For  several years of his turbulent life, Seneca was the guiding hand of the  Roman Empire. His inspired reasoning derived mainly from the Stoic  principles, which had originally been developed some centuries earlier  in Athens. This selection of Seneca's letters shows him upholding the  austere ethical ideals of Stoicism—the wisdom of the self-possessed  person immune to overmastering emotions and life’s setbacks—while  valuing friendship and the courage of ordinary men, and criticizing the  harsh treatment  of slaves and the cruelties in the gladiatorial arena.  The humanity and wit revealed in Seneca’s interpretation of Stoicism is a  moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind.

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