How To Keep Your Cool

In his essay On Anger, Roman Stoic philosopher and statesman Seneca (c. 4 BC-65 AD) argues that anger is the most destructive passion: No plague has cost the human race dearer. One man barely preserved his life under one tyrant and lost it under another. This splendid new translation of essential selections from On Anger, presented with an enlightening introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, offers readers a timeless guide to avoiding and managing anger. It vividly illustrates why emotion is so dangerous and why controlling it would bring vast benefits to individuals and society. Drawing on his great arsenal of rhetoric, including historical examples (especially from Caligula's horrific reign), anecdotes, quips, and soaring flights of eloquence, Seneca builds his case against anger with mounting intensity.