardon from his merits."

"Let's consider, every time we find it hard to forgive, whether it's to our benefit that everyone be implacable. How often has the one who refused mercy later sought it? ... Someone gets angry; have at him with your good deeds. The quarrel immediately drops away if abandoned by either side; there's no fight unless on equal terms."

"As Sextius says, it has often been useful to angry people to look in a mirror."

"It's an old saying that quarrels are sought by the weary; just as much, too, by the hungry and the thirsty and by every man who yearns for anything. For just as wounds are pained by a light touch or even the apprehension of a touch, so the afflicted mind is offended by the slightest things..."

"It is useful for each of us to recognize our own illness and to suppress its strength before it spreads. We should consider what irritates us most of all. For some it's affronts of speech; for others, of deeds. This one wants consideration for high rank; that one, for good looks. One longs to be thought highly refined; another, deeply learned. One can't abide arrogance; another, stubborn- ness. One thinks his slaves are not even worth getting mad at; another is fierce at home but gentle in public. One thinks it an injury to be asked for something; another, an insult not to be asked. People are not all wounded in the same spot. It behooves you to know what part of you is vulnerable so you can protect it most of all."

"It is not to your benefit to see and hear everything. Many injuries ought to pass over us; if you ignore them, you get no more injury from them. You want to be less angry? Ask fewer questions. Those who investigate what was said against them, who flush out mean-spirited talk even if it was being kept secret, are themselves the source of their own turmoil. It's only interpretation that causes things to look like injuries -- in fact, some of them ought to be put off until later; others, laughed off; still others, forgiven."

"Most things should be turned into sport and jest. They say that Socrates, struck by a blow to the head, said nothing more than "It's annoying how one doesn't know when to go out wearing a helmet." It doesn't matter how an injury was done, but how it was received."

"But you reply, "I can't let it pass; it's hard to endure a wrong." That's a lie. For who is unable to bear a wrong, if they can bear feeling angry? Consider in addition that what you're doing makes you endure both anger and injury. Why do you put up with the ravings of a sick man, the abuse of a lunatic, or the bold hands of young children? No doubt because they don't seem to know what they're doing. What does it matter what shortcoming makes each one reckless? Recklessness serves all men equally as a plea. "What then?" you ask. "Will he get off *scot-free*?" Pretend that's what you want. Nevertheless, it won't happen; the greatest punishment of a wrong that's been committed is having committed it. No one suffers a weightier consequence than those who are handed over to the torture of regret.
... All of us are imprudent and thoughtless, all are unstable, contentious, ambitious, and -- why hide with gentler words a sore that's clearly seen? -- we're all of us evil. So whatever each of us finds to reproach in another, he'll find also in his own breast. Why call attention to one man's paleness or another's leanness? Plague is everywhere. Let's be kinder to one another; we're just wicked people living among wicked people. Only one thing can give us peace, and that's a pact of mutual leniency. "He's hurt me already, when I didn't yet hurt him." But perhaps you already injured *someone*, or will do. Don't reckon up by the hour or the day, but look at the entire bearing of your mind. Even if you've done nothing bad, you *could*."

"Oh, the good time you waste in an evil business! How much better to build friendships and lessen enmities, tend to the common good, shift your effort into your household affairs, rather than looking around to see what harm you can do to someone, what wound you can inflict on his reputation or his estate or his body -- even though this must involve you in struggle and danger, even if it's a lesser man you contend with!"

"That's why I tell you that your anger is a kind of madness: because you set a huge price on worthless things."

"Let's each say to each other and to ourselves: "What joy is there in proclaiming our grievances and wasting our brief lifespan, as though we were born to live forever? What joy in taking the days that could be devoted to honorable pleasures and devoting them instead to someone's pain and torture? Such days aren't disposable; we don't have spare time to squander. Why do we rush into a fight? Why bring quarrels on ourselves? Why take up huge hatreds, forgetful of our own weakness, and though breakable ourselves, be roused to break others? Soon a fever, or some other bodily ill, will put a stop to the enmities that we maintain with a resolute mind; soon death will intervene to halt the most bitter contest. Why do we get into an uproar and, like mutineers, throw our lives into disorder? Fate stands over our heads and counts up our waning days, coming nearer and nearer. That space of time you allot to cause another's death is perhaps about right for your own. ... Why not rather hoard this brief space of life and make it peaceful for yourself and for others? Why not merit the love of all while you live and their fond regret after you're gone? Why do you want to tear down that man who treats you too snootily? Why do you try with all your might to destroy the one who snaps at you -- a lowly fellow, much despised, yet vexing and annoying to his betters? Why do you get angry at a slave, a master, a king, a dependent? Hold back a bit; look, here's death, arriving to make you equal with them.""

"Often a cry of "fire" from nearby houses breaks up a quarrel, or the arrival of a wild animal drives off a burglar or bandit. There's no time to struggle with lesser troubles when a greater fear makes its appearance. What do we see in struggles and treachery? Surely there's nothing more than death you can wish on the person you're angry with -- and he *will* die, even if you do nothing. You're wasting effort if you want to bring about that which is going to happen anyway... But whether you contemplate the ultimate punishment, or something more lenient, how little time remains, either for him to be tortured by paying the penalty, or for you to take your wicked joy in imposing it.
Soon we'll spit out our life's breath. For the moment, while we still draw it, while we're in the human world, let's cherish our humanity. Let's not be a source of fear or danger to anyone. Let's cast scorn on injuries, harms, insults, and taunts; let's put up with brief annoyances. As they say, the moment we turn and look behind us, death stands right there."

[Sanaz Maadanian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seneca’s essay on anger translated! Some things definitely didn’t age well from 40 AD lol BUT main themes did. I struggle with quick anger and reacting poorly as soon as the emotion surfaces. I’ve gotten better at restraining myself but Seneca makes a lengthy argument that it is far better to expunge anger than restrain it.

“You scolded that fellow with less restraint than you should have and thus gave offense rather than helping him improve. Next time consider not the truth of what you say but whether the one you say it to can endure hearing the truth.”

Good read! Definitely considering all his other essays. Read a few in Uni but nice to revisit with an older perspective.

[Luthfi Ferizqi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, not as intriguing as 'How To Die,' this book captures some aspects of how we manage emotions, such as the importance of self-control, avoiding revenge, not reacting impulsively in the heat of the moment, and more.

The teachings conveyed by Seneca, in my opinion, are also taught by religions, which makes it less captivating and surprising, unlike the book 'How To Die' that I read before.

[Alexander Olsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bra bok om man vill introducera sig till Stoicism eller Senecas texter. Väldigt lätt att förstå och en bra syn på ilska.

4/5.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much to chew on here. I don't agree with Seneca's position on anything, but there is much wisdom to consider quite seriously. To avoid getting angry, he suggests avoiding all those who are easily angered. In theory, it's a good idea, but in practice, it means you avoid spending many people who may need you and/or people whom you can serve - whose lives you can help improve. It seems to me to counter his strategy for how to avoid raising children into angry adults (Don't let them have whatever they want, or they are never tried). If you avoid any people who might excessively try your ability to avoid anger, how practiced are you really at avoiding anger? I don't see that his advice "Run from those who might stir up our anger" is any different from running from your child's temper every time it rears its ugly head (i.e. immediately giving in to what the child wants, thereby avoiding its anger).

Later on, he supports the notion that you simply hide your anger. To me, that's addressing the symptom (an outburst) instead of the cause (a heart in the wrong place). To avoid getting angry, you work on your heart - not your ability to pretend you're feeing something you're not. Here's where the philosophy of men really differs from the "philosophy" of Christ.

Some of the anecdotes were totally lost on me, since I understood them to be arguing logic against the point Seneca was attempting to support. Sometimes the logic seemed so circular, it made my head spin. Still, there was plenty to consider quite carefully and think through, despite how short the book is.

Here are some quotes I really liked:

"What we hate to hear, we readily believe." (i.e. we're ready to believe the worst)

"...a greater wrathfulness accompanies a greater fortune. It's clear in the cases of the rich, the nobility, and office holders, that whenever something light an empty arises in the mind, it gathers momentum like a ship with a favorable breeze. Prosperity nurtures the angry temperament. When a crowd of yes men whispers in arrogant ears, 'Can he talk that way to you?' you're not taking the measure of your full stature. You sell yourself short."

"Where self-indulgence has ruined both the body and mind, nothing seems bearable - not because the task is hard, but because the one doing it is soft."

"Nothing nurtures anger so much as luxury that lacks restraint and can't stand setbacks."

"Delay is the greatest remedy for anger. Ask of your anger at the outset not to grant forgiveness, but to exercise judgment."

"That's why I tell you that your anger is a kind of madness - because you set a huge price on worthless things."

My summary is that this was a brutally convicting book - the most convicting non-religious book I've ever read.

[David Knapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I continue to enjoy reading the "Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers" series. Each entry reinforces my belief that - although it's not necessarily a popular view right now - many "dead white males" still have important lessons to teach anyone willing to learn them.

The topic of this entry seems especially relevant in today's deeply divided world, where screaming and cursing at those who dare to disagree with you has become the norm - something alluded to in the jacket description:

"In his essay 'On Anger' (De Ira), the Roman Stoic thinker Seneca (c. 4 BC-65 AD) argues that anger is the most destructive passion: 'No plague has cost the human race more dear.' This was proved by his own life, which he barely preserved under one wrathful emperor, Caligula, and lost under a second, Nero. This splendid new translation of essential selections from 'On Anger,' presented with an enlightening introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, offers readers a timeless guide to avoiding and managing anger. It vividly illustrates why the emotion is so dangerous and why controlling it would bring vast benefits to individuals and society.

Drawing on his great arsenal of rhetoric, including historical examples (especially from Caligula's horrific reign), anecdotes, quips, and soaring flights of eloquence, Seneca builds his case against anger with mounting intensity. Like a fire-and-brimstone preacher, he paints a grim picture of the moral perils to which anger exposes us, tracing nearly all the world's evils to this one toxic source. But he then uplifts us with a beatific vision of the alternate path, a path of forgiveness and compassion that resonates with Christian and Buddhist ethics.

Seneca's thoughts on anger have never been more relevant than today, when uncivil discourse has increasingly infected public debate. Whether seeking personal growth or political renewal, readers will find, in Seneca's wisdom, a valuable antidote to the ills of an angry age."

As is the case with all of Seneca's writings, his words don't feel quite as modern and applicable as many other ancient writers. That's not a reflection on the translator's skills - in this case, James S. Romm. Rather, it's because Seneca relies on example after example from ancient times, which makes the content feel more ancient. This is one reason I gave it only three stars.

The other reason IS a criticism of Romm. He noted a number of times in the manuscript that he chose not to include certain sections because they were sexist or praised suicide. These omissions both flabbergasted and angered me as a reader. It is not the translator's job to censor the works they are translating, just because they disagree with the original author's thoughts. If you can't accept that ancient authors are going to say things that are no longer acceptable based on modern values, don't translate ancient texts. And DEFINITELY don't censor them!

Still, I liked the work - I just didn't love it. And I'll leave you with a few of the more memorable excerpts:

"There is no emotion more eager for vengeance than anger, and for that very reason, none LESS suited to the taking of vengeance." [p. 23]

"A punishment that's delayed can still be imposed, but once imposed, it can't be withdrawn." [p. 49]

"Where self-indulgence has ruined both the body and mind, nothing seems bearable, not because the task is hard but because the one doing it is soft." [p. 53]

"The mind must be roughly treated so that it does not feel any blows except the heavy ones." [p. 55]

"Those who recall how often they fell under false suspicion, in how many cases it happened that doing their duty came to look like doing wrong, how many people they started to love after hating - these people will be able to avoid rushing into anger, especially if they silently tell themselves in each instance where they've been wronged: 'I've done this myself also.'" [p. 63]

"We hold the flaws of others before our eyes but turn our backs toward our own." [p. 65]

"Truth gets shinier the more frequently it is handled." [p.69]

"It's a good man that harms you: don't believe it. It's a bad man: don't be surprised." [p. 71]

"Your greatest fear lies in the same place as your greatest joy." [p. 77]

"It is the mark of a great mind to disregard injuries..." [p. 83]

"We must, then, hold back our anger, whether the one who needs to be taken on is our equal, our better, or our inferior. To fight with an equal is a chancy affair; with a better, insane; with an inferior, tawdry." [p. 91]

"No face produced by any emotion is more disturbed than anger's: it mars the loveliest visages, contorts the most serene expressions." [p. 99]

"Don't you want me to advise those people who wield anger from the height of power, who think it is a testament to their strength, who reckon a ready revenge to be one of the great benefits of great wealth, that he who is a prisoner of anger cannot be called powerful, or even free? Don't you want me to warn them - so that they'll each be more careful and look after themselves - that while other mental ills afflict the worst sort, wrathfulness seeps into even the well-educated and those who are otherwise sound? It has reached the point that some call wrathfulness a sign of honesty, and the one who submits to anger is widely considered a very free spirit." [pp. 120-121]

"[Anger]...betrays the nature of humankind, since that nature urges us to love, but anger urges us to hate; human nature bids us to help others, but anger, to harm." [p. 127]

"Whenever an argument goes on too long and gets heated, we should stop it at the outset before it gathers steam. A dispute feeds on itself and grabs hold of those who are mired in it. It's easier to keep aloof from a fight than to extricate oneself." [p. 143]

"It is useful for each of us to recognize our own illness and to suppress its strength before it spreads. We should consider what irritates us most of all...It behooves you to know what part of you is vulnerable so you can protect it most of all." [pp. 149 - 151]

"It doesn't matter how an injury was done, but how it was received." [p. 153]

"...the greatest punishment of a wrong that's been committed is having committed it." [p. 177]

"Let's be kinder to one another; we're just wicked people living among wicked people." [p. 179]

"Soon we'll spit out our life's breath. For the moment, while we still draw it, while we're still in the human world, let's cherish our humanity. Let's not be a source of fear or danger to anyone. Let's cast scorn on injuries, harm, insults, and taunts; let's put up with brief annoyances. As they say, the moment we turn and look behind us, death stands right there." [p. 205]

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very short, yet very powerful book that gives incredible perspective on why we shouldn’t get upset about things that aren’t worth it. Even for the calmest among us there is plenty to take away.

[Lala · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4/5 - I read this book as a sort of meditation on anger. Oh, I was trying to find Seneca’s “on anger“ but stumbled upon this little ditty instead. Oh, it reminded me of some basic stoic takeaways that I probably needed to think about. Acted as a nice almost guided meditation/introspection about anger, and the root of that emotion and the control that it has in your life. Bonus points for it being a little less dry than Seneca‘s original text.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though written literally 1000s of years ago, anger is anger. The only thing that's really changed, at least in the western world, is that some king can't wipe out your whole family because you said to a friend that he's an asshole. Anger still hurts the person carrying it more than the person who caused it. Turn the other cheek isn't for them, it's for you. As a person who tends to react quickly and often to my own regret, I'm glad I read this book. What I'm not happy about is that I paid brand new price for it and 1 page is in the original Latin and the other is the English translation and it's short so I read it in less than an hour. But I will follow Seneca's advice and not allow myself to feel angry about that. Instead, I'll recommend you read it but that you buy it used or borrow it from the library.