Men learn while they teach.
Seneca Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 7, On Crowds (65 CE) Translated by Richard Mott Gummere
Source checked by an editor
When and why it was written
- When
- From Seneca's seventh letter to Lucilius, around 64 CE.
- Why
- Seneca is explaining why he spends time with people he can help and who can help him.
What it means
Seneca sees teaching as a two-way exchange. Explaining something to another person shows you what you actually understand.
Writing does the same work: putting a thought into words is a way of finding out whether you have it.
Our reading of the passage cited above, not a quotation from a commentary.
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Moral Letters to Lucilius, 65 CE
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