Required Daily: Read Tacitus' description of the Death of Seneca and Book One of M. Aurelius' Meditations. Find quotes within those two texts that help explain what Stoicism is all about.
These quotes are from Tacitus’ description of the Death of Seneca.
1. “…he saw no signs of fear, and perceived no sadness in his words or in his looks.” This quote describes how Seneca showed no emotion.
2. “So he had directed in a codicil of his will, when even in the height of his wealth and power he was thinking of his life's close.” He was not thinking about his power. He was thinking about the end of his life.
3. “…preferring the interest of any private citizen to his own safety, and he had no natural aptitude for flattery…” This quote shows how he did not want to show passion or provide others with compliments.
These quotes are from Book One of M. Aurelius’s Meditations
1. “abstinence, not only from evil deeds, but even from evil thoughts; and further, simplicity in my way of living, far removed from the habits of the rich.” This shows how he did not need expensive things.
2. “…to be neither of the green nor of the blue party at the games in the Circus, nor a partizan either of the Parmularius or the Scutarius at the gladiators' fights; from him too I learned endurance of labour, and to want little, and to work with my own hands, and not to meddle with other people's affairs, and not to be ready to listen to slander.” This quote explains how he did not choose sides or get involved in other peoples’ business.
3. “ I learned not to be led astray to sophistic emulation, nor to writing on speculative matters, nor to delivering little hortatory orations, nor to showing myself off as a man who practises much discipline, or does benevolent acts in order to make a display; and to abstain from rhetoric, and poetry, and fine writing; and not to walk about in the house in my outdoor dress, nor to do other things of the kind; and to write my letters with simplicity” This quote describes his simplicity in his acts, clothes, and writing.
4. “…undeviating steadiness of purpose; and to look to nothing else, not even for a moment, except to reason; and to be always the same…” This is shows how his feeling never changed.
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