Listen to My Podcast episode on this essay here!

Title: Of Anger

Author: Seneca

Kind of Book: Philosophy/Essay

How strongly I recommend it 9/10 

My Impressions Great essay. Very practical and thoughtful. Seneca explores what anger is, whether or not it is useful, and how we should navigate it.

Practical Takeaways

• Fend off anger at the first sight of it, before it has taken full control of you

• Ask yourself if you have ever done the thing you are angry at another person for doing

• Do not be angry when you punish/reprimand others

• Wait until you are calm to decide what to do

• Correct others with discretion, not with anger

• Use reason to decide someone's punishment, not anger

• Only punish people when necessary

• Use the least amount of force necessary for your punishment

• Hot-tempered men should not be allowed wine, too much food, and should exercise and plays games

• Don't coddle your children A: Coddling children makes then entitled and prone to anger

• Never reward a temper tantrum

• Allow some time to pass when you're feeling angry

• Be slow to believe what you hear

• Ignore those who insult you. Be the big dog who ignores the yappy little dog

• Associate with people better than yourself

• Don't live with anger prone people

• Don't let yourself get hungry, thirsty, or tired

• Don't go out looking for things that make you angry ie. Don't send for anger

• Even if you have never harmed the person who harmed you, Ask yourself if you have ever done the thing they did to you to someone else

• Make a distinction between when someone "can not" do something and when they "will not" do something

• Consider the intent of the person you are angry with

• Put yourself in the place of the person you are angry with

• At the end of the day ask yourself, "What bad habit have I cured today?" "What vice have I checked?" "In what respect am I better today than yesterday?"-Sextius

• Practice humanity

Big Ideas

Listen to My Podcast episode on this essay here!