Seneca watched rich men stay anxious and poor men stay calm, and drew the obvious lesson: the things we chase, money, status, applause, can be taken away, so they were never solid ground to stand on. What can't be taken is your character: your honesty, your kindness, your courage to do the right thing. He called this the only true good, because it's the one thing fully yours. This isn't a rule against having nice things. It's about where you rest your sense of worth. If it sits on what you own, every loss shakes you. If it sits on who you choose to be, you have a floor beneath you that holds.

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