Seneca · c. 4 BCE – 65 CE
On Benefits 2.22 — Seneca
Translation by Aubrey Stewart (1887)
Seneca, On Benefits 2.22
When we have decided to accept, let us accept with cheerfulness, showing pleasure, and letting the giver see it, so that he may at once receive some return for his goodness: for as it is a good reason for rejoicing to see our friend happy, it is a better one to have made him so. Let us, therefore, show how acceptable a gift is by loudly expressing our gratitude for it; and let us do so, not only in the hearing of the giver, but everywhere. He who receives a benefit with gratitude, repays the first instalment of it.
Cite this passage
Seneca, On Benefits 2.22, tr. Aubrey Stewart (1887)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-benefits/2.22
Seneca, Dialogues, tr. Aubrey Stewart (1887–1889). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesOnce you have decided to accept a gift, accept it cheerfully and let the giver see your pleasure, since making a friend happy is the best reward for giving. Speak warmly of the gift everywhere, not just to the giver. Receiving a favour gratefully is itself the first payment on it.
Themes and situations
- Gratitude
- Kindness and forgiveness
- Friendship
Quote cards
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