Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, dramatist, and statesman whose writings on virtue, death, and the passions influenced Western thought for two millennia. Born in Spain to a wealthy family, Seneca became Rome's leading intellectual before being exiled by Claudius and then recalled to tutor the young Nero.
Seneca's philosophical letters and essays articulated Stoic ethics for Roman audiences: virtue alone is good, externals are 'indifferent,' and we achieve tranquility by accepting fate and focusing on what we control. His tragedies dramatized passion's destructive power. His writings on anger, the shortness of life, and consolation in grief remain readable today.
Seneca's life was more complicated than his philosophy. He amassed enormous wealth while preaching detachment, and he helped Nero rule competently before Nero's descent into tyranny. Accused of conspiracy, Seneca was ordered to commit suicide. He died with Stoic calm, dictating philosophy to the end. His practical Stoicism influenced Christian ethics, Renaissance humanism, and modern self-help alike.