The Inner Citadel



> *"Let us become intimate with poverty, so that Fortune may not catch us off our guard."*
> — Seneca, *Letters to Lucilius* 18.8 (Richard Mott Gummere)

## Micro-Lesson
The Stoic is not against wealth — Seneca was one of the richest men in Rome. The Stoic is against **dependency** on wealth. Today you rehearse the simple life, not because luxury is evil, but because the man who has practiced doing without is the man luxury cannot enslave.

## Exercise (15 min)
For one day, eat plainly (rice, bread, water, simple vegetables), dress simply, and use no entertainment beyond a book or a walk. At evening, notice which comfort you actually missed — and which you did not.

## Journal Prompt
Which of my comforts am I secretly afraid to live without — and what would it mean to be free of that fear?