Smartyfair
In this sense the wise man is self-sufficient, that he can do without friends, not that he desires to do without them.

Where these words come from

How sure this is
95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up
Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter IX.5 (translated by Richard M. Gummere); Complete sentence distinguishing the capacity to endure losing friends from wishing to live without them. Seneca’s own statement, not the quotations from Hecato, Attalus, or Epicurus elsewhere in the letter. Public-domain tra
Work
Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter IX.5 (translated by Richard M. Gummere)
Sources checked
  • en.wikisource.orgChecked using manual, 20 October 2026Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter IX.5 (translated by Richard M. Gummere); Complete sentence distinguishing the capacity to endure losing friends from wishing to live without them. Seneca’s own statement, not the quotations from Hecato, Attalus, or Epicurus elsewhere in the letter. Public-domain tra

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