On values
42:1
Book Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Book Description: Full of insight and wisdom, Seneca's letters are a Stoic treasure. They've influenced famous philosophers, leaders, and students over the centuries. Each letter can be read on its own. By reading this volume you'll absorb the thoughts of a thoughtful Stoic aimed at living well.
1.
Has that friend of yours already made you believe that he is a good man?
And yet it is impossible in so short a time for one either to become good or be known as such.
Do you know what kind of man I now mean when I speak of “a good man”?
I mean one of the second grade, like your friend.
For one of the first class perhaps springs into existence, like the phoenix, only once in five hundred years.
And it is not surprising, either, that greatness develops only at long intervals; Fortune often brings into being commonplace powers, which are born to please the mob; but she holds up for our approval that which is extraordinary by the very fact that she makes it rare.
Book: Moral Letters Vol I
Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Author: Seneca
Chapter: On values
Location: Chapter 42, Section 1
Content:
1.
Has that friend of yours already made you believe that he is a good man?
And yet it is impossible in so short a time for one either to become good or be known as such.
Do you know what kind of man I now mean when I speak of “a good man”?
I mean one of the second grade, like your friend.
For one of the first class perhaps springs into existence, like the phoenix, only once in five hundred years.
And it is not surprising, either, that greatness develops only at long intervals; Fortune often brings into being commonplace powers, which are born to please the mob; but she holds up for our approval that which is extraordinary by the very fact that she makes it rare.