Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium Letters 16-30

Letter 16. On Philosophy, the Guide of Life.

1.
- When our wisdom is complete -> happy life
- but even when our wisdom's only begun our life is much happier
- You must reflect on these ideas daily and strengthen them
2.
- I have hope for you but not complete trust
- You should adopt the same attitude
- Don't have confidence too quickly - scrutinize yourself and whether you have made progress with life or philosophy
3.
- Philosophy is no trick of the public if it is not for show
4.
- "Why philosophy if fate, chance, and god determine everything"
5.
- No matter which of these is correct we should still apply philosophy
- It teaches to obey god cheerfully, fortune defiantly, endure chance.
6.
- It's not my business whether we have free will
- Warning- don't allow your spirit to weaken - make it a habit of the mind
7.
- If you live according to nature, you will never be poor
- If you live according to opinion, you will never be rich
- From Epicurus
8.
- The demands of opinion are boundless
9.
- The ones of nature are limited
- The false has no limits
- Know whether your desires are based upon natural or misleading things - consider if it has a stop at any point. Otherwise it is contrary to nature

Letter 17. On Philosophy and Riches
1.
- "But I don't want to be burdened by poverty or to be a burden to others"
2.
- You don't understand the great power of philosophy - wisdom will tell you to not sit forever at your ledger
3.
- You'll learn - poverty is not to be feared
- Riches shut you off from attainment of wisdom.
4.
- Hunger costs little
- Squeamishness costs much
5.
- Even the rich copies the ways of philosophy when he is in his senses
- Study is useless
- If you do not live simply (voluntary poverty)
- Away with excuses like "I'll get serious into philosophy when I have enough."
6.
- It's better to starve with the promise of freedom
8. ^
9.
- You cannot lack the necessities of life because nature asks for little
10.
- In every stage the requirement stays the same
11.
- Epicurus - "The acquisition of riches has been for many men, not an end, but a change, of troubles."
12.
- It is the mind, not riches that is at fault.

Letter 18. On Festivals and Fasting
1.
- "Once December was a month; now it is a year."
2.
- Should we make no changes or should we do what the public does, wear gayer clothes?
- This is customary - in the past we did it only when the state had fallen on evil days
3.
- We should be not unlike them in all ways nor like them in all ways
4.
- It shows courage to remain sober when the mob is drinking; but even more self control to refuse to withdraw oneself - in a different way - neither being one of the crowd, or conspicuous.
5.
- Set aside some days to live the most plainly - "is this the condition I feared?"
6.
- It is when fortune is kind that we should fortify against her violence.
7.
- I mean real poverty not "paupers huts" that millionaires use for fun.
- 3-4 days, do this
- Then you'll be more grateful for everything.
- And you don't depend on Fortune for your piece of mind.
8.
- But you are not doing anything great - it is what many slaves and poor men do daily.
9.
- Epicurus did this too and boasted.
10.
- It is the highest pleasure.
11.
- It's a noble soul who can do this.
12.
- So begin and follow the customs of these men.
13.
- I don't forbid you possess it - but that you possess it dauntingly.
- Knowing you could live happily without it as well as with it.
14.
- "Ungoverned anger begets madness." - Epicurus.
15.
- This emotion comes from all - love and hate.
- It doesn't matter how ? the ? - but rather what it falls upon.
- It is the same with anger.

Letter 19. On Worldliness and Retirement.
1.
- I leap with joy when I receive letters from you.
2.
- Make your retirement not conspicuous
3.
- Renown has already taken you - you may hide now, but your past reveals you.
4.
- The "old gleam" will follow you wherever you fly. Is it preferable to leave to leave your own true self, or merely some of your belongings?
5.
- You were removed far from the sight of wholesome living by your prosperity.
6.
- Don't wait til you have nothing left to crave.
- Your existence itself will never put an end to your wretchedness and slavery.
7.
- To retreat to privacy - things are smaller, but you will be satisfied.
8.
- "How can I take my leave?"
- Any way you please.
- Your position in the world demands the opposite of a secluded life.
- So sacrifices need to be made
9.
- "There's thunder even on the leftist peaks." - Maecenus
10.
- Epicurus - "You must reflect carefully beforehand with when you are to eat and drink, rather than what you are to eat and drink.
- For a dinner of meats without the company of a friend is like the life of a lion or a wolf."
11.
- You must withdraw from the world, otherwise you'll have no true friends.
12.
- Kindness establishes friendships - if you are choosing the people to receive it
- It is more important who receives a thing, than what it is he receives.

Letter 20. On Practicing what you Preach
1.
- Test your progress not be speech or writing, but by stoutness of heart and decrease of desire.
2.
- Philosophy teaches us to act not speak.
- Only few can maintain this standard.
 "He may not keep the same pace- but he can travel the same path."
3.
- Do you treat yourself nicely and your family harshly
4.
- It is easy to slip and return to what you abandoned.
5.
- "What is wisdom? Always desiring the same things, and always refusing the same things."
- And that what you wish should be right.
6.
- Men don't know what they wish
- Day to day it changes.
7.
- Poverty will keep you your true friends.
- No one will lie to compliment you.
8.
- Let your thoughts efforts and desires lead you to contentedness with yourself.
9.
- Epicurus - "Believe me, your words will be more imposing if you sleep on a cot and wear rags. For in that case you will not be merely saying them; you will be demonstrating truth." - Demetrius.
10.
- He is poor among riches.
11.
- Is your men pleased with poverty, mine displeased with riches.
12.
- You should practice such things because they are easier to ensure.
13.
- So do what I said - reserve a few days to live in poverty to prepare for real poverty.
- We all begin content with rags.

Letter 21. On the Renown which my writings will bring you
1.
- You have difficulties with some men. But your greatest difficulty is with yourself.
- You don't know what you want - you're better at approving the right course then following it.
- You know where true happiness is but you don't have the courage to obtain it.
- You're held back by the luster of your current life although you mean to depart it.
2.
- You should though.
- New life is bright itself while the current one only borrows it's radiance - and its light is easily blocked out.
3.
- Epicurus - "my letters will make you more renowned then all the things which you cherish and make you cherished"
4.
- Is he wrong?
5.
- I'll do the same for you.
6.
- When you become famous from fortune, you lose it as soon as you step out - but those with innate ability are respected always.
7.
- If you wish to be rich, do not add to your money, but subtract from your desires.
8.
- This applies not only to riches, but everything, honors, pleasure.
- "If you wish to make Pythocles an old man, filling his life to the full, you do not add to his years, but subtract from his desires."
9.
- They are words of Epicurus, but those words belong to everybody.
10.
- You should have your appetite quenched, not whetted. This is the true pleasure.
11.
- Anything extra is a free gift.

Letter 22. On the Futility of Half way measures.
- You understand you should withdraw from depraved pursuits
- but don't know how to do this
- you can write and observe and read rules and such but how to actually apply it can only be known case by case.
- Men love the reward of hardships but curse the hardships themselves.
- It's not hate, but annoyance.
- If you keep thinking about what you can take with you you'll never find a way out.
- "Everyone goes out of life just as if he had but lately entered it" - Epicurus
- We should leave and enter the world in the same state - it is our fault we do not.
- A man is wise if he can die free from care as he was in birth.

Letter 23. On the Truer Joy which Comes from Philosophy
- Learn how to feel joy
- I'm not robbing you of many pleasures, you need to find pleasure within yourself.
- What delights the common crowd are a thin pleasure.
- True pleasure is solid.
- Rejoice in only what comes from you.
- The body is "necessary" not "important".
- "Pleasure" often turns into sorrow.
- Real good comes from a good conscience, honorable purposes, right actions.
- "It is bothersome always to be beginning life." - Epicurus
- Don't be planning your life forever, as you'll never be ready for death.

Letter 24. On Despising Death
- Don't need to fear death
- So if you're threatened don't be concerned
- Think of everything that can happen as something that will happen
- This "death" is the last but not the only death
- "It is through fear of death that you have robbed your life of peace."
- You should avoid the weakness of a lust for death
- Many are tired of doing the same things over and over again - it is a cycle. It's not painful but superfluous- nothing is new.

Letter 25. On Reformation.
- Friends of ours - their faults need to be corrected, the others crushed out.
- "I do not love this one if I am unwilling to hurt his feelings."
- "But he's hardened - past handling"
- "Only young minds can be molded"
- But I'd rather lack success than lack faith
- "Do everything as if Epicurus was watching over you" - look up to someone.
- More on nature, the low cost of it, etc.
- Or at least act as if anyone was watching.
- Solitude prompts all kinds of evil.
- Make yourself the kind of person you would never sin in front of - hold yourself in esteem.
- "The time when you should most of all withdraw into yourself is when you are forced to be in a crowd".
- May not be safe to withdraw now - so seek out certain individuals.

Letter 26. On Old Age and Death
- I'm no longer "old age" - I'm nearing the end.
- age has done no damage to my mind.
- But it is better to glide towards death than to die painfully in shock.
- You are younger - but you don't know when death will come so be ready for it.
- Learn thoroughly how to die. "think on death"

Letter 27. On the Good which Abides.
- No, I am not fully cured myself although I try to help you - I am discussing troubles which concerns us both.
- A man tries to "short cut" to learning - he pays for slaves who each are experts on a subject
- You can't borrow or buy a second mind
- Depraved minds however are bought and sold everyday.
- Again - "real wealth is poverty adjusted to the law of nature."

Letter 28. On Travel as a Cure for Discontent.
- Do you travel, but the gloom and heaviness of your mind doesn't leave
- Your faults follow you wherever you travel.
- Because you take yourself with you.
- Once you remove that trouble - all travel will be pleasant.
- The person you are matters more than the places you go.
- No matter how foreboding the place.
- "I am not born for any one corner of the universe, this whole world is my country."
- What you seek - to live well - is found everywhere.
- Although some places are worse for a healthy mind
- The wise man will endure a hard existence but will not choose it.
- He'd rather be at peace than at war.

Letter 29. On the Critical Condition of Marcellinus
- Marcellinus I will go to help soon
- "I have never wished to cater to the crowd, for what I know, they do not approve, and what they approve, I do not know." - Epicurus

Letter 30. On conquering the conqueror.
- An old man - eventually dies
- But mind is brave no matter the body.
- Bassus talks of death - "It is just as insane for a man to fear what will not happen to him, as to fear what he will not feel if it does happen."
- Death is so far beyond evil, it is beyond all fear of evil.
- He who does not wish to die cannot have wished to live
- To call for death is inspired by madness and anger.
- Those who meet death cheerfully are calm.
- I visit my friend to see if his mind is still the same.
- Death is the same distance from us always.


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