Letters CXIV, CXXII, and CXXIII Summary and Analysis

Letter CXIV: Lucilius has asked why certain "corrupt" styles of writing seem to proliferate. Seneca responds by saying that a man's writing style is indicative of his character. If a person writes in a fashion which is meant to be entertaining and exciting, by delaying the important part of a sentence until the last moment, it often reflects a nature which loves attention but lacks real substance. Others write obscurely and awkwardly. Often this is due to more than merely a lack of skill; often such people write this way intentionally. The soul of such a person might be spoken of, metaphorically, as drunken, because it suffers from a kind of irrationality and rambling which no one else can understand.

Letter CXXII: A good man will always keep a regular routine which begins...