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Moral Letters Vol III

Seneca

§ Section 6

On the vitality of the soul and its attributes

113:6

Book Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.

Book Description: The final volume of Seneca's moral letters. Common Stoic themes emerge again and again: the unreliability of fortune, the ability to form Stoic resolve, and the importance of virtue.

6.

I myself have gone on record as being of a different opinion; for if one adopts this belief, not only the virtues will be living things, but so will their contrary vices, and the emotions, like wrath, fear, grief, and suspicion.

Nay, the argument will carry us still further—all opinions and all thoughts will be living things.

This is by no means admissible; since anything that man does is not necessarily the man himself.