On cold intros and “can I pick your brain?” via Seneca



A very bad way to get my attention is the modern “informational interview” request. That is “you seem knowledgeable; can we meet so I can learn something from you?”
One cruel response I gave to this once was “That would indeed be helpful. For you. Not me.”
But here is the principle in Seneca’s first letter to Lucillus. Manage your time. Don’t give it away to others without thinking. Don’t ask others for their time only to waste it.