How to Keep Your Cool: An Ancient Guide to Anger Management

In his essay On Anger (De Ira), the Roman Stoic thinker Seneca (c. 4 BC 65 AD) argues that anger is the most destructive passion: No plague has cost the human race more dear. This was proved by his own life, which he barely preserved under one wrathful emperor, Caligula, and lost under a second, Nero. This splendid new translation of essential selections from On Anger, presented with an enlightening introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, offers readers a timeless guide to avoiding and managing anger. It vividly illustrates why the emotion is so dangerous and why controlling it would bring vast benefits to individuals and society.

Seneca's thoughts on anger have never been more relevant than today, when uncivil discourse has increasingly infected public debate. Whether seeking personal growth or political renewal, readers will find, in Seneca's wisdom, a valuable antidote to the ills of an angry age. Hardcover, 240 pages.