On Anger, Book 1, Section 6 — In Plain English

Seneca — The Senator

The judge should then use stronger words, still focused on advice and criticism. As a last resort, he should turn to punishments — but keep them light and short. He should only give harsh punishments for the worst crimes. No one should die unless their death actually benefits even them. The judge differs from a doctor in one way: doctors make dying easy for patients they can't save, but the judge drives condemned criminals out of life with shame and disgrace. He doesn't do this because he enjoys seeing people punished — a wise person is far from such cruel brutality. He does it so they serve as a warning to everyone else. Since these criminals were useless while alive, at least the state can benefit from their death.

Seneca — The Senator Original

He must then pass on to severer language, still confining himself to advising and reprimanding; last of all he must betake himself to punishments, yet still making them slight and temporary. He ought to assign extreme punishments only to extreme crimes, that no one may die unless it be even to the criminal’s own advantage that he should die. He will differ from the physician in one point alone; for whereas physicians render it easy to die for those to whom they cannot grant the boon of life, he will drive the condemned out of life with ignominy and disgrace, not because he takes pleasure in any man’s being punished, for the wise man is far from such inhuman ferocity, but that they may be a warning to all men, and that, since they would not be useful when alive, the state may at any rate profit by their death.