Seneca on how to make friends and why to want them. From Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, about 62 to 65 AD.
In the early 60s AD, Seneca’s friend Lucilius sent him a puzzle. The Greek thinker Epicurus had criticized people who said a wise man is complete in himself, and so needs no friends.
Seneca’s own school, the Stoics, said exactly that. A wise man needs nothing outside himself. So why would he want friends at all? The ninth letter is his answer.
In his ninth letter, Seneca answered Epicurus, who said a wise man needs friends to look after him when he is sick or in trouble. Seneca turned it around: a wise man wants friends so that he can look after them. Friends made for gain leave when the gain does. To make friends, he passed on Hecato’s love potion: if you would be loved, love.
If you want to be loved, go first and love. Practical advice: this week, do one kind thing for someone you’d like to know better.
Well established · checked against 7 sourcesDo one kind thing this week for someone you’d like to know better.
“I’ve been lonely since I moved, and I keep waiting for people to reach out. What should I do?”
To Be Loved, Love and the other 11 ideas of Letters from a Stoic, a minute at a time.
Download on theApp StoreEvery idea is drawn from the public-domain text, and its names, dates and quotes are checked against the sources listed with it. The paintings are made for Counsel; they show the scene, not a historical record.
