Letters from a Stoic

“You ask what is the proper limit to a person’s wealth? First, having what is essential, and second, having what is enough.”

In this quote, Seneca underscores the Stoic principle of moderation. He suggests that wealth is unnecessary beyond providing for essential well-being and emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between needs and wants. Accepting the difference between these is important to the moral development of the Stoic.

“But if you are looking on anyone as a friend when you do not trust him as you trust yourself, you are making a grave mistake, and have failed to grasp sufficiently the full force of friendship.”

The importance of friendship in the improvement of a philosopher is a topic of recurring focus for Seneca. Despite the Stoic view of detachment, Seneca takes the topic of friendship very seriously. He believes friendship is a serious and intimate bond that necessitates absolute trust.

“The standard which I accept is this: One’s life should be a compromise between the ideal and the popular morality.”

While discussing the proper way to present oneself, Seneca establishes a principle that applies to much of the rest of his writings. Seneca’s advice often takes a middle path between ideal Stoic detachment and the facts of human fragility, exemplifying the problem of Virtuous Action in an Ethically Complex World.