Letter 16, Letters From a Stoic by Seneca

This is a great letter.

“This also is a saying of Epicurus: “If you live according to nature, you will never be poor; if you live according to opinion, you will never be rich.” - Seneca, letter 16 of his Letters to Lucilius

He goes on with:

Nature's wants are slight; the demands of opinion are boundless. Suppose that the property of many millionaires is heaped up in your possession. Assume that fortune carries you far beyond the limits of a private income, decks you with gold, clothes you in purple, and brings you to such a degree of luxury and wealth that you can bury the earth under your marble floors; that you may not only possess, but tread upon, riches. Add statues, paintings, and whatever any art has devised for the satisfaction of luxury; you will only learn from such things to crave still greater - Seneca, letter 16 of his Letters to Lucilius

I find this as a reminder to lead a balanced life. And this means living by my own terms too, not through the validation of others. It seems that Seneca really finds ‘Living according to Nature’ a huge driving ethos for Stoicism.