＂作為一位作家，塞內卡以其哲學著作以及所有悲劇的戲劇作品而聞名。他的散文作品包括12篇論文和124封處理道德問題的信件。這些著作構成了古代斯多葛哲學最重要的原始材料之一。作為悲劇作家，他以《美狄亞》、《忒斯忒斯》和《菲德拉》等劇作最為人所知。塞內卡對後世有著巨大影響——在文藝復興時期，他被認為是“一位智者，被敬仰和視為道德的甚至是基督教啟蒙的神諭；作為文學風格和戲劇藝術的大師。＂
"Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger (/ˈsɛnɪkə/ SEN-ik-ə; c. 4 BC – AD 65),[1] usually known mononymously as Seneca, was a Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome, a statesman, dramatist, and in one work, satirist, from the post-Augustan age of Latin literature.
Seneca was born in Colonia Patricia Corduba in Hispania, and was trained in rhetoric and philosophy in Rome. His father was Seneca the Elder, his elder brother was Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus, and his nephew was the poet Lucan. In AD 41, Seneca was exiled to the island of Corsica under emperor Claudius, but was allowed to return in 49 to become a tutor to Nero. When Nero became emperor in 54, Seneca became his advisor and, together with the praetorian prefect Sextus Afranius Burrus, provided competent government for the first five years of Nero's reign. Seneca's influence over Nero declined with time, and in 65 Seneca was forced to take his own life for alleged complicity in the Pisonian conspiracy to assassinate Nero, of which he was probably innocent. His stoic and calm suicide has become the subject of numerous paintings.
As a writer, Seneca is known for his philosophical works, and for his plays, which are all tragedies. His prose works include 12 essays and 124 letters dealing with moral issues. These writings constitute one of the most important bodies of primary material for ancient Stoicism. As a tragedian, he is best known for plays such as his Medea, Thyestes, and Phaedra. Seneca had an immense influence on later generations—during the Renaissance he was "a sage admired and venerated as an oracle of moral, even of Christian edification; a master of literary style and a model [for] dramatic art."
As "a major philosophical figure of the Roman Imperial Period", Seneca's lasting contribution to philosophy has been to the school of Stoicism. His writing is highly accessible and was the subject of attention from the Renaissance onwards by writers such as Michel de Montaigne.He has been described as “a towering and controversial figure of antiquity” and “the world’s most interesting Stoic”.
Seneca wrote a number of books on Stoicism, mostly on ethics, with one work (Naturales Quaestiones) on the physical world.Seneca built on the writings of many of the earlier Stoics: he often mentions Zeno, Cleanthes, and Chrysippus; and frequently cites Posidonius, with whom Seneca shared an interest in natural phenomena. He frequently quotes Epicurus, especially in his Letters.His interest in Epicurus is mainly limited to using him as a source of ethical maxims. Likewise Seneca shows some interest in Platonist metaphysics, but never with any clear commitment.His moral essays are based on Stoic doctrines.Stoicism was a popular philosophy in this period, and many upper-class Romans found in it a guiding ethical framework for political involvement. It was once popular to regard Seneca as being very eclectic in his Stoicism, but modern scholarship views him as a fairly orthodox Stoic, albeit a free-minded one.
His works discuss both ethical theory and practical advice, and Seneca stresses that both parts are distinct but interdependent. His Letters to Lucilius showcase Seneca's search for ethical perfection and “represent a sort of philosophical testament for posterity”.Seneca regards philosophy as a balm for the wounds of life. The destructive passions, especially anger and grief, must be uprooted, or moderated according to reason. He discusses the relative merits of the contemplative life and the active life, and he considers it important to confront one's own mortality and be able to face death. One must be willing to practice poverty and use wealth properly, and he writes about favours, clemency, the importance of friendship, and the need to benefit others. The universe is governed for the best by a rational providence, and this must be reconciled with acceptance of adversity."
盧修斯·安奈烏斯·塞內卡小（Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger，約公元前4年－公元65年），通常只以塞內卡（Seneca）稱呼，是古羅馬的斯多葛哲學家、政治家、劇作家，在拉丁文學後奧古斯都時期還有一部作品被認為是諷刺文。
塞內卡出生於希斯班尼亞的科隆尼亞帕特里西亞科爾多瓦，他在羅馬接受修辭和哲學訓練。他的父親是塞內卡長者，他的哥哥是盧修斯·尤厄尼烏斯·加利歐·安奈烏斯，他的侄子是詩人盧卡恩。公元41年，塞內卡在克勞狄烏斯皇帝統治下被流放至科西嘉島，但在公元49年被允許返回，成為尼祿的家庭教師。當尼祿於54年成為皇帝時，塞內卡成為他的顧問，與禁衛軍長官塞克斯圖斯·阿夫拉尼烏斯·布魯斯一起為尼祿統治的前五年提供了有能力的政府。塞內卡對尼祿的影響隨著時間的推移而減少，最終在65年因涉嫌參與刺殺尼祿的皮索尼陰謀案而被迫自殺，對此陰謀他很可能是無辜的。他那斯多葛和平靜的自殺方式，成為了眾多繪畫的主題。
作為一位作家，塞內卡以其哲學著作以及所有悲劇的戲劇作品而聞名。他的散文作品包括12篇論文和124封處理道德問題的信件。這些著作構成了古代斯多葛哲學最重要的原始材料之一。作為悲劇作家，他以《美狄亞》、《忒斯忒斯》和《菲德拉》等劇作最為人所知。塞內卡對後世有著巨大影響——在文藝復興時期，他被認為是“一位智者，被敬仰和視為道德的甚至是基督教啟蒙的神諭；作為文學風格和戲劇藝術的大師。
作為“羅馬帝國時期的主要哲學家”，塞內卡對哲學的持久貢獻是對斯多葛學派的發展。他的寫作風格十分平易近人，從文藝復興時期開始就受到了如米歇爾·德·蒙田等作家的關注。他被描述為“古代的崇高而有爭議的人物”以及“世界上最有趣的斯多葛主義者”。
塞內卡撰寫了多本關於斯多葛主義的書籍，主要是關於倫理學方面的，還有一部作品《自然問題》論述了物理世界。塞內卡在許多早期斯多葛學者的著作基礎上進行了構建：他經常提到澤諾、克萊恩西斯和克里西普斯；並經常引用波西多尼烏斯的話，塞內卡與他在對自然現象的興趣上有著共鳴。他經常引用伊比鳩魯的話，特別是在他的信件中。他對伊比鳩魯的興趣主要是將其作為倫理格言的來源。同樣，塞內卡對柏拉圖主義形而上學有所關注，但從未有明確承諾。他的道德論文基於斯多葛學派的教義。斯多葛主義在這個時期是一種流行的哲學，許多上層階級的羅馬人在其中找到了政治參與的道德框架。有一段時間，人們流行認為塞內卡在他的斯多葛主義中相當折衷，但現代學術研究認為他是一位相當正統的斯多葛主義者，儘管是一位思想自由的教徒。
他的作品既討論倫理理論，也提供實踐建議，塞內卡強調這兩部分是獨立的但又相互依存的。他寫給盧奇盧斯的信展現了塞內卡對道德完美的追求，並“代表了一種對後人的哲學遺囑”。塞內卡將哲學視為生活創傷的藥膏。破壞性的激情，特別是憤怒和悲傷，必須被根除或根據理性調節。他討論了沉思生活和積極生活的相對優點，並認為面對自己的死亡並能夠正視死亡是很重要的。人必須願意練習貧窮，正確使用財富，他寫到關於好處、寬容、友誼的重要性，以及給予他人好處的需要。宇宙由理性的天意所統治，這最好與接受逆境相協調。
1.
"Quaeris Alcidae parem? Nemo est nisi ipse."
你在尋求另一個阿爾西德斯嗎？除了他，已無他。
2.
"Rursus prosperum ac felix scelus virtus vocatur; sontibus parent boni, ius est in armis, opprimit leges timor."
犯罪再一次借道德之名，繁榮昌盛；好人屈從壞人，強權即正義，恐懼壓制法律。
3.
"Inveniet viam aut faciet."
會找到方法的，或者去創造一種方法。
4.
"Qui genus iactat suum, aliena laudat."
誰誇耀自己的種族，意味著他在讚美屬於他人的東西。
5.
"Quaeritur belli exitus, non causa."
對於戰爭，人們會問結果，而不是原因。
6.
"Quae fuit durum pati, meminisse dulce est."
事情雖然難以忍受，但回憶時卻很有滋味。
7.
"Mortem misericors saepe pro vita dabit."
憐憫常常帶來死亡，而不是生命。
8.
"Qui nil potest sperare, desperate nihil."
凡事不能抱持任何希望的人，就該對任何事都不絕望。
9.
"Iniqua nunquam regna perpetuo manent."
建立在不公義之上的權威永遠不會長久。
10.
"Curae leues locuntur, ingentes stupent."
輕者有言，重者無言。
11.
"Scelere velandum est scelus."
罪總是藏在罪之中。
12.
"Mens impudicam facere, non casus, solet."
惡念滋生不是由於環境，而是態度。
13.
"Illi mors gravis incubat,
Qui notus nimis omnibus,
Ignotus moritur sibi."
死亡沉重地壓在他身上，儘管他已為所有人所熟知，但他的死卻無人知曉。
14.
"Peior est bello timor ipse belli."
比戰爭更糟糕的是對戰爭的恐懼。
15.
"Nusquam est qui ubique est.
Vitam in peregrinatione exigentibus hoc Evenit, ut multa hospitia habeant, nullas amicitias."
無處不在的人卻無處可去。
當一個人把全部時間都花在國外旅行時，他的結局就是熟人很多，卻沒有朋友。
16.
"Non qui parum habet, sed qui plus cupit, pauper est."
真正的窮困不是一個人擁有的太少，而是一個人渴望更多。
17.
"Nulli potest secura vita contingere qui de producenda nimis cogitat."
如果想不斷延長壽命，不可能擁有平靜的生活。
18.
"Quid est sapienta? semper idem velle atque idem nolle."
什麼是智慧？就是那個你渴望的東西，你卻總是抗拒的東西。