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Letters from a Stoic

Penguin Classics

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Letters from a Stoic

Written by: Seneca, Robin Campbell
Narrated by: Julian Glover
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by Julian Glover, Olivier Award winning actor, also known for his roles in Game of Thrones and Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. This definitive recording includes an Introduction by Robin Campbell.


A philosophy that saw self-possession as the key to an existence lived 'in accordance with nature', Stoicism called for the restraint of animal instincts and the severing of emotional ties. These beliefs were formulated by the Athenian followers of Zeno in the fourth century BC, but it was in Seneca (c. 4 BC- AD 65) that the Stoics found their most eloquent advocate. Stoicism, as expressed in the Letters, helped ease pagan Rome's transition to Christianity, for it upholds upright ethical ideals and extols virtuous living, as well as expressing disgust for the harsh treatment of slaves and the inhumane slaughters witnessed in the Roman arenas. Seneca's major contribution to a seemingly unsympathetic creed was to transform it into a powerfully moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind.

Public Domain (P)2019 Penguin Audio Greek & Roman Memoirs, Diaries & Correspondence Philosophy Stoicism
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“My advice is really this: what we hear the philosophers saying and what we find in their writings should be applied in our pursuit of the happy life. We should hunt out the helpful pieces of teaching, and the spirited and noble - minded sayings which are capable of immediate practical application - not far - fetched or archaic expressions or extravagant metaphors and figures of speech - and learn them so well that words become works. No one to my mind lets humanity down quite so much as those who study philosophy as if it were a sort of commercial skill and then proceed to live in a quite different manner from the way they tell other people to live.”

True knowledge does not diminish with age.

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Everything you would need to know (the basics) on his letter and life. Very meaningful words and definitely recommend to anyone that’s trying to better themselves

Amazing story telling

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I so wanted to like this. I want to use the wisdom of the stoic to live a modern life. But Seneca seems like he was a clueless pontificator- and wildly self- unaware. To boot, the reader’s voice is just unbelievably grating. I had to tap out.

Ugh- Blowhard doing blowhard

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