"He, however, who is only on the road to virtue, although he may have made great progress along it, nevertheless needs some favor from fortune while he is still struggling among mere human interests, while he is untying that knot, and all the bonds which bind him to mortality. What, then, is the difference between them? it is that some are tied more or less tightly by these bonds, and some have even tied themselves with them as well; whereas he who has made progress towards the upper regions and raised himself upwards drags a looser chain, and though not yet free, is yet as good as free."

I've had a tab open with this passage for half a year. If I write about it, maybe I can close it. It's from Book 16 of 'Of a Happy Life,' Seneca's essay dedicated to Stoic joy, and it's a doozy! The first quote of the course is also from this tiny, 300-word-long book. What struck me today, upon rereading, was the frank admission that in our present states, we need some favor from fortune. We need enough good luck to stay on the path to wisdom, to not be diverted or broken by forces stronger than we presently are. And Fortune knows she has plenty of those.

I especially like the image of one who is making progress, dragging a looser chain behind them. That's how my life feels right now - I am still a fool and a prisoner to fortune, but I am no longer totally at her mercy. There are places where I am strong enough that even she fears to tread, and I am deeply enjoying my first tastes of real freedom.

Here's the full of Book 16!

"True happiness, therefore, consists in virtue: and what will this virtue bid you do? Not to think anything bad or good which is connected neither with virtue nor with wickedness: and in the next place, both to endure unmoved the assaults of evil, and, as far as is right, to form a god out of what is good. What reward does she promise you for this campaign? an enormous one, and one that raises you to the level of the gods: you shall be subject to no restraint and to no want; you shall be free, safe, unhurt; you shall fail in nothing that you attempt; you shall be debarred from nothing; everything shall turn out according to your wish; no misfortune shall befall you; nothing shall happen to you except what you expect and hope for. "What! does virtue alone suffice to make you happy?" why, of course, consummate and god-like virtue such as this not only suffices, but more than suffices: for when a man is placed beyond the reach of any desire, what can he possibly lack? if all that he needs is concentred in himself, how can he require anything from without? He, however, who is only on the road to virtue, although he may have made great progress along it, nevertheless needs some favor from fortune while he is still struggling among mere human interests, while he is untying that knot, and all the bonds which bind him to mortality. What, then, is the difference between them? it is that some are tied more or less tightly by these bonds, and some have even tied themselves with them as well; whereas he who has made progress towards the upper regions and raised himself upwards drags a looser chain, and though not yet free, is yet as good as free."