seneca letters worth reading first

124 letters is a lot. this is the order I'd hand someone who has never read a word of stoicism.

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Letter I - On Saving Time

four pages, and it's basically the whole thesis. start here.

Letter II - On Discursiveness in Reading

read a few authors well instead of skimming everything. I needed this one.

Letter V - On the Philosopher's Mean

Letter VII - On Crowds

his warning about crowds ruining your character holds up scarily well for group chats

Letter XVI - On Philosophy, the Guide of Life

(check the attribution) - this gets misquoted as a standalone line constantly, read the whole letter

Letter XXIII - On the True Joy Which Comes from Philosophy

the distinction between pleasure and joy. reread this one every year or so

Letter XXVIII - On Travel as a Cure for Discontent

"you change your climate, not your character" - he's talking directly to people who think a trip will fix them

genuinely uncomfortable. he's still a slaveholder writing it, don't sand that off

Letter LXIII - On Grief for Lost Friends

sits with grief longer than I expected from a stoic. not the toughen-up letter people assume it is

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