Seneca · c. 4 BCE – 65 CE
On Benefits 3.18 ¶3 — Seneca
Translation by Aubrey Stewart (1887)
Seneca, On Benefits 3.18 ¶3
Yet men do bestow benefits upon their kings and their generals; therefore slaves can bestow benefits upon their masters. A slave can be just, brave, magnanimous; he can therefore bestow a benefit, for this is also the part of a virtuous man. So true is it that slaves can bestow benefits upon their masters, that the masters have often owed their lives to them.
Cite this passage
Seneca, On Benefits 3.18 ¶3, tr. Aubrey Stewart (1887)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-benefits/3.18.3
Seneca, Dialogues, tr. Aubrey Stewart (1887–1889). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesBecause people do give real favours to kings and generals, someone in servitude can too. A person in that position can be just, brave and generous of spirit, and masters have often owed their lives to them.
Older wording
- “magnanimous”
- — generous and noble-minded
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Courage
- Gratitude
- Freedom
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