Plain
Seneca — The Senator

What brings more peace than a calm mind? What's more exhausting than anger? What's more relaxed than mercy? What's busier than cruelty? Good character gets to rest while vice works itself to death. In short, any virtue is easy to practice, but vices cost you dearly. We need to remove anger from our minds completely. Even people who say we should just keep anger under control are admitting it's a problem — so let's get rid of it entirely. There's no benefit to keeping it around. Without anger, we can stop crime more easily and fairly. We can punish wrongdoers and help them change their lives. A wise person will do what's right in every situation without needing any destructive emotion. They won't rely on tools that require constant watching to keep them from spinning out of control.

On Anger, Book 2, Section 13 Book 2 · 34 of 103
Calm Your Mind Doing The Right Thing
Seneca — The Senator Original

What is more restful than a mind at peace, and what more toilsome than anger? What is more at leisure than clemency, what fuller of business than cruelty? Modesty keeps holiday while vice is overwhelmed with work. In fine, the culture of any of the virtues is easy, while vices require a great expense. Anger ought to be removed from our minds: even those who say that it ought to be kept low admit this to some extent: let it be got rid of altogether; there is nothing to be gained by it. Without it we can more easily and more justly put an end to crime, punish bad men, and amend their lives. The wise man will do his duty in all things without the help of any evil passion, and will use no auxiliaries which require watching narrowly lest they get beyond his control.

On Anger, Book 2, Section 13 Book 2 · 34 of 103
Seneca — The Senator

There's no reason to defend anger or make excuses for it. Don't claim it's useful or unavoidable. Every vice has its defenders — that doesn't make anger acceptable. The problems we face can be fixed. We were born with a natural lean toward good, and nature will help us if we try to improve ourselves. The path to virtue isn't steep and rocky like some people think. You can reach it on level ground. I'm not telling you fairy tales here. The road to happiness is easy. Just start walking it with good fortune and the gods' help. What you're doing now — staying angry — is much harder work.

On Anger, Book 2, Section 13 Book 2 · 33 of 103
Facing Hardship Knowing Yourself
Seneca — The Senator Original

There is no reason why we should seek to defend such a passion as this or excuse its excesses by declaring it to be either useful or unavoidable. What vice, indeed, is without its defenders? yet this is no reason why you should declare anger to be ineradicable. The evils from which we suffer are curable, and since we were born with a natural bias towards good, nature herself will help us if we try to amend our lives. Nor is the path to virtue steep and rough, as some think it to be: it may be reached on level ground. This is no untrue tale which I come to tell you: the road to happiness is easy; do you only enter upon it with good luck and the good help of the gods themselves. It is much harder to do what you are doing.

On Anger, Book 2, Section 13 Book 2 · 33 of 103
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Ancient philosophy, in plain English.

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