On instinct in animals
121:17
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.
17.
First of all, the living being is adapted to itself, for there must be a pattern to which all other things may be referred.
I seek pleasure; for whom?
For myself.
I am therefore looking out for myself.
I shrink from pain; on behalf of whom?
Myself.
Therefore, I am looking out for myself.
Since I gauge all my actions with reference to my own welfare, I am looking out for myself before all else.
This quality exists in all living beings—not engrafted but inborn.
Book: Moral Letters Vol III
Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Author: Seneca
Chapter: On instinct in animals
Location: Chapter 121, Section 17
Content:
17.
First of all, the living being is adapted to itself, for there must be a pattern to which all other things may be referred.
I seek pleasure; for whom?
For myself.
I am therefore looking out for myself.
I shrink from pain; on behalf of whom?
Myself.
Therefore, I am looking out for myself.
Since I gauge all my actions with reference to my own welfare, I am looking out for myself before all else.
This quality exists in all living beings—not engrafted but inborn.