Letters from a Stoic
Letters from a Stoic by Senecaby Seneca the Younger
Shares rank 17 of 30 philosophy books by recommenders
People recommend it for its language and for hitting hard in the first letter; one critic found it unremarkable and not insightful.
People recommend it for its language and for hitting hard in the first letter; one critic found it unremarkable and not insightful.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 75%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Language people enjoy
“I have just always liked the language in it.”
Comment from 15 Jan 2026 in “Ask HN: What did you find out or explore today?” First letter hit hard
“The first one really hit me hard”
Comment from 15 Jan 2026 in “Ask HN: What did you find out or explore today?” Useful for comparing translations
“Based on some reading in a study group using both the Hays and Waterfield translations”
Comment from 15 Jan 2026 in “Ask HN: What did you find out or explore today?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Felt unremarkable, not insightful
“Overall, it felt like something you or I could have written - I didn't see something insightful that enlightened me.”
Comment from 15 Jan 2026 in “Ask HN: What did you find out or explore today?”
Other philosophy books people recommend
The four most recommended other philosophy books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tao Te Chingby 老子 and Yang Peng and Jordi Fibla and James Legge | 32 | 3 | 91% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenanceby Robert M. Pirsig | 24 | 3 | 89% | 9 | 44 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Meditationsby Marcus Aurelius | 17 | 4 | 81% | 8 | — | Approved |
| I Am a Strange Loopby Douglas R. Hofstadter | 16 | 1 | 94% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Letters from a Stoicby Seneca the YoungerThis page | 3 | 1 | 75% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Overall, it felt like something you or I could have written - I didn't see something insightful that enlightened me.”
“I have just always liked the language in it.”
“Based on some reading in a study group using both the Hays and Waterfield translations”
“The first one really hit me hard”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.