Stoic Quote: Seneca’s Three Stoic Rules for Anger

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism.

In this episode, we explore a powerful line from Seneca’s On Anger (Book 3.5):

“The first essential is not to become angry; the second, to cease being angry; the third, to cure anger in others.”

Seneca calls anger a form of “momentary madness,” a state that pulls us away from clarity and keeps us from making the right moral choice.

We walk through why the Stoics saw anger as a judgment rather than an inevitable reaction, and how examining that judgment helps us understand the emotion instead of being overpowered by it. Drawing on the Stoic disciplines of Desire, Assent, and Action, this episode shows how we can pause before anger rises, return to reason when it does, and eventually help others do the same.

You’ll also hear practical ways to apply Seneca’s three steps in daily life, from creating a pause between trigger and response, to setting a calmer example for the people around us. This is a reflective and grounded look at how Stoicism helps us navigate one of the most common and disruptive emotions.

For more, check out this related article with quotes on anger:
https://viastoica.com/how-to-take-right-action-like-a-stoic/

And if you’re looking for more Stoic sayings, visit viastoica.com, where you’ll find hundreds of quotes with full references to the original texts:
https://viastoica.com/stoic-quotes
https://viastoica.com/marcus-aurelius-quotes
https://viastoica.com/epictetus-quotes
https://viastoica.com/seneca-quotes

Make sure to subscribe for more Stoic Quotes episodes every Friday, as well as our Tuesday interviews and longer discussions.

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