Sublime

This book begins programmatically, with a partial acknowledgment that Seneca himself, in old age, looks back with regret and repentance on his earlier existence, seeking study as way of redeeming a misspent life

no claims to literary or rhetorical education and no political ambition, who spent the whole of the first half of his life as a slave. He was a lifelong cripple, probably the result of having his leg broken by a cruel owner in early life. But he was brought to Rome in his youth and owned by Nero’s secretary, the freedman Epaphroditus.

Quand tu en seras là, quand tu commenceras à être toi-même en quelque honneur auprès de toi, je t'accorderai peu à peu comme droit ce dont Épicure a fait un conseil : « Sois plus que jamais seul avec toi-même, quand tu seras forcé d'être avec la foule[933]. »