The Poorest Person in the Room Might Be the One With the Most
Seneca, one of Rome’s richest men, said poverty isn’t having too little, but craving more. Three Stoic practices to find your “enough.” Seneca’s words echo across centuries: richness begins where craving ends. “It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.” — Seneca, Letters to Lucilius, Letter 2 Seneca wrote this nearly two thousand years ago, and it could have been written this morning. He was one of the wealthiest men in Rome, an advisor to an emperor with estates, gardens, and influence. Yet he spent his letters circling one question: what actually makes a person rich? His answer, in this single sentence, is that poverty isn’t measured by what’s in your hands. It’s measured by what’s in your wanting. The Moving Finish Line Most of us know the feeling. You want a certain salary, and when you reach it, the number that feels “enough” quietly moves up. You want the bigger home, the newer phone, the more impressive life, and each a...
