“If you would be loved, love.”
- Date
- c. 65
- Attribution
- Source identified
- Voice / speaker
- Quoted historical voice · Hecato of Rhodes
What does this quote mean?
Seneca treats affection as reciprocal practice: the desire to receive love begins with becoming someone who actively gives it.
Where does it come from?
Letter 9, on philosophy and friendship; Seneca quotes Hecato while discussing how friendship is formed.
Who voices the line?
Quoted historical voice · Hecato of Rhodes. Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 9. Seneca explicitly introduces the maxim as Hecato’s saying before applying it to friendship; Hecato is the originating historical voice preserved through Seneca’s letter.
The source author and the local speaker can be different, especially in fiction, drama, dialogue and poetry.
How should this attribution be read?
This wording is connected with the named source shown above. Translations and editions can vary, so consult the source note when exact wording matters.