from Moral Letters to Lucilius · tr. Richard Mott Gummere (1917)
Letter XVI
It is clear to you, I am sure, Lucilius, that no man can live a happy life, or even a supportable life, without the study of wisdom. Philosophy is not a trick to catch the public; it is not devised for show. It moulds and constructs the soul; it orders our life, guides our conduct.
This text is one of the sources behind Seneca, one of the voices you can reflect with.