This is a modern take on Seneca's Moral Letters to Lucilius. I use them as tools in the ongoing search for what it means to live a good life. Although Seneca's words have been mined for centuries, each generation keeps turning up gemstones. I seek to polish old stones to show them in a new light.
Moral Letters
Progress is inversely proportional to the breadth of your focus. Include in your scope many things, and you will make little progress. Focus on one thing, and you will advance it the most.
Moral Letters
The greatest good is done by those with the least need to talk about it. The true meaning of public service is not those offices that are most visible, but those deeds that have the greatest impact.
Moral Letters
The state of mind is the key, your intentions are everything. Virtue lies not in hard circumstances themselves, but in being able to endure hardships without upset or complaint.
Moral Letters
Today I want to talk with you about the Stoic virtues, and how to value the pursuits that people seek. This is not only not a trivial question, it is the only question that matters.
Moral Letters
Any person alive today may yield up answers to the questions that have propelled humankind’s search for meaning and for reason. Although Heisenberg tells us in some realms we must be satisfied with uncertainty, I am sure that humans will never stop searching for meaning.
Moral Letters
Such is the bounty of philosophy: though all are capable of being fed with what is already on offer, still we are ever creating new dishes to suit the palette of modern tastes.
Moral Letters
If you would treasure your times with true friends, you will every now and then permit yourself to imagine life without them. Not to make yourself sad by hastening or even bringing about the loss, but to remind yourself never to assume too much.
Moral Letters
The best way to become wealthy is to become rich in your mind. Plunder the wisdom of the ages and take into your ownership your self-possession.
Moral Letters
We tell ourselves we’ll be happy if only we can achieve something else. But this treadmill only speeds up the faster we run.
Moral Letters
How many unhappy professionals do we know who, upon reaching the pinnacle of supposed success, are plagued by doubts about whether the sacrifices were worth the prize?
Moral Letters
Joy as we understand it does not depend on what possessions you are currently enjoying, and what pleasurable experiences you may be seeking. It is a condition arising from a tranquil mind, undisturbed by external things.
Moral Letters
If wishes could create reality, would we live in paradise or hell? I fear we are on the path to finding out.