personBiography
Imagine being one of the richest men in Rome while preaching about the virtues of poverty. That was Seneca's life - the ultimate walking contradiction. This philosopher-billionaire advised the notoriously unstable Emperor Nero (yes, THAT Nero) while writing beautiful letters about how wealth and power don't matter. When Nero finally ordered him to commit suicide, Seneca faced death with remarkable calmness, dictating philosophy to the very end. Talk about practicing what you preach - his final act was the ultimate Stoic demonstration that you can't control what happens to you, only how you respond.
format_quoteFamous Quote
We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.
— Seneca
menu_bookMajor Works
Letters from a Stoic
On the Shortness of Life
On Anger
lightbulbKey Ideas
Control what you can, accept what you cannot
Practice negative visualization
Value time above all possessions