Best friends. Seneca, Epistles 1.7.10-12

Seneca ends his epistle with three aphorisms expressing the desire for personal limitation in society. Two of his aphorisms come from materialist philosophers, Democritus and Epicurus, known for atomist physics (the world consists of indivisible particles separated by empty space) and quietist ethics (do that which causes least emotion in yourself and others). You can hear the Latin <here>.

Sed ne soli mihi hodie didicerim, communicabo tecum quae occurrunt mihi egregie dicta circa eundem fere sensum tria, ex quibus unum haec epistula in debitum solvet, duo in antecessum accipe. Democritus ait, unus mihi pro populo est, et populus pro uno. Bene et ille, quisquis fuit—ambigitur enim de auctore—, cum quaereretur ab illo quo tanta diligentia artis spectaret ad paucissimos perventurae, satis sunt inquit mihi pauci, satis est unus, satis est nullus. Egregie hoc tertium Epicurus, cum uni ex consortibus studiorum suorum scriberet: haec inquit ego non multis, sed tibi; satis enim magnum alter alteri theatrum sumus. Ista, mi Lucili, condenda in animum sunt, ut contemnas voluptatem ex plurium assensione venientem. Multi te laudant: ecquid habes cur placeas tibi, si is es quem intellegant multi? introrsus bona tua spectent. Vale.

But now, lest this epistle provide learning only to me, I shall give you three aphorisms on our topic that struck me as very well put. One of them you may accept as payment of my debt, but you will owe me for the other two. Quoth Democritus, "One man matters as much to me as the people, and the people as much as one man." Asked why he looked so carefully at the developing work of only a few artists, someone—reports dispute his identity—said, "I don't need more than a few. One is enough, or none." The third and best comes from Epicurus, who wrote it for one of his philosophical companions: "I do not offer these things to many, but to you. We provide one another enough good company to fill a great theater!" These are things you should plant deep in your mind, Lucilius, that you may learn to disregard the pleasure that comes from the approval of mobs. Many praise you, but what good is that for you, if it requires you to become the sort of person that many would understand? Keep your good qualities private. Farewell.