On Constancy

Justus Lipsius, a Flemish humanist and scholar, wrote De constantia (On Constancy) in 1584. This work, inspired by his interest in Seneca and Stoicism, was a significant restatement of Stoic philosophy for the modern era. Lipsius's style was terse and epigrammatic, heavily influenced by the Roman historian Tacitus. He viewed ancient philosophers and historians as guides to practical morality, and De constantia aimed to present Stoicism as a defensible philosophy of human nature. This work, along with his other writings, contributed to the revival of Stoic thought during the Renaissance and influenced later thinkers.12