Seneca,

“[P]hilosophy teaches us to act, not to speak; it exacts of every man that he should live according to his own standards, that his life should not be out of harmony with his words, and that, further, his inner life should be of one hue and not out of harmony with all his activities.”

Your letters seem to always contain a call to action, just when I need it the most.  I’m preparing to settle in to a long and intense period of study.  One which is particular and rigorous.  When doing such work, it’s all too easy to let the practical side of philosophy slip by.

The daily mental reserves seem to only be so deep, and when one is about intense intellectual work, the reserves seem too shallow for what’s left.

But, you remind me, that actual work of a philosopher, as a sculptor to stone, is to shape one’s life.  Thank you for the reminder.

Farewell.

Part of Michel Daw’s Reading Plan of Seneca’s Letters.