Moral letters to Lucilius (Epistulae morales ad Lucilium)


Read by John Van Stan

(5 stars; 43 reviews)

Seneca the Younger’s letters to his friend, Lucilius Junior, appear to have been written with a broad audience in mind. These letters introduce major themes of Stoic philosophy and have been a source of inspiration and comfort for readers throughout the centuries. - Summary by jvanstan (24 hr 14 min)

Chapters

Introduction 11:05 Read by John Van Stan
On Saving Time 3:45 Read by John Van Stan
On Discursiveness in Reading 3:50 Read by John Van Stan
On True and False Friendship 4:16 Read by John Van Stan
On the Terrors of Death 6:55 Read by John Van Stan
On the Philosopher's Mean 5:31 Read by John Van Stan
On Sharing Knowledge 4:15 Read by John Van Stan
On Crowds 7:25 Read by John Van Stan
On the Philosopher's Seclusion 6:27 Read by John Van Stan
On Philosophy and Friendship 14:26 Read by John Van Stan
On Living to Onself 3:50 Read by John Van Stan
On the Blush of Modesty 5:40 Read by John Van Stan
On Old Age 7:50 Read by John Van Stan
On Groundless Fears 12:05 Read by John Van Stan
On the Reasons for Withdrawing from the World 12:15 Read by John Van Stan
On Brawn and Brains 7:55 Read by John Van Stan
On Philosophy, the Guide of Life 6:25 Read by John Van Stan
On Philosophy and Riches 7:42 Read by John Van Stan
On Festivals and Fasting 8:46 Read by John Van Stan
On Worldliness and Retirement 8:25 Read by John Van Stan
On Practising What You Preach 8:30 Read by John Van Stan
On the Renown which My Writings Will Bring You 8:00 Read by John Van Stan
On the Futility of Half-way Measures 10:40 Read by John Van Stan
On the True Joy which Comes from Philosophy 7:15 Read by John Van Stan
On Despising Death 17:10 Read by John Van Stan
On Reformation 5:05 Read by John Van Stan
On Old Age and Death 6:30 Read by John Van Stan
On the Good which Abides 6:05 Read by John Van Stan
On Travel as a Cure for Discontent 6:00 Read by John Van Stan
On the Critical Condition of Marcellinus 8:00 Read by John Van Stan
On Conquering the Conqueror 11:00 Read by John Van Stan
On Siren Songs 7:50 Read by John Van Stan
On Progress 3:40 Read by John Van Stan
On the Futility of Learning Maxims 7:45 Read by John Van Stan
On a Promising Pupil 2:25 Read by John Van Stan
On the Friendship of Kindred Minds 3:22 Read by John Van Stan
On the Value of Retirement 8:05 Read by John Van Stan
On Allegiance to Virtue 3:25 Read by John Van Stan
On Quiet Conversation 2:15 Read by John Van Stan
On Noble Aspirations 4:40 Read by John Van Stan
On the Proper Style for a Philosopher's Discourse 9:40 Read by John Van Stan
On the God within Us 6:35 Read by John Van Stan
On Values 6:45 Read by John Van Stan
On the Relativity of Fame 3:00 Read by John Van Stan
Of Philosophy and Pedigrees 5:10 Read by John Van Stan
On Sophistical Argumentation 9:20 Read by John Van Stan
On a New Book by Lucilius 2:45 Read by John Van Stan
On Master and Slave 13:40 Read by John Van Stan
On Quibbling as Unworthy of the Philosopher 9:05 Read by John Van Stan
On the Shortness of Life 9:15 Read by John Van Stan
On Our Blindness and Its Cure 6:05 Read by John Van Stan
On Baiae and Morals 8:50 Read by John Van Stan
On Choosing Our Teachers 9:35 Read by John Van Stan
On the Faults of the Spirit 8:35 Read by John Van Stan
On Asthma and Death 5:05 Read by John Van Stan
On Vatia's Villa 8:05 Read by John Van Stan
On Quiet and Study 10:05 Read by John Van Stan
On the Trials of Travel 5:40 Read by John Van Stan
On Being 24:50 Read by John Van Stan
On Pleasure and Joy 13:20 Read by John Van Stan
On Harmful Prayers 3:00 Read by John Van Stan
On Meeting Death Cheerfully 2:50 Read by John Van Stan
On Good Company 2:20 Read by John Van Stan
On Grief for Lost Friends 9:50 Read by John Van Stan
On the Philosopher's Task 6:00 Read by John Van Stan
On the First Cause 16:00 Read by John Van Stan
On Various Aspects of Virtue 35:10 Read by John Van Stan
On Ill-health and Endurance of Suffering 10:10 Read by John Van Stan
On Wisdom and Retirement 8:41 Read by John Van Stan
On Rest and Restlessness 3:35 Read by John Van Stan
On the Proper Time to Slip the Cable 16:55 Read by John Van Stan
On the Supreme Good 23:55 Read by John Van Stan
On Business as the Enemy of Philosophy 8:25 Read by John Van Stan
On Philosophers and Kings 9:40 Read by John Van Stan
On Virtue as a Refuge from Worldly Distractions 24:40 Read by John Van Stan
On the Diseases of the Soul 10:50 Read by John Van Stan
On Learning Wisdom in Old Age 21:44 Read by John Van Stan
On Taking One's Own Life 12:40 Read by John Van Stan
On the Healing Power of the Mind 19:00 Read by John Van Stan
On the Rewards of Scientific Discovery 12:00 Read by John Van Stan
On Worldly Deceptions 7:20 Read by John Van Stan
On Benefits 20:50 Read by John Van Stan
On the Natural Fear of Death 18:50 Read by John Van Stan
On Drunkenness 17:50 Read by John Van Stan
On Gathering Ideas 8:55 Read by John Van Stan
On Some Vain Syllogisms 27:30 Read by John Van Stan
On Scipio's Villa 12:25 Read by John Van Stan
Some Arguments in Favour of the Simple Life 26:05 Read by John Van Stan
On Liberal and Vocational Studies 29:50 Read by John Van Stan
On the Parts of Philosophy 15:45 Read by John Van Stan
On the Part Played by Philosophy in the Progress of Man 36:05 Read by John Van Stan
On the Lesson to be Drawn from the Burning of Lyons 16:30 Read by John Van Stan
On the Happy Life 25:55 Read by John Van Stan
On the Quality, as Contrasted with the Length, of Life 9:10 Read by John Van Stan
On the Value of Advice 48:10 Read by John Van Stan
On the Usefulness of Basic Principles 45:20 Read by John Van Stan
On Facing Hardships 3:40 Read by John Van Stan
On the Degeneracy of the Age 10:20 Read by John Van Stan
On the Fickleness of Fortune 11:50 Read by John Van Stan
On Consolation of the Bereaved 21:25 Read by John Van Stan
On the Writings of Fabianus 9:05 Read by John Van Stan
On the Futility of Planning Ahead 10:30 Read by John Van Stan
On the Intimations of Our Immortality 20:20 Read by John Van Stan
On the Dangers of Association with Our Fellow-Men 3:33 Read by John Van Stan
On Care of Health and Peace of Mind 23:40 Read by John Van Stan
On Facing the World with Confidence 5:30 Read by John Van Stan
On the Corporeality of Virtue 6:00 Read by John Van Stan
On Obedience to the Universal Will 7:45 Read by John Van Stan
On the Approaches to Philosophy 25:15 Read by John Van Stan
On the Fellowship of Wise Men 10:40 Read by John Van Stan
On True and False Riches 14:25 Read by John Van Stan
On the Vanity of Mental Gymnastics 3:15 Read by John Van Stan
On Reforming Hardened Sinners 2:22 Read by John Van Stan
On the Vitality of the Soul and Its Attributes 19:20 Read by John Van Stan
On Style as a Mirror of Character 19:50 Read by John Van Stan
On the Superficial Blessings 13:40 Read by John Van Stan
On Self-Control 6:20 Read by John Van Stan
On Real Ethics as Superior to Syllogistic Subtleties 24:55 Read by John Van Stan
On the Vanity of Place-Seeking 11:09 Read by John Van Stan
On Nature as Our Best Provider 10:15 Read by John Van Stan
More About Virtue 16:40 Read by John Van Stan
On Instinct in Animals 15:20 Read by John Van Stan
On Darkness as a Veil for Wickedness 12:45 Read by John Van Stan
On the Conflict between Pleasure and Virtue 11:55 Read by John Van Stan
On the True Good as Attained by Reason 16:30 Read by John Van Stan

Reviews

Great


(5 stars)

Good book, good reading, and I am impressed by how good it was for a free reading of such a long book


(5 stars)

Must read if you like Stoicism at all. And yes, it is worth the whole length. The narrator is very good and expressive.

well read


(5 stars)

This is an incredibly long read, and John made it both enjoyable and understandable, using different voices when the author quotes someone else. His tone and inflection also make the intent clear and not just the words.

Excellent Job


(5 stars)

This is one of the best items that I have listened to on this LibriVox app. John Van Stan speaks clearly and at a good pace and made this classic work come alive!!

outstanding narrator


(5 stars)

Did a great job of being consistent and clear for the entire work. The affected voices I could do without but it was a minor issue.

Great book


(5 stars)

Well that covered a lot of ground, kudos to the reader for getting through it that must have been a mammoth undertaking.

Excellent rendition!


(5 stars)

I've listened to the first 30 entries so far, and the reader is excellent and has a great method of presentation

The Perfect Starter Book


(5 stars)

This is the perfect starter book for anybody wanting to get into stoic philosophy.