Associate With People Who Are Likely

Letter 7 of the Epistulae Morales warns Lucilius about the corrupting influence of crowds - Seneca had just returned from a gladiatorial show, disturbed by how the spectacle brutalized its audience. His advice to choose companions carefully reflects a practical Stoic strategy: since character is shaped by environment, curating one's social circle is a form of moral self-defense. Musonius Rufus, Seneca's near-contemporary, taught a similar principle to his own students.