Sundays with Seneca
Welcome to Sundays with Seneca on the Perennial Meditations podcast. Join the search for ancient lessons on the art of living from Lucius Annaeus Seneca's writings and Stoic philosophy.
Choose Yourself a Cato
In a letter to Lucilius known today as On the Blush of Modesty, Seneca wrote,
Your friend and I have had a conversation. He is a man of ability; his very first words showed what spirit and understanding he possesses and what progress he has already made. He gave me a foretaste, and he will not fail to answer thereto. For he spoke not from forethought but was suddenly caught off his guard. When he tried to collect himself, he could scarcely banish that hue of modesty, which is a good sign in a young man; the blush that spread over his face seemed so to rise from the depths. And I feel sure that his habit of blushing will stay with him after he has strengthened his character, stripped off all his faults, and become wise. For by no wisdom can natural weaknesses of the body be removed. That which is implanted and inborn can be toned down by training but not overcome.
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