Plain
Seneca — The Senator

A hot-tempered mind is naturally most prone to anger. Just as there are four elements — fire, air, earth, and water — there are also four corresponding powers: hot, cold, dry, and moist. The way these elements mix together creates all the differences we see in places, animals, bodies, and personalities. Our own dispositions lean toward one or another of these depending on which element is strongest in us. That's why we describe some regions as wet or dry, warm or cold.

On Anger, Book 2, Section 19 Book 2 · 44 of 103
Human Nature Facing Hardship
Seneca — The Senator Original

A hot mind is naturally the most prone to anger: for as there are four elements,[8] consisting of fire, air, earth, and water, so there are powers corresponding and equivalent to each of these, namely, hot, cold, dry, and moist. Now the mixture of the elements is the cause of the diversities of lands and of animals, of bodies and of character, and our dispositions incline to one or the other of these according as the strength of each element prevails in us. Hence it is that we call some regions wet or dry, warm or cold.

On Anger, Book 2, Section 19 Book 2 · 44 of 103
Seneca — The Senator

Now that we have discussed the questions about anger, let's move on to its remedies. I think there are two kinds: one prevents us from getting angry in the first place, the other prevents us from doing harm when we are angry. Just as we follow certain habits to stay healthy and use different treatments to restore health when we're sick, we must guard against anger one way and put it out another way. To avoid anger altogether, we need certain general rules that apply to everyone's life. We can divide these into rules that help during education of the young and rules for later in life.

Education should be carried out with the greatest and most helpful care. It's easy to shape minds while they're still tender, but it's hard to uproot bad habits that have grown up with us.

On Anger, Book 2, Section 18 Book 2 · 43 of 103
Calm Your Mind Knowing Yourself
Seneca — The Senator Original

Now that we have discussed the questions propounded concerning anger, let us pass on to the consideration of its remedies. These, I imagine, are two-fold: the one class preventing our becoming angry, the other preventing our doing wrong when we are angry. As with the body we adopt a certain regimen to keep ourselves in health, and use different rules to bring back health when lost, so likewise we must repel anger in one fashion and quench it in another. That we may avoid it, certain general rules of conduct which apply to all men’s lives must be impressed upon us. We may divide these into such as are of use during the education of the young and in after-life.

Education ought to be carried on with the greatest and most salutary assiduity: for it is easy to mould minds while they are still tender, but it is difficult to uproot vices which have grown up with ourselves.

On Anger, Book 2, Section 18 Book 2 · 43 of 103
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Ancient philosophy, in plain English.

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