Visions of greatness. Seneca, Epistles 4.39.1-2

Seneca promises to write some philosophical commentaries for Lucilius, though he is inclined to produce summaries instead (providing the meat of a philosopher's meaning rather than an illustration or discussion of what he is reported or written to have said). He recommends that Lucilius read freely all the philosophy he can find on his own, turning the nobility in others' moral character to good use as inspiration for improving his own decency. Note the purpose of ancient philosophy: to render us, as practitioners, as decent and humane as we can be.

Commentarios quos desideras, diligenter ordinatos et in angustum coactos, ego vero componam; sed vide ne plus profutura sit ratio ordinaria quam haec quae nunc vulgo breviarium dicitur, olim cum latine loqueremur summarium vocabatur. Illa res discenti magis necessaria est, haec scienti; illa enim docet, haec admonet. Sed utriusque rei tibi copiam faciam. Tu a me non est quod illum aut illum exigas: qui notorem dat ignotus est.

Scribam ergo quod vis, sed meo more; interim multos habes quorum scripta nescio an satis ordinentur. Sume in manus indicem philosophorum: haec ipsa res expergisci te coget, si videris quam multi tibi laboraverint. Concupisces et ipse ex illis unus esse; habet enim hoc optimum in se generosus animus, quod concitatur ad honesta. Neminem excelsi ingenii virum humilia delectant et sordida: magnarum rerum species ad se vocat et extollit.

I will surely draw up the commentaries you desire, diligently ordered and cut down to size. But consider whether it might not make better sense to prepare something different: an abstract, as it is commonly known, though the old Latin used to call it a summary. The commentary is most useful to someone learning, the summary to one who already knows. The commentary teaches; the summary admonishes. But for you I shall gladly make an abundance of both. You are not so distant from me that you must choose one or the other: the man who provides a witness is released from court.

So I will write what you want, but in my own way. In the meantime, you have many others whose writings may perhaps already be organized to suit your taste, or perhaps not: I don't know. Take the catalogue of philosophers in your own hands: it will drive you toward enlightenment, when you see there how many of them have labored to benefit you. You will yearn to become one of them yourself. The generous mind has this one trait as its best expression, that it is stirred to honorable things. Base & filthy affairs please no one of lofty character. The vision of great things summons them, lifting them up towards itself.