Quotes that resonate, from ‘How to Keep Your Cool: An Ancient Guide to Anger Management’ by Seneca, selected, translated and introduced by James Romm.
[15]
Let childhood be kept far away from flattery; let it hear the truth. Let it feel fear now and then, respect always, and let it learn to rise before elders. Let it not obtain anything by being angry; what’s refused to the whiner should be given to the child who keeps silent. Let him keep his parents’ wealth in view but not in use. Let him be upbraided for any falsehoods.
It will be important too that he be given teachers and attendants who are calm, since everything gentle attaches itself to what lies adjacent and grows to resemble those things; the characters of young adults thereafter recall those of their nurses and sitters…
Let his diet be meager, his clothing modest, and his lifestyle equal to that of his peers. He won’t be angry at being compared with others if you’ve put him on a par with many from the onset.