- Date
- c. 65
- Local voice
- Quoted historical voice · Hecato of Rhodes
Meaning of “If you would be loved, love.”
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.
Why the local voice matters
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.
