Letters from a Stoic
Seneca
20 people recommended it in 16 threads, 2010–2024.
What people on Hacker News said
Decent musings on living life and mastering oneself. As relevant today as 2 thousand years ago. Will make you consider how you can master your self and what you will let affect you.
"I am not, mind you, against your possessing [riches], but I want to ensure that you possess them without tremors; and this you will only achieve in one way, by convincing yourself that you can live a happy life even without them, and by always regarding them as being on the point of vanishing." Letter XVIII
Seneca's all of 124 letters. A good English translation is key here. Get the edition published Chicago University; translated by Anthony Long and Margaret Graver.
Some other books to read when being sad is, Dale Carnegie's classic "How to stop worrying and start living" and some books on stoic philosophy by Seneca.
The pursuit of happiness is meaningless, focus on the pursuit of wisdom.
It made me feel like I was reading my own grandpa's letters with warm-hearted instructions on how to be a good person when I become a grown-up.
for me, 'letters from a stoic' (or 'moral letters to lucillius' ) by Seneca has been more approachable than Meditations.
Where it comes up
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