Plain
Seneca — The Senator

But he will see their wealth without envy, just as he sees their crimes without anger. A good judge condemns wrong actions, but doesn't hate them. "So what? When the wise man deals with something like this, won't his mind be affected? Won't it get more excited than usual?" I admit it will. He will feel a slight and small emotion. As Zeno says, "Even in the mind of the wise man, a scar remains after the wound has completely healed." So he will feel certain hints and shadows of emotions. But he will be free from the emotions themselves.

On Anger, Book 1, Section 16 Book 1 · 50 of 69
Calm Your Mind Knowing Yourself
Seneca — The Senator Original

Yet he will see their affluence without envy, just as he sees their crimes without anger: a good judge condemns wrongful acts, but does not hate them. "What then? when the wise man is dealing with something of this kind, will his mind not be affected by it and become excited beyond its usual wont?" I admit that it will: he will experience a slight and trifling emotion; for, as Zeno says, "Even in the mind of the wise man, a scar remains after the wound is quite healed." He will, therefore, feel certain hints and semblances of passions; but he will be free from the passions themselves.

On Anger, Book 1, Section 16 Book 1 · 50 of 69
Seneca — The Senator

"Anger is necessary so we can punish people." Really? Do you think the law gets angry at people it doesn't know, has never seen, and hopes will never exist? We should copy how the law thinks. It doesn't get angry — it just defines what counts as a crime. If it's right for a good person to get angry at wicked crimes, then it's also right for him to feel envious when wicked people prosper. What could be more outrageous than seeing people who deserve the worst possible fate actually flourishing and being spoiled by success?

On Anger, Book 1, Section 16 Book 1 · 49 of 69
Doing The Right Thing Calm Your Mind
Seneca — The Senator Original

"Anger is necessary to enable us to punish." What? do you think that the law is angry with men whom it does not know, whom it has never seen, who it hopes will never exist? We ought, therefore, to adopt the law's frame of mind, which does not become angry, but merely defines offences: for, if it is right for a good man to be angry at wicked crimes, it will also be right for him to be moved with envy at the prosperity of wicked men: what, indeed, is more scandalous than that in some cases the very men, for whose deserts no fortune could be found bad enough, should flourish and actually be the spoiled children of success?

On Anger, Book 1, Section 16 Book 1 · 49 of 69
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Ancient philosophy, in plain English.

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