Seneca acknowledged the value of wine as well, and even of occasional intoxication – moderation in moderation, perhaps – for the freedom it gives the mind and for the access it can provide to insight. His reasoning: Whether we agree with the Greek poet that “sometimes it’s also fun to get a little wild,” or with Plato that “the man in possession of himself knocks in vain at poetry’s gates,” or with Aristotle that “there has been no great genius without some touch of madness” – there can be no lofty utterance, above the commonplace, unless the mind is excited. Seneca, On Tranquility of Mind
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