Seneca was rich and wrote often about money, which gave him a clear eye on it. His point wasn't that money is bad, but that you should own it rather than let it own you. The danger isn't having things; it's needing them so badly that fear runs your life. He suggested holding wealth with an open hand, using it well, but staying free enough that losing some wouldn't unmake you. That kind of freedom isn't about how much is in the account. It's about where your security really lives. When your steadiness rests on your character instead of your balance, money becomes a tool again, not a master.

Inspired by the old idea of virtue as the only good. Written by Ugo Charles.