The Daily Stoic
Daily Stoic | Wondery
For centuries, all sorts of people—generals and politicians, athletes and coaches, writers and leaders—have looked to the teachings of Stoicism to help guide their lives. Each day, author and speaker Ryan Holiday brings you a new lesson about life, inspired by the thoughts and writings of great Stoic thinkers like Marcus Aurelius and Seneca the Younger. Daily Stoic Podcast also features Q+As with listeners and interviews with notable figures from sports, academia, politics, and more. Learn more at DailyStoic.com.Listen to The Daily Stoic on the Wondery App or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can...
Texas Rangers' Josh Jung: “Win or Lose, It Can’t Wreck You”
In this PT. 2 episode, Josh Jung, professional baseball player for the Texas Rangers, joins Ryan to talk about the mental battles, leadership, and personal growth that come with playing baseball at the highest level. Josh opens up about the pressure of expectations, the dangers of comparison, and the mindset needed to thrive through the ups and downs of a grueling MLB season.Josh Jung is a professional baseball player for the Texas Rangers as a third baseman. A former star for the Texas Tech Red
How Many Examples Do You Need? | This Spring Activity Will Teach You Valuable Stoic Lessons
The unfeeling stereotype of a Stoic would of course not be moved by a roll call of plague victims, the death of beloved tutor, or the enormity of the imperial burden. But Marcus Aurelius was never that. He was a human being.📚 Pick up a copy of Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor by Donald Robertson at The Painted Porch: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Pod
The Problem Is Within You—And So Is The Solution | Ask Daily Stoic
Plenty of people with less have found contentment, while plenty with more have been miserable. You can lead a good life anywhere, the Stoics remind us.💡 We designed The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge: Ancient Wisdom For Modern Leaders to mirror the kind of education that produced historically great leaders like Marcus Aurelius. Check it out at store.dailystoic.comGet The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge: Ancient Wisdom For Modern Leaders & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE w
Who Will You Emulate?
Cicero vs. Cato: Who is the greater example?📚 Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to
Texas Rangers' Josh Jung: "The Moment You Overthink, You’ve Already Lost"
How do the best athletes push through self-doubt, turn failure into fuel, and avoid getting lost in the details? Josh Jung, professional baseball player for the Texas Rangers, joins Ryan to discuss his mental and physical routines, the game-changing effects of the pitch clock, and what can make or break an elite athlete's long-term success. Josh Jung is a professional baseball player for the Texas Rangers as a third baseman. A former star for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, he was sele
This Way Is Not For The Weak | Say No To The Need To Impress
If we want to be the metaphorical fire that turns everything into fuel, we must be quite strong. We must have real momentum. We must be operating at a high and heated level. 📕 The Obstacle Is the Way eBook is on sale for $2.99! Get it for yourself or gift it to someone here📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/Protect your Daily Stoic Journal from the wear and tear of everyday u
Don’t Let Them Flood You | There is Philosophy in Everything
We must regroup. We must come together to defeat the flood.📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https
Beat the Sunday Scaries | 12 Proven Stoic Strategies For Stress Relief
Learn 12 powerful Stoic techniques to conquer stress and turn anxiety into strength. Equip yourself with the strength and poise to handle life's obstacles calmly and confidently, no matter what comes your way.Read more here: https://dailystoic.com/stress-relief/💡 Slay Your Stress: A Daily Stoic 20 Day Challenge | dailystoic.com/stress🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube:
Comfort is the Enemy | Michael Easter Teaches The Benefits of Struggle
The daily comforts and conveniences that make life ‘easier’ might be the very thing keeping you stuck. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with bestselling author and journalist Michael Easter to explore the power of discomfort, the dangers of modern excess, and how ancient wisdom encourages seeking out struggle. They discuss the paradox of comfort, the psychology of scarcity, and why stepping outside of our routines can make life richer and more meaningful.Michael Easter has made a care
We Must Push It Away | How To Stay Sane In An INSANE World
It happens. It shouldn’t, but it does.💡 Go to dailystoic.com/spring and enter code DSPOD20 at checkout to get 20% off the Spring Forward Challenge! Challenge yourself to spring forward and become the person you aspire to be.🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FR
Will You Prove Yourself Worthy? | Ask Daily Stoic
Through nothing but an accident of birth, you have been blessed. What will you do with it?🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these les
Resiliency Will Reward You | Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Katalin Karikó
They told her she would never succeed, now her work has saved millions. In this episode, Ryan talks with Dr. Katalin Karikó, the scientist behind the mRNA technology that led to COVID-19 vaccines. She grew up in rural Communist Hungary, faced rejection after rejection, got demoted, and struggled financially but she never stopped chasing the science. Dr. Katalin Karikó opens up to Ryan about her experiences as an immigrant in the U.S., the grind of scientific discovery, enjoying the
Do It While You Still Can
This is your moment to tip the balance - to move from darkness into light, from stagnation into growth, from winter's rest into spring's renewal.💡 Go to dailystoic.com/spring and enter code DSPOD20 at checkout to get 20% off the Spring Forward Challenge! Challenge yourself to spring forward and become the person you aspire to be. The Spring Forward Challenge starts March 20, 2025. 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch
What Was Pain Now’s Gain | The Portable Retreat
It didn’t feel good at the time. But now? Years later? We think about it a little differently.📕 The Obstacle Is The Way ebook is on sale for $2.99 right now! Head here to grab a copy or gift one to a friend.📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/Protect your Daily Stoic Journal from the wear and tear of everyday use with the Leather Cover: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The D
This Is The Time For A Fresh Start | The Beauty of Choice
We can keep being the person we’ve always been…or we can change. That’s the choice of life, the Stoics believed. 💡 Go to dailystoic.com/spring and enter code DSPOD20 at checkout to get 20% off the Spring Forward Challenge! Challenge yourself to spring forward and become the person you aspire to be. The Spring Forward Challenge starts March 20, 2025. 📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailys
The Stoic Art Of Not Panicking | Ryan Holiday Speaks To The U.S. Marine Corps
What are your panic rules? In June of 2023, Ryan Holiday spoke to a group of U.S. Marines in 29 Palms, California about how to stay cool under pressure and set panic rules for difficult situations.🎥 Watch today's episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OIw3eSz8G0🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 G
“Embracing Change Will Set You Free”
Yung Pueblo, one of today’s most influential poets, joins Ryan to discuss the overlap between Stoicism and Buddhism, why achieving success can lead to discontentment, and how ancient wisdom has transformed his life—and can transform yours too.Diego Perez is a meditator and #1 New York Times bestselling author who is known by his pen name, Yung Pueblo. Online he has an audience of over 4 million people. His writing focuses on the power of self-healing, creating healthy relationships, and
Where Has The Time Gone? | 8 Stoic Strategies To Get Your Life In Order TODAY
It's been five years since the COVID-19 pandemic first upended our daily lives. Five years later and we've filled our calendars back up—often with commitments we don't even enjoy or need. 💡 Go to dailystoic.com/spring and enter code DSPOD20 at checkout to get 20% off the Spring Forward Challenge! Challenge yourself to spring forward and become the person you aspire to be. The Spring Forward Challenge starts March 20, 2025. 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: http
You Must Declutter Your Life | Ask Daily Stoic
What we do as people is we accumulate stuff. We accumulate, accumulate, accumulate…until our homes, our cars, our minds, and our schedules are cluttered. 💡 Go to dailystoic.com/spring and enter code DSPOD20 at checkout to get 20% off the Spring Forward Challenge! Challenge yourself to spring forward and become the person you aspire to be. The Spring Forward Challenge starts March 20, 2025. 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpo
They Have To Be This Way
They cause drama. They make things complicated. They say things that are hurtful. The Stoics dealt with these folks because these folks have always been with us.💡 Challenge yourself to spring forward and become the person you aspire to be. The Spring Forward Challenge starts March 20, 2025. Visit dailystoic.com/spring and sign up now!👉 Get The Spring Forward Challenge & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life🎙️ Follow The Daily
Master Illusionist Derren Brown: “ My Job Is To Control The Uncontrollable"
World-renowned illusionist and mentalist Derren Brown joins Ryan for a deep dive into his connection with Stoic philosophy. Derren shares how he first discovered Stoicism, how his perspective on Marcus Aurelius and the philosophy has evolved over the years, and the life-changing lessons it has taught him about happiness.Derren Brown’s groundbreaking UK television career began in 2000 with Mind Control, and since then, he has captivated audiences with mind-bending feats—from playing Russ
You Need To Take The Unfamiliar Road | Think About It From The Other Person's Perspective
What would you give for the key to unshackle you from the fear and laziness holding you back?💡 Challenge yourself to spring forward and become the person you aspire to be. The Spring Forward Challenge starts March 20, 2025. Visit dailystoic.com/spring and sign up now!👉 Get The Spring Forward Challenge & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflectio
This Is How Champions Are Made | Find Yourself a Cato
People can beat you, but no one can stop you from improving.📚 Books Mentioned: How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness by Russ Roberts: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/First Principles: What America's Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country by Thomas Ricks: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/📔 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://stor
Do THIS to Handle Chaos
In today's episode, discover George Raveling's powerful philosophy on navigating life’s chaos. With years of experience guiding top players and coaches, he reveals how to turn uncertainty into opportunity and transform life’s challenges into a winning strategy.🎙️ Don’t forget to listen to George Raveling's interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify📕 You can grab copies of What You’re Made For signed by George Raveling and Ryan Holiday at The Painted Porch. Sign up for George Ravelin
BONUS: Clock’s Ticking—You Listening?
What this changing of the clocks should be–with their earlier mornings–is a wake up call. This is a chance for us to rethink, reexamine and re-invigorate.💡 Go to dailystoic.com/spring and enter code DSPOD20 at checkout to get 20% off the Spring Forward Challenge! Challenge yourself to spring forward and become the person you aspire to be. The Spring Forward Challenge starts March 20, 2025. 👉 Get The Spring Forward Challenge & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you jo
George Raveling on Defying the Odds and Changing The Game of Basketball Forever (PT. 2)
In today’s PT. 2 episode, George Raveling, basketball legend and Civil Rights leader, opens up about his close bond with Michael Jordan, the question he asks himself every morning, and why serving others holds more value than any accolade.As one of the most revered basketball coaches of all time, George has mentored legendary athletes and worked alongside coaching icons like Bob Knight and John Wooden. He played a pivotal role in persuading Michael Jordan to collaborate with Nike on Air
Are You Spending This Wisely | LIFE-CHANGING Stoic Lessons From Gladiator
As winter fades and spring emerges, as we adjust our clocks for daylight savings here in the next few days, it's a good time to pause and reflect. Where did the time go?💡 Go to dailystoic.com/spring and enter code DSPOD20 at checkout to get 20% off the Spring Forward Challenge! Challenge yourself to spring forward and become the person you aspire to be. The Spring Forward Challenge starts March 20, 2025. 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcas
How To Keep Hope Alive | Ask Daily Stoic
Sometimes hope is as simple as giving someone a reason to get through until morning. It's showing up, day after day, and saying, ‘I’m here for you.’”💡 Go to dailystoic.com/spring and enter code DSPOD20 at checkout to get 20% off the Spring Forward Challenge! Challenge yourself to spring forward and become the person you aspire to be. The Spring Forward Challenge starts March 20, 2025. 👉 Get The Spring Forward Challenge & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily S
George Raveling on Defying The Odds and Changing The Game of Basketball Forever (PT. 1)
Ryan Holiday sits down with one of his greatest inspirations, the legendary George Raveling, a pioneer in basketball, civil rights, and leadership. From his childhood in segregated Washington, D.C., to becoming one of the most influential figures in sports history, George’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary. In this PT. 1 episode, George shares remarkable stories from his life, including his encounters with Presidents Jimmy Carter, Harry S. Truman, and Gerald Ford, his grou
Is That Still Allowed?
Be who you are. Stand out. Stand up.📚 Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remembe
Will You Seize This Reminder? Or Let It Pass? | What Expensive Things Cost
During this season of spring cleaning, it’s worth pondering: How often do we organize not just our physical spaces, but our minds, routines, and assumptions?💡 Challenge yourself to spring forward and become the person you aspire to be. The Spring Forward Challenge starts March 20, 2025. Visit dailystoic.com/spring and sign up now!👉 Get The Spring Forward Challenge & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life📓 Pick up a signed editi
It’s Given Us More Of Ourselves | (Dis)integration
Adversity costs us, sure, but it also gives us more of ourselves. It unlocks something in us that was not reachable in ordinary circumstances, that we didn’t know was there.🪙 Get your own Amor fati medallion, as a reminder to treat each and every moment—no matter how challenging—as something to be embraced, not avoided. So that like oxygen to a fire, obstacles and adversity become fuel for your potential. Check it out at https://store.dailystoic.com/📔 Pick up your own leather bound si
Seneca on Worldliness and Retirement
In this letter, Seneca talks about intentionally pulling back from societal pressures to find real fulfillment and contentment. He talks about living a life away from the spotlight, but also recognizes that our past achievements can’t be erased.Today’s episode is an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. Get the free PDF at tim.blog/seneca🎙️ Listen to other letters from Seneca:Seneca on Despising DeathSeneca on Conquering the ConquerorSeneca on Philosophy and Fr
Rising from Ashes | John Vaillant on Building Resiliency From Destruction
While in Vancouver on tour, Ryan Holiday met up with one of his favorite authors, John Vaillant, to discuss how destruction and crisis can fuel creativity and change. They talk about the lessons wildfires and other natural disasters teach us, not just about nature but about resilience, adaptation, and the stories we tell to make sense of disruption. John shares what it was like to be nominated for a Pulitzer, how success and recognition can be both motivating and distracting, and why em
Get Over This Bogus Notion | How To Journal Like A Stoic Philosopher
No matter how much philosophy you’ve read. No matter how much older you’ve gotten or how important your position or how many eyes are on you…it doesn’t take away natural feeling.🎥 Watch Scott Galloway's full interview here: https://youtu.be/678OhMsbMsU📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/Protect your journal from the wear and tear of everyday use with the Leather Cover: https://stor
[BONUS]: Ernest Green From The Little Rock Nine | A Black History Month Reflection on Courage
In 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawed segregation in public education. Ernest Green was the first African American to graduate from Little Rock Central High School (May, 1958). In celebration of Black History Month, revisit Ryan's 2023 conversation with Ernest Green from 2023 about his experience as one of the first African-American students to integrate at Little Rock Central High School in 1957, why we should strive to disprove backwards thinkin
Every Day Could Be The Final Quarter | Ask Daily Stoic
The shot clock is clicking down. Let's make every second count.📕 You can grab copies of What You’re Made For signed by George Raveling and Ryan Holiday at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/💡 We designed The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge: Ancient Wisdom For Modern Leaders to mirror the kind of education that produced historically great leaders like Marcus Aurelius. Check it out at store.dailystoic.com👉 Get The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge: Ancient Wisdom
It Is Solved By Walking
You've got this frustration, this anger, this anxiety that won't go away. What do you do about it?🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these
Austin Kleon on Fueling Artistic Ambition
Austin Kleon joins Ryan to talk about unleashing creative energy, the power of hobbies, and why he believes we’ve been trained to be machine-like in today’s world. Austin talks about the driving force behind ambition, the culture of "cheap talk," and much more.Austin Kleon is a writer, author, artist, speaker, and blogger. He is most known for his five New York Times bestselling books Steal Like An Artist:10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative, Show Your Work!, Keep Going, Steal
The Young Think There Is Always Tomorrow | The Smoke And Dust Of Life
None of us are entitled to tomorrow. Today though, is here. It is ours.📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic em
Is This Really An Obstacle? | Reduce Wants, Increase Happiness
We choose what truly counts as an obstacle. We have the power.📕 Pick up a copy of the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday at dailystoic.com/obstacle📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/Protect your journal from the wear and tear of everyday use with the Leather Cover: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https:
How Ryan Holiday is Preparing For The Next Four Years
The next four years will be chaotic—just as every four-year period in history has been. From wars to disasters, economic turmoil to political unrest, uncertainty is the only constant. So how do we stay strong through it all? In this episode, Ryan Holiday shares how he's future-proofing with timeless Stoic wisdom so you can do the same.📚 Check out the Virtue Series 3-Book Bundle which includes Ryan Holiday’s books: Courage is Calling, Discipline is Destiny, and Right Thing, Right Now 🎙
Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe on Conquering Inner Demons and Memento Mori (PT. 2)
In this Part 2 episode, Randy Blythe, the lead singer of Lamb of God shares how his time in a Czech prison flipped his whole perspective on life, the cost of genius, and how thinking about mortality rewired his mindset. In his new book, Just Beyond the Light, Randy shares his approach to life, talks about what he’s learned touring the world as the vocalist of a successful heavy metal band, and the ways he is doing what he can to leave the world a better place.Randy’s coming to a ci
Yes It’s Radical (Even A Little Crazy) | The MOST Important Stoic Lesson For Crazy Times
We have to push ourselves outside our comfort. We have to give and give and give. Because it’s right.📚 For more on doing the right thing even when it’s difficult, check out Ryan Holiday’s latest book Right Thing, Right Now. Centered around the Stoic virtue of justice, the book is a guide to navigating tough decisions and ethical challenges with moral courage during our complex, modern times. Grab a signed copies over at the Daily Stoic Store!🎥 Watch our video "The MOST Important Stoic
We Are All In Debt | Ask Daily Stoic
Debt. It’s a word that carries heavy, negative connotations. But actually, there is a different kind of debt we are less aware of, one that doesn’t drown us but builds us up.Our premium edition of Meditations is crafted to last for generations—making it the perfect keepsake to display proudly and pass forward as a gift to someone who has made a difference in your life.Pair it with "How to Read Marcus Aurelius' Meditations (A Daily Stoic Guide)" to make sure you squeeze all the practical
Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe on Conquering Inner Demons and Memento Mori (PT. 1)
Randy Blythe, lead singer of Lamb of God, joins Ryan to talk about the role ego plays as a successful frontman, conquering fears, and the intersections between Stoicism and heavy metal in his life.In his new book, Just Beyond the Light, Randy shares his approach to life, talks about what he’s learned touring the world as the vocalist of a successful heavy metal band, and of the very real ways he is doing what he can to leave the world a better place.Follow Randy on Instagram and X @DRan
Investigate Yourself First
The world is full of mysteries. There is so much to learn. 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store:
Can You Do It Even When You Don’t Want To? | Cultivate Indifference
Can you do it even when it's hard? Even when you don't want to? Even when you think maybe that you can't?Looking to make real, lasting change in your life? Check out The Daily Stoic Course: Habits for Success, Habits for Happiness: https://store.dailystoic.comGet Habits for Success, Habits for Happiness & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life📕 Grab a signed copy of Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday 🎙️ Follow The Daily
This Is What It Takes To Lead | The Enemy of Happiness
As Truman also said, not all readers are leaders, but there is nothing better to start you on the path to leadership than reading great books. 📚 Check out The Painted Porch for your next book: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily
BONUS: How Abraham Lincoln Proved The Obstacle Is the Way
This President’s Day, learn how Abraham Lincoln turned every challenge into an opportunity to grow. From personal loss to political failure, each setback made him wiser, tougher, and more empathetic leader. 🎥 Watch 5 Parenting Lessons From Abraham Lincoln on the Daily Dad YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtw5SjfMyfw📕 Pick up a copy of the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday at dailystoic.com/obstacle🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on
Socrates vs. The Thirty Tyrants | Philosophy in an Age of Fear
The Thirty Tyrants were a ruthless group that crushed anyone who opposed them. Socrates had personal ties to some of its leaders but refused to take part in their brutal actions. Yet, his silence in the face of their regime would later come back to haunt him when he was put on trial.Today's audiobook excerpt is from How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World by Donald Robertson.📚 Pick up copies of Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor and How To Th
Josh Brolin on Embracing Life’s Messiness With Stoicism (PT. 2)
In today’s Part 2 episode, Josh Brolin and Ryan talk about shedding the ‘young talent’ image, the transformative power of gratitude, and the evolving journey of parenting through life’s different phases.Josh Brolin's breakout role was in The Goonies (1985), and after a hiatus from Hollywood, he made a powerful comeback in No Country for Old Men (2007). He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Dan White in the biopic Milk (2008). Brolin is al
This Is Always The Answer | Robert Greene's 6 Stoic Concepts For A Fulfilling Life
It’s not that the Stoics had no temper or no fear or no moments where their life felt unfulfilled. It’s that they controlled those emotions and replaced them with love. 🪙 Get your own Amor fati medallion, as a reminder to treat each and every moment—no matter how challenging—as something to be embraced, not avoided. So that like oxygen to a fire, obstacles and adversity become fuel for your potentialCheck it out at https://store.dailystoic.com/📚 Pick up your next favorite Robert
This Is A Choice You’re Making | Ask Daily Stoic
We think if we just make enough money, we won't have to worry anymore. We think if we just become powerful enough, we'll be free from feeling pushed around. Of course, it never works out that way.🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at
Don’t Put Things Off
Life has a way stripping all our reasons bare, of humbling our plans and assumptions.🪙 Designed with the intention of carrying them in your pocket, our Memento Mori Medallion is a literal and inescapable reminder that “you could leave life right now.”Check it out at https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodca
Josh Brolin on Embracing Life’s Messiness With Stoicism (PT. 1)
Josh Brolin joins Ryan to talk about the childhood trauma that shaped him, the cathartic process of writing his memoir, and how confronting his past became a form of personal healing. Josh also shares how Stoicism has profoundly influenced his outlook on life, helping him navigate adversity, build resilience, and embrace the messiness of life. Josh Brolin's breakout role was in The Goonies (1985), and after a hiatus from Hollywood, he made a powerful comeback in No Country for Old
To The End They Remain | Watch Over Your Perceptions
We never met Marcus Aurelius or listened to Epictetus lecture. And yet, do they not feel real to us? Do they not still inspire and speak to us?📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/Protect your Daily Stoic Journal from the wear and tear of everyday use with the Leather Cover: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailys
This Is The Purpose of Desire | Anger Is Bad Fuel
The Stoics warned us about this endless cycle, not to condemn desire entirely, but to remind us that fulfillment doesn’t come from acquisition. The things we think will complete us rarely do.📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/💡 Take the first step towards a calmer future by signing up for the course: Taming Your Temper: The 11 Day Stoic Guide to Controlling Your Anger at the Daily Stoi
Redesign Your Life With This | Ryan Holiday Live in Sydney, Australia
Join Ryan Holiday for an in-depth dive into Stoic wisdom, delivered to a packed audience at Sydney Town Hall in Australia.🎥 Watch this talk on YouTube here🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic
Steve Magness on Winning The Inside Game
In his work as a performance expert, Steve Magness has discovered that to truly reach the highest level in any field, it’s the mental game that matters most. Steve joins Ryan today to discuss intrinsic motivation, the difference between confidence and ego, and the psychological impact of performance expectations.Steve Magness is a world-renowned expert on performance and author of Win the Inside Game: How to Move from Surviving to Thriving, and Free Yourself Up to Perform. His writing h
Two Words To Lead And Live By | How To Be A Man (Lessons From The Stoics)
The most important thing displayed in Andy Reid’s his office is not a trophy. Instead, it’s a simple 3x5 index card—now decades old—with a remarkable subdued message: “Don’t judge.” 🏈 Check out Ryan's interview with NFL Legend Tony Gonzalez: https://youtu.be/-oBWywBbJKA🎥 Watch Ryan’s speech to the Browns here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3STjOKmuJhc👉 If you liked this episode, check these videos out on the Daily Stoic YouTube Channel: 11 Stoic Principles Every Athl
You Make This For Yourself | Ask Daily Stoic
Perhaps you feel a bit like Marcus Aurelius did when he wrote in Meditations, “I was once a fortunate man but at some point fortune abandoned me.”🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired
What Did You Think You Would See?
The reason it makes you upset is because you expect it to be otherwise. Because you let it surprise you. Because you take it personally.🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, med
Alexi Pappas on Ditching Goals and Her Strategy For Maximizing Mentorship
It’s easy to assume an Olympian would be all about external achievements, but Alexi Pappas has redefined what success means to her by letting go of goals altogether. Alexi joins Ryan to talk about falling in love with the process vs. achieving a goal, simplifying life’s decisions, and how losing her mom led her to seek mentorship everywhere. Alexi Pappas is an Olympic athlete, filmmaker, author of Bravey, and podcast host of Mentor Buffet. Her writing has appeared in The New York T
We Are Better For This | On Being Invincible
We’d prefer to be less hemmed in, to have more freedom, to have fewer rules. But we are made better for the constraints of life. Today's entry in The Daily Stoic: On Being Invincible📔 The Obstacle Is the Way leather bound edition: https://store.dailystoic.com/📕 Get a signed, numbered first-edition of the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday at dailystoic.com/obstacle📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at
Don’t Let It Turn You Upside Down | Suspend Your Opinions
We have to remind ourselves, as Marcus Aurelius did, that no matter what other people do (or what other people get away with), our job is to be good. 📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/Protect your Daily Stoic Journal from the wear and tear of everyday use with the Leather Cover: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagra
Grow A Coaching Tree
By supporting, encouraging, and influencing others, our efforts can live on. What matters is that we are the candle that lights another, which in turn lights another.🎥 Watch Rupi Kaur's interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SkjF4ZWoCA📕 Grab a signed copy of Right Thing, Right Now by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/📚 You can get signed copies of Rupi’s 10th Anniversary Edition of milk and honey, the original milk and honey, the sun and her flowers, and hom
Matthew McConaughey LIVE at The Painted Porch
How does Matthew McConaughey deal with difficult people? What’s his approach to dealing with life’s red lights? And what advice does he offer to someone considering a major career change? In a live conversation at The Painted Porch, McConaughey answers these questions and more, while also clearing up some confusion on his viral tuna salad recipe. Matthew McConaughey has starred in Interstellar, A Time to Kill, The Wolf of Wall Street, Dallas Buyers Club, and more. McConaughey also
BONUS: Finding Stillness Amidst The Chaos | Ryan and Samantha Holiday
While in Vancouver, mom of four asked Ryan - "How do I achieve stillness while being a parent and juggling everything in my business?" In today's bonus episode, Ryan and his wife Samantha are sharing their different answers to this question, breaking down what stillness means to them and how they work to cultivate it in day to day life. Check out The Daily Dad Podcast for more episodes like this! 🎙️ Listen to The Daily Dad on Apple Podcasts and Spotify ✉️ Sign up for the Dail
Does It Measure Up? | Philosophy As Medicine Of The Soul
You want to achieve. You want to leave your mark on the universe. You want to conquer the world.🎥 Watch 9 Stoic Lessons From Iron Maiden on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdPCjKWz8dISince we received such great feedback from the launch of 2025's New Year New You Challenge, we decided to RE-OPEN the challenge for February. Head over to dailystoic.com/challenge today to sign up.📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic
The Time Is Now | Ask Daily Stoic
Marcus Aurelius didn’t always make the right choices. Neither will we. The important thing is what we do after we come to this realization, after we realize we’ve put something off for too long.Since we received such great feedback from the launch of 2025's New Year New You Challenge, we decided to RE-OPEN the challenge for February. Head over to dailystoic.com/challenge today to sign up.🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch
Matthew McConaughey on Family, Fame, and Livin' Authentically
How has Matthew McConaughey managed to keep his priorities straight while living in the spotlight? In today’s episode, he opens up about balancing family life with acting, treating life’s choices as experiments, and focusing on creating a lasting impact rather than chasing quick wins.Matthew McConaughey has an impressive Hollywood resume, including Interstellar, A Time to Kill, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Dallas Buyers Club. McConaughey also works as a producer and spokesperson, and is
Have You Tried Asking For This?
Don’t wish for things to be a certain way, Epictetus says, but wish for them to be as they are. 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember the
We Forget These Heroes | How To Organize Your Life Like A Stoic Philosopher
Cato defying Caesar. Rutilius Rufus going into exile. Marcus Aurelius on the battlefield.These were great and daring deeds of course. Lesser known of course, are the deeds of the Stoic women.📚 Books Mentioned: Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon | https://www.thepaintedporch.comThe Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson | https://www.thepaintedporch.com🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https
You Need This Trait To Live Your Best Life | Focus On The Present Moment
We have to be willing to question. We have to be willing to try new things…or we’ll never get better.Since we received such great feedback from the launch of 2025's New Year New You Challenge, we decided to RE-OPEN the challenge for February. Head over to dailystoic.com/challenge today to sign up.📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: ht
Seneca on Master and Slave
In this letter, Seneca is arguing against the treatment of slaves and uses slavery as a metaphor to illustrate how we allow things to control us and the importance of freeing ourselves.Today’s episode is an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. Get the free PDF at tim.blog/seneca🎙️ Listen to other letters from Seneca:Seneca on Despising DeathSeneca on Conquering the ConquerorSeneca on Philosophy and FriendshipSeneca on Practicing What You PreachSeneca on The Re
Dr. Fauci on How Diseases Have Shaped the Course of History
Diseases have defined eras, from the Antonine Plague during Marcus Aurelius’ reign to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Fauci, a public health leader and advisor to seven Presidents, talks with Ryan about the importance of social responsibility, his influential contributions during the HIV/AIDS crisis and COVID-19 pandemic, and the growing politicization of public health.Dr. Anthony Fauci is a physician-scientist and immunologist, former NIAID Director, chief medical advisor to the pres
Without It You’d Be Lost | Push For Deep Understandings
Too many of us are total strangers to ourselves. The one that is whispering to us so many important lessons. 📚 Check out The Daily Stoic Boxed Set here which includes The Daily Stoic and The Daily Stoic Journal: https://store.dailystoic.com/Protect your journal from the wear and tear of everyday use with the Leather Cover: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Po
Come Back To This | Ask Daily Stoic
It doesn’t matter how badly we’ve messed up, how much we’ve fallen off course, it’s still there. It’s not exactly waiting for us, but it continues on, ready for us whenever we choose to rejoin.Since we received such great feedback from the launch of 2025's New Year New You Challenge, we decided to RE-OPEN the challenge for February. Head over to dailystoic.com/challenge today to sign up.🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch
Dan Heath’s Reset Strategy | How to Change What’s Not Working
Changing our work patterns can feel daunting. We’re held back by the comfort of familiar routines and overwhelmed by the constant demands of urgent tasks and workplace conflicts, leaving us with little energy to explore new approaches. But what if there were a blueprint for getting unstuck? In his new book, Reset: How To Change What’s Not Working, Dan Heath shares a proven framework for driving meaningful change.Today, Dan and Ryan discuss trusting your instincts in creative decision-ma
It’s About The Promises You Make To Yourself
We all make promises to ourselves—set goals, set standards, make plans. We don’t all keep them.🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these les
Want To Be Successful? Be This | 15 (Stoic) Life Lessons I Wish I Knew At 20
People want to be successful. They look at what successful people have done throughout history and they look for strategies, they look for models.Check out Ryan Holiday's MasterClass course Using Ancient Wisdom to Solve Modern Problems at dailystoic.com/masterclass🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered
They Are Cut Off From Truth | A Little Better Every Day
Millions of people have been cut off from the truth. We can be sympathetic to this without assenting to it.📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/Protect your Daily Stoic Journal from the wear and tear of everyday use with the Leather Cover: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from
BONUS: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Inspiring Lesson on Courage
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, here is a lesson on courage we could all hear today. 📕 Check out the Virtue Series 3-Book Bundle which includes Ryan Holiday’s books: Courage is Calling, Discipline is Destiny, and Right Thing, Right Now 📚 Books mentioned: Taylor Branch Trilogy: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/Waging a Good War by Thomas Ricks: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watc
Stoic Lessons From Jimmy Carter's Legacy
In his speech at the U.S. Naval Academy, Ryan shares the timeless Stoic lessons we can learn from Jimmy Carter’s life and his remarkable example of leadership, resilience, and moral clarity.🎥 Watch Stoic Lessons From Jimmy Carter's Legacy on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRYGvMuC2Bc🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast
Bob Bowman on Coaching Champions | Michael Phelps, Discipline, and Self Mastery
Bob Bowman is the coach behind 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps and Paris Olympics swimming superstar Léon Marchand. Today, Bob joins Ryan in The Daily Stoic Podcast studio to discuss the pressures of success, the role of mastery, and the importance of maintaining passion and balance in highly driven athletes. He also shares his coaching philosophies and the leadership lessons he has learned while coaching some of the world’s greatest swimmers.Bob Bowman is the Director of S
We Have To Do This For Each Other | Reboot The Real Work
While we can't stop the fires or undo the damage, we can do what the Stoics taught us. Offer the kind of help we hope to receive should we ever need it. Donate to the LA Regional Food Bank here: https://www.lafoodbank.org/📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily
It Doesn’t Matter Who It’s From | Ask Daily Stoic
Philosophy isn’t about allegiance to a school—it’s about a commitment to growth, resilience, and truth wherever we find it.🎥 Watch A Life Changing Stoic Lesson From Gladiator on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0srQO_qYi8🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for
Worry About This And Forget The Rest
What’s up to us is that we do our best, what’s up to us is that we are the best we’re capable of being.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com🎙️ Listen to The Daily Dad Podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify 📔 Get a signed leatherbound edition of The Daily Dad here: dailydad.com/leather🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailys
Ryan Holiday on Practicing Stoicism for Personal and Professional Balance | The Jordan Harbinger Show
How can practicing Stoicism help us balance career success with personal fulfillment? Tune in to hear Ryan Holiday on The Jordan Harbinger Show as he shares his insights on balancing professional ambition with parenting responsibilities, the illusion of success, and how to apply Stoicism in everyday decision-making.🎙️ Listen to Ryan interviewing Jordan Harbinger: The Price of Integrity | Jordan Harbinger - Apple Podcasts and SpotifyWhat We Can Learn From The Rich And Famous | Jord
This Practice Will Define Your Year | 7 Stoic Mantras That Will Change Your Life
Epictetus said that by writing, reading, and speaking our philosophical journal, we keep the teachings top of mind and are better able to follow them. But only if you start. Just start.📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/Protect your Daily Stoic Journal from the wear and tear of everyday use with the Leather Cover: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on I
This Is What The World Thinks Of Your Dreams | The Wake Up
The world does not give anyone what they deserve. Still, we have to figure it out. We have to decide how we’re going to respond. We have to make the best of it.📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoic
The Stoic Disciplines of Perception, Action, and Will
Join Ryan Holiday as he speaks to Creech Air Force Base about turning obstacles into opportunities through the Stoic disciplines of perception, action, and will.📚 Check out the Virtue Series 3-Book Bundle which includes Ryan Holiday’s books: Courage is Calling, Discipline is Destiny, and Right Thing, Right Now 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/
Greeking Out’s Kenny Curtis on How Ancient Myths Teach The Human Experience
Greek myths have been passed down through generations, remaining as relevant as ever with their spot-on portrayal of the human experience—proving that gods and mortals have more in common than we’d like to admit. Kenny Curtis, the host of National Geographic Kids’ podcast Greeking Out, joins Ryan to talk about the evolution of myths across different cultures and times. Kenny and Ryan discuss the significance of ancient myths, the process of creating the show, and the fascinating ways th
You Must Return Again and Again | If You Want To Be Steady
“You must linger among a limited number of master-thinkers, and digest their works,” Seneca wrote, “if you would derive ideas which shall win firm hold in your mind.”📕 Tomorrow is the LAST day you can get The Daily Stoic ebook for just $2.99! Grab yours now at dailystoic.com/discount📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📚 Check out The Daily Stoic Boxed Set here which includes The Daily
This is What A Life Well-Lived Looks Like | Ask Daily Stoic
It is, of course, sad to hear of Jimmy Carter’s passing. On the other hand, no one can say that he was taken from us too soon. This man got more time on the planet than any other America president, but much more impressively, he did more with his time.🎥 Stoic Lessons From Jimmy Carter's Legacy | Ryan Holiday Speaks To The U.S. Naval Academy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRYGvMuC2Bc🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Wat
The Secret To Climbing The Mountain
The problems we face seem overwhelming. The change we seek will not be easy. What do we do?🎥 Watch 9 Stoic Lessons From Iron Maiden on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdPCjKWz8dI📕 Pick up your own Premium Leather Edition of Meditations - Marcus Aurelius (Gregory Hays Translation) at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on
Rupi Kaur on 10 Years of Milk & Honey, Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, and Empowering Others
In 2014, a few months after Ryan Holiday released his first book on Stoicism, The Obstacle Is the Way, another young author, Rupi Kaur, self-published her first book, milk and honey. Her collection of poems quickly became a huge success, becoming one of the highest-selling poetry books of the 21st century. Now, 10 years later, Ryan and Rupi reflect on the ups and downs that followed the releases of The Obstacle Is the Way and milk and honey. Rupi shares with Ryan what it was like revisi
You Weren’t Born This Way | The Six Stereotypes Of Stoicism
Marcus Aurelius would say that the student of philosophy is like a boxer. Through training and practice and repetition, a boxer becomes one with their weapon. 📕 The Daily Stoic eBook is on sale for $2.99! Grab yours now at dailystoic.com/discount📘 Grab the hardcover edition of The Daily Stoic here: https://store.dailystoic.com/📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📚 Check out The D
Where Does The Good Go? | The Sphere of Choice
We are right to be disappointed and frustrated with the state of the world. At the same time, we never need to despair about good in the world because we have it within us.📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtub
The Secret To Better Habits In 2025
Here we are…at the halfway point of the 2020s. The first half seems like it was both yesterday and forever ago, doesn’t it? In today's episode, Ryan Holiday shares the habits and practices that he is going to ask of himself in 2025.The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Bec
Dr. Rangan Chatterjee’s Essential Daily Practices for a Healthier, Happier Life
How do your emotional responses and daily habits affect your health? Dr. Rangan Chatterjee joins Ryan to discuss how intentional practices can create lasting change in both your physical and emotional well-being. Drawing from personal experiences and over 20 years of clinical expertise, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee offers incredibly useful advice for achieving long-term happiness and behavioral change.Dr. Rangan Chatterjee is a physician, author, TV presenter and podcast host of Feel Bet
This Is Why You Do It | Be Ruthless To The Things That Don't Matter
Marcus Aurelius was an all-powerful emperor. No one else was interrogating him, no one else was subjecting him to these hard questions. He knew that if he didn’t do it, no one would.📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/Protect your Daily Stoic Journal from the wear and tear of everyday use with the Leather Cover: https://store.dailystoic.com/📕 The Daily Stoic eBook is on sale for $2
Let This Guide You In Challenging Times | Ask Daily Stoic
Stoicism is designed to be a daily practice, part of our daily routines. It’s not a philosophy you read once and magically understand at the soul-level.📕 The Daily Stoic eBook is on sale for $2.99! Grab yours now at dailystoic.com/discount📘 Grab the hardcover edition of The Daily Stoic here: https://store.dailystoic.com/📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📚 Check out The Daily Stoic B
Reminders From James Clear on How To Get 1% Better Every Day
Kick off 2025 on the right note by revisiting James Clear’s first interview from 2021, one of the most popular episodes of The Daily Stoic Podcast. In this conversation, James and Ryan discuss the balance between identity and results, the importance of staying consistent with habits amid disruption, and how to craft a lifestyle that reflects your core values and priorities.James Clear is the author of the New York Times Bestseller, Atomic Habits, as well as a world-renowned speaker. You
Today Is A Miracle
This is an incredible gift you have been given. A wonderful opportunity. Have something to show for the next 365 days. Have something to show for today.The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the
BONUS: 10 Stoic Habits To Practice In 2025
How much longer are you going to wait to demand the best of yourself? The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the muscle memory of making beautiful choices each and every day.Head over to dailyst
What Are You Waiting For? | 10 Timeless Meditations From Stoic Philosophy
You are at a crossroads. Make the right call.The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the muscle memory of making beautiful choices each and every day.Head over to dailystoic.com/challenge today t
The Time To Start Doing This Is Now | What's Up To Us, What's Not Up To Us
“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” Epictetus says. Start Now.The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the muscle memory of making beautiful choices each and
The Life of Musonius Rufus the Unbreakable
Get to know Musonius Rufus, the resilient Stoic philosopher and teacher of Epictetus, in today's episode. Learn how he exemplified Stoic principles when faced with multiple exiles, adversities and in times of tyranny and hardship. The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Beca
BONUS: Why They Do This | You Need To Quit These 14 Habits In 2025
What Seneca said is true—that the only people to pity are those who never experience difficulty because they never knew what they’re capable of.The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the muscle
Stoic Parenting Principles | Essential Lessons From 2024
Parenting can often feel like a maze of conflicting opinions, pressures, and expectations. But what if we could simplify it by taking a Stoic approach? Tune in to hear some of the top parenting lessons learned from The Daily Stoic and The Daily Dad in 2024 that can help modern parents navigate the challenges of raising children while fostering courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom. 🎙️ Episodes Mentioned: Stop Having So Many Opinions | Ryan And Sam HolidayDavid Kessle
What Do You Do When You Have Nothing To Do? | Don't Let Your Soul Go First
The in-between moments. The extra time you were planning to get. What do you do in these moments?The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the muscle memory of making beautiful choices each and eve
This Is Why We Don’t Change | Ask Daily Stoic
We make lists and resolutions, plans and promises, while the clock ticks on. And suddenly, the moment is gone.The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the muscle memory of making beautiful choices
This Has Been Passed Down To Us
Remarkably, Seneca and Jesus lived nearly parallel lives. More incredible is just how much their teachings overlap. And it’s worth taking some time this Christmas morning to consider those similarities. The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to
The Four Stoic Virtues | Real-Life Role Models to Inspire You
Courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom are not just abstract concepts from Stoic history, they are virtues that are still embodied by individuals today. In 2024, several guests on The Daily Stoic podcast demonstrated these principles, not as theoretical philosophers, but as real people who actively apply these Stoic values in their lives.Courage: Colonel (retired) Martha McSally, former U.S. Congresswoman and U.S. Senator, and author of Dare to Fly: Simple Lessons in Never Giving UpLi
Surprise People Like This | Powerful Life Lessons From Epictetus
Perhaps your own position affords you certain advantages. The true measure of your character, however, lies in how lightly you wear these honors. The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the muscl
Who Do You Wish To Become? | Turn Words Into Works
The Stoics understood that it was only by changing our actions that we could change who we are. The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the muscle memory of making beautiful choices each and ever
The Wisest Man Alive (Yet Not Without Flaws)
Socrates is considered the man who brought philosophy down from the heavens. He made philosophy practical, accessible, urgent, but he was also contradictory, confusing, and complicated. Today's audiobook excerpt is from How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World by Donald Robertson.💡 The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless w
The Daily Stoic Wrapped 2024 | Timeless Wisdom, Lessons, and Reminders
In honor of Spotify Wrapped releasing just a few days ago, we’re excited to share The Daily Stoic Wrapped 2024 — unforgettable messages and highlights from our top podcast episodes, YouTube videos, and Daily Stoic meditations. Thank you to everyone who has tuned in to The Daily Stoic Podcast throughout the year!The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, t
You Can Wake The Dead | Don’t Be Mad At Good People
Every time we open a book, watch a documentary, or listen to the words of someone long gone, we’re waking the dead.🎥 Watch Ken Burns’ interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R1jQy8O_mo📕 We’re excited to announce that we’ve put together a special leatherbound edition of The Daily Dad just in time for the holidays! Check it out at dailydad.com/leather🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch top moments from The
How Everything Can Change | Ask Daily Stoic
You don’t need perfect conditions or absolute confidence to move forward. You need only to take the next step.The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the muscle memory of making beautiful choices
O.A.R.'s Benj Gershman on Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities
When we tie our identity to what we do rather than who we truly are, losing that sense of self can be devastating. Benj Gershman, bassist for the rock band O.A.R., experienced this firsthand—and it led him to Stoicism.In this conversation, Benj opens up to Ryan about the mental and physical toll of life on the road, lessons learned from O.A.R.'s 30 years together, and how The Obstacle is the Way transformed his mindset during the darkest chapter of his life.You can follow Benj on Instag
These Are No Good To You
We are going to face scary situations in life. Our mind can be our friend in these situations or our worst enemy.🎥 Watch A Life Changing Stoic Lesson From Gladiator on YouTube💡 The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and ski
Are You Afraid to Start? | 10 Years Of Lessons From The Obstacle Is The Way
We have to be strong enough to will ourselves to do what needs to be done. Don’t be afraid to start. Don’t put it off any longer.The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the muscle memory of makin
These Make You Beautiful | Stake Your Claim
You are what your choices make you, nothing more and nothing less.The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the muscle memory of making beautiful choices each and every day.Head over to dailystoic.
Enjoy These Moments While You Can
These moments give us time and space for gratitude in our life, where we have the ability to see the big picture, where we can get perspective, where we can have the breakthroughs that we need to have.🪙 We have a collection of items in the Daily Stoic store to help you in your own memento mori practice, check them out here: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube✉️ Want Stoic wisdom deliver
James Clear’s Guide to Turning New Year's Resolutions into Lasting Habits
New Year’s Day begins a frenzy of ambitious goals and resolutions, yet by the end of January most have already been abandoned. James Clear, bestselling author of Atomic Habits, joins Ryan to talk about reengaging with old habits, questions to ask yourself when setting resolutions, and the key components to maintain motivation and achieve consistency in 2025. James Clear is the author of the New York Times Bestseller, Atomic Habits, as well as a world-renowned speaker. You can liste
This Roman Party Trick Holds A Hidden Wisdom | It’s Just A Number
It’s a lesson we’d do well to remember today. Don’t overdo anything. Don’t take virtue or vice in its pure or unadulterated form.The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the muscle memory of makin
You Don’t Love Yourself Enough | Ask Daily Stoic
Each morning when you wake up, life presents you with an opportunity. You know what you’re capable of. The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the muscle memory of making beautiful choices e
You Can Handle More Than You Can Handle
You have so much more in you than it feels like you do. You got this.The Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge is 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and skills, to create the muscle memory of making beautiful choices each and every day.Head over to dailysto
Richard Reeves on Why Men Are Being Set Up To Fail (PT. 2)
Young men are struggling to find guidance and make sense of their place in society, so what can we do about it? In today’s Part 2 episode, Richard Reeves and Ryan discuss changing roles and expectations for men, avoiding radicalization, and their perspectives as fathers of young men. Don’t forget to listen to Part 1 on Apple Podcasts or Spotify where Richard and Ryan explain why helping one gender won’t hurt the other, how the educational system is failing men, and what the biggest
Turn These Things Over | How 10 Years Of Studying Stoicism Changed Ryan Holiday's Life
The small, deliberate acts of journaling, reading, and meditating—these are not just habits but rituals that fortify the soul and create the steady hand we reach for when everything else falters.📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/Protect your Daily Stoic Journal from the wear and tear of everyday use with the Leather Cover: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Po
It’s Time To Change (And You Know It) | Keep The Rhythm
The definition of insanity, they say, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. What could this year be if you finally lived up to your potential?Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge | 3 weeks of ALL-NEW, actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy, to help you create a better life, and a new you in 2025. Why 3 weeks? Because it takes human beings 21 days to build new habits and ski
9 Stoic Lessons From Iron Maiden
Stoicism and Iron Maiden may seem like an unlikely duo, but there is a surprising number of philosophical lessons the heavy metal band has taught Ryan Holiday.🎙️ Listen to Ryan’s recap of taking his son to Iron Maiden on the Daily Dad podcast: Apple Podcasts & Spotify✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily
Richard Reeves on Why Men Are Being Set Up To Fail (PT. 1)
While women have made incredible strides over the past few decades, men have found themselves stuck in a tornado of confusion and disinformation around what masculinity means. Today, Ryan talks with Richard Reeves, author of Of Boys and Men and President of the American Institute for Boys and Men, about why helping one gender won’t hurt the other, how the educational system is failing men, and what the biggest misunderstandings are about gender dynamics. Richard Reeves is author of
It's Easy To Take This For Granted | Teach Them To Do The Right Thing
The more you are content with your surroundings, whatever they are, the more power you have.📕 We’re excited to announce that we’ve put together a special leatherbound edition of The Daily Dad just in time for the holidays! Check it out at dailydad.com/leather🎙️ Listen to the Daily Dad podcast: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com📱 Follow Daily Dad: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube ✉️ Want Stoic w
We Want That But Need This | Ask DS
It’s not about abundance. It’s about nourishment, inspiration, guidance, reassurance, clarity.Check out AJ Jacobs' podcast The Puzzler!🎙️ Listen to AJ Jacobs' FULL interview | Apple Podcasts & SpotifyPick up a signed copy of AJ Jacobs’ book, The Year of Living Constitutionally at The Painted PorchFollow AJ Jacobs on Instagram @AJJacobsInc and X @AJJacobs.🗓️ The Page-A-Day Calendar is featured in our 2024 Daily Stoic Gift Guide, where you’ll find the perfect gift for the
Judge Frederic Block on the Moral Duties and Real-Life Stories of Prison Reform
The First Step Act in 2018 included provisions for non-violent federal inmates to petition for early release or reductions in their sentences. How to determine whether to grant or deny those requests is what U.S. District Court Judge Frederic Block explores in his new book, A Second Chance, which features his experiences with six prisoners who came to him asking for their release. Judge Frederic Block talks to Ryan on today’s episode about how he morally views his role as a judge, why t
Not Who’s Right, What’s Right
A Stoic will flip-flop…if the facts demand it. A Stoic will give up…if they’ve been going the wrong direction.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy
Listen Now - REDACTED: Declassified Mysteries with Luke Lamana
Behind the closed doors of government offices and military compounds, are hidden stories and buried secrets from the darkest corners of history. Each week, Luke Lamana, a Marine Corp Reconnaissance Veteran, pulls back the curtain on what once was classified information exposing the secrets and lies behind the world’s most powerful institutions. From the hitmakers at Wondery and Ballen Studios, we bring you REDACTED: Declassified Mysteries with Luke Lamana. The stories are real, and the
Have You Done This? | 13 Stoic Strategies For Conquering Your Anxiety
Find ways to be of service. Find ways to pay forward the acts of charity and grace that we would not be here without.Locate a blood bank near you: redcrossblood.org🎥 Watch Sebastian Junger's interview on the Daily Stoic Podcast YouTube Channel📚 Check out Sebastian Junger’s books at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com🪙 We are the creators of our anxiety. Which means we can also be the ones to do something about it. Gain a powerful tool in your fight against anxiety and
This Is A Tragedy | Be Stingy With Time
The great fortune of Marcus Aurelius' life, he says at one point in Meditations, is not just that he himself has never known serious want, it’s that he’s been lucky enough to be able to help so many people.Rather than give in to the materialism and selfishness of Cyber Monday, we’re teaming with Feeding America to contribute to something larger than ourselves. Help us reach our goal of feeding THREE MILLION people, every $1 donated is at least 10 meals. Donate at dailystoic.com/fee
Don’t Forget To Practice This
Those of us who have been blessed—whether it be love, time, or resources—have an opportunity and responsibility to share it with others. The more we give, the more we will receive.Join us in our annual Daily Stoic fundraiser for Feeding America! Every year instead of contributing to the corporate indulgence of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we encourage our listeners to make a donation. Every $1 donated helps provide at least 10 meals, just head over to dailystoic.com/feed.📕 Grab a sig
AJ Jacobs on His Year of Living Constitutionally (Muskets and Tricorne Hats Included)
There have been few changes and additions to the United States Constitution since it was ratified in 1788, despite life being wildly different now a few centuries later. To really put the document into a modern perspective, author AJ Jacobs decided to literally live by the Constitution for a full year and documented the experience in his new book The Year of Living Constitutionally. In today’s episode, AJ spoke with Ryan about his inspiration for the book, the contradictions of th
Let’s Be Good Stoics Today | To Have A More Peaceful Home, Have Fewer of These
While some of us sit here with stomachs filled with as many Thanksgiving foods as we could manage, there are those feeling the rumblings of an empty stomach. According to Feeding America, 1 in 7 people in the United States face hunger today, and 1 in 5 are children. Join us in making a small dent in a big problem at dailystoic.com/feeding This year we are personally putting up the first $30,000, with our overall goal to raise $300,000. Every dollar we raise provides 10 meals, so if we h
Every Day Is A Day To Give Thanks | Ask DS
As you gather around your family and friends this Thanksgiving, of course, appreciate it and give thanks for all the obvious and bountiful gifts that moment presents. Just make sure that as you go back to your everyday, ordinary life that you make gratitude a regular part of it.Ask DS:How can we recognize what we are good at?We all have egos, what can we do to keep it in check? + more!Feeding America | Every year instead of contributing to the corporate indulgence of Black Fri
This Is Why We Do It
When we do good, we don’t need to ask for more, because practicing virtue is its own profound return.📿 Get your own Four Virtues Pendant to wear so you can feel its weight and stick to your principles in every situation, no matter the proverbial bricks thrown your way: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to rem
Stoic Reminders for Thanksgiving | Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Amor Fati
Every year instead of contributing to the corporate indulgence of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we encourage our listeners to make a donation. Every $1 donated helps provide at least 10 meals. It only takes a little to make a big difference. We donated the first $30,000, and we’d like your help in reaching our goal of $300,000. If we hit that goal of $300,000, it would provide over 3 MILLION meals for families across the country. Just head over to dailystoic.com/feed and together
So It’s Weird, Now Deal With It | Time-Tested Stoic Truths For Life
It’s weird. It’s unnatural. It’s not how you’d like things to be. But so what? Welcome to life. ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californi
The Who’s Who of Who’s That | Balance The Books Of Life Daily
Eternal fame doesn’t even last. So what should we prize instead? 📕 Pick up your own Premium Leather Edition of Meditations - Marcus Aurelius (Gregory Hays Translation) at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📓 Grab a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail�
This Is Why I Don’t Have Goals (And What To Do Instead)
Forget goals. Be Every Day.🎥 Watch Coach Buzz Williams' interview on YouTube✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at http
Donald Robertson on What Ancient Philosophy Teaches Us About Facing Uncertainty
Stoicism is no different than working out or journaling—it is a daily practice that we lean on to overcome the obstacles we face every day. As a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist and trainer, Donald Robertson has given readers a unique perspective on the benefits of applying ancient philosophy to our everyday lives in his work, including his recent book How To Think Like Socrates. Today, Donald and Ryan continue their conversation about cognitive flexibility, what Socrates and
We Must Think The Unthinkable | The Glass Is Already Broken
The point of contemplating this unthinkable reality isn’t morbid, it’s purposeful.🎙️ Listen to Martha Nussbaum's interview on the Daily Stoic | Apple Podcasts & Spotify🎥 Watch Francis Ford Coppola’s interview on YouTube 🎙️ Listen to David Kessler's interview on the Daily Stoic | Apple Podcasts & Spotify📚 Grab signed copies of Finding Meaning and the Finding Meaning Workbook by David Kessler at The Painted Porch https://www.thepaintedporch.com/ 🪙 We have a collecti
Real Power Can't Be Taken Away | Ask DS
They can hate you, they can send you away, they can mock you or even kill you, but no one can take away those principles.Ask DS:Is Stoicism considered "self-help"? How can Stoicism be incorporated in daily life? + More!✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us
Donald Robertson on the Life of Socrates and His Impact on Stoicism
It’s easy to forget that the Stoics, Socrates, and other ancient philosophers were just like us—human and therefore imperfect. But in his new book How To Think Like Socrates, author Donald Robertson peels back the mythology around the ancient philosopher and shows how we can apply his wisdom in modern times. Donald returned to the Daily Stoic podcast to talk with Ryan about Socrates’ fascinating life, what his flaws were, and his enduring influence on the Stoics.Donald is a writer, cogn
The East Side of Sorrow
Pain and suffering and loss are a part of life. It was a part of life for the rich and powerful Stoics like Marcus and Seneca, it was a part of life for the powerless like Epictetus, and it's a part of life today.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: &nbs
Have You Read These? | The Brutal Truth About Ego (The Stoics Warn About)
You can’t be a student of the Stoics without reading the Stoics.Books mentioned: Letters From A Stoic by SenecaHardship and Happiness (The Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca) by SenecaHow To Keep Your Cool by SenecaOn the Shortness of Life: Life Is Long If You Know How to Use It by SenecaHow To Die by SenecaThe Enchiridion by EpictetusDiscourses by EpictetusThat One Should Disdain Hardships by Musonius RufusCall Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis📕 Pick up your own Premium Leather Edition of
It’s A Bad Use Of Your Creativity | Practice Letting Go
You have been given an incredibly powerful too—this brain and imagination of yours. We have to direct these resources properly.🪙 Gain a powerful tool in your fight against anxiety and get the Daily Stoic Anxiety Coin today! https://store.dailystoic.com/📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at h
Ryan Holiday's MasterClass | Using Ancient Wisdom to Solve Modern Problems
Tune in for an exclusive sneak peak into what Ryan talks about in his MasterClass, Using Ancient Wisdom to Solve Modern Problems. The first course was just released and the rest of the MasterClass will drop in four courses over the next couple of weeks. Head to dailystoic.com/masterclass to find those and learn more about the course today!✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired b
Ken Burns on Bringing History’s Greatest Stories Back to Life (And Why Doing So Matters)
With over 40 documentaries under his belt, Ken Burns is one of the most iconic filmmakers of our time. His newest documentary, which features a brand-new filmmaking style from the director, explores the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci and marks the first non-American subject in any of his films.On today’s episode, Ken talks with Ryan about the significance of Stoicism among the Founders, the complexities of historical figures like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, plus the insp
Split It In Two — It’ll Have To Do | Everything Is Change
Life doesn’t go easy on any of us. It splits us in two…and half will have to do.📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired book
Live Like This To Handle Anything | Ask DS
By living philosophically, we can learn to handle anything. This isn’t easy. But this is also a foundation for true well-being, happiness, and, as seen in the lives of Marcus, Cato, and many other Stoics.Ask DS:What are the overlaps between Eastern philosophy and Stoicism? Was there a particular obstacle that Ryan experienced that led him to Stoicism?💡 The first course of Ryan's MasterClass Using Ancient Wisdom to Solve Modern Problems is out now! Head to dailystoic.com/masterclas
Dr. Jennifer Baker on Teaching Stoicism and Virtue Ethics to the Next Generation
How can Stoicism be applicable for Gen Z and generations to come? As a Professor of Philosophy, Dr. Jennifer Baker has an insider's look into what resonates about ancient philosophy with college students today. Jennifer joins Ryan to discuss how she teaches the next generation about Stoicism, why Stoicism is a timeless tool we can all turn to, and the common misconceptions around virtue ethics. Dr. Jennifer Baker is a Professor at the College of Charleston. Her research is on virtue eth
They Can Help You With Your Most Important Job
The more you study philosophy the more you realize that parenting is a topic almost every tradition has spoken about. The Daily Dad is built around accessing that advice—one piece at a time, one day a time, just like The Daily Stoic. 📕 We’re excited to announce that we’ve put together a special leatherbound edition of The Daily Dad just in time for the holidays! Pick up a copy of the leatherbound edition of The Daily Dad at dailydad.com/leather✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your in
Each One Tells You This | Financial Freedom Won't Set You Free
Each yesterday is gone, dead. While there is a little grief, it also presents you an opportunity. a chance to begin afresh. 🗓️ The Daily Stoic Page-A-Day Desk Calendar reminds us of the chance to begin afresh with each new day. Pick up your own at store.dailystoic.com. 🎥 Watch the FULL video of Financial Freedom Won't Set You Free (These Stoic Tips Will) on YouTube!✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dai
So What’s Your Plan? | Judge Yourself, Not Others
Whether you’re excited about the direction of the country or not, you still have to focus on what’s in your control (which is you).📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at
Seneca On The Reasons For Withdrawing From The World
Seneca lived in a chaotic, dangerous, and unpredictable time. Listen in to this letter he wrote about how to stay sane in a crazy world and his advice for avoiding jealousy, hatred, and divisiveness. Today’s episode is an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. Get the free PDF at tim.blog/seneca🎙️ Listen to other letters from Seneca: Seneca on Despising DeathSeneca on Conquering the ConquerorSeneca on Philosophy and Friendship Seneca on Practicing What You Preac
Mt. Joy’s Matt Quinn on Consistent Growth Vs. Overnight Success (And Which Is Sweeter)
In the age of virality and trending TikTok songs, Mt. Joy rose to fame through the band’s authentic storytelling and community building within the indie music scene. On today’s episode, Mt. Joy’s lead singer Matt Quinn makes his return to the Daily Stoic studio to discuss the band’s surge in popularity since his first appearance a couple years back. Ryan and Matt also talk about how Matt manages performance anxiety before going on stage, the evolving perception of success in the mu
Don’t Follow His Example (For Once) | Actors In A Play
Don’t follow Cato’s example. Keep fighting for virtue and the common good.🎥 Watch Patrick Dempsey’s interview on YouTube 🎥 Watch Matthew McConaughey's interview on YouTube📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up
Could You Survive This? | Ask DS
To survive success and fame and power, to be virtuous in such a situation, one must make it the work of their life.Ask DS: How does Ryan approach instilling Stoicism in his kids? What is Ryan currently thinking about when it comes to investments and business?+ More! 🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour📕 Pick up your own Premium Leather Edition of Meditations - Marcus Aurelius (Gregory Hays Translati
Dan Jones on Why History Is Our Greatest Teacher And Henry V’s Legacy
We’ve all heard of Marcus Aurelius, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, but what about Henry V? British historian Dan Jones joins Ryan today to talk about why Henry V was one of the most unique Kings throughout history, how we can understand the current state of the world by looking at historical patterns, and unbelievable stories of discovering historical evidence. Dan Jones is a British historian, TV presenter, journalist, and author of Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England's Gr
Your Duty Remains The Same
As a Stoic, nothing in an election changes what is asked or obligated of you. You are still expected to be a person of virtue. 📕 Pick up a copy of Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired boo
Don’t Let Bad Times Make You A Bad Person | Underrated Stoic Advice For A Better Life (From Seneca)
As individuals what is up to us is whether these bad times make us a bad person, whether hard events harden our hearts, whether the wrongs of the world make us do wrong.📕 Grab a signed copy of Right Thing, Right Now by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/📚 Pick up a signed, numbered first-edition of the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday at dailystoic.com/obstacle✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Sto
This Is Your Main Job | The Real Power You Have
We must remain good. We must remain sane. This is our job.📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions,
Why Narcissistic Leaders Always Fail (In The End)
We can't accept, we cannot tolerate, we cannot rationalize narcissistic leaders. We have to aspire to be real leaders, servant leaders, leaders of courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, You
Navigating Success and Adversity | Stoic Lessons on Wealth and Fortune
Of all the schools of philosophy, none give us a more practical framework for becoming rich, free, and happy than Stoicism. Today, Ryan is speaking on the Stoic approach to building wealth, navigating success, and overcoming adversity.💡 Check out our course, The Wealthy Stoic: A Daily Stoic Guide to Being Rich, Happy, and Free | Learn how Stoic ideas can be applied to personal finance, wealth-building, financial mindset, and how it can help you overcome common financial obstacles
Sharon McMahon on How We Can All Be Change-Makers
If we don’t take action to help just one person, how can we expect to help them all? Ryan and Sharon McMahon, author of The Small and the Mighty, continue their conversation in this episode about how outrage is not activism, how to not get overwhelmed by the many problems in the world, and why it’s important for the next generation to know the truth about our history.Sharon is known as “America’s Government Teacher,” and after years as a high school government teacher, Sharon now
This Is The Dead’s Day | Accepting What Is
There is great value in rituals that allow us to confront and even dance with the reality of death. Taking time to process, grieve, and accept this inevitable part of existence helps us live with more clarity.🪙 Designed with the intention of carrying them in your pocket, our Memento Mori Medallion is a literal and inescapable reminder that “you could leave life right now.”Check it out at https://store.dailystoic.com/📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Chec
Let Go To Get This | Ask DS
Having goals and desires in life is fine but needing things to go a certain way to be happy? These pained, intense, anxious moments reveal the most futile and servile versions of ourselves.Ask DS: How do you differentiate between self-confidence and ego?Does our ego create blind spots? + more!🪙 We are the creators of our anxiety. Which means we can also be the ones to do something about it. Gain a powerful tool in your fight against anxiety and get the Daily Stoic Anxiety Coi
This Is Why We Do Our Part
Being virtuous, like voting, is within our power. Whether it visibly changes the world is not. But we act because it is our duty, and that alone is reason enough.Register to vote at https://vote.gov✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Tw
Sharon McMahon on The Unsung Americans Who Altered the Course of History
“The people that history smiles most kindly upon, are the ones who just kept doing the next needed thing.” These words from Sharon McMahon remind us that making a difference is not accomplished through fame or fortune, but by taking consistent action. Sharon joins Ryan today to talk about the stories of hidden trail blazers, unknown symbolism in the Statue of Liberty, and the change-makers she chose to include in her new book The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Ch
Into The Flood Again | How Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations Transformed My Life
Calm isn’t something we get by managing our external environment or by hoping that we luck out. This is something we create.📕 Pick up your own Premium Leather Edition of Meditations - Marcus Aurelius (Gregory Hays Translation) at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic
This Is How You Stay Intact | Accepting What Is
Maintaining healthy boundaries in your life requires discipline. And only through self-discipline and self-control are we capable of achieving the greatness that lies within each of us.📕 Discipline Is Destiny, the second book in the Stoic Virtues Series, is only $2.99 at all major ebook retailers! Head to dailystoic.com/did We also have signed copies available at the Daily Stoic Store! https://store.dailystoic.com/📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writ
Who Would Marcus Aurelius Vote For?
Register to vote at https://vote.gov🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSe
Adam Kinzinger on The Future of American Leadership
In just a couple of weeks, Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump will be named the next President of the United States of America. Former United States Representative, Adam Kinzinger, joins Ryan today to talk about how important this election is for the future of the American people, how the Republican Party has evolved, and the crucial role of self-sacrifice in democratic integrity.Adam Kinzinger is an American former politician, veteran, and senior political co
Take Back Control With This | Two Tasks
Imagine if you had the tools to be less angry, less distracted, less impulsive. Imagine if the news and social media didn’t make your blood boil, your heart race. That’s what Stoicism can help you do. Because it’s a philosophy designed for the real world, to solve real problems.💡 The Stoicism 101 2024 LIVE course begins in just THREE days on MONDAY, OCTOBER 28TH. Head here to sign up today: https://dailystoic.com/101📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily S
Just Get It Done | Ask DS
Not everyone is going to appreciate your perspective or your beliefs. By the same token, you’re not going to agree with everyone else—in your industry, in your company, in your moment in time.🎙️ Listen to Sean Moncrieff's podcast Moncrieff Highlights🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour🎥 Watch H.R. McMaster on the Power of Strategic Empathy on YouTube ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox dai
Adam Kinzinger on Standing Up For The Truth
Adam Kinzinger was 1 of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump back in 2021 following the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Now, as we head into the final days before the 2024 election, Adam joins Ryan to talk about looking beyond politics at the bigger picture of humanity. Adam shares his perspective on how Stoicism can be a solution for toxic masculinity, the impact that shame (or a lack thereof) has in shaping society, and why we shouldn’t be afraid t
Take This Seriously
Stoicism is not a philosophy for the classroom, but a philosophy for life. You use it and it makes you better. That is, if you take it seriously. If you give it a chance.💡Sign up for Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life to give you the absolute best of Stoicism, in just 14 days! 🎙️ Listen to Brigid Delaney’s interview on the Daily Stoic on Apple Podcast & Spotify🎥 Watch Brigid Delaney’s interview with Ryan on YouTube✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox da
It Can Make You Great | The Hidden Power Of Compassion
Can we really call Marcus Aurelius a “philosopher king?” How great a Stoic was he actually?💡 We set up Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life to give you the absolute best of Stoicism, in just 14 days!📕 Today's episode includes an excerpt from Ryan Holiday's #1 NYT bestselling book Right Thing, Right Now | https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic
Let This Wash Over You | Build Up, Don't Tear Down
It doesn’t matter what’s happening in the world. Golden hour is there. It’s there more than once a day, weather permitting.💡 We designed The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge: Ancient Wisdom For Modern Leaders to mirror the kind of education that produced historically great leaders like Marcus Aurelius. Check it out at store.dailystoic.com📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan
Letters of Stoic Wisdom | Marcus Aurelius and Fronto
Marcus Aurelius' letters to his rhetoric teacher, Fronto, give us a unique look into his life and relationships. As Brigid Delaney said in her recent interview on the Daily Stoic, "if you want to understand Meditations, Letters to Fronto is a really great place to start."Listen to more of Marcus Aurelius’ Letters to Fronto | Apple Podcasts & Spotify These letters were first edited and translated into English by C. R. Haines.🎙️ Listen to Brigid Delaney's interview on Apple Podcasts,
Julia Baird on Accepting Responsibility and the Strength of Forgiveness
While we aren’t the ones to blame for the mistakes of our ancestors' pasts, we are responsible for what we do today to combat the repercussions of their actions. Julia Baird and Ryan continue their conversation today about how forgiveness and grace have been a pivotal character trait for many great people throughout history as she discusses in her new book, Bright Shining, which Ryan called “a powerful book from one of my favorite writers on something we all need more of...and could giv
Let It Be And Let It Go | Frenemies
Life is hard. People are not perfect. If we cannot cultivate the ability to let things be and to let them go, we’ll never get anything done. 🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email a
This Is Why We Study | Ask DS
To be a Stoic is to be a lifelong student. You don’t read the Stoics, you study them.Ask DS: What mentorship lessons did Ryan learn from Robert Greene that he uses to help pay it forward today?How can we balance practicing Stoicism and embracing our emotions?+ More! Kick off Stoic Week on October 28th with Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life | For 14 days you will join a live cohort to collaborate and share thoughts with on our private discussion board. PLUS, you’ll ge
Your Effort Today Can Change Tomorrow
If you convince yourself that nothing can be changed, that your actions don’t matter, you’re right—but you’ve also surrendered. Time and time again, one person can—and does—make a difference.🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour📕 Grab a signed copy of Right Thing, Right Now by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily St
Julia Baird on Building Resilience and How Grace Can Change Everything
The fundamental idea of Stoicism is that we cannot control what happens to us (or the ones we love), we can only control how we respond. Julia Baird knows about cultivating this resilience and Stoic response, after losing her mother and battling health issues, and how approaching grief with a sense of grace can transform ourselves and the world around us. While in Sydney, Ryan had the chance to sit down with Julia in-person to discuss what she learned from researching the lives of Queen
You’re Afraid of Death Because of This? | 12 Stoic Rules For Life
By thinking, by imagining that we’ve just been given a few months to live, we too can see immediately what we should stop doing. We realize we don’t have any more time to waste.🎙️ Listen to David Kessler’s FULL interview with Ryan on the Daily Stoic | Apple Podcasts & Spotify📚 Grab signed copies of Finding Meaning and the Finding Meaning Workbook by David Kessler at The Painted Porch https://www.thepaintedporch.com/ ⏳ Get your own Memento Mori reminder | https://store.dailyst
Here’s What Not To Do | Make Honesty Your Only Policy
Though Cicero wrote histories that praised the ethics and virtues of the Stoics, his ego and his expensive tastes got in the way of actually practicing it day to day. Try to remember Cicero’s example. Learn more about the Catiline conspiracy in Lives of the Stoics and in Ryan's interview with Francis Ford Coppola | Apple Podcasts & Spotify. 📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.
The Worst Advice On The Internet
The great thing about the internet is that no one is excluded from building a platform, connecting with a community, and sharing their opinions and perspectives. However, there is a dangerous side that comes with this inclusivity. Today, Ryan is calling out the worst advice he has seen on the internet and what the Stoic counter-argument is. 🎥 Watch Renée DiResta’s full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB84B2xfvx0🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rott
Chase Jarvis on Why Embracing Risks is Necessary for Creative Success
Risk-taking means diving into the unknown, which is scary because anything could happen, but not taking risks is the only guarantee that nothing will change. That’s what Chase Jarvis is here to talk with Ryan about in today’s episode, as his latest book, Never Play It Safe, is a guide for anyone looking to overcome fear around the unknown, trust their intuition, and become comfortable taking the uncomfortable risks in order to get to where they want to go. Chase talks to Ryan about
We Have To Help Each Other | Honesty As Our Default
There are so many things outside our control. We can’t stop a hurricane, or prevent an earthquake. But we can help our fellow citizens and fellow human beings in the midst of one.You can support those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton by donating to Habitat for Humanity’s Hurricane Recovery fund: https://www.habitat.org/donate/?link=1614📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! | https://store.dailystoic.com/📕 Pick up a signed copy of Right Thing, Right N
Use This To Slay Stress | Ask DS
How do we get outside our heads when our stomach is twisting in knots and our heart is pumping out of our chests?We create mementos, as the Stoics did, to remind ourselves of our philosophy and principles.Ask DS:Why did Ryan decide to share his reflections and observations with the masses?How do we teach our children to build resilience?What are the alignments or distinctions between Buddhism and Stoicism? 🪙 We are the creators of our anxiety. Which means we can also be the ones to do something
The Winds May Howl But…
As history repeats itself in new and unfamiliar forms, we will once again choose to stand firm, knowing that while the storm may be relentless, our resolve will always be stronger.📚 Check out Mike Duncan’s books Storm Before the Storm and Hero of Two Worlds at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/🎙️ Listen to Mike Duncan’s interview on the Daily Stoic | Apple Podcasts & Spotify✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email
Turn the Tables | Ryan Holiday Reflects on 10 Years of The Obstacle Is the Way
Today, the tables have turned as Ryan Holiday is interviewed by his research assistant, Billy Oppenheimer, to talk about the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Obstacle Is the Way. They discussed why Ryan felt it was important to update and expand the book, what stories and pieces of wisdom were necessary to add, and the experience as a writer of revisiting material you wrote 10 years ago. Ryan also touched on the evolving reception of Stoicism and how his perspectives and writing sty
What A Thing To Have Done! | How To Keep Calm In A Chaotic World
Most of our problems are not so urgent. The stakes are not so high. Yet we rush, we react emotionally. But how much more magnanimous and wise it would be to wait. To think. To calm down.📕 Get a signed, numbered first-edition of the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday at dailystoic.com/obstacle🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox dail
In The Midst of Life We Are In Death | Practice Love
During the month of October in America, images of death are all around us as we celebrate Halloween—and while it’s a playful time of year, it’s also an opportunity to practice memento mori, a reminder to treat our time as a gift.⏳ Get your own Memento Mori Premium Signet Ring | https://store.dailystoic.com/📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for
The Obstacle Is the Way, 10 Years Later
A lot can change in 10 years, yet The Obstacle Is the Way remains the timeless formula for turning our toughest trials into our greatest triumphs. 📕 Get a signed, numbered first-edition of the 10th anniversary edition of The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday at dailystoic.com/obstacle✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these l
David Kessler on Finding Meaning in Grief and Practicing the Art of Memento Mori
In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius wrote “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” Death is inevitable for all of us and practicing the art of Memento Mori reminds us to live each day to the fullest and with virtue. David Kessler, a grief and loss expert, joins Ryan today to talk about why a meaningful life comes from embracing rather than fearing death, how grief can shape our understanding and appreciation of life, the balance between grief and joy, and h
It’s Tempting To Tell Yourself This | All For One, One For All
We can flatter ourselves that we’re essential, that we’re one of the good guys, that we’re preventing things from being worse. But are we? Or is that just what we want to believe?📕 Pick up a signed copy of Right Thing, Right Now by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📚 Check out Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero by James Romm at The Painted Po
Will You Meet Your Moment? | Ask DS
Destiny taps each of us on the shoulder, will we be able to answer? Will we have cultivated the skills and virtues necessary to answer well? That’s what philosophy is about—preparing you for whatever fortune has in store, big and small.Ask DS: What is the Stoic way to process and receive compliments? What is Ryan’s advice to stop obsessing over what could go wrong? How did the Stoics approach parenting and creating a generational impact?🎙️ Listen to Francis Ford Coppola’s interview on the Dail
Brigid Delaney’s Life Changing Year of Living Like a Stoic
Brigid Delaney was at a unique point in her life and found herself looking for answers around life’s deepest questions: What does it mean to be a good person? How do we stop letting the things out of our control rule our emotions? Can our anger be tamed? After learning more about Stoicism, Brigid decided to let the ancient wisdom from Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca guide her decisions for a year. While in Australia on tour, Ryan had the chance to meet Brigid in person and talk with her a
You Can Live Well Anywhere
If you need money and success to live well, then you’re vulnerable to things not going well.💡 The Wealthy Stoic: A Daily Stoic Guide to Being Rich, Happy, and Free explores how stoic ideas can be applied to personal finance, wealth-building, financial mindset, and how it can help you overcome common financial obstacles and challengesGet The Wealthy Stoic: A Daily Stoic Guide to Being Rich, Happy, and Free & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/l
This Doesn’t Change But You Do | The Daily Routine That Built Marcus Aurelius
So much has changed over the course of a decade…so little as well. The 10th anniversary edition of The Obstacle Is the Way has relevant and insightful lessons (including a new foreword) that Ryan couldn’t have possibly written a decade ago. If you have been listening to the podcast for a while but haven’t read The Obstacle Is the Way yet, this is a fantastic time and place to start—it will advance your understanding of the lessons of the Stoics and how to apply them to your life.📕 Get a signed,
The Most Disciplined Side Wins | Practice Silence
The Stoics—just like activists—didn’t always win but they showed themselves always as worthy of winning. They showed themselves to be the most disciplined side.🎙️ Listen to Thomas Rick’s interview on the Daily Stoic📚 Grab a copy of Waging a Good War by Thomas Ricks at The Painted Porch https://www.thepaintedporch.com/ 📕 You can get signed copies of Ryan's books: Discipline is Destiny , Courage is Calling, & Right Thing, Right Now at https://store.dailystoic.com/📓 Pick up a signe
The Hobby That Changed Ryan Holiday's Life
Some people travel for the food. Others for the nightlife. Some travel for work. Others travel to get away. Ryan travels for the swimming.🎙️ Listen to Bonnie Tsui’s interview on the Daily Stoic Podcast📚 Grab a copy of Swimming Holes of Texas by Julie Wernersbach | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the
Wright Thompson on Untangling Myth from History in America
Wright Thompson grew up in the Mississippi Delta, unaware that his family farm was just 23 miles away from the barn where 14 year old Emmett Till was murdered in 1955. When writing The Barn, Wright had to take a look at the place he had always known as home with fresh eyes and courageously uncover the details of Emmett's tragic story that had been buried for decades. In today’s episode, Wright and Ryan continue their conversation about Emmett Till’s legacy, the complexity of American history, wh
This Is What You Do | What Will Prosperity Reveal?
We don’t have the power to bring the people we love back, but by choosing to embody the virtues of loved ones we have lost, we not only carry forward their spirit in our actions, we transform our pain and suffering into meaning and purpose.🎙️ Listen to Francis Ford Coppola’s interview on the Daily Stoic | Apple Podcasts & Spotify🎥 Watch Francis Ford Coppola’s interview on YouTube 📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://s
This Is The Most Common Obstacle | How Can We Balance Confidence and Humility?
The annoying coworker, the unreasonable client, the demanding coach, the selfish teammate, the family member who pushes all your buttons—these are constant opportunities to practice virtue. Ask DS: What is the purpose of our ego? How can we find a balance between confidence and humility? + More! 📕 Get a signed, numbered first-edition of the 10th anniversary edition of The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday at dailystoic.com/obstacle🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rot
Be Brave Enough To Do This
We carry our own weight in this world, we blow our own nose, as Epictetus says. It’s what’s right, it’s what’s fair, it’s our job.💡 We designed The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge: Ancient Wisdom For Modern Leaders to mirror the kind of education that produced historically great leaders like Marcus Aurelius. Check it out at store.dailystoic.comGet The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge: Ancient Wisdom For Modern Leaders & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | da
Wright Thompson on Reckoning with the South’s Buried Secrets
Anne Frank and Martin Luther King Junior were born in the same year. The last known widow of a Civil War veteran lived to see Barack Obama become the first African-American President. Emmett Till would be the same age as Neil Diamond, Martha Stewart, and Bob Dylan in 2024 if he was not brutally tortured and murdered in 1955. Facts like these remind us that history is not as far away as we think it is. Wright Thompson, is a Senior Writer at ESPN and author of The Cost of These Dream
It’s All About How You Close | Timeless (Stoic) Habits To Transform Your Future
What matters is how we bring the show to a close, what matters is the ending we give each scene. 📕 Pick up a copy of Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/📚 Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero by James Romm at The Painted Porch https://www.thepaintedporch.com/ 🎙️Listen to James Romm’s interview on the Daily Stoic✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 G
It’s How It Makes You Heal | Pain Is Self-Inflicted Harm
It wasn’t fun that it went sideways. It hurt that they hurt you. It took something that you can never get back. That’s life. That’s resiliency. That’s how the obstacle is the way.📕 Get a signed, numbered first-edition of the 10th anniversary edition of The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday at dailystoic.com/obstacle📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab
Temper Your Ambition | A Cautionary Tale From Napoleon Bonaparte
We don't need accomplishments to feel good or be good enough. If only Napoleon had listened to his own advice. 📕 Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday 🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Dai
Scott Galloway on Intergenerational Theft and Why Stoicism is Important for Young Men
Scott Galloway joins Ryan to talk about what “The Intergenerational Theft” is, why it is creating a massive problem for this next generation, and what he believes are the solutions. Scott and Ryan also discuss the American dream, why young men are drawn to Stoicism, the dangers of toxic masculinity, defining wealth and success, and what drives each of them in their work. Scott Galloway is a marketing professor at NYU Stern, podcast host of the Prof G Pod, and author of The Algebra
You’re Only Loaning This | Life Isn't A Dance
None of us own anything. Everything is constantly in flux. What we have today may be gone tomorrow. 📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic in
Can You Pull Off This Move? | How Can You Maintain Justice Without Self-Sacrificing?
A lot has happened in the 10 years since The Obstacle Is the Way came out. Ryan is a different person, a different writer, than he was back in 2014 and he was so excited to get a chance to improve and update this book accordingly. There were mistakes to fix, criticism to address (some not so fun), and new ideas to incorporate.📕 Get a signed, numbered first-edition of the 10th anniversary edition of The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday at dailystoic.com/obstacleAsk DS: Does Ryan have a medita
Timm Chiusano on Courage, Creativity, and Finding Your Purpose in the Corporate World
Timm Chiusano was working as a creative executive at a Fortune 100 company in New York City when he decided to start posting daily videos on TikTok, documenting and sharing his appreciation for the little, almost mundane, moments of each day amidst his rigorous schedule. Now a few years later, Timm has over 1 million TikTok followers and just recently quit his corporate job. He is the online mentor for many when it comes to navigating career decisions, corporate politics, and creat
You Can Never Undo This
The truth is, nothing can undo what we do out of anger. We can’t take back what we’ve said. We can’t turn back the clock on harm we’ve inflicted or mistakes we have made. 💡 Take the first step towards a calmer future by signing up for the course: Taming Your Temper: The 11 Day Stoic Guide to Controlling Your Anger at the Daily Stoic Store: https://dailystoic.com/anger📚 Grab a copy of How to Keep Your Cool: An Ancient Guide to Anger Management by Seneca | https://www.thepaintedpor
Nothing Can Stop You From This | This Is The (Stoic) Secret To Sanity And Success
What the Stoics meant when they said there was an opportunity in every obstacle is that in every obstacle lies the opportunity to practice virtue. “The Obstacle is The Way” is a way to win at life, but the ultimate victory isn’t achieved over the world or others, it’s gained by overcoming yourself, by choosing virtue when you have every reason not to, by doing, as Marcus wrote, only what your nature demands of you.📕 Get a signed, numbered first-edition of the 10th anniversary edition o
You Don’t Get Credit For This | On Handling Haters
We do what’s right because it’s right. We don’t do what’s wrong because it’s wrong.📕Grab a signed copy of Right Thing, Right Now by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to
The Stoic Athlete | Ryan Holiday Speaks to the University of Kentucky Football Team
In today's episode, Ryan talks with the University of Kentucky football team about how Stoicism can help them overcome adversity, the importance of discipline, and philosophical ideas they can turn to that will help them eliminate the noise and stay focused in season. 🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://daily
Francis Ford Coppola Opens Up About How Philosophy Has Inspired His Life and Career
In his first ever podcast interview, Francis Ford Coppola joins Ryan to talk about how Marcus Aurelius, Stoicism, and Epicureanism have impacted his life, both personally and professionally. Francis reflects on his legacy and why it was so important to complete his latest movie, Megalopolis (out September 27), after he began developing it in the early 1980’s. Francis almost abandoned it multiple times and ultimately ended up self-financing the project. Megalopolis is a sci-fi drama Roma
They’re Difficult But They Can Make You Better | Protecting Our Inner Fortress From Fear
Just like the great philosophers (and patient siblings and children and parents) throughout history, we can find wisdom in our difficult relationships. They bring both obstacles and opportunities, challenging us to grow and refine our character.🎙️ Listen to Ryan’s live answer in Melbourne on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, & Wondery🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour📓 Grab your own leather bound sign
No One Can Put This On You | What is Stoic Advice for Entrepreneurs?
They can love you or hate you. But really, the only thing that matters is who you are to yourself. What matters is whether you are living up to your standards, whether you’re following those virtues of courage and discipline and justice and wisdom.Ask DS:What did the Stoics say about balancing between personal and community trials?What is Ryan’s Stoic advice for a new entrepreneur?Why has philosophy from ancient Athens and Rome stuck and not philosophy from the Germanic tribes?🎙️ Liste
Today, Let This Be The Answer
Today, on the 23rd anniversary of 9/11, let us be full of love. Let us tell those we love that we absolutely and totally love them.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priva
How High Risk-Takers Are Shaping Our World | Nate Silver
Nate Silver is an American statistician, poker player, and New York Times bestselling author of The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail -- but Some Don't . Nate’s latest book is On The Edge: The Art of Risking Everything, where he dives into the worlds of Doyle Brunson, Peter Thiel, Sam Bankman-Fried, Sam Altman, and more. These professional high risk-takers fall into the group that Nate describes as “The River”, a community of people that have increasing amounts of wealt
Don’t Boo, Do This | How To Overcome Your Depression (Marcus Aurelius' Morning Motivation)
Go read up on the candidates. Check them for the virtues necessary in a leader. Understand no one will check every box, but pick the one you can best trust with the responsibilities of power and the common good. 🎥 Watch How To Overcome Your Depression (Marcus Aurelius' Morning Motivation) on the Daily Stoic YouTube Channel✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and pri
They’re Going To Do You Wrong | A New Way To Pray
Life is too short to be bitter, too short for feuds, too short to be driven to madness by someone else’s bad deeds.📕 Pick up your own Premium Leather Edition of Meditations - Marcus Aurelius (Gregory Hays Translation) at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📓 Grab a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver
Always Try To Do It The Hard Way
Not everything that’s hard is good of course, but almost everything good (and worth it) is hard.🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour🎥 Check out Ryan Holiday’s interview on Modern Wisdom hosted by Chris Williamson ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these l
Turn The Tables | Billy Oppenheimer Asks Ryan Holiday About His Writing Evolution and Creative Fulfillment
Why did Robert Greene advise Ryan to turn down his first book offer? How does Ryan balance writing about his personal interests and what his audience is expecting? Billy Oppenheimer, Ryan's research assistant, is asking Ryan these questions and many more in today's episode. Ryan talks about what people get wrong about mentorship, the evolution of his writing style, how the writings of the Stoics have influenced him, what his favorite part of the creative process is, and more. Billy Oppe
This Is A Debt To Be Proud Of | They Can Throw You In Chains, But...
While it may seem like a “waste of time” today, you’re paying that debt for a better version of your future self tomorrow.🎙️ Listen to Lt. David Carey’s interview | Apple Podcasts, Spotify, & Wondery📕 Pick up a signed copy of Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the F
It Was Ancient To The Ancients, Too | Ask DS
Stoicism was ancient to the ancients too. It’d been old for a long time. Ask DS: What are the Stoics teachings about “know thyself”? What are the main principles of Stoicism that people can apply when they struggle to achieve work life balance?Does Stoicism have the potential to be a social or political movement?+ More!🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sig
It’ll Keep You Waiting
Wisdom tells us that things are as they always have been…and always will be. So don’t take it all so personally.🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 F
Richard Dawkins’ Perspective on Faith, Philosophy, and the Layers of Human Existence
Commonly known as the most famous atheist in the world, Richard Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist, zoologist, and author of The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion. Today, Ryan asks Richard why he describes himself as a "cultural Christian", what the biggest misunderstandings of his work are, why individuals teeter between faith and reason, and his concept of humans as 'books of the dead,' a metaphor for the evolutionary history encoded in our genes. Pre-order Richard's latest book The G
You Must Go Toward The Oxygen | 10 Stoic Stories That Will Leave You Speechless
When we say Amor Fati, when we say The Obstacle is the Way, we’re not talking about just sitting there, being provided with fuel. We’re talking about surging forward, pulling ourselves towards the oxygen–going towards the fuel, towards the next thing, never stopping, using all of it.🪙 Get your own Amor Fati medallion, as a reminder to treat each and every moment—no matter how challenging—as something to be embraced, not avoided. So that like oxygen to a fire, obstacles and adversity become fuel
Come Back To This Later
Take your much deserved break today. We are human beings after all, not human doings. So go out and live today. Rest from your labor. Come back better for it. Come back improved and sharper for it.📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medal
Marcus Aurelius' Letters to Fronto
Get an inside look at the relationship between Marcus Aurelius and his rhetoric teacher, Fronto, through this narration of their letters. Fronto was focused on preparing him for political life and public speaking and through these letters you will learn the deep impact he had on Marcus. These letters were first edited and translated into English by C. R. Haines.🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️
The New Age of Media Manipulation | Renée DiResta
How information (and misinformation) spreads online continues to change with the media landscape. Renée DiResta and Ryan continue their conversation on the role of podcasts as a medium, the pitfalls of audience capture, and the dynamics of social media silos. They talk about the ethical responsibilities of influencers and podcasters, the influence of personal relationships in media, and the impact of counter speech. Renée DiResta is a technical research manager at Stanford Internet Observatory a
You Meet Them Where They Are | When You Feel Lazy
Don't forge ahead hoping that someone will come along and relieve you of this task you don't want to do. Don't be the person who says yes with their mouth but no with their actions. Read the full Daily Stoic entry for today: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tourLondon — November 12Rotterdam — November 13Dublin — November 15Vancouver — November 18Toronto — November 20✉️ Want Stoic w
This Isn’t How You’ll Be Measured | Ask DS
We know that ultimately lives are not measured by superficial or materialistic things…yet we spend so much of our lives focused solely on that. Ask DS: How can we move past feeling guilt or shame?What did the Stoics say about losing loved ones?How can we get better at saying no? + More! 📚 Grab a copy of Die With Zero by Bill Perkins | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/🎙️ Listen to Bill Perkins' interview | Apple Podcasts, Spotify, & Wondery🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for Londo
Attention Wars: How Lies Spread Online Have Real-World Consequences | Renée DiResta
“If you make it trend, you make it true” is a terrifyingly real quote across the cover of Renée DiResta’s book, Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality. Renée DiResta studies the many ways that people attempt to manipulate or target others online, similar to what Ryan talks about in his first book, Trust Me, I’m Lying. In this episode, Renée and Ryan talk about the shift from traditional journalism ethics to the new realm of social media influence, the psychological impact of onl
It’s Tragic But Helpful
The Stoics were not so insensitive as to believe that it was good that someone died. That’s not what they meant by “opportunity”—what they meant was that there was always something to learn, always some virtue we could practice in light of a tragedy that would make us better, teach us something, help us see something.🪙 Designed with the intention of carrying them in your pocket, our Memento Mori Medallion is a literal and inescapable reminder that “you could leave life right now.”Check it out a
You Gotta Start Sometime | What Young Men Get Wrong About Stoicism
Do it now. Get started. Begun is half done. Do it now.🪙 Designed with the intention of carrying them in your pocket, our Memento Mori Medallion is a literal and inescapable reminder that “you could leave life right now.”Check it out at https://store.dailystoic.com/🎥 Check out the Daily Stoic YouTube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivere
It’s A Very Timeless Thing | A Cure For Procrastination
Marcus Aurelius was not like you at all. Yet…we can tell from Meditations that Marcus Aurelius was also just like us.🎙️ Listen to David Hernández de la Fuente’s interview on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, & Wondery💡How to Read Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations (A Daily Stoic Guide) is designed to help you get the most wisdom and very best tools Stoicism has to offer and apply them to your life. 📕 Pick up your own Premium Leather Edition of Meditations - Marcus Aurelius (Gregory Hays Translation) at the
50 Harsh Stoic Truths That Will Improve Your Life
The Stoics believed that Stoicism was a cure for our ills. Epictetus would talk about how like the philosopher's school is like a hospital. Not all treatments, not all remedies are fun. Medicine doesn't always taste good. 🎥 Watch 50 Harsh Stoic Truths That Will Improve Your Life on YouTube 🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FR
Political Leadership Lessons From Mayor G.T. Bynum & Rusty Bailey
One of the problems with politics today is we tend to only focus on what is happening on a national level, which is currently quite dramatic, dysfunctional, and extremist. However, the political decisions that are being made at the local level are the ones that actually impact our day to day life. Today, Ryan talks with Rusty Bailey (Democrat), the former Mayor of Riverside, California as well as G.T. Bynum (Republican), the current Mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma to dive into what it means to be a suc
A Sign You’re Making Progress | It's In Your Self-Interest
“The beautiful and good person neither fights with anyone…” Epictetus says in Discourses. This isn’t to say that agreeableness is the goal of life, but certainly acceptance and tolerance is. 💡 Take the first step towards a calmer future by signing up for the course: Taming Your Temper: The 11 Day Stoic Guide to Controlling Your Anger at the Daily Stoic Store: https://dailystoic.com/anger📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: http
You Can’t Get Your Dawns Back | Ask DS
Once a dawn happens, it is gone to you forever. Once a day ends, it’s done for you for all time. Act accordingly. Protect your time accordingly.Ask DS:When will Ryan’s next non-Stoic book come out?How has Stoicism helped Ryan free his own biases?What does Ryan think about Ted Lasso as a Stoic?Does Ryan have any insight on passing along Stoic principles to the next generation?What is Ryan’s advice to someone who loves their friends and family but struggles to fit in due to different beli
It’s About What You Make Happen
We don’t live in Ancient Rome. We are not emperors or senators. We are not professional philosophers. We are regular people. This doesn’t mean we are far from the world of virtue.📚 Pick up a copy of Lincoln's Virtues: An Ethical Biography by William Lee Miller at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com📕 Grab a signed copy of Right Thing, Right Now by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic emai
Why Amanda Knox Turned To Stoicism After Being Wrongfully Convicted of Murder
In November, 2007, Amanda Knox was 20 years old and had been studying abroad in Italy when her roommate, Meredith Kercher, was brutally murdered. Around the world, all eyes (and cameras) were on Amanda as the main suspect and she was wrongfully convicted of the murder. After spending four years in an Italian prison, the verdict was overturned and Amanda was able to come home to the United States.In 2013, a new trial was ordered by the Italian court and ultimately Amanda was found not guilty a se
Their Hearts Were Touched By Fire | 12 Valuable Stoic Truths
The Stoics were touched by the power of philosophy at an early age. It inspired them, charged them, challenged them. Whatever your age, you too have been touched by this fire. You also have their torch to carry forward as you do extraordinary things, as you try to make the world better for you having lived in it.🪙 In a world where so many people seek out empty goals and follow false promises to get what they want, the Four Virtues Medallion is a perfect reminder that you can have everything you
There Are Some Things Only Adversity Unlocks | Just Say No To Future Misery
The obstacles are not impediments, they are opportunities. They are not holding us back, they are fueling us. 📚 Pick up a copy of The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ry
Philosophical Antagonists? The Real Story of Stoicism and Epicureanism
The stereotypes of Stoics as emotionless brutes and Epicureans as self-indulgent pleasure-seekers is not just misleading, but is an injustice to the two philosophies. Tune in to learn the similarities, differences, myths, stories, and history behind Stoicism and Epicureanism.🗞️ Check out the Daily Stoic article on Epicureanism and Stoicism: Lessons, Similarities and DifferencesNarrated by: Kat Pichik📕 Read more about Diotimus the Vicious in Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday | https://store.d
Be An Everyday Person | Coach Buzz Williams
Being consistent creates real, lasting change. It is the compound interest towards our future accomplishments and who we want to be. This is what Texas A&M Men’s Basketball Head Coach, Buzz Williams, calls “being an everyday guy”. Whether you’re practicing free throws in the gym every afternoon like Coach Buzz's players or you’re writing each morning like Ryan, the common denominator that leads each of us to where we want to go is consistently showing up and doing the work. Tune in to today’s ep
Can You Do It With A Broken Heart? | Anything Can Be An Advantage
The Stoics were people that felt, but they also understood that life, especially leadership, requires being able to balance these emotions with the responsibilities and duties each of us have. We have to process these emotions, to be sure. We may also have to put them aside for a second.📕 Our favorite translation of Seneca’s essays on grief and loss, Hardship and Happiness (The Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca) is available at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/🎶 Lyrics
What Has It Stolen From You? | Ask DS
We are the creators of our anxiety. Which means we can also be the ones to do something about it. In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius put it like this: “Today I escaped from anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions—not outside.” To serve as a reminder of this, we have created the Daily Stoic Anxiety Medallion. Grab your own at the Daily Stoic Store!✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.c
This is What To Do With Joy
It’s because life is unpredictable, it’s because nothing is certain that we must find joy and happiness where we can.🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.daily
Coach Buzz Williams’ Playbook for Mentorship and Motivation
As the Head Coach of Texas A&M Men’s Basketball team, Coach Buzz Williams is dedicated to setting his players up for success not only on the court, but with values that they will carry for the rest of their lives. During the off-season, Coach Buzz was able to come down to the Daily Stoic studio and share with Ryan what he’s learned about not just being a great coach, but also a great person, throughout his life and 30+ season coaching career. Buzz talks about how basketball legend George Ravelin
You Can’t Be Afraid To Get Up There | Marcus Aurelius' Life Story
There’s a reason the Stoics held up courage as a key virtue. Because they believed that we were obligated to participate in public life and that this meant putting ourselves out there. Whatever it is that we want to do in life demands this courage. We can’t let our fears win.🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets for London, Rotterdam, Dublin, Vancouver, and Toronto at ryanholiday.net/tourLondon — November 12Rotterdam — November 13Dublin — November 15Vancouver — November 18Toronto — Nove
We Have To Give It Back | Always Ask Yourself This Question
We’ve already lost many of our favorite guests and influences. Today, we must add another to that list, Jake Seliger. Jake was diagnosed with terminal cancer last year at age 39, and in the midst of that fight he gave a moving interview on the Daily Stoic podcast, despite having had his tongue removed.Please consider donating to Jake’s GoFundMe, his wife Bess announced that all future donations will now go to supporting their daughter Athena. 🎙️Listen to Jake’s interview | Spotify
What Jimmy Carter Can Teach Us About Justice | Ryan Holiday Speaks at the Naval Academy
Back in April, Ryan went to the United States Naval Academy and spoke to over 1,000 Sophomore Cadets about Stoicism, the virtue of Justice, and the legacy of USNA alum and former President, Jimmy Carter. This was part of the Stutt Ethics Lecture Series at the Naval Academy, made possible by a gift from William C. Stutt and his wife Carolyn. 🎙️ Listen to the Q&A portion | Apple Podcasts, Spotify, & Wondery📕 Learn more about Jimmy Carter's life and legacy in Right Thing, Right Now | https://stor
Chasing Olympic Gold with Stoic Virtues | Greg Harden, Kate Courtney, & Chris Bosh
The 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris are coming to a close and it’s been incredible watching the world’s top athletes compete for gold. Today, Ryan talks with Greg Harden, who has worked with Tom Brady and 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, about how he helped them stay mentally focused. Kate Courtney, who competed in the Tokyo Olympics, talks about seeing moments of failure as opportunities for growth. Chris Bosh and Ryan dive into how Stoicism helps elite athletes stay on top of t
Don’t Say You’re One Of These | Stick With Just The Facts
You don’t call yourself a Stoic. You must act like a Stoic.💡 We set up Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life to give you the absolute best of Stoicism, in just 14 daysGet Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tou
This is Our Great Fortune | Ask DS
Would you rather be poor today or wealthy in Rome two thousand years ago? You have access and knowledge that Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and the most brilliant doctors of antiquity would have genuinely seen as magic. We are incredibly lucky.Ask DS:Has Ryan always had this perspective or did he have a day of enlightenment in terms of defining himself as a Stoic?Why did Ryan decide to focus on Stoicism and philosophy (career wise) instead of something else?How can we follow the Stoics but still maint
Don’t Put Yourself in This Position
A leader stands up, steps up…or in other cases, walks away.🎙️ Listen to Ann Wroe On The Real Story Of Pontius Pilate, And His Connection To Stoicism on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, & Wondery📚 Grab a copy of Pontius Pilate by Ann Wroe | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/💡 We designed The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge: Ancient Wisdom For Modern Leaders to mirror the kind of education that produced historically great leaders like Marcus Aurelius. Check it out: store.dailystoic.comGet The Daily Stoi
The History of American Bookshops (From Benjamin Franklin to The Painted Porch) | Evan Friss
Behind every great man and woman of history, there's usually a library or a bookstore that has been formative in their life. Not only have bookstores shaped influential leaders, but also the ideas and movements that have altered society. Stoicism originated in a bookstore, Benjamin Franklin’s bookstore influenced the American Revolution, and countless bookstores have been the backbones of activist movements. Evan Friss, author of The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore, talks with Ryan
Let This Be Our Legacy | Robert Greene's Stoic Lessons (That Changed Ryan Holiday's Life)
Whenever the Olympics come around, we tend to place a big emphasis on winning and individual glory. But as the Stoics would remind us, it’s not winning that counts.🎙️ Listen to Olympic Kickoff | Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes, Michael Phelps' Coach Bob Bowman, and Basketball Icon George Raveling on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, & Wondery🔓 Unlock early access to Daily Stoic episodes by signing up for Wondery+!📚 Pick up your next favorite Robert Greene book at The Painted Porch: https://
It’s Always Happening | What Little Wins Can You Find
We’re all marked souls, living on borrowed time. Let’s not waste what time we have left. Memento Mori.🪙 Designed with the intention of carrying them in your pocket, our Memento Mori Medallion is a literal and inescapable reminder that “you could leave life right now.”Check it out at https://store.dailystoic.com/📚 Grab a copy of Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by Sue Johnson | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/🎙️ Listen to Professor Paul Woodruff on Philosophy,
Going Beyond The Call
Having the courage to make the ultimate sacrifice. Going beyond the call. This is the story of the Battle of Thermopylae. 📕 Grab a signed copy of Courage is Calling at https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter,
Unlocking Self-Discovery Through Shadow Work Journaling | Keila Shaheen
Journaling allows us to release our thoughts and feelings, but shadow work journaling takes it to a much deeper level. Shadow work is based on Carl Jung's idea that we all have a “shadow self” which holds our repressed thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This side of us is hidden in our subconscious, but impacts how we show up in all areas of life. Keila Shaheen, author of the viral sensation The Shadow Work Journal, joins Ryan to talk about what shadow work is, why shadow work jo
It’s A Very Special Thing | We Can Work Any Way
What we see in Meditations is not the finished product of a philosopher but the process of philosophy—we are watching Marcus philosophize to himself. It’s like we get to eavesdrop on one of the world’s greatest singers giving the most earnest performance of their lifetime, totally to themselves.🎙️ Listen to The Responsibility of Translating Marcus Aurelius | David Hernández de la Fuente | Apple Podcasts, Spotify, & Wondery📚 Translations of Meditations:The Daily Stoic The Inner Cit
Can You Build a Castle? | Ask DS
You could build castles out of the bricks they threw at Cato. But Cato didn’t need to build castles with those bricks because he had something better - an inner citadel. Ask DS:Looking at Cato’s life, does he stick to his plan of justice too much sometimes?If Ryan could ask Marcus Aurelius one question, what would it be?What are Ryan's tips or tricks to know if you’re hitting the golden mean?Why is justice a common thread between Friedrich Nietzsche’s work and the Stoics?🎙️ Listen to W
Patrick Dempsey on Ethical Dilemmas, Being of Service, and Embracing Stoicism
Patrick Dempsey and Ryan’s conversation continues in today’s episode, talking about the ethical decisions made each day, how the entertainment world is impacting society, prioritizing being of service, contributing positively to communities, and how Patrick has embraced Stoicism in his life. Patrick Dempsey is an actor, race car driver, and founder of the Dempsey Center. He is most known from his role as Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd from the series Grey’s Anatomy. Patrick has also starred in Enchan
This Ain’t No Sin
It doesn’t matter that times are dark or violent or uncertain. We must be grateful, we must seize this gift we’ve been given while we have it. 🪙 Designed with the intention of carrying them in your pocket, our Memento Mori Medallion is a literal and inescapable reminder that “you could leave life right now.”Check it out at https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspi
How Much Sad Do You Think You Have? | 10 Stoic Tips For Handling Rude People
There are going to be moments of life that make you question just how much a person can possibly take. But there is that inner-citadel within you as well. Cultivate it now, reinforce it and it will be even stronger and more dependable when you need it.🎶 Lyrics mentioned are from So Long, London by Taylor Swift📕 Grab a copy of Hardship and Happiness (The Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca) at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets
We Really Screwed This Up, Didn’t We? | A Week Without Complaining
We need to make the virtues commonplace again—they are, as Marcus Aurelius said, “touchstones of goodness.” And we must start with the only thing we control: Our own decisions, motivations and actions.📚 Learn how to live with virtue by reading the Stoic Virtues series by Ryan Holiday:Book 1: Courage is Calling | https://store.dailystoic.com/Book 2: Discipline is Destiny | https://store.dailystoic.com/Book 3: Right Thing, Right Now | https://store.dailystoic.com/📓 Pick up a signed edition of
Seneca on Practicing What You Preach
Today's episode is an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. In this letter, Seneca writes about how true philosophy requires acting in accordance with one's principles, advocating for consistency between one's inner life and outward behavior.Go to tim.blog/seneca to get the PDF for free. Listen to more of The Tao of Seneca:🎙️ Seneca on Despising Death🎙️Seneca on Conquering the Conqueror🎙️Seneca on Philosophy and Friendship 📕 Pick up a copy of Letters From a Stoic fro
Olympic Kickoff | Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes, Michael Phelps' Coach Bob Bowman, and Basketball Icon George Raveling
The 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris are officially here! To kick off the Olympics, Ryan talks to gold medalist Dominique Dawes, Michael Phelps’ coach Bob Bowman, and legendary basketball coach George Raveling. Dominique Dawes is one of only three US women to compete at three Olympics, and has won four Olympic medals. In the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Dominique earned a gold medal as a part of the “Magnificent Seven”, as well as an individual bronze medal in the floor event. She als
No One Escapes This | When Good Men Do Nothing
You’ll never be happy or feel good if your sense of worth is tied up in always being well-received, if you can’t handle the injustice of being misunderstood or unfairly criticized.📕 Right Thing, Right Now | https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets at ryanholiday.net/tour📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily
Everyone (And Everything) Is Like A River | Ask DS
Marcus Aurelius put his words down in Greek over 1,850 years ago. They have not changed. But each time a new translator has looked at them, they’ve found something different.Ask DS:Does leadership equal sacrifice? How do you stay motivated, present, and fulfilled while also keeping Memento Mori in mind? 🎙️Listen to part 1 of Ryan’s Q&A with the FBI | Spotify, Apple, WonderyTranslations mentioned: The Daily Stoic - Stephen Hanselman’s translationMeditations translated by Meric Casaubon (1634)The
Are You Allowed To Cry?
A Stoic is invulnerable. A Stoic is tough. A Stoic is emotionless. A Stoic can't cry...right?You’re only human. So be human and let yourself feel.💡 Take the first step towards a calmer future by signing up for the course: Taming Your Temper: The 11 Day Stoic Guide to Controlling Your Anger at the Daily Stoic Store: https://dailystoic.com/anger✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books
Stoicism for Turbulent Times (and Divisive Politics) | History of Rome Podcaster Mike Duncan on Political Parallels
After the recent assassination attempt of former President Trump and the heightening political divide, it’s important to learn from history and turn to what we can control amidst the chaos. There’s no better time to revisit Ryan Holiday’s conversation with Mike Duncan, author of Storm Before the Storm and podcast host of The History of Rome, to talk about the historical parallels between Roman history and today’s political turmoil. They debate the normalization of political violence and the cons
How To Stand Before Kings | Everything You Need To Know About Marcus Aurelius' Meditations
The Stoics didn’t just stand before kings, they came to them as equals and in some cases, towered over them, their virtue putting them above any kind of worldly power.📕 Pick up a copy of Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/🎥 Watch the YouTube video of Everything You Need To Know About Marcus Aurelius' Meditations💡 We set up Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life to give you the absolute best of Stoicism, in just 14 daysGet Stoicism 101: Ancient Ph
Waste No More Time Doing This | Keeping "The News" In Check
“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be,” Marcus Aurelius says. “Be one.”Don't follow breaking news. Don't let it change who you are. Don't let it rattle your equilibrium. 📕 Turn off the news and read these books instead:Trust Me I’m Lying by Ryan Holiday Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil PostmanThe Image by Daniel BoorstinThe Brass Check by Upton Sinclair📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store
Taming the Ego | Overcoming the Enemy Within
When you feel that voice inside you creeping up, the one that makes you feel entitled, the one that makes you feel superior, the one that makes you aghast that anyone would try to be telling you what to do, that child-like voice, that's ego. Listen in to Ryan Holiday differentiate between ego and confidence, explain how ego gets in the way of success, tips to combat ego, and more by using examples from his personal life as well as people like Kanye West and Sam Bankman-Fried.📓 Pick up a signed
How Patrick Dempsey Applies Stoicism in Acting and Race Car Driving
You may know Patrick Dempsey as “McDreamy” from Grey’s Anatomy or from one of his many leading roles in films like Enchanted, Sweet Home Alabama, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Ferrari, and countless others. In addition to being an incredible actor, Patrick is also a competitive race car driver and founder of Dempsey Racing. His first competitive race back on the track since 2015 was actually on the same day he came to the Daily Stoic studio! Patrick talks to Ryan
Embrace Your Weirdness | Forgive Them Because They Don't Know
Embrace who you really are. Embrace what makes you unique. Embrace your weirdness. Because chances are it’s special.🎙️ Listen to Rainn Wilson’s interview on The Daily Stoic or watch it on YouTube📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https:
This Will Help You Calm Down | Ask DS
If you read the news, it feels like the world is falling apart. Zoom out. Take a sideways glance. Get the outside of the issue, the problem, the day’s events. Seek perspective.Ask DS:How do we know when we are sticking to our values versus leaving them behind? What can we learn from President Carter’s campaigning versus his leadership while in office? Does Ryan Holiday think there are any major pitfalls or flaws in Stoicism? 📚 Grab a copy of In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson at The Painted
The Key Media Strategies for Maximum Impact | Gary Vaynerchuck
Gary Vaynerchuck, better known as Gary Vee, has always had his finger on the pulse of digital media. His content pyramid is the secret behind how some of your favorite online creators built their platform and is the playbook used by the biggest digital marketing agencies in the world. Gary joins Ryan Holiday at the Daily Stoic studio to talk about creating compelling content, the significance of subjective opinions in an online world, the evolving nature of people’s attention spans, what the cur
This Is What Is Making You So Stressed
Falling short today does not have to mean that everything is falling apart. Stop torturing yourself! Be present. Focus primarily on what is front of you.💡 Slay Your Stress: A Daily Stoic 20 Day Challenge | dailystoic.com/stress🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember th
Who Possesses You? | 12 Must-Read Stoic Books To Get You Started
We must retain possession of ourselves. We must get a hold of ourselves. No matter what they do to us. No matter how unfair or frustrating life (and bullies) can be.Books Mentioned: Letters from a Stoic - Seneca - https://www.thepaintedporch.comMeditations - Marcus Aurelius - https://www.thepaintedporch.comCourage Under Fire - James Stockdale - https://www.thepaintedporch.comMans Search For Meaning - Viktor Frankl - https://www.thepaintedporch.comHardship and Happiness - Seneca - https:
How To Live in an Imperfect World | Practice Gentleness Instead of Anger
We are in an imperfect world populated with flawed people. We ourselves are flawed. We can’t afford to feel or act superior. We have too much work to do, there is too much good we can do.💡We designed The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge: Ancient Wisdom For Modern Leaders to mirror the kind of education that produced historically great leaders like Marcus Aurelius. Check it out: store.dailystoic.comGet The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge: Ancient Wisdom For Modern Leaders & all other Daily Stoi
9 Stoic Strategies to Overcome Procrastination
Twenty centuries ago, the Roman era Stoic philosopher Seneca joked that the one thing fools all have in common is that they are always getting ready to live. But they never do it. Is that who you want to be?Check out the full article on https://dailystoic.com/🎟 Order tickets to Ryan's tour dates at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspi
The Price of Integrity | Jordan Harbinger
Having interviewed over 1,000 people, how does Jordan Harbinger decide who he brings on his wildly successful podcast, The Jordan Harbinger Show? What guests, topics, or advertisers has he turned down despite how click-worthy or lucrative they are? Listen in to today’s conversation with Jordan Harbinger and Ryan Holiday to hear them talk about why integrity is incredibly expensive, but worth it every time. 🎙️ Listen to Part 1 with Jordan Harbinger on What We Can Learn From The Rich And FamousLi
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived… | Some Simple Rules
We’re in an election year here, not just in America but across the world. Let us learn from Seneca.📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📚 Pick up a copy of The Greatest Empire: A Life of Seneca by Emily Wilson at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/📚 Check out Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero by James Romm at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/🎟 Ryan Ho
Nobody Won Afraid Of Losing | Ask DS
Courage is the mother of all virtues, Aristotle said, because in a world that’s not virtuous, it’s a brave thing to go out there and do what needs to be done. Ask DS: What does Ryan do with his journals once they are full? How can Stoicism be practical and relevant in today’s environment? Does Ryan try to teach Stoicism to his kids? (check out Daily Dad for more on this!) What is the best intro book to Stoicism? How does the concept of Antifragile intersect with Stoicism? 📕 Grab signed editions
What We Can Learn From The Rich And Famous | Jordan Harbinger
At the time of this recording, Jordan Harbinger had just published over 1,000 episodes of his podcast, The Jordan Harbinger Show. Throughout the years, Jordan has interviewed icons like Kobe, Malcolm Gladwell, Danny Trejo, Mark Cuban and more. Ryan has also had the pleasure of being a guest on the show multiple times since he met Jordan over a decade ago, when his first book Trust Me, I’m Lying came out. In this conversation, Jordan and Ryan talk about what they have learned from interviewing an
You Know You’re Good When…
You keep going. You do your best. Even if life has kicked the crap out of you.🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https:/
It Helps To Write It Down | How To Journal Like The Stoics
Journaling is one of the most essential exercises in Stoic philosophy. You find your own way. You find your own style. You get your own benefits. But only if you do it.📓 Looking to start a journaling practice or get back into one? The Daily Stoic Journal is more than 50% off right now on Amazon!You can also grab a signed copy of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets at ryanhol
You Don’t Get To Do This Anymore | Don’t Look For The Third Thing
Marcus Aurelius wrote Meditations to himself, yet he only speaks positively of people he knows in those pages. This is the price of success, of a platform, of power—that is, responsibility.📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎟 Ryan Holiday is going on tour! Grab tickets at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic
Stop Asking For The Third Thing | Right Thing, Right Now Excerpt
📕 Right Thing, Right Now is out! To purchase your own copy and get exclusive bonuses, head here: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy an
Living With Justice: Will Guidara Interviews Ryan Holiday
📕 Right Thing, Right Now is out! To purchase your own copy and get exclusive bonuses, head here: https://store.dailystoic.com/Grab a copy of Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara hereFollow Will Guidara on Instagram and X: @wguidara ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lesso
What Do You Commemorate? | No One Said It'd Be Easy
“As a historian, we have to look unflinchingly at the past, looking at the record of events as they happened. But commemoration—what we choose to celebrate and honor—is something different.” - General Ty Seidule🎙️ General Ty Seidule On Our Responsibility To Study, Understand And Grapple With History🎟 Order tickets to Ryan's tour dates at ryanholiday.net/tour✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoi
This Is What Freedom Requires | Ask DS
Happy Fourth of July! While you are grilling and relaxing with friends, remember that the comfort you enjoy now grew out of a philosophy that was made to embrace discomfort and to do the right thing, whatever the costs. Today’s Ask DS features questions asked from the audience at Robert Greene and Ryan Holiday’s live talk in Los Angeles: What does Robert Greene think the future holds with AI and other technology? (06:30)What set Ryan Holiday apart from Robert Greene’s other research assistants?
Beware This Heavy Burden
There is a hidden cost to everything you own. Things don’t just cost you monetarily. They cost you mentally, too. 🎙️Listen to Kevin Rose’s full interview on The Daily Stoic📚 Pick up a copy of Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk at The Painted Porch: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoi
Discovering The Formula For True Happiness | Max Joseph (Pt. 2)
Tune in to hear part 2 of Ryan’s conversation with Max Joseph, the creator behind the new docuseries HAPPINESS on YouTube. Max talks with Ryan about the philosophy, science, and secrets to being truly happy that he learned on his quest around the world talking with experts. In addition to being a documentarian, Max Joseph co-hosted MTV’s show Catfish and made his feature film debut in 2015 with We Are Your Friends which starred Zac Efron. Some of Max’s other documentaries are BOOKSTORES: How to
How To Be A King | What Stoicism Gets Wrong
🎥 Watch the YouTube video of What Stoicism Gets Wrong✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-i
The Earth Is A Boneyard (But Pretty in Sunlight) | Protect Your Own Good
📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/📚 Pick up a copy of Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry at The Painted Porch🗓️ By scratching off the Memento Mori Calendar every week, you will not only see how much life you've already lived, but also how much life you've (hopefully) got left: store.dailystoic.com✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic e
Becoming A Professional | The War of Art Excerpt
📚 Grab a copy of The War of Art by Steven Pressfield at The Painted Porch: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/🎙️Listen to Steven Pressfield’s interview on The Daily Stoic✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and F
Storytelling In A Competitive Content World | Max Joseph (Pt. 1)
You may know Max Joseph from MTV’s show Catfish, which he co-hosted for 7 seasons, or from his movie We Are Your Friends which starred Zac Efron. Max’s latest project is a docuseries called HAPPINESS, in which Max is trying to crack the code on the philosophy, science, and secrets behind true happiness. In this Part 1 conversation, Ryan and Max talk about the challenges of documentary filmmaking, relearning to love reading, when to quit a book, how to make the most of literary classics and more.
Don’t Wake Up and Choose Violence | No Self-Flagellation Needed
📓 Grab your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📚 Pick up a copy of Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson at The Painted Porch: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱
It’s Good If It Makes You Good | Ask DS
🪙 To get your own The Obstacle Is The Way medallion, head to https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice
It’s Impossible, You Know
🎙️Listen to Tim Ferriss’ full interview on The Daily Stoic✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell
Paper Trails: How Notebooks Changed The World | Roland Allen
So often we forget that the things we rely on every day had to be invented at one point or another, such as the notebook. Roland Allen, author of The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper, joins Ryan for a fascinating conversation today about how the notebook was invented and the different ways it revolutionized the world. Great news - Roland's book will be out in the US this fall! You can pre-order a copy of The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen at The Pa
All Success Comes From This | 9 Stoic Tips For Beating Resistance (With Steven Pressfield)
🎥 Watch the YouTube video of 9 Stoic Tips For Beating Resistance (With Steven Pressfield and Ryan Holiday)💡Learn more about the Daily Stoic Life community: dailystoic.com/life✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Faceboo
Do You Dominate The Battlespace? | What's In Your Way Is The Way
📕 Pick up a premium leather edition of The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday at dailystoic.com/obstacleleather✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California P
Why You Should Do The Right Thing | Ryan Holiday Speaks At ACL Live
🎥 Watch the YouTube video of Ryan’s talk at ACL Live: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic📕 Right Thing, Right Now is out! To purchase your own copy, head here: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTo
Quietly Chasing Dreams & The Secret To Momentum | Rich Roll
Rich Roll joins Ryan for a conversation about spiritual gurus, self-awareness, and the problems that come with sharing goals publicly. Rich talks about his recent trip to India where he spent time with the Dalai Lama, the struggles he is having writing his next book, and asks Ryan - does our ego ever actually graduate from middle school?Rich Roll is an accomplished ultra-endurance athlete, author of Finding Ultra and host of The Rich Roll podcast. You can connect with Rich on X and IG: @richroll
Listen To Your Own Soul’s Warning | Cal Newport On Walking & Productivity
🎙️ Listen to Cal Newport’s full interview on The Daily Stoic📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouT
Can You At Least Be This? | Ask DS
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It’s Not About The Words. It’s About This.
✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Commitment Devices For Creating Lasting Change | Katy Milkman
How can we make real, lasting changes in our lives? Katy Milkman talks with Ryan about strategic methods we can use to overcome barriers to change, examples we can learn from The Odyssey, powerful commitment devices, empathy gaps, and more. Katy Milkman is a Behavioral Scientist, Wharton Professor, and Co-Director of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative. She is the Author of How to Change and podcast host of Choicology. You can connect with Katy on X: @katy_milkman and on I
It Could Just As Easily Be Us… | Stoicism's Formula For Building Resilience
📕 Right Thing, Right Now is out now! To purchase your own copy, head here: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy N
Avoid This Form Of Insanity | Take A Walk
📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19
Make Good Trouble | Right Thing, Right Now Excerpt
📕 Right Thing, Right Now is out now! To pick up your own copy, visit https://store.dailystoic.com/ ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice
Why Justice Is The Cornerstone Of The Stoic Virtues | Billy Oppenheimer (Pt. 2)
Ryan is the one answering questions today as his research assistant, Billy Oppenheimer, joins him for part 2 on what the Stoic virtue of justice is actually about. In this episode, Ryan and Billy talk about the downfall of American Apparel, accepting personal responsibility, the cycle of success and self-destruction, and the powerful stories of justice in Right Thing, Right Now. Don't forget to tune into part 1 of Billy and Ryan's conversation if you missed it!Billy Oppenheimer is Ryan Holiday’
It’s Easier To Be Angry Than Hurt | Why Not Try Something New?
💡 Take the first step towards a calmer future by signing up for the course: Taming Your Temper: The 11 Day Stoic Guide to Controlling Your Anger at the Daily Stoic Store: https://dailystoic.com/anger📚 Grab a copy of Asylum by William Seabrook at The Painted Porch: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these less
This Is How You Always Win | NPR On Point
🎙️ Listen to the full episode of NPR On Point here📕 Right Thing, Right Now is out now! To purchase your own copy, head here: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at
We Face The Path Of Time
📕 Right Thing, Right Now is out! To purchase your own copy, head here: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notic
The Hardest Book Ryan Holiday Has Written | Right Thing, Right Now
The tables have turned for today’s interview, as Ryan is joined by his research assistant, Billy Oppenheimer. Together they talk about the Stoic virtue of justice, ways it is commonly misinterpreted, and how the Stoics thought about justice while weaving in examples from life today. Billy Oppenheimer is Ryan Holiday’s research assistant and the writer behind the newsletter, Six at 6 on Sunday. To read more of his work, check out his website billyoppenheimer.com.📕 Right Thing, Right Now is out n
This Saved Ten Lives | Routines are Fragile... Try These 10 Stoic Practices Instead
🌍 To make a donation, go to GiveWell.org📕 Right Thing, Right Now is out now! To purchase your own copy, head here: https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://a
They’re Throwing This To You | Try The Other Handle
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How Marcus Aurelius Became Marcus Aurelius
🎙️Listen to Donald Robertson’s two-part interview on The Daily Stoic: Spotify & Apple Podcasts 📕 Pick up a copy of Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor and How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius by Donald Robertson at The Painted Porch: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/📕 Pre-order Right Thing, Right Now and get exclusive bonuses! To learn more and pre-order your own copy, visit dailystoic.com/justice✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up f
The Cost of Chasing Success | Chris Distefano
Chris Distefano is one of the funniest and most respected stand up comedians today. He joined Ryan at The Painted Porch to talk about their experiences with career achievements, success and self-acceptance, and the trade-offs between career opportunities and family time. Chris Distefano has released two comedy specials - Size 38 Waist (2019) and Speshy Weshy (2022). He’s also the host of two podcasts, Chrissy Chaos and Hey Babe Pod. Get tickets to see Chris live: chrisdcomedy.comYouTube, IG, and
Look Through The Window | Finding The Right Mentors
📕 Pre-order Right Thing, Right Now and get exclusive bonuses! To learn more and pre-order your own copy, visit dailystoic.com/justice📚 Pick up a copy of Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Dr. Becky Kennedy at The Painted Porch: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/🎙️ Listen to Dr. Becky Kennedy’s interview on The Daily Stoic✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired
It Says Everything About You | 97th Floor Q&A
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Lowercase stoicism Vs. Uppercase Stoicism | Angela Duckworth
In today’s episode, Angela Duckworth challenges Ryan on the Stoic dictum that “you cannot change your situation, but you can change your response to the situation”. Together, they talk about self-control, grit, Stoicism throughout history, and lowercase stoicism versus uppercase Stoicism. Angela Duckworth is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, psychologist, and author of the New York Times bestselling book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Pick up a signed copy of Grit: The
They Can’t Make You Like Them
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You’ve Got Another Think Coming | How To Get and Stay Motivated (With Stoicism)
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We All Carry A Debt (Will We Repay?) | Role Models
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The Seeds Of Virtue | Oikeiosis
📓 Read the original essay by Stephen Hanselman: The Seeds Of Virtue📕 Pre-order Right Thing, Right Now and get exclusive bonuses! To learn more and pre-order your own copy, visit dailystoic.com/justice✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouT
The Responsibility of Translating Marcus Aurelius | David Hernández de la Fuente
Today, Ryan is joined by David Hernández de la Fuente, the translator behind the Spanish edition of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Together, they talk about the responsibility of a translator, Seneca’s legacy as a Spanish Stoic, sharing Marcus’ work with new audiences, and the renaissance of Stoicism.David is a writer and professor of Greek philology at the University of Madrid. He brings a refreshingly positive perspective on Stoicism to the academic world, as he shares in the article: Stoicis
Justice As A Verb | We Have But One Obligation
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Do You Really Have Time For This? | GitHub Q&A
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The Self-Discipline of Running | Matt Choi
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How Will This Change You?
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Which Will You Be? | 10 Stoic Exercises To Get You Started
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What Are You Fighting For? | The View From Above
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At All Costs, Keep This | M Financial Group Talk
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The Art of Asking Questions for Deeper Connection | Topaz Adizes
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Do Your Best. Then Do This. | Making Your Own Good Fortune
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Let These Make You Better | Bastrop Library Q&A
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Bro-icism vs Stoicism | Donald Robertson PT 2
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If Only They Really Knew…
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What Does Your Calendar Say? | 12 (Stoic) Secrets For Doing Your Best
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Are You Responsible? | Practice True Joy
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Do Your Job | Right Thing Right Now Excerpt
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Balancing Power As An Emperor | Donald Robertson PT 1
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This Is How To Be Fearless | The Stoic Is A Work In Progress
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There’s A Reason People Like This Line | Ask DS
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Character Is Fate
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How The Greats Pursue Happiness | Jeffrey Rosen
📔 Grab a copy of Jeffrey's book The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America at The Painted Porch.📘 Pre-order a copy of Right Thing Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds. at dailystoic.com/justice.🎟 Order tickets to Ryan's tour dates in Australia at ryanholiday.net/australia.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signe
No One Gets Away With This | Stoic Secrets To Living In Accordance With Nature
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This Is What You Need To Get Better At | Count Your Blessings
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Steven Pressfield Painted Porch Book Tour
📚 Grab a copy of Steven Pressfield's books at The Painted Porch.Books mentioned in this episode:Pontius Pilot (Ann Wroe)Asylum (William Seabrook)Conundrum (Jan Morris)Gift from the Sea (Anne Morrow Lindbergh)The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant: The Complete Annotated Edition (Ulysses Grant)✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Ti
Optimizing Your Relationship With Money | Bill Perkins
📗 Check out Bill's book Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life at The Painted Porch.billperkins.comIG: @billperkinsX: @bp22📜 Sign up for The Wealthy Stoic: A Daily Stoic Guide To Being Rich, Free, And Happy at dailystoic.com/wealthy✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at h
Life Comes At You Fast (Pt III) | Don't Be Inspired, Be Inspirational
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The Most Important Thing | Ask DS
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Choose To Become Your Best | Paul Rabil PT2
📕 Grab a copy of The Way of the Champion: Pain, Persistence, and the Path Forward today!www.paulrabil.comX, IG, Youtube, TikTok: @PaulRabil🎧 Listen to Paul's interview with Ryan on his podcast Suiting Up: suitinguppodcast.com/episode/ryan-holiday-author-marketer-entrepreneur 📔 Pre-order a copy of Right Thing Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds. now at dailystoic.com/wealth✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/da
Little is Needed for the Happy Life
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You Can, But Should You? | 12 (Stoic) Remedies For Feeling Lonely Or Depressed
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This is Calling You | We Are A Product Of Our Habits
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How To Be Free | Epictetus
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Mastering High Performance | Paul Rabil PT1
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This Is a Very Important Decision | Show, Not Tell, What You Know
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This Is The Most Important Virtue | Ask DS
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You Can’t Escape This
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The Ordinary Brilliance Of President Harry S. Truman | David Roll
📚 Grab a copy of David Roll's Ascent to Power: How Truman Emerged from Roosevelt's Shadow and Remade the World and George Marshall: Defender of the Republic.X: @misterroll📔 Pre-order Right Thing Right Now: Good Values, Good Character. Good Deeds. at dailystoic.com/justice.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Priv
It’s A Practice | Taylor Swift Used Stoicism To Beat The Music Industry
📺 Watch the full clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yeg94Z1yW6I✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It Can Make You Better | Show, Don’t Tell
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How To Balance Ego With Striving | LinkedIn Talk
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Thinking Outside of Your Tradition | Arthur Brooks
📘 Grab a copy of Arthur's book Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier.📺 Listen to Arthur's last appearance on The Daily Stoic Podcast.IG: @arthurcbrooksX: @arthurbrooks📔 Pre-order your copy of Right Thing Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds. at dailystoic.com/justice.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more, including the Amor Fati Medall
These Are The Burdens Of Planet Earth | Things Happen In Training
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If You Had The World Enough and Time… | Ask DS
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Why Everything is F*cked | Mark Manson
🔉 Listen to Mark's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Podcast.📚 You can get signed copies of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Journal, and Everything is F*cked from The Painted Porch. 🎧 Check out Mark's recent interview with The Daily Stoic.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram,&nbs
This is How You Make Hard Situations Easier
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Why Do It Alone? | Marcus Aurelius Advice For Becoming Unstoppable
📜 Check out How To Read Marcus Aurelius' Meditations: A Daily Stoic Guide at dailystoic.com.📔 Get your copy of the Gregory Hays translation of Meditations at The Painted Porch.📺 Watch the full video on The Daily Stoic YouTube Channel.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privac
You Can't Get Even | The Freedom Of Contempt
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Amor Fati: Love Everything That Happens | Read By Ryan Holiday
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Self-Reliance and the Confidence in Trusting Your Inner Wisdom | Mark Matousek
Mark Matousek is a bestselling author, teacher, and speaker whose work focuses on personal awakening and creative excellence through transformational writing and self-inquiry. He brings over three decades of experience as a memoirist, editor, interviewer, survivor, activist, and spiritual seeker to his penetrating and thought provoking work with students. You can grab a signed copy of Lessons from an American Stoic: How Emerson Can Change Your Life from The Painted Porch. If you would like an un
What Do You Have To Show For It? | Our Sphere Of Impulses
🏫 Check out The Wealthy Stoic course at dailystoic.com/wealth.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This Is How To Capture The Magic | Ask Daily Stoic
🧾 Check out the How to Read Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations (A Daily Stoic Guide) at https://dailystoic.com/meditationscourse, and the Gregory Hays translation of Meditations from The Painted Porch.📙 Pre-order your copy of Right Thing Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds. at dailystoic.com/justice.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more, inclu
There’s a Difference Between Urge and Action
📔 Grab a copy of Dr. Becky Kennedy's Good Inside: A Guide To Becoming The Parent You Want To Be at the Painted Porch.☮ Check out dailystoic.com/anger to sign up for the Daily Stoic Tame Your Temper Challenge.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more, including the Amor Fati Medallion.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com
How To Do Good For People | Congressman Tim Ryan
Visit Wethepeople250.us to support and learn more about Tim's We The People project.X: @TimRyanRead Ryan's Statue of Responsibility Economist article here: www.economist.com/by-invitation/2021/08/16/ryan-holiday-on-americas-missing-statue-of-responsibility✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, 
This is How You Make Hard Situations Easier | The Stoic Guide To Freedom And Power (From Epictetus)
📔 Get your copy of Dr. Becky Kennedy's book Good Inside: A Guide To Becoming The Parent You Want To Be at the Painted Porch.📺 Watch the clip at www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jayzen3Oug ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and
If You Had The World Enough and Time… | The Stoic Guide To Freedom And Power (From Epictetus)
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How Many Are Left? | Impulse Control
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Tom Segura Tours The Painted Porch
Tom Segura goes on a book tour of The Painted Porch to find the titles he is most interested in.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Why You Should Run Towards Your Fear | Martha McSally PT2
Colonel (retired) Martha McSally was the 1st U.S. woman to command a fighter squadron in combat. She deployed 6 times to the Middle East and Afghanistan, flying 325 combat hours in the A-10 attack plane, earning the Bronze Star and 6 Air Medals. She later served as a U.S. Congresswoman and U.S. Senator representing AZ. She is an endurance athlete and survivor of assault. Her book "Dare to Fly: Simple Lessons in Never Giving Up" can be found on her website: www.marthamcsally.com. www.2024bestyear
Rage, Rage Against the Dying of the Light | Reject Tantalizing Gifts
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When You Wake Up Every Morning, Tell Yourself… | Ask Daily Stoic
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It Made Him Great
📚 Visit The Painted Porch to get your copy of Aesop's Fables, The Boy Who Would Be King, and The Girl Who Would Be Free.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Politics, Empowerment, And Never Giving Up |Senator Martha McSally PT 1
Martha Elizabeth McSally is an American politician and former military pilot who has represented Arizona in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. Martha served in the United States Air Force from 1988 to 2010, achieving the rank of colonel. She is also a marathon runner and survivor of assault. Her book, Dare to Fly: Simple Lessons in Never Giving Up, can be found on her website, marthamcsally.com.X: @MarthaMcSallyIG: @marthamcsally✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoi
This is Why We’re Afraid | How Tim Ferriss Deals With Champagne Problems (Using Stoicism)
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Don’t Be Replaced | Test Your Impressions
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Chasing Dreams And Risking It All In An Abandoned Ghost Town | Ghost Town Living Chapter 1
Brent Underwood is the owner of Cerro Gordo, an original boomtown silver mine, established in 1865. Brent currently lives on a mountain above Death Valley with no running water, seven cats, six goats, and at least one ghost.Get a limited edition, signed copy of Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley from The Painted Porch. Youtube: @GhostTownLivingIG: @BrentWUnderwood @cerro.gordo.caSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priva
How To Be A Supercommunicator | Charles Duhigg
Charles Duhigg is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Business School. He is a Pulitzer prize-winning reporter and the author of The Power of Habit, which spent over three years on New York Times bestseller lists. His second book, Smarter Faster Better, was also a New York Times bestseller. Get a signed copy of The Power of Habit, Smarter Faster Better, and his latest book, Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/search?type=prod
Life Is Predictably Unpredictable | Trust But Verify
Grab your signed copy of Brent Underwood's Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley at the Painted Porch today.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Knowledge | Ask Daily Stoic
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What Limits You?
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Solving The Epidemic of Mental Illness Caused By Social Media | Jonathan Haidt
Jonathan Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He obtained his PhD in social psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and taught at the University of Virginia for sixteen years. His research focuses on moral and political psychology, as described in his book The Righteous Mind. His latest book, The Anxious Generation, is a direct continuation of the themes explored in The Coddling of the American Mind.You can grab a si
The Anthem of (Y)our Dying Day + This Single Word Will Give You Back Your Life
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Listen Now: How I Built…Liquid Death
Have you ever wondered how some of the biggest companies were built? On the podcastHow I Built This, host Guy Raz talks to the founders behind the world’s biggest companies and brands to learn the real stories of how they built them. How I Built This with Guy Raz is a master-class on innovation, creativity, leadership and how to navigate challenges of all kinds.Follow How I Built This on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen toHow I Built
You Have To Major In Your Majors | What Can Go Wrong… Might
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The 9 Core Stoic Beliefs
Read the article written by Stephen Hanselman here: https://dailystoic.com/9-core-stoic-beliefs/✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Finding Purpose In An Abandoned Ghost Town | Brent Underwood
Ryan talks with American entrepreneur and ghost town miner Brent Underwood. They discuss identifying and following your path, the history of Cerro Gordo, Brent’s latest book Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley, and more. Brent Underwood is the owner of Cerro Gordo, an original boomtown silver mine, established in 1865. Brent currently lives on a mountain above Death Valley with no running water, seven cats, six goats, and at least one ghost.Get a
Don’t Worry What They Tell Themselves When You’re Away | There is Philosophy in Everything
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It’s Better Than A Grave And A Hearse | Ask Daily Stoic
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Finding Enough, Getting Sober, and Improving Your Life | Sam Parr PT 2
Ryan continues his conversation with entrepreneur and CEO Sam Parr. They discuss that “arriving is not real”, becoming aware of addictions and the discipline of staying sober, that there is no magical remedy to your existential problems, and more. Sam Parr is the founder of The Hustle, which is one of the fastest-growing media companies in the country, and Hustle Con - a one-day conference that teaches non-technical startup tactics. Sam recently co-founded Hampton which is a highly vetted membe
You're On Your Own, Kid
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How To Make Zero Progress | Jocko Willink Reads Ego Is The Enemy
Get a copy of Brent Underwood's new book from the Painted Porch Bookshop: Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-inf
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once | Say No To The Need to Impress
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How Emerson Can Change Your Life
On this episode of the Daily Stoic podcast, we're happy to bring you two excerpts from Lessons From An American Stoic: How Emerson Can Change Your Life by Mark Matousek. In this wise, illuminating book, award-winning author Mark Matousek reveals how Emerson's timeless wisdom can help us with the problems we're facing today. America's 'original Stoic' confronted many of the issues before us, from polarization to fake news, from crooked politicians and rampant materialism, to the scourge of racism
Balancing Purpose and Profit | Sam Parr PT 1
Sam Parr is the founder of The Hustle, which is one of the fastest-growing media companies in the country, and Hustle Con - a one-day conference that teaches non-technical startup tactics. Sam recently co-founded Hampton which is a highly vetted membership community for entrepreneurs, founders and CEOs. Alongside his companies, he is also a prolific podcaster, hosting "The Hustle Podcast" and co-hosts "My First Million".With his diverse skill set, extensive experience, and passion for e
Which Approach Will You Take? | The Sign Of True Education
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This Choice Can Change Everything | Ask Daily Stoic
Get a copy of Brent Underwood's new book from the Painted Porch Bookshop: Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-inf
How to be an Honorable Leader and Combat Imposter Syndrome | Admiral Bill McRaven
Ryan speaks with Admiral Bill McRaven about the nature of being a Stoic, imposter syndrome when being a leader, and how resilience is sometimes enduring injustice. They also discuss McRaven’s two books, The Wisdom of the Bullfrog: Leadership Made Simple and Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…and Maybe Even The World.Admiral Bill McRaven is a retired US Navy four-star admiral. He served 37 years as a Navy SEAL leading men and women at every level of the special operations comm
Solve The Problem First
Yeah, it’s frustrating. Yeah, it was preventable. Yeah, you told them it was preventable, you warned them what would happen. They didn’t listen and now here you are. Yeah, it’s gonna be costly. Yeah, you’re pissed.But you know what you should do? You should solve the problem first. You can put your emotions about it aside. You can worry about blame later. “You don’t have to turn this into something,” Marcus Aurelius wrote in Meditations. “It doesn’t have to upset you.” He also writes about how e
You Can’t Change What Happened, But… | 13 Ways A Stoic Challenges Themselves Every Day
With a business partner, some investors, and his life savings, Brent Underwood bought the abandoned mining turned ghost town, Cerro Gordo, in 2018.The plan was to bring the town back to life, to turn the 336 acres and 22 buildings into a historical destination. That plan largely revolved around the American Hotel, the literal and metaphorical center of town. But then on June 15, 2020, 149 years to the day it opened, the American Hotel caught fire and burned to the ground.“It was probabl
Do This While You Can | The Portable Retreat
It’s funny, over here at Daily Stoic, we do these challenges throughout the year (maybe you’ve joined one before). On the one hand, this name is probably bad marketing. People don’t usually get excited by the thought of being challenged. In fact, what they usually want is a secret or a shortcut or a hack. They want someone to solve the challenges for them. On the other hand, isn’t embracing life’s challenges what Stoicism is all about? So naturally, we couldn’t call the Daily Stoic Spring Forwar
It's Time To Get Clean | Kentucky Wildcats Basketball
On this weekend episode of the Daily Stoic podcast, Ryan talks with Kentucky Wildcats Men's Basketball Team in which he focuses on the timeless wisdom of the four cardinal virtues—wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance—Holiday adeptly tailored his message to the elite world of collegiate basketball.-----------------------------Today is that day many dread—the day the clocks spring forward. Yes, in the middle of the night, you lost an hour that you’ll never get back. An hour of sleep, an hour o
Seasonality and Understanding Pseudo-Productivity | Cal Newport PT 2
Ryan continues his conversation with computer science professor and bestselling author, Cal Newport. They discuss how to be indispensable in your personal and professional life, the myth of busyness, Cal’s latest book Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout, and more. Cal Newport is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University. His scholarship focuses on the theory of distributed systems, while his general-audience writing explores i
Every Day Is A Chance For This | The Present Is All We Possess
That was the purpose behind Stoicism, behind the journaling, and the reading, and studying of this philosophy, behind the Daily Stoic Spring Forward Challenge (which starts on Tuesday, the first day of spring)—to use each day as an opportunity to improve yourself action by action, step by step. This might not seem like much, as Zeno said, but it adds up to no small thing.Every one of us wants to improve, wants to be better, wants to have better habits, live better, think better. But most of us w
Don’t Rush Through This | Ask DS
Seneca makes the point, however, that what we are really rushing towards—with all deliberate speed—is death. That’s what he means when he says that we get death wrong. Death is not some distant thing in the future, not some one-time thing that looms ahead. Instead, death is something happening to you right now. It’s happening as you read this email (hope it’s been worth it!), it’s happening as you struggle to put your daughter’s shoes on so you can drop her off at school and then it’s happening
You Gotta Be Able To Do This
Marcus Aurelius was, of course, an incredible man. He endured more than most people. He had more power than most people—and wore it more lightly. He did more work on himself than most people, understood people, and himself, better than most people.Was he perfect though? Of course not. No one is.In Lonesome Dove, the Texas Ranger Captain Woodrow Call seems almost superhuman, especially to the young cowboy Newt. Newt worships the ground the man walks on, believing he isn’t like the rest of them. A
Slow Productivity and Anticipating Consequences | Cal Newport PT 1
In the first half of this two-part conversation, Ryan talks with computer science professor and bestselling author, Cal Newport. They discuss the facade of hustle culture, understanding what really moves the needle in your process, Cal’s latest book Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout, and more. Cal Newport is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University. His scholarship focuses on the theory of distributed systems, while hi
You Don't Want To See This | The Stoic Guide To Freedom And Power (From Epictetus)
That obnoxious person. That contractor who ripped you off. That slow driver. That overly enthusiastic exercise instructor. That brusk receptionist. That clingy parent. That friend holding a grudge. That loud neighbor.They’re not exactly your favorite. They don’t exactly make your life easier. But you know what you need to remember? You need to remember that they are just doing their jobs. “Is a world without shameless people possible?” Marcus Aurelius asks in Meditations. No, it isn’t, he remind
Everybody Is Doing Their Job | Think About It From The Other Person's Perspective
That obnoxious person. That contractor who ripped you off. That slow driver. That overly enthusiastic exercise instructor. That brusk receptionist. That clingy parent. That friend holding a grudge. That loud neighbor.They’re not exactly your favorite. They don’t exactly make your life easier. But you know what you need to remember? You need to remember that they are just doing their jobs. “Is a world without shameless people possible?” Marcus Aurelius asks in Meditations. No, it isn’t, he remind
Are You Spending This Wisely? | Lives Of The Stoics ( Antipater the Ethicist )
Today is that day many dread—the day the clocks spring forward. Yes, in the middle of the night, you lost an hour that you’ll never get back. An hour of sleep, an hour of leisure, an hour to spend with your kids. You mourn that loss of time, wondering all the ways you could’ve spent it otherwise.He is the pupil and successor of Dioghenes ho Babylonios (Diogenes of Babylon or of Seleucia) as head of the Stoic school. Antipater is also the teacher of Panaitios ho Rodos (Panaetius of
Changing the World with Civility and the Core of Stoicism | Alexandra Hudson
Ryan speaks with author Alexandra Hudson about how to navigate pragmatic situations through civility, unbundling the mental framework of people, her new book The Soul of Civility, and more. Alexandra is a writer, speaker, and the founder of Civic Renaissance, a publication and intellectual community dedicated to beauty, goodness and truth. She was named the 2020 Novak Journalism Fellow, and contributes to Fox News, CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, TIME Magazine, POLITICO Magazine, a
Everybody Wants To Rule The World | Don't Unintentionally Hand Over Your Freedom
For as long as there have been groups of people, people have wanted to be in charge of those people. For as long as there have been armies, people have tried to use them to conquer, to rule, to accumulate empires.Was it worth it? Did they enjoy it? Did it mean anything? Few, if any of them, ever bothered to honestly answer that question. This is what makes Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations such a remarkable and unprecedented text. Here you have the most powerful man in the world, head of the most pow
You Aren’t Killing Time. Time Is Killing You | Ryan Holiday Answers On Ego And Mentorship
Seneca reminded himself that death is not this thing in the future, but something that is happening now. It is always happening. It is the ticking hand of the clock. It is the spring flowers. It is the fall harvest. It is the summer rains. It is the first snow of the year.This idea is a reminder that each moment is precious. It tells us to wake up and really live, not just watch time go by. To embrace the longer days and make the most of it. If that sounds like something you’re up for,
Why Reflection is a Super Power | Lt Colonel Mike Erwin
Ryan Holiday is joined by Lt Colonel Mike Erwin. Together they discuss the central practice of journaling and reflection, how wisdom and discipline is a form of freedom, and although emotions make us human, it is critical for us to control them. They also discuss his two books Lead Yourself: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude and Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in the Digital World.Lt Colonel Mike Erwin is a West Point graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree
Can You See This In It?
Seneca was exiled to what he felt was a rock in the middle of the ocean. He hated it. He thought it was torture. And of course, it was unfair that he was sent there—on trumped up charges no less—and it would have been lonely and sad to be so far from his family.Yet it is a little funny that the place he was sent to, Corsica, is a beautiful vacation spot for people all over the world today.Seneca couldn’t see that, just as perhaps you can’t see what’s just underneath the rough exterior o
Do Not Miss This Reminder | This Single Word Will Give You Back Your Life
Spring is the most beautiful of the seasons. Suddenly, after a dreary winter, the colors come back. The birds are out. The days last longer. The breeze is light and the air is cool.But as Phillip Larkin’s bittersweet poem reminds us, beneath this turning of the seasons is a kind of darkness.The trees are coming into leafLike something almost being said;The recent buds relax and spread,Their greenness is a kind of griefThe inherent grief is the passage of time. Each season brings new lif
No One is Self-Made | What Expensive Things Cost
Marcus Aurelius opens Meditations reflecting upon what he has learned from various influential individuals in his life. It’s titled “Debts and Lessons,” and the 17 entries spanning nine pages and more than 2,000 words make up nearly 10% of the entire book! Marcus writes with the humility of someone in the final act of their life taking stock of how lucky they are to be where they are.It’s beautiful. And it totally dispenses with the notion of the "self-made man," the idea that someone got somewh
How To Remain Calm | 9 Tips From The Stoics
In today's weekend episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan reminds us How To Remain Calm When The Rest Of The World Is Freaking Out: 9 Tips From The Stoics by the way of voice actor Michael Reid. The article delves into specific Stoic practices, such as mindfulness, self-reflection, and the deliberate contemplation of worst-case scenarios, to empower individuals to confront challenges with equanimity. Additionally, it highlights the importance of maintaining perspective, recognizing the imperma
Robert Greene and Ryan Holiday on Ego and Power | LIVE in LA
This discussion between Ryan Holiday and Robert Greene took place in September of 2023 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Ryan and Robert talk about a range of topics from artificial intelligence, the perils of ego, success and failure, the power of self control, and key Stoic reminders like Memento Mori and Amor Fati.If you want to be a part of a talk similar to this, Ryan Holiday is going on tour to Australia in July. Ryan Holiday Live in Australia will be in Sydney and
Are You Too Much Of A Coward? | Where Philosophy Begins
It’s good that you’re tough. It’s good that you’re a fighter—maybe even trained in wrestling, as so many of the Stoics were. It’s good that you’re a risk taker, that you’ve put yourself out there, pushed through fear and doubt to do what others were afraid to do.But it’s important you don’t forget that there is more to the virtue of courage than just this. There’s a great song that talks about “being too much a coward to admit when you’re in need.” Marcus Aurelius makes a similar note to himself
Whatever You Call It, Steer Clear | Ask DS
Marcus Aurelius called it a few different things. His translators varied even more in their interpretations. Gregory Hays used the word “imperialization.” Robin Waterfield called it “becoming Caesarified” and “dyed in purple.” Pierre Hadot has it, “becoming Caesarized.” George Long translates it, “Take care that thou art not made into a Caesar, that thou art not dyed with this dye.” In The Daily Stoic, we have Marcus express his worry of being “stained purple.”Ok, but what is he actually talking
You Can Always Possess This
This tradition of warrior Stoics continued up through and past Admiral Stockdale, who would test Epictetus’s doctrines in the prison camps of Vietnam (his book Courage Under Fire is a must read for any modern Stoic).Zeno, the founder of Stoicism, all but predicted this would be the fate of the Stoics. “If you lay violent hands on me,” he said in 3rd century Greece, “you’ll have my body, but my mind will remain with Stilpo.” Stilpo was a Greek philosopher, meaning that you could torture Zeno, you
Why Humans are Wired for Status, Not Happiness | Morgan Housel PT 2
Ryan continues his conversation with Morgan Housel, they discuss the power of storytelling, how humans are wired for status and not happiness, his latest book Same As Ever, and more. Morgan Housel is the New York Times Bestselling author of The Psychology of Money and Same As Ever. His books have sold over 4.5 million copies and have been translated into more than 50 languages. He is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, and wi
It’s Producing Something Good | 20 Inspiring Moments Of Stoicism
The regular person in us is frustrated by all this. But the Stoic in us knows that this is leading us, teaching us, shaping us. Seneca said that misfortune toughens us up, forges us the way that fire tests gold. Epictetus said that life pairs us with these sparring partners for a reason—to turn us into Olympic-class material. And the Book of Romans says that “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”The hope is really our sense of our capacity.
Stop Expecting This | Cultivate Indifference
At this point, you should have a pretty good understanding of human nature. That’s why we read history after all (and if you don’t, we suggest this reading challenge). You’ve met people—you’ve seen what they do. People lie. People take the easy way out. People chase the wrong things.Not always, not all people, but most people, most of the time.Yet here you are, perpetually shocked and disappointed. Perpetually upset and resentful.Cato, it was said by Cicero, seemed to forget that he did
The Curse Of Success | Morgan Housel PT 1
Ryan speaks with author Morgan Housel in the first of a two-part conversation to discuss his near death experience as a teenager, the ephemeral and potentially toxic nature of success, his latest book Same As Ever, and more. Morgan Housel is the New York Times Bestselling author of The Psychology of Money and Same As Ever. His books have sold over 4.5 million copies and have been translated into more than 50 languages. He is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of Ame
You Don’t Get a Choice | Circumstances Have No care For Our Feelings
Certainly, Marcus Aurelius would have related to the sentiment. Floods. Plagues. Wars. A troubled son. Personal health issues. “Haven’t I given enough?” we had him say in a recent Daily Stoic video. But the thing is, life doesn’t care. It has no time for your questions. It pays no mind to your limits.“I don’t think I’m up for this,” the novelist John Gregory Dunne said to his wife as they left the hospital after rushing to check on their daughter who had just been admitted. He was down about his
When The World Got Still | Ask DS
It was anxiety inducing and scary, but there was also a stillness in it. Because you were forced, against your will, to truly practice Stoicism. Not just in the sense that you had to persist and act despite that fear—because people and things were counting on you—but also because it was so clear what was in your control and what wasn’t. You came face to face with undeniable reality, overwhelming events and all you could do is focus on your response. You had to practice what Epictetus called ‘the
Remind Yourself Of This
It doesn’t always feel like it. Not when you’re regularly screwing up. Not when you keep losing your temper, not when you’re not as patient as you should be with people. Not when you keep doing selfish things. Not when you’re still dealing with scripts from your childhood. Not when you hear the things your ex says about you. Not when you compare yourself against the greatness of the people you admire—be it a mentor or some historical figure, a Cato or a Marcus Aurelius.But it’s true.You are good
Why Stoicism is Having a Modern Resurgence | Mick Mulroy (PT 2)
Ryan speaks with Mick Mulroy in the first of a two-part conversation about the simplicity of Stoicism but the difficulties people have in practicing the philosophy. They also discuss Marcus Aurelius’ character and the traits we seek for in modern leaders, and more. Mick Mulroy is the Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, Middle East Institute senior fellow, retired CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer and U.S Marine. After leaving the Pentagon, he co-founded the Lobo I
You Ain’t Got Time | 10 Habits That Made Marcus Aurelius Great
People are out of their minds and always have been. You get the sense in Seneca’s writings that Rome drove him crazy. You see the same in Epictetus’ writings, perhaps more so. Both men looked at what was happening in Nero’s court and were baffled. People were currying favor with Nero’s cobbler to try to get ahead in the world. People were bankrupting themselves to impress people they didn’t even like. And things were no different by Marcus Aurelius’ time, that’s for sure.But for as long as there
We Can Find The Gift In It | Reduce Wants, Increase Happiness
We wrote an email over at Daily Dad (please subscribe if you haven’t!) recently which notes Robert F. Kennedy’s troubled childhood in the troubled Kennedy household. His family mourned the loss of his older brother. They put their hopes in his brother John. They fretted about his sister. His father thought that Bobby had little potential, that he wasn’t everything a young Kennedy should be, so the boy, as one Kennedy aide observed, was “overlooked.”That was unfair. It must have been pai
Courage Is Power | Ryan Holiday Speaks To The US Naval Academy
In April of 2022 Ryan Holiday traveled to Annapolis, Maryland to speak to the US Naval Academy about courage.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🎓 FREE GUIDE to Stoic philosophy: https://dailystoic.com/freeguide🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California P
Preparation Makes You Brave
On today’s weekend episode of the Daily Stoic podcast, Ryan reads a chapter from his book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave. This Excerpt comes from one of Ryans favorite chapters Preparation Makes You Brave. Its about practice, its about training, its about doing the thing over and over again.Grab a signed copy of Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired pr
Mick Mulroy on the Beauty of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations and the Collective Need For Philosophy
Ryan speaks with Mick Mulroy in the first of a two-part conversation about the simplicity of Stoicism but the difficulties people have in practicing the philosophy. They also discuss Marcus Aurelius’ character and the traits we seek for in modern leaders, and more. Mick Mulroy is the Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, Middle East Institute senior fellow, retired CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer and U.S Marine. After leaving the Pentagon, he co-foun
They Felt This Weight | Don't Make Things Harder Than They Need To Be
It’s easy for academics and critics to dismiss the Stoics as depressing or dark. They’re not wrong, exactly, because it’s true: There are some dark and depressing passages in Meditations. Seneca is not always cheerful. Both writers seem to dwell on death, they paint life as something that can be painful and tragic, they speak of Fortune as something not to be trusted—that the ground beneath your feet can shift in a moment, shattering everything around you.But what’s unfair about this cr
Do This. It’s Enough. | Ask Ds
As John Adams (detailed in David McCullough’s amazing biography) wrote in his own old age, “You are not singular in your suspicions that you know but little. The longer I live, the more I read, the more patiently I think, and the more anxiously inquire, the less I seem to know…” Yet, Adams, like Marcus, still found himself returning to a set of ageless, universal principles. They found themselves boiling things down to their essence, into real and practical ‘epithets for the self’ as Ma
Colin Elliott On The Art Of Navigating Lessons From History To The Modern World
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with economic and social historian Colin Elliott. They delve into the complexities surrounding the societal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing parallels with the ancient Antonine Plague. Elliott criticizes the lockdown measures and emphasizes the need for a nuanced and science-oriented approach. He highlights the decentralized nature of society and the diverse capacities within it, including healthcare, communities, and various insti
Get Narrow Before Life Does
It’s interesting that these three great Stoics spent their final moments not as lone wolves but as friends, as fathers, as people who loved their fellow human beings. On a recent episode of The Daily Stoic Podcast (a great 2-hour episode you can watch on YouTube, by the way), the comedian Christina Pazsitzky told a story of an experience that led to a related insight:“I broke my ankle two years ago. The truth is, they gave me a shit ton of ketamine. I was tripping, and I thought I was d
Don’t Let It Change You | How To Actually Be Happier In 2024 (According to the Stoics)
So eventually a group of corrupt Romans contrived to have Cato assigned to a posting in Cyprus, a veritable hotbed of misdeeds and sin. It was a place where politicians got rich, where they had fun, where they lived the colonial high life. “You will come back from there a far more agreeable man and more tame,” one of them predicted to Cato. They weren’t trying to bribe him, they just wanted to expose him to how things were supposed to be done. They wanted him to get a taste.This was wha
You Are An Artist (Whether You Know It Or Not) | Watch Over Your Perceptions
Maybe you don’t see yourself as an artist, just like Socrates didn’t see himself as an athlete, but maybe you are. According to Mikel Jollett, the founder of the band The Airborne Toxic Event and the author of a fascinating and haunting memoir about his troubled childhood, we have to “take our pain and make it useful. That’s what it means to be an artist.” His own art came from growing up in a cult his mother had joined, then living with her series of messed up husbands, struggling with addictio
How To Plan Your Day Like Marcus Aurelius
In today's weekend episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan reminds us How To Plan Your Day Like Marcus Aurelius by the way of voice actor Michael Reid. Two millennia ago, the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius penned his personal reflections in a journal titled "To Himself," not anticipating its widespread publication. Known as the last of the "Five Good Emperors of Rome," Marcus' enduring legacy lies in the honesty of his words. Today, amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis and risin
Author Evelyn McDonnell On Joan Didion’s Life and Legacy (Pt 2)
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan continues his conversation with writer, academic and associate professor of journalism, Evelyn McDonnell. Together they discuss the obstacles and how to get through them, the illusion of stability, how staying calm can be contagious, and her book The World According to Joan Didion.Evelyn McDonnell, professor of journalism in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, has been appointed the inaugural faculty director of Media Arts & A Just Society
You Don’t Want To Rule The World | You Don't Have To Have An Opinion
We talked about this recently, but ruling the world is not great. The evidence bears this out. In Lives of the Stoics, we tell the story of a haunting meeting between Posidonius and Marius, when Marius, during his seventh consulship of Rome, was on his deathbed. Marius was powerful but pathetic, his success having destroyed his soul, stripping him of happiness and the possibility of peace. Marcus Aurelius would have known this story. In Meditations he takes pains to remind himself that the cost
Either Way, This Is Not The Answer | Ask DS
Then there is the stuff that does harm the community—a corrupt politician who tries to overthrow the rule of law, discrimination, violence, pollution. This stuff happens, it’s the definition of injustice. But again, anger is not the right response. Not because these things aren’t upsetting, but because they are bad remedies to the problem.When the community is at risk, with justice at stake, we need our wits about us. It’s here that we need to be most controlled, most in command of all
This is Why You Can’t Try To Avoid Criticism
Nobody wants to be criticized. It doesn’t feel good when people judge what you’ve done. We want the right people to like us, we want all people to like us. We want to be accepted, appreciated, celebrated. So we try to be like other people, like the people that everyone likes.Imagine if he had tried instead to conform to their expectations, to fit more clearly in the box they wanted him to be. Imagine if he’d tried to win the mob’s favor or the respect of future generations by conquest o
Author Evelyn McDonnell On Joan Didion’s Life and Legacy (Pt 1)
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with writer, academic and associate professor of journalism, Evelyn McDonnell. Together they discuss the resurgence of psychedelics, how will you deal with tomorrow, the job of the artist, and her book The World According to Joan Didion.Evelyn McDonnell, professor of journalism in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, has been appointed the inaugural faculty director of Media Arts & A Just Society (MAJS), effective Ja
You Can Have This Joy | The Stoic Art Of Stillness (12 Keys)
Look, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and if in their opinion, that’s what Stoicism is in their view—God bless them. But the facts just don’t support it. There was literally a Stoic (Chrysippus) who laughed so hard he died, ok? What more do you need to know? Sure, Marcus Aurelius opens Meditations with some observations about how annoying and obnoxious people can be, but his personal letters to Fronto are filled with affection and wit—he even tells of a prank he pulled. Every
Try Not To Be So Slow | Suspend Your Opinions
In the early years, there was an excuse. Nero was just a teenager when Seneca started tutoring him. The boy was timid and coddled. He had experienced tragedy and his childhood had been strange. Besides, for Seneca, the alternative to taking the job was going back to his unfair and lonely exile in the middle of the ocean.But the viability of Seneca’s excuse fell apart pretty quickly. The famous Barrón González, Eduardo statue captures how disinterested Nero was in learning from Seneca. N
An Empire Exhausted
In today's weekend episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan pulls an excerpt from Colin Elliott's latest book, POX ROMANA: THE PLAGUE THAT SHOOK THE ROMAN WORLD. Learn how the Antonine Plague exposed the crumbling foundations of a doomed empire. Arguing that the disease was both cause and effect of Rome’s fall, Elliott describes the plague’s “preexisting conditions” (Rome’s multiple economic, social, and environmental susceptibilities); recounts the history of the outbreak itself through the exp
Dr. Michael Gervais On The Extension Of Stoicism In Modern Times (Pt 2)
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan continues his conversation with one of the world's top high-performance psychologists and leading experts on the relationship between the mind and human performance, Dr. Michael Gervais. Together they talk about living in the present moment, Austin Kleon's “people would rather be the noun than do the verb”, and the tension of virtue in Stoic texts. Dr. Michael Gervais has spent his career being called on by the best of the best across the worlds o
This Is Why You Shouldn’t Be Jealous | A Proper Frame Of Mind
Imagine the jealousy that they must have felt. Hadrian was gifting the purple—the job of the emperor—to a teenager he wasn’t even related to. In 138 AD, his succession plan involved adopting Antoninus Pius who in turn was to adopt young Marcus Aurelius so that he would one day become the most powerful man in the world.How many Romans hated Marcus for this? How many distant relatives of Hadrian thought themselves more qualified, more entitled to it? And how many people disliked Marcus th
Until You Get There, Try This | Ask DS
Maybe towards the end, it’s possible to get to that level. Maybe after a lifetime of study and practice, a Stoic can come to not just understand but to live up to the insight that Marcus Aurelius writes about in *Meditations—*that things aren’t asking to be judged by us, that we always ‘have the power to have no opinion.’ Maybe Marcus Aurelius got there himself.If so, good for him.But most likely he didn’t. And most likely, you’re nowhere close either.In the meantime, why don’t you at l
Dr. Michael Gervais on Not Caring What People Think and the Future of Stoicism (Pt 1)
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan is joined by Dr. Michael Gervais, one of the world’s top high-performance psychologists and leading experts on the relationship between the mind and human performance. Together they discuss FOPO (fear of other people's opinions), the reality of imposter syndrome, and Dr. Gervais' book, The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying What Other People Think of You. Dr. Michael Gervais has spent his career being called on by the bes
Surrender But Don’t Give Yourself Away
The fact of life is that we’re going to get tossed around by forces outside our control. Never forget fortunes’ habit of behaving exactly as she pleases, Seneca reminds us, never forget that adversity is inevitability. There would be war, he said, and torture and shipwrecks and exile, along with a lot less dramatic stuff: traffic jams, divorces, food poisoning, annoying neighbors, bad weather, pets that run away.The only option according to the Stoics was to submit. No amount of wishing otherwis
Follow Your Arrow | 7 Stoic Keys To Being A Great Leader (Ryan Holiday Speaks To The U.S. Military)
They were different. Some of them were downright weird. Cleanthes made quite a spectacle of himself in Athens, a philosopher who did manual labor for a living. Cato walked around bareheaded and barefooted, violating most of the social and class norms of his time. Marcus Aurelius was seen reading books at the Coliseum, indifferent to the popular past times that got everyone else excited.Agrippinus, one middle Stoic who lived in the time of Nero, cared nothing for the niceties and obeisance expect
Everything Is A Kind Of Dying | A Little Better Every Day
Marcus Aurelius knew this, but he didn’t let it get him down. In fact, he found some reassurance in it. “When we cease from activity, or follow a thought to its conclusion,” he observed, “it is a kind of death.” But this doesn’t harm us, he pointed out. In fact, we look forward to many of these cessations and conclusions. “Think about your life,” he said, “childhood, boyhood, youth, old age. Every transformation a kind of dying. Was that so terrible?”--In today's Daily Stoic Journal reading, Rya
How To Be A Leader | Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers
As one of history’s most important biographers and essayists, Plutarch studied deeply the traits of great Greek and Roman leaders to identify just what it is that made them great. In today’s audiobook reading, Ryan shares an excerpt from How to Be a Leader: An Ancient Guide to Wise Leadership, in which Plutarch clearly and succinctly lays out his thoughts on the subject, as well as his advice to anyone striving to become a leader. This book is part of the fantastic Princeton Univer
Adam Nicolson On The Rule Of Philosophy & Greek Mythology
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with English author Adam Nicolson on greek mythology, real meaning of the oceans, travel, the grand question about philosophy, that what really matters more? to understand the higher things above you, or the material actualities, along with his new book How To Be: Life Lessons from the Early Greeks Adam is an English author who has written about history, landscape, great literature and the sea. He is noted for his books Sea Room, God’s Secre
You Have To Look This Way | Focus On The Present Moment
In the muck and mire of daily life, it’s easy to get frustrated with people. It’s easy to prioritize the wrong things, to lose perspective. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment or forget the actual magnitude of your problems.Which is why the Stoics remind us to zoom out. At least twice in Meditations, Marcus Aurelius speaks of taking “Plato’s view” and by that he means getting up high and looking down on humanity. “To see them from above,” he writes, “the thousands of animal herds, the ritua
If You Want To Be Happy Do This | Ask Ds
The Stoics talk about a lot of things. But they don’t speak that much about happiness. Is that because they were too tough or too resigned to their bleak view of life to care about it? Did they mean to imply that there isn’t room for happiness for the Stoic? That it wasn’t possible?Not at all. They talked about other things—virtue, resilience, self-command, managing the passions—because they believed when you handled that, happiness would ensue. As Dr. Becky Kennedy writes in her wonderful book
Keep Your Head Out Of The Clouds
The image of the philosopher is typically that of an academic, one preoccupied with big, theoretical ideas. You know, the kind of brilliant but absent minded professor. The one so hard at work on the mysteries of the universe…that they put on mismatching socks. The one that can’t remember where they put their car keys, the one who doesn’t have time for the pesky issues of life or human affairs because they’re on the verge of some breakthrough.But what’s so refreshing and relatable about the Stoi
Tim Ferriss On Generosity And Dealing With Difficult People (Pt 2)
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with author and early-stage technology investor/advisor Tim Ferriss on the essence of Stoicism, fear setting, and exaggerating the downside of things. How stoicism helped Tim manage the catastrophe of success and criticism and his podcast Tim Ferriss Show, which is the first business/interview podcast to exceed 100 million downloads. It has now exceeded 900 million downloads.Tim Ferriss has been listed as one of Fast Company’s “Most
Somebody Lit From Within | 10 Stoic Habits To Practice In 2024
Agrippinus once told another philosopher that while everyone else wanted to blend in, he was content to stand out—to ‘be the red thread’ in the sweater, the one that makes the garment beautiful. It wasn’t attention and fame he was after, nor was he rewarded for standing out in this way. In the end, Agrippinus was exiled (his father was executed for similar crimes). Cato could have made a fortune in politics, if he was after the same things his peers were after. He could have wielded enormous pow
You Have To Be Able To Deal With This | A Little Better Every Day
Emotions are a part of being human. They’re a part of us. They’re hardwired in. So it’s a mistake to think that Stoicism is about the suppression or elimination of this—how would that be part of “living in accordance with nature?”In her wonderful book about parenting, Good Inside, Dr. Becky Kennedy reminds parents that it’s impossible to simply remove your children’s uncomfortable feelings. You can’t—just as your parents couldn’t—tell them to stuff them down. You can’t gaslight them into thinkin
5 Ways That Ego Holds Us Back And Unlocking Human Potential
In today's weekend episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks Unlocking Human Potential, and Conquering your ego with YPO West Michigan and YPO Gold Chapter in West Michigan. YPO is the global leadership community of extraordinary chief executives. ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTub
Tim Ferriss on Making Better Decisions and Solving Problems (Pt 1)
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with author and early-stage technology investor/advisor Tim Ferriss on the essence of Stoicism, fear setting, and exaggerating the downside of things. How stoicism helped Tim manage the catastrophe of success and criticism and his podcast Tim Ferriss Show, which is the first business/interview podcast to exceed 100 million downloads. It has now exceeded 900 million downloads.Tim Ferriss has been listed as one of Fast Company’s “Most
It’s Cheap To Be Dead | Wherever You Go, There Your Choice Is
When you consider the insane amounts of money that some people feel the need to accumulate, when you see their estates, when you see them pinch every penny, what they’ll do for a dollar, when you reckon with the costs—to family and friends—it took to earn all this, you might assume they get to take it all with them when they die.Of course, we don’t. The Roman poet Juvenal joked that while Alexander was living, the whole world could not contain him, but in death, a coffin was sufficient.
Regulation First, Happiness Second | Ask DS
We talked recently about a piece of advice from the therapist and children expert Dr. Becky Kennedy (she has a great book called Good Inside and was an awesome recent guest on the Daily Stoic podcast). She was saying that the key to raising happy children is to focus on emotional regulation first. By helping them name and manage their emotions, she explains, we are creating room for happiness. “Regulation first,” she writes, “happiness second.”-And In today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan talks
You’re Always Where You Leave Yourself
It feels like it will make a difference, that long awaited trip. That exciting new job that will keep you very busy, make you very rich. That pioneering new plant medicine. That distracting pleasure.“Thus does each man flee himself,” Seneca says, quoting Lucretius, in his criticism of those Romans who sought out every opportunity to indulge their wanderlust. We like to think we can get away from our problems, that it will be different there, that a change of scenery will change us.✉️&nb
Chip Conley on Finding Contentment and Embracing Our Achievements
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with successful hospitality entrepreneur and bestselling author Chip Conley on boutique hotels and stimulating the 5 senses, the importance of reflection, understanding what the ego is telling you but not identifying with it, the most powerful idea from the Stoics, along with his New York Times bestselling book Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age.Chip Conley is on a mission to reframe our relationship
Which Way To Forgiveness? | Stoic Advice For Living Longer And Happier
It’s a story as old as it gets. Marcus Aurelius felt it when Cassius attempted his coup. Maybe he felt it with his step brother Lucius Verus. Epictetus, waking up to find his house broken into, his shrine desecrated. Imagine the feeling of Rutilius Rufus, learning that he’d been found guilty of trumped up charges by his peers back in Rome (this story in in Lives of the Stoics).Marcus Aurelius would say that the best revenge for these kinds of things was to not be like that, to not be li
You Can Do Better Now | The Wake Up
The business failure. The blown meeting. The marriage that fell apart. These things didn’t go the way you wanted. It’s frustrating and painful. It’s hard to see anything good about it.Surely, that’s what Hemingway felt when, as we talked about recently, his entire literary output was lost in one unfortunate incident. Don’t tell me this is ‘good,’ he wrote to Ezra Pound. “I ain’t yet reached that mood.” We can imagine, in fact we know Marcus Aurelius felt similarly about devastating moments in hi
The Obstacle Is The Way | The Discipline of Perception
The Obstacle Is the Way has become a cult classic, beloved by men and women around the world who apply its wisdom to become more successful at whatever they do. In this episode of the podcast, Ryan reminds us to revert to the present moment by focusing on what we can control. This is how we see the opportunity within the obstacle and that results from self discipline and logic.Get The Obstacle Is The Way from The Painted Porch BookstoreGet a signed copy of the special leatherbound editi
Kermit Roosevelt III on Theodore Roosevelt And Cultural Movements (PT 2)
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with American author, lawyer, and legal scholar Kermit Roosevelt III on Honoring and doing what is right, Why peoples values and sense of honor are collapsing, How many people know who Marcus Aurelius is because of Gladiator, and his book The Nation That Never Was.Kermit is an American author, lawyer, and legal scholar. He is a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a great-great-grandson of United States President Theodore R
You Must Practice This | The One Path To Serenity
It’s just not true. The Stoics were not magically stronger, wiser, more mentally tough than you. In fact, they were exactly the same as you. They felt fear. They felt frustration. They felt annoyance. They had expectations. They had desires.And when things didn’t work out for them? They got upset. But it’s what happened next that separates them from us. The one habit that Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca—a slave, an emperor, a power broker and playwright, respectively—had in common?-In tod
What Part Will You Play? | Ask DS
Even the people who obstruct us, who fight against progress are playing a role. Certainly every historical period has had those people, so why should our moment be any different? That’s the role the play of life picked out for them, that’s who their character happens to be.When we understand that everyone is playing a part, that we’re all involved in the same big, messy project that is the world, we can be more understanding. We can be more patient. At the very least, we can be more tolerant and
Do This To Get That
In a sense, this is also the secret to happiness. No one can give us step-by-step instructions for achieving happiness—not even the Stoics. But they did teach us how to be resilient, how to think, how to manage frustration, how to do hard things, how to endure, how to laugh, how to focus on process vs outcomes, to try to be useful, to be empathetic, how to love. It’s with these tools—with the ability to adapt to circumstances, to find the opportunity in obstacles big and small—that we’re able to
Kermit Roosevelt III on Theodore Roosevelt and the Collapse of Honor (PT 1)
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with American author, lawyer, and legal scholar Kermit Roosevelt III on Honoring and doing what is right, Why peoples values and sense of honor are collapsing, How many people know who Marcus Aurelius is because of Gladiator, and his book The Nation That Never Was.Kermit is an American author, lawyer, and legal scholar. He is a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a great-great-grandson of United States President Theodore R
You Can’t Make Them Appreciate It |The Most Important Thing You Can Do Every Day
You do a lot. You try hard. You hold yourself to high standards—higher anyway, than most people. You’re not exactly a reincarnation of Cato but still, you’re doing great.But do people appreciate this?Not really. Not nearly enough.But as we’ve said before, appreciation and recognition is not a thing we control. It’s not something that’s up to us. The line from that play about Cato, the one the Founders were so fond of, reminds us that we can’t demand a good reputation but we can deserve one. So i
It’s a Beautiful Tradition
Some time around the year 141 CE, Junius Rusticus gave Marcus Aurelius a gift. “The remembrances of Epictetus,” as Marcus would refer most gratefully to the book Rusticus gave him, “which he supplied me with out of his own library.”How well-worn this copy must have become! As Marcus would say, Rusticus had taught him to never be satisfied with just “getting the gist” of things he read, but encouraged him to read deeply, repeatedly, and forcefully. Considering how many times Marcus quotes Epictet
Christina Pazsitzky, Tom Segura, Whitney Cummings, Drew Michael, Pete Holmes, and Katherine Blanford on Comedy and Philosophy
Today’s episode features clips from some of the best interviews throughout 2023. This year, we had a handful of great comedians come onto the podcast and I got the pleasure of having them in the Daily Stoic Podcast studio where we talk about ego, discipline, procrastination, memento mori, and of course why some of the funniest jokes come from a dark place. Here's a recap of some of our best topics with Christina P, Tom Segura, Whitney Cummings, Katherine Blanford, Drew Michael and Pete
Do This Every Day | Clarify Your Intentions
The pages were a safe space. A place away from the intrigues of court. A place away from war and death and pestilence. A place to process his stress, his anxieties, his fears.We can see in Meditations what these meditations were doing for Marcus Aurelius—they were doing what journaling can do for all of us. Give us space to think, space to calm down, space to get perspective, space to be grateful, space to remind ourselves of what’s important.-And in today's Daily Stoic journal reading, Ryan rem
The Thing We Never Want To Do | Ask DS
We know what Seneca thought of Alexander the Great. We know what he thought of Marius. We know what he thought of entitled and gluttonous Romans. We have his seething satire of Claudius.His prolific writings condemn and judge—rightfully so—these hypocritical and often miserable folks. We have hundreds of his letters (a must read!), dozens of essays, volumes on natural history, multiple books that explore countless topics at incredible depth. But you know what we don’t know much about? What Senec
Arnold Schwarzenegger's Seven Tools for Life
Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, filmmaker, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder best known for his roles in high-profile action movies. He served as the 38th governor of California from 2003 to 2011 and was among Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2004 and 2007. Ryan speaks with Arnold Schwarzenegger on how to be useful, the mental, physical and psychological benefits to nurturing the mind and body, their shared lov
If You Want It To Take Hold In Your Mind…
Marcus Aurelius read Epictetus…a lot. We know this because Meditations is proof of it. Almost every page has some direct quote or allusion to Epictetus. We also find, upon deeper inspection, references to the works of Panaetius, Chrysippus, the plays of Euripides, Zeno and countless other philosophers.How does someone develop recall like that? How did he become so wise, not just on the page but in life? Through repetition and practice. Marcus Aurelius never refers to Seneca, but it’s clear that
Turn The Colors On | These 14 Small Mindset Shifts Will Change Your Life
Like any normal person, part of Marcus Aurelius did not want to wake up, especially early. No, he wanted to “huddle under the blankets and stay warm,” he would say. It was nicer there. Easier there. But another part of him knew he wasn’t created to feel nice, to have it easy. “I have to go to work — as a human being,” he said, hauling his feet up and onto the floor.This is the internal back and forth so many of us have every morning. Not Arnold Schwarzennegger though. “My rule in the mo
The One Thing All Humans Have In Common | What’s Up To Us, What’s Not Up To Us
It’s January 1st. It snuck up on you, didn’t it? You knew the year was wrapping up, you had resolutions you meant to make, a review you meant to do of the last twelve months, goals you intended to set, habits you were going to start in 2024…and then here it is already.Or worse than procrastination, you may have already relapsed on your resolutions. You had a late one last night, and you’re already saying to yourself this morning, what’s one cup of coffee or one cigarette? (even though you were q
Coping With Grief: 10 Timeless Strategies From Ancient Philosophy
In today's weekend episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan presents an excerpt touching on grief and the 10 timeless strategies read by voice actor Micheal Reid. If you want to spend time with more dedicated Stoics, if you want to join a culture full of people rising together, we invite you to join the 2024 Daily Stoic New Year New You Challenge. We did the first New Year New You Challenge in 2018, and year after year, we’ve realized more and more that one of the core benefits of the challenge
100 Life Lessons From Marcus Aurelius
Meditations is perhaps the only document of its kind ever made. It is the private thoughts of the world’s most powerful man giving advice to himself on how to make good on the responsibilities and obligations of his positions. Trained in Stoic philosophy, Marcus Aurelius stopped almost every night to practice a series of spiritual exercises—reminders designed to make him humble, patient, empathetic, generous, and strong in the face of whatever he was dealing with.Today, Ryan breaks down 100 appl
Why They Do This
They come from all over the world. They have little in common. And, for some reason, instead of beginning the New Year by making resolutions, they begin by taking on a set of actionable challenges. Some of the challenges are physical. Some are mentally challenging. Some spur them to practically investigate and overcome internal adversities. Others have them take on external adversities out in the real world. Some of the challenges are completed in a single day and others over the course of the y
Rob Dyrdek, Rick Rubin, Alexander Ludwig, Whitney Cummings, Nate Boyer, And Arnold Schwarzenegger On the power of discipline And Dealing With Failure
Today’s episode features clips from some of the best interviews in 2023. Ryan talks to reality TV personality, and former professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek, along with record executive and co-founder of Def Jam Records Rick Rubin about the value of experimenting with new methods and building a routine that fits you. Ryan also talks with Alexander Ludwig, and Whitney Cummings over trusting the process and continuing to be disciplined during the hard times. Lastly, he speaks with Nate Boyer and
This Is What They Do | Give Thanks
The latter was something that the late Paul Woodruff tried to remind himself, having picked up the insight from Marcus Aurelius. The squirrels were not trying to give Paul a hard time, they did not mean any harm when they stole the birdseed he was putting out. As Paul explained in his wonderful episode on the Daily Stoic podcast before he died, he came to understand that the squirrels were simply doing what they do. They were doing what their nature demanded.Some people are thieves. Som
There Is No Better Time Than Now | Ask DS
At last the day came and you made a New Year’s resolution that would get rid of the whole base evil. And then the next year came around and you were doing the same old evil thing. Can you remember the surprise and disappointment that gripped you when you discovered that…after all that you had done through your resolutions to get rid of it—the old habit was still there? And out of amazement you found yourself asking, “Why could I not cast it out?”So we’ll leave you today by putting a cha
Nothing Better Than A Simple Pleasure
Sometimes it’s obvious why certain things are expensive, why people will pay more for it. The feel of a luxury vehicle. The taste of one of those insane smoothies from Erewhon. The upgrade to a better seat on an airplane.It’s not cheap, and maybe you don’t do it all the time, but when you can afford it, you go for it. It almost makes you question this whole Stoicism thing, you wonder if perhaps you’re not more of an Epicurean after all.For the last five years, we have been doing what we call the
Matthew McConaughey, Greg Harden, Morgan Wade, Casey Neistat & Dr. Samantha Boardman On Creating Better Habits in 2024
Today’s episode features clips from some of the best interviews in 2023. Ryan talks to Academy Award-winning actor and producer Matthew McConaughey, life coach, and executive consultant Greg Harden who is best known for his work with 7-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady, American country music singer Morgan Wade, and YouTube personality, filmmaker, vlogger, Casey Neistat, the co-founder of the multimedia company Beme, and Dr. Samantha Boardman, a Positive Psychologist based
Are You Dug In? | 7 Perspective Shifting Stoic Tips From Actors, Writers, and Politicians
What about you? Are you ready for the inevitable, unending challenges that lay ahead? Just think about what 2024 could bring—we’re facing global conflicts, a make-or-break presidential election, untamed inflation, climate change…plus all the regular stuff! How dug in are you? How tough is your inner citadel? How is your battle stance? How sharp are your weapons? How prepared is your mind?Are you a wrestler? You have to be.For the last five years, thousands of Stoics from across the globe have jo
Will You Receive This Gift? | Turn Words Into Works
This is the story of Jesus, who people all over the world celebrate today on Christmas. But just as well, this is the story of Seneca. Remarkably, Seneca and Jesus lived nearly parallel lives. Not only that, but they were also born—according to many sources—in the same year. No one can confirm for certain the exact birth date for either, but it is indisputable that two of history’s greatest philosophers walked the earth at the same time.More incredible is just how much their teachings overlap. A
A New You For a New Year
It’s kind of crazy to think how recent December 2019 feels. Not that long ago, it seems, we were getting ready for what a new decade might bring us. It’s even crazier when the truth settles in: 2019 was FOUR years ago. We are almost half way into that “new” decade.So much has changed. So much has happened. But at the same time, so little has changed. We’re still struggling with the same things. The aspirations we had back in 2019—this was the year we were going to turn a new leaf, lose weight, s
4 Stoic Quotes On Change To Kick Off The New Year
On today’s special episode of the Daily Stoic podcast, Ryan talks at Dr. Edith Egar's workshop about 4 stoic quotes to get us through the new year. Dr. Eger’s story as a Holocaust survivor & work as a renowned therapist has impacted millions around the world. As someone who lived through unthinkable trauma, Dr. Eger intimately knows the greatest prison is not the one created by the world… it is the prison created in our own minds.A native of Hungary, Edith Eva Eger was just a teenager in 1944 wh
YouTube Superstar Ali Abdaal on Productivity and Essentialism (PT 2)
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with YouTube Superstar Ali Abdaal during part 2 of 2 interview on how stoicism influences analytics, concrete vs. ineffable, the importance of sticking to the system, and his new book: Feel Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You.Ali Abdaal is a doctor, entrepreneur, and the world’s most followed productivity expert. He became intrigued by the science of productivity while juggling the demands of medical training at Cambridg
This Is Not For The Weak | Stake Your Own Claim
In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius says that what you throw on top of a fire is fuel for the fire. But anyone who has had a little campfire going knows how easily you can snuff out the flames with a poorly placed log or even a few sticks. Marcus is speaking metaphorically of obstacles, not of an actual campfire…but that metaphor only works with a few assumptions.-And with today's meditation on the day's Daily Journal excerpt, Ryan reminds us stake our own claim with actions.For the last fi
When You Come To The Crossroads… | Ask Ds
At the founding of Stoicism was a choice. Zeno hears the legend Hercules, a story about a young man who came to a crossroads one day in Greece, where the great hero had to choose between virtue and vice, the easy way and the hard way. It was inspired by this very story that Zeno rebuilt the wreckage of his life and founded the school of Stoicism.So we’ll leave you today by putting a challenge in front of you. For the last four years, we have been doing what we call the Daily Stoic New Y
This is the Secret To Getting Better
“Through philosophy and in the company of philosophy,” Plutarch writes, “it is possible to attain the knowledge of what is honorable and what is shameful, what is just and what is unjust, what, in brief, is to be chosen and what it is to be avoided.” That’s what we’re all trying to do, isn’t it? That’s what Panaetius was trying to do with his “Scipionic Circle,” which met in the great house of Athens and Rome to discuss philosophy, share ideas and explore Stoicism. That’s why we’re stud
YouTube Superstar Ali Abdaal on Productivity and Essentialism
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with YouTube Superstar Ali Abdaal on how stoicism influences analytics, concrete vs. ineffable, the importance of sticking to the system, and his new book: Feel Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You.Ali Abdaal is a doctor, entrepreneur, and the world’s most followed productivity expert. He became intrigued by the science of productivity while juggling the demands of medical training at Cambridge University with bu
We’re All Playing a Part | 11 Ways Stoicism Can Improve Your Business
It can be hard to remember this when you see them on the news, lying through their teeth. It can be hard to remember when they cut you off in traffic. It can be hard to remember when they try to stop progress. It can be hard to remember when they say or do abhorrent things.But we do have to remember, we have to remember, as Marcus Aurelius writes in Meditations that “all of us are working on the same project. Some consciously, with understanding; some without knowing it. Some of us work
What Are You A Slave To? | Stake Your Claim
Dwight Eisenhower gave himself the order.Quit smoking.It had become a 4-pack-a-day habit. It had been part of his life for nearly 40 years. It was comfortable. It was more than a habit, it was an addiction. His health hung in the balance, his doctor said, his ability to serve at risk. So, after nearly four decades of smoking, he made the decision to quit, cold turkey.“The only way to stop is to stop,” Eisenhower would tell an aide, “and I stopped.”This story is in Discipline is Destiny.
It’s Time To Change
You could argue that Meditations is Marcus Aurelius’ daily philosophical battle with himself to overcome this natural fear of change, to avoid getting trapped in a velvet rut, to not get complacent. Even into old age, Marcus was talking to himself firmly, pushing himself to do better, to not try to stay the same as he always was. It’s why he was famously seen leaving the palace as an old man, trying to learn, as he said, “that which I do not yet know.”They say that the definition of ins
Epictetus - Discourses Pt. 5: Against the Sceptics
In today’s audiobook reading, Ryan presents an excerpt from one of the seminal texts of Stoicism, the Discourses of Epictetus, read by Michael Reid. As a series of lectures given by Epictetus that were written down by his pupil Arrian in 108 A.D., these discourses provide practical advice to think on and practice in order to move oneself closer toward the ultimate goal of living free and happy. In this fifth section, Epictetus discusses how we build strength and respond to con
Dr. Becky Kennedy on the Stoic Art of Emotional Regulation (and Raising Great Kids)
On this weekend episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with clinical psychologist Dr. Becky Kennedy on how we emotionally vaccinate, the ability to cope through stress, educating our kids on emotions and her new book Good InsideDr. Becky Kennedy is an American clinical psychologist who is founder and chief executive officer of the Good Inside company, an online parenting advice service. She has been called the "millennial parent whisperer" by Time Magazine and is a numbe
When Weakness Turns Your Ego Up | A Simple Way To Measure Our Days
So it goes for ego. To the untrained eye, it can be mistaken for confidence. The person’s self-centeredness, their certainty, their entitlement—this seems like the way that only the most important and gifted person in the world could get away with acting. In reality, the person doesn’t feel that way inside at all. On the contrary, they feel very small. Nero, for instance, demanded that enormous audiences celebrate his greatness. This was also the same emperor who banished a poet from Ro
You Must Seek This Out | Ask Ds
It’s sad that when we think of a philosopher we don’t think of somebody tough. We don’t think of a soldier or a skilled professional. We don’t think of a happily married parent raising kids. We don’t think of someone thriving amidst the chaos of the world.No, for some reason, we think of an academic. We think of somebody scrawny. We think of someone whose life is mostly sedentary, mostly spent at a desk with their stacks of books around them and their scrolls in front of them.-In part 2
Do You Have This Ability?
We often think that greatness is a synonym for brilliance. That great leadership is all about magnetism and communication. For which we need vision and boldness, allies and luck. And of course, to be successful in any field, but particularly in leadership, all of those things are true. But we also need something far simpler that is yet even more rare.We need the ability to focus, to lock in, to do what has been termed “deep work.”As one of Churchill’s political contemporaries would obse
Shane Parrish on Defining Identity and the Path to Wisdom (PT 2)
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with entrepreneur and wisdom seeker behind Farnam Street Shane Parrish on Why people who are popular on social don’t succeed when they write books, The mark of wisdom is looking downstream and seeing how a decision affects your life, Delaying gratification isnt easy but is important to learn and his book Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results a must-have manual for optimizing decision
It’ll Take Some Time | The Stoic Art Of Not Caring What People Think
In 1922, while an unpublished, struggling writer named Ernest Hemingway was covering events in Switzerland, his wife Hadley came from Paris to see him. Assuming he would want them, she packed up the writings Hemingway had accumulated in their apartment–manuscripts, short stories, poetry, and an unfinished novel, it was his life’s work. Hemingway had made some important literary contacts on his trip and she was sure he’d want to show off his work.-And in today's Daily Stoic video ex
You'll Want To Be Able To Say This Next Year | Keep The Rhythm
In May of 2019, AT&T did something that, at the time, must have seemed a little ridiculous to even some of its own employees. The company, as The Atlantic reported, “ran an internal war game on how a pandemic would affect its ability to keep phone and internet service running. The company does these exercises routinely to try to get ready—to build teams of people and their reflexes.”For the last five years, we have been doing what we call the Daily Stoic New Year New You Challenge—a
Applying Ancient Wisdom To Morden Life With Herzog Technologies, Inc.
On this weekend episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan takes the stage to address 200 senior leaders from Herzog Technologies, Inc., a distinguished and leading rail and heavy highway contractor spanning across North America. Renowned for his profound insights into Stoic philosophy and practical wisdom, Ryan shares his invaluable thoughts on the transformative power of disciplined habits in achieving unparalleled success. ☎️ Herzog Technologies Inc.Twitter / XInstagram ✉️ Sign up
Shane Parrish on Finding Clarity and Making Better Decisions (Pt 1)
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with entrepreneur and wisdom seeker behind Farnam Street Shane Parrish on Why people who are popular on social don’t succeed when they write books, The mark of wisdom is looking downstream and seeing how a decision affects your life, Delaying gratification isnt easy but is important to learn and his book Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results a must-have manual for optimizing decision-making, gaining com
This Is A Most Dangerous Attitude | Don’t Hide From Your Feelings
It’s hard to keep a Stoic down or hold them back. They push through. They see obstacles as opportunities. They are not deterred by difficulties or criticism or friction. Like the old motto of the Royal Air Force, the Stoics believed that perseverance and determination were key. Per ardua ad astra–it reads–Through adversity to the stars.This way of thinking makes someone a winner, it makes them a great leader. It can also make them dangerous. To themselves and others.The author SC Gwynne
The Most Valuable Real Estate In The World | Ask DS
People spend a lot of money to buy nice land. They want to be in a good neighborhood with good schools. They want to have a beautiful view. Just look at what happened during the pandemic when people rushed to outbid each other for houses outside of major cities–because they wanted safety and space and change of scenery. For centuries, armies have clashed over territory–some of it valuable, some of it not–willing to pay in blood for control over a piece of dirt.Meanwhile, some of the mos
No Matter What, This Is All You Have To Do
We know the world throws a lot at us. We know it’s noisy out there, and there are competing influences. We know we can be pretty forgetful too. How are we supposed to remember the most essential and important Stoic truths and principles for life?By simplifying. By repeating powerful and key ideas time and time again (with both words and actions).✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspire
Kate Flannery on the Rise and Fall of American Apparel (PT 2)
On today’s episode of the Daily Stoic podcast Ryan speaks with author Kate Flannery on how having worked for American Apparel gave Kate a bad reputation, It’s hard to get someone to see something that their salary depends on them not seeing, the difference between quitting and getting fired along with her first book Strip Tees: A Memoir of Millennial Los Angeles.Strip Tees is her first book where she details her experience in a landscape of rowdy sex-positivity, racy phot
Are You Willing To Be Taught? | 11 Stoic Books That Will Improve Your Life
Wisdom isn’t just what you seek out. In fact, much of the most important wisdom we learn in life seeks us out. The piece of unsolicited advice from someone who has been in our position. The painful consequences of a bad decision that become undeniably clear. The feedback from the audience or the customer after all those years of work.Epictetus said we can’t learn that which we think we already know. Zeno reminds us that conceit is the impediment to growth and change. If you’re not willi
It’s Happening, Page By Page, Day By Day | Be Stingy With Time
It doesn’t feel like much. It’s just a perfunctory part of the morning. A little bit of tidying up, a way to get a little dose of inspiration. A way to keep track of the date. But as you tear the page of that little calendar that sits on your desk–the Daily Stoic version perhaps?!?–it hardly occurs to you what’s happened. You miss it, but it does not miss you. A tragedy has occurred. A death…yours.For an easy way to start the day with a good quote, check out our Daily Stoic Page-a-
Lives Of The Stoics |Marcus Aurelius The Philosopher King
Marcus Aurelius was chosen by Emporer Hadrian to be his eventual successor. In 161, Aurelius took control of the Roman Empire along with his brother Verus. War and disease threatened Rome on all sides. Aurelius held his territory, but was weakened as a ruler after the death of his brother Verus. His son Commodus later became co-ruler in 177, only three years before Aurelius died on March 17, 180.Today, Ryan reads from his book Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Mar
Kate Flannery on the Rise and Fall of American Apparel (PT 1)
On today’s episode of the Daily Stoic podcast Ryan speaks with author Kate Flannery on Dov Charney and their early journey at American Apparel, the evolution of feminism, imposter syndrome vs being qualified and the difference between quitting and getting fired along with her first book Strip Tees: A Memoir of Millennial Los Angeles.Strip Tees is her first book where she details her experience in a landscape of rowdy sex-positivity, racy photo shoots, and a cult-like devotion
Joy Even So (Part 2) | Pretend Today Is The End
On his way to work each day in Boston, John Adams would hear a man singing. As his great biographer David McCollough writes in John Adams, it was a beautiful, almost joyful song that inspired him as he headed to his law office in the mornings. One day, Adams decided to track the source of the music down. Inside a single room house, packed to the brim with a large family, he found a poor shoemaker. Sensing that the man was struggling, Adams ordered a pair of shoes as a gesture of charity
Don't Let Them Turn You Into This | Ask DS
In Book 7 of Meditations, Marcus writes to himself (as the Gregory Hays translation, which you can grab a special edition of here, has it):"Take care that you don't treat inhumanity as it treats human beings."What does that mean? What exactly does Marcus mean by “inhumanity”? Hurricanes are inhuman. ChatGPT is inhuman. They might be ruthless forces of nature or technology, but they’re not out to get human beings. Does it matter how you treat them? With a passage like this, it is helpful
Do You Really Like This?
People say they love learning. And sure, they pick up books and go to museums and watch documentaries, and yes, they sat through their college courses. But this is only superficial evidence of a true student.There’s a joke from Churchill where he said that yeah, he likes learning, but he hates being taught. Most of us are like that: We like learning when it’s easy, when it doesn’t challenge us. We like it when it comes neatly packaged in a book or in a YouTube video. But everything else
Whitney Cummings on Finding Inspiration and Being Relentlessly Present (Pt 2)
On today’s episode of the Daily Stoic podcast Ryan speaks with Whitney Cummings, comedian, actress, writer, producer, director, entrepreneur, and host of the hit podcast “Good for You". In part 2 of 2 they discuss having no sense of what life is because you’re not living one, discipline is really important in the beginning but it’s important to know when to update, Rerouting addictive behavior and her latest uncensored stand-up special "MOUTHY" on Only Fans TV (OFTV).IG, X, an
The Only Revenge Worth Getting
Unfortunately, it’s been happening for a long time: People doing horrible things to each other. Marcus Aurelius was betrayed. Seneca was exiled on trumped-up charges. There were Stoics who were cheated on. There were Stoics who were persecuted. Stoics who were tortured.How did they get over it? Did they get even? Get justice? The great Dr. Edith Eger (whose books we highly recommend and has been on The Daily Stoic Podcast twice) endured the Holocaust at Auschwitz. She was a victim of one of the
Here’s The Deal | Balance The Books Of Life
We got together with family. We reminded ourselves what was important. We enjoyed the bounties of the Earth. Perhaps when we took the rolls out of the oven we noted, as Marcus Aurelius did in Meditations, the way the bread cracks open on top, a nod to nature’s inadvertence.We gave thanks.And then the next day, what did millions of people do? They rushed out to get a deal on a flat-screen television or crowded into department stores to take advantage of Black Friday deals. Then today, they sat do
Overcoming Adversity In Leadership Roles
In today’s audiobook reading, Ryan talks with 150 Local Business Leaders and Marketing Directors who are Twins Brand Partners about Challenges we face, Overcoming adversity in leadership roles and work life balance.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Priva
Whitney Cummings on Routines, Creating Great Art, and Addiction (Pt 1)
On today’s episode of the Daily Stoic podcast Ryan speaks with Whitney Cummings, comedian, actress, writer, producer, director, entrepreneur, and host of the hit podcast “Good for You". In part 1 of 2 they discuss having no sense of what life is because you’re not living one, discipline is really important in the beginning but it’s important to know when to update, Rerouting addictive behavior and her latest uncensored stand-up special "MOUTHY" on Only Fans TV (OFTV).IG, X, an
You Can Do Something About This | Train To Let Go Of What’s Not Yours
Marcus Aurelius would have recognized the feeling you feel right now. So would Seneca and Cato and many of the other Stoics. The Romans, like Americans, loved a good feast. They loved wine. They loved breaking bread with family.We know this because their writings abound with descriptions of overflowing tables and dinners that went long into the night. But you know what doesn’t appear in their writings very often, just as it does not occur to us often enough?How some people don’t know th
It’s All A Gift | Ask Ds
It doesn’t seem that way of course. The economy is a mess, the government is dysfunctional, the virus is still there, screwing up plans and making us sick. People are annoying. People are frustrating. Your co-worker is a jerk. Your kid just broke his arm. Everything is expensive, so expensive.This isn’t how things are supposed to be is it? Well, it’s pretty much how things have always been. Look at Marcus Aurelius, in his reign and life, he knew all those things intimately, plus many ot
What Comes Next Matters Less
It’s not that the Stoics didn’t love. It’s not that they didn’t like the nice stuff that they had or the jobs they had worked hard to earn. Of course, they liked these things and would have preferred to keep them, would have preferred a world in which fortune was less fickle, where everything lasted and no one ever grieved or missed or regretted.When Richard Feynman was in high school, he fell in love with a woman named Arline Greenbaum. They had a lovely, youthful kind of happiness tha
Timothy Denevi on the Power of Reading and Learning from the Past (Part 2)
Ryan speaks with assistant professor and MFA program at George Mason University, Timothy Denevi The economics of a book being different than the media, How much do you internalize the tumult and danger around you as a journalist, Fundamentally journalism is a form of lying and an act of aggression and his book Freak Kingdom · Hunter S. Thompson's Manic Ten-Year Crusade Against American Fascism.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dai
It’s Not Romantic. It’s Just Work. |12 Ways Stoics Build Mental Strength And Resilience
We have a false picture about how success happens. We often only see the results and almost never the process of things, so we tend to think that the finished product—a book, being in shape, being wise—is impressive, and therefore the process by which that event was created must have been equally brilliant.In fact, it’s not.All success happens the same way: “action by action,” as Marcus said. Just after the release of Metallica’s eleventh album, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich explained th
Put All Of Your Energy Into This | Practice Letting Go
Amazon tells us that’s one of the most highlighted passages in the digital version of Stillness is the Key. It’s an idea that’s impossible to disentangle from Stoicism. Epictetus said there were things that were up to us and some things were not. Ok, but then what? Remind yourself, Marcus Aurelius writes in Meditations, that the past and the future are not in our power, only the present is. ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the
Epictetus - Discourses Pt. 4: On Progress
In today’s audiobook reading, Ryan presents an excerpt from one of the seminal texts of Stoicism, the Discourses of Epictetus, read by Michael Reid. As a series of lectures given by Epictetus that were written down by his pupil Arrian in 108 A.D., these discourses provide practical advice to think on and practice in order to move oneself closer toward the ultimate goal of living free and happy. In this third section, Epictetus discusses how we should see ourselves in comparison with the
Timothy Denevi on Hunter S Thompson and the Art of Journalism (Part 1)
Ryan speaks with assistant professor and MFA program at George Mason University, Timothy Denevi on mastery in learning the entire playbook so that you can throw it away, How the information makes us blind to the facts, Fundamentally journalism is a form of lying and an act of aggression and his book Freak Kingdom · Hunter S. Thompson's Manic Ten-Year Crusade Against American Fascism✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check o
How To Make It Good | Judge Not, Lest…
Oscar Wilde was the victim of a terrible tragedy and a terrible injustice. At the height of his artistic powers, he was thrown in jail–an awful prison which contained the germs that later killed him. It was intolerance and tyranny, plain and simple. Everything he cared about was taken from him.His family. His freedom. His work.As he sat in that dark cell, rotting, festering, angry, he had a kind of slow but life-changing spiritual awakening. Coming out of his resentments and fear and de
What Do You See? | Ask Ds
A man walks through a field of flowing grain, the grass bending low under its own weight. The wind blows softly on a cold day. He looks and sees a small bird sitting on a branch, the steam rising off the ground behind it. The bird takes flight and he follows it with his eyes, smiling at the beauty of nature’s inadvertence.But when the man turns, you see that he is surrounded by darkness–uprooted trees and thick mud. An army marches to get behind thick, sharp palisades. Weapons of war ar
This Is What Will Happen To Your Accomplishments
Marcus Aurelius spent 14 years at war with the Marcomanni. It was a brutal, grinding campaign which he eventually won at great cost and risk. His victory was celebrated as a triumph, immortalized in a 97 foot tall marble tower which winds upward, showing in brilliant detail, "the heroic emotion and despair of Roman soldiers along with the unwavering leadership of Marcus Aurelius."And some 19 centuries later, this monument to his accomplishments still stands, disproving, you might say, M
Steven Pressfield On Work Without Attachments (Part 2)
Ryan speaks with book athour & screenwriter Steven Pressfield on fewer possessions, superstition in memorabilia, the impact of working without any attachments to the outcome, and his new books The Daily Pressfield. Steven is an American author of historical fiction, non-fiction, and screenplays. He’s most known for The War of Art, Do The Work, Turning Pro, Gates of Fire, and Government Cheese. ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com
You Can’t Deny This |10 Stoic Tips For Being A Better Leader
Seneca thought he knew Nero. He was confident in his ability to teach or contain or even control him. Other Stoics knew better. Thrasea (whose story we tell in Lives of the Stoics) opposed him from the start. Agrippinus (another fascinating Stoic in Lives) wouldn’t even attend Nero’s parties, because it was clear to him that the man was a tyrant.Surely these men (and women) communicated their concerns to Seneca. Surely people raised questions. But Seneca thought he knew better. He was a
Listen Now: Six Trophies with Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion
Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion are back! And this time they’re combing through all the NBA news from the past week and handing out six pop culture-themed trophies to six basketball-related activities. Every week, superlatives will reign down on basketball culture like Steph Curry threes when Jason and Shea dish out hoops honors like they’re Stockton to Malone running a pick & roll. Was that too many analogies for one sentence? Hell yes, but get used to it!On this new NBA pop cult
It’s All In How You See It | Judge Yourself Not Others
It’s fascinating to think of all these different translators sitting down and seeing this same bit of writing and having such wildly different interpretations. How much each one was a reflection of their time and place, how much room there was for personality, for re-creation, and re-imagination and yet also still, how the same essential truth comes through.So it goes with philosophy and with life. Nothing, not even philosophy, is completely objective. It’s all in how you see it. It’s i
Lives Of The Stoics | Epictetus the Free Man
Epictetus taught that philosophy is a way of life and not simply a theoretical discipline. To Epictetus, all external events are beyond our control; he argues that we should accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store&n
Steven Pressfield On Work Without Attachments (Part 1)
Ryan speaks with book athour & screenwriter Steven Pressfield on fewer possessions, superstition in memorabilia, the impact of working without any attachments to the outcome, and his new books The Daily Pressfield. Steven is an American author of historical fiction, non-fiction, and screenplays. He’s most known for The War of Art, Do The Work, Turning Pro, Gates of Fire, and Government Cheese. ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 C
All Success Is A Lagging Indicator | Always The Same
From the outside looking in, author Philipp Meyer had the kind of success that is easy to not just be envious of, but angry about. His first two published novels, American Rust and The Son, were massive critical and commercial hits (we carry them both at The Painted Porch for good reason–they sell!). American Rust won the 2009 Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, and The Son was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2014. Both were adapted into TV series. ✉️ Sign
This is Why You Can’t Try To Avoid Criticism | Ask DS
Nobody wants to be criticized. It doesn’t feel good when people judge what you’ve done. We want the right people to like us, we want all people to like us. We want to be accepted, appreciated, and celebrated. So we try to be like other people, like the people that everyone likes.But in the end, does this effort pay off? No, it doesn’t. You work hard to preempt criticism, to appeal to the trends, to make people like you and then what happens? They still criticize you. Somebody finds some
Joy Even So (Part 1)
John Adams' life was not an easy one. First, because it was just hard to be alive in the 18th century. It was hard to make dinner. It was hard to stay warm in the winter. It was hard to travel even short distances. It was hard to not die of the endless diseases and injuries that were so tragically common.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us
Adam Kinzinger On Doing The Unexpected And Freeing Ourselves From Fear
Ryan speaks with Adam Kinzinger on losing the things in life that become normal to us, freeing ourselves from fear, his new book Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country, and putting his job on the line for a better purpose. Adam Daniel Kinzinger is an American former politician and senior political commentator for CNN. He served as a United States representative from Illinois from 2011 to 2023.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dai
This Is Where You Are | Marcus Aurelius' 12 Fundamentals Of Great Leadership
It would be wonderful to live in a time where people got along. It’d be better if the economy was roaring. It’d be nice if the political landscape wasn’t dominated by grifters and demagogues. And of course, who doesn’t wish that our parents had taken better care of the environment, had protected our institutions better, and invested more for the future.But they didn’t. And here we are. People don’t get along. The world is scary. Stuff is falling apart…traditions are crumbling…The guidan
Which Limits Do You Respect? | The Real Power You Have
When you’re tired, you stop. When you’re not feeling it, you put it off until tomorrow. When it’s hard, you make an excuse. You listen to that little voice inside you that lets you off the hook, that gives you a break, that gives you more time.And with today's meditation on the day's Daily Journal excerpt, Ryan talks about the real power that can’t be taken from us, the power in conquering our own throne. Stoicism 101 is a 14-day course dedicated to teaching you the tools to l
Lives Of The Stoics | Cato the Younger, Rome's Iron Man
also known as Cato the Censor and the Wise, was a Roman soldier, senator, and historian known for his conservatism and opposition to Hellenization. He was the first to write history in Latin with his Origines, a now fragmentary work on the history of Rome. Ryan reads from his book Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius to share the a fascinating historical figure from ancien
Morgan Wade On Sticking To The Routine
Ryan speaks with American country music singer Morgan Wade on physical and mental benefits to our routine, getting sober, ideas while walking, and knowing the vitcory in starting. Morgan Wade is a native of Floyd, Virginia. She began writing songs as a freshman in college, and in 2018, she recruited musicians through Craigslist to record her first album Puppets with My Heart, which was credited to The Stepbrothers. IG @morganwademusicTwitter @themorganwade✉️ Sig
All The Stoics Were Kings | Following The Doctor’s Orders
Marcus Aurelius was a true philosopher king, but he wasn’t the first or the last amongst the Stoics. The first emperor, Octavian, studied under Athenodorus and Arius Didymus. Hadrian took classes from Epictetus and Antoninus was a kind of natural Stoic.--And in today's excerpt from The Daily Stoic, Ryan reminds us to to stop fighting against the thing and use it as a prescription, that it is unfortunate that it happen but its fortunate that it happen to me.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic
This Matters Way More Than The Details | Ask DS
There can be so much about the study of this philosophy that can be overwhelming that’s intimidating. When did Stoicism start? Where did it begin? What the hell is a Stoa Poikile?? Put aside that it focuses on some of the most pressing and complicated topics in the world–good, evil, our mortality–philosophy is also filled with paradoxes and counterintuitive arguments. More pressing and practical for many of us, philosophy is filled with unpronounceable names and big words, often from la
It's The Dead's Day
Yesterday was Halloween here in America, which is a fun holiday for children. It’s full of masks and candy and staying up late. In Mexico, however, today is the beginning of Día de los Muertos, a much more adult and philosophical holiday. All throughout Mexico, and places where the holiday is celebrated, people will gather not for treats but to celebrate and remember their friends and family who have died. It is, in a sense, a three day commemoration of the idea of memento mori—a kind o
Performance Anxiety & Yips With Eileen Canney Linnehan
Ryan Speaks with Eileen Canney Linnehan on Yips, performance anxiety, and mental block on todays episode of the daily stoic podcast. Eileen Canney Linnehan was a star pitcher at Northwestern who suddenly could not throw to first base. Now she helps young athletes get through the debilitating issue. Eileen Canney Linnehan is a consultant who helps athletes at various levels get over the yips.www.ConsultWithECL.com ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailysto
Don’t Be Scared By Things Like This | 10 Stoic Parenting Tips
You might think that the Stoics were above silly things like superstitions. After all, these were rational folks, serious people. Certainly, they wouldn’t believe in ghosts, right? They wouldn’t have time for something as juvenile as a ghost story, would they?--And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan talks parenting goals, the most important role philosophy can play in all of your lives is in guiding the example you set for them. In the principles you embody. In the standards you
A Measure Of Greatness | Accepting What Is
Not everyone thinks Marcus Aurelius was so great. And it’s true, his record is not unblemished: He fought in imperial wars. He didn’t stop the persecution of the Christians. His son was disturbed and unfit to succeed him.So can we really call him a “philosopher king?” How great a Stoic was he actually?--And with today's meditation on the day's Daily Journal excerpt, Ryan talks about us accepting things that are out of our control, that pushing back and questioning the stoics only get us
The Power Of Purpose
Today, Ryan answers questions on purpose and stoic wisdom at Dr. Edith Egar's workshop. Dr. Eger’s story as a Holocaust survivor & work as a renowned therapist has impacted millions around the world. As someone who lived through unthinkable trauma, Dr. Eger intimately knows the greatest prison is not the one created by the world… it is the prison created in our own minds.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Sto
Adam Grant On Hidden Potential And Measuring Yourself Against Yourself
Ryan speaks with organizational psychologist and book author Adam Grant on seeing things in the context of where they actually sit, learning to be pleased but not satisfied, current sports culture and his new book Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things.Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist at Wharton, where he has been the top-rated professor for seven straight years. His pioneering research on motivations and meaning has enabled people to reach their aspiratio
Rule The Empire Between Your Ears | We Reap What We Sow
Epictetus, who was a slave, looked around at Nero’s court and saw rich and famous men who were less free than he was. Because they spent all their energy trying to get more than what they had, because their happiness was tied up in what other people thought, because their fears were based on things that were not up to them. In The Girl Who Would Be Free (our fable based on the life of Epictetus), Epictetus’ father says that to be great, we first have to focus on “the empire between our
Try To Surprise People This Way | Ask DS
He didn’t dress in fancy clothes. He didn’t support a large entourage. He liked to walk the streets of Rome, meeting his fellow citizens, being of use and helping them. As a politician, Cato traveled across the empire, again, without a large baggage train or an advance party to make sure he was treated with the respect accorded to his official position. --And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan talks stoics and answers questions for 300+ Risk, Safety, Compliance & HR Leaders from
It’s Not About The One-Liners
A Stoic sense of humor, a tough exterior–these are only the beginning of the process, of processing. Stoicism is a hard slog. It’s a practice. It’s an ongoing thing. It’s something you do. And learning how to practice more, how to actually apply Stoicism to your life everyday, is why we created Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life. The best practices and routines of Stoicism, all delivered in 14 days.Registration is only open until TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH. Take the next s
Dr. Peter Attia On The Philosophy and Quality Of Life (Part 2)
Ryan speaks with Dr. Peter Attia on the philosophy and quality aspects of our lives, early morning routines we still practice from the stoics and quotes from Dr. Attia's new book OUTLIVE The Science & Art Of Longevity.Peter Attia, MD, is the founder of Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients with the goal of lengthening their lifespan and simultaneously improving their health span. He is also the host of The Drive podcast.Dr. At
Sometimes Words Are Very Unnecessary | Robert Greene's 10 Stoic Laws For A Better Life
The Stoics talk about how events don’t need your opinion, they aren’t asking to be judged or labeled or explained by you. They were saying what Depeche Mode once said, that sometimes words are very unnecessary–that they can only do harm.---And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan shares 10 stoic Laws from his mentor Robert Greene. Like the Stoics, Robert Greene has spent decades operating within and around the halls of power. And trying to understand human nature and psychology. A
This Is What We Use This For | Build Up, Don’t Tear Down
On the surface, there are not many phrases designed to be less appealing. “Stoic philosophy” is like a double whammy of negative for most people, representing emotionlessness on the one hand and abstract or academic thinking on the other. Who wants to be the former? Who has time for the latter?---And with today's meditation on the day's Daily Journal excerpt, Ryan challenges us to build self confidence in others. The art of leadership is getting people to do things becauce they want to
The Kind of Philosophical Life To Aim For
More than 60 years ago, a young boy in Pittsburgh, PA was curious about philosophy. He went to his high school library and found a book of the writings of Kant. Excited, smart for his age, he started reading…and only made it a few pages before he threw it aside, hopelessly confused.It was later that day, when he explained what happened to his father, that the boy’s life was changed forever. Because his father had a brand new copy of the beautiful Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. These pa
Dr. Peter Attia On The Philosophy and Quality Of Life (Part 1)
Ryan speaks with Dr. Peter Attia on the philosophy and quality aspects of our lives, early morning routines we still practice from the stoics and quotes from Dr. Attia's new book OUTLIVE The Science & Art Of Longevity.Peter Attia, MD, is the founder of Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients with the goal of lengthening their lifespan and simultaneously improving their health span. He is also the host of The Drive podcast.Dr. At
There Is Always Both | Marks Of The Good Life
It was an awful period of Roman history. A fifteen year plague that killed millions. Political corruption and deceit. Historic floods. Tragic wars on distant frontiers. Marcus Aurelius experienced all the disasters that could befall a leader, smack dab in the middle of a period we now see as the beginning of the decline and fall of the whole empire.-And in today's excerpt from The Daily Stoic, Ryan reminds us to let our princeples be the source of desire and action, removing any source
Don’t Underestimate This | Ask DS
We don’t know a lot about Seneca’s friend Lucilius. From Seneca’s letters though, we get the sense that he, like many of us, was often overwhelmed by his responsibilities. He was a Roman knight. He was the Governor of Sicily. He owned a country villa in Ardea. We can assume he had friends and family vying for his time too.--And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan speaks and answers questions for Signal Advisors on Stillness is the Key, Challenging people to do one thing each day that
We Can Never Not Be All Of Us
In Book Six of Meditations, Marcus Aurelius gives himself (and us) a command to keep an important idea in mind. “Meditate often,” he writes, “on the interconnectedness and mutual interdependence of all things in the universe.” He is speaking of the Stoic concept of Sympatheia, the idea that, as Seneca wrote, “All that you behold, that which comprises both god and man, is one—we are the parts of one great body.”The memento mori medallion , memento mori signet ring And
Your Mind Is A Fighter | Powerful Stoic Quotes That Will Change Your Life
Marcus Aurelius hated the gladiatorial games. He despised the violence and the pointlessness of it. But it was part of his job to attend them, so he did his best to distract himself with a book–often to the bemusement of the crowd. When he was emperor, he tried to give the gladiators wooden swords so they wouldn’t hurt each other. Seneca found the violence disturbing too, as he was wary of anything the mob loved.---And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan shares his thoughts on th
Don’t Let This Crush You | Make Honesty Your Only Policy
This life thing: It’s wonderful. We are sentient beings. The apex predators at the top of the food chain. We have brilliant technology, incredible pleasures, as well as talents and skills that bring us joy and success.And guess what? We’re still gonna die. Each and every one of us. That’s the thing about life. As wonderful as life is, none of us get out of it alive. We were born mortal. Born fragile. We have had a terminal diagnosis since birth.--And with today's meditation on the day's
This Is Why You Can't Wait Until Late
Today, Ryan reads from an email he received from his mentor Seth Roberts pioneering and peerless scientist. Seth collapsed of a fatal heart attack while hiking in Berkeley before Ryan could return his email, remaining us the power of intuition, the fragility of life, and the enduring impact of Memento Mori. In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius writes “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” as Ryan shares, Let’s make sure we reply to the email, we r
Arnold Schwarzenegger On Finding Ways To Be Useful
Ryan speaks with Arnold Schwarzenegger on how to be useful while we still have the time, the mental, physical and psychological benefits to nurturing the mind and body, keys moments during his bodybuilding career, running for governor and more..Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, filmmaker, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder best known for his roles in high-profile action movies. He served as the 38th governor of Calif
We Are All Unreliable Narrators | Revenge Is A Dish Best Not Served
All day long, we tell ourselves stories.When something goes wrong—“this is my fault.” We blame ourselves even though the reality might be that we had little control over the situation. When someone is rude—“they don’t like me.” We take other people's actions or behaviors personally even though the reality might be that they are going through a tough time. We walk into a meeting—“they’re all judging me.” We think everyone is thinking about us when the reality is that everyone is thinking
Are You Obsessed With Living? | Ask DS
There is a morbid theme running through the music of Johnny Cash. His deep, haunting voice is rarely far from a lyric about death or murder or loss or grief. He has songs about soldiers killed in Vietnam, songs about dying cowboys on the streets of Laredo, about tragic rifle accidents, songs about salvation and damnation, songs about tragedy and war. Famously, he performed almost his entire career dressed in black—like he was on his way to a funeral.The memento
Steven Rinella On Rockhounding, Stoic Wisdom & Controlling The Process
Ryan talks to Steven Rinella about the sense of wonder, respect & adventure for nature, spending time with family, rockhounding and his new book published back in june catch a crayfish, count the stars: fun projects, skills, and adventures for outdoor kids .Steve Rinella, from his books to his groundbreaking show MeatEater, has made hunting and nose-to-tail wild game gourmet cooking popular from New York City to Hollywood. Thanks in large part to Steve’s humor and extensive his
Today Is The Greatest Day You Have Ever Known
As you wrapped yesterday up, you should have said to yourself, as Seneca did each night, “that’s it.” I have lived my life. As you tucked your children in last night, you should have said to yourself, as Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius did, this might be the last time.The memento mori medallion , memento mori signet ring And the memento mori pendant, All these were created to remind us that we must live NOW, while there is still time.-⏳ You can view our entir
Tom Segura On Career, Comedy, And Craziness
Ryan speaks with Tom Segura in the second of a two-part conversation about the changing landscape of stand-up comedy, the philosophical mindset that he brings to his work, how he manages his media diet, why kids made him more tied to reality, and more.Tom Segura is a stand-up comedian, writer, author, actor, and podcaster. He co-hosts the Your Mom's House podcast with his wife and fellow comedian Christina Pazsitzky, as well as the podcast 2 Bears 1 Cave with best friend and fellow come
No One Has The Time For This |14 Choices A Stoic Should Make Every Day
“What would you do if you found out you were diagnosed with a terminal illness?”We’ve all mulled this hypothetical question over at one point or another. Then we go back to our normal lives as if life wasn’t, in fact, terminal for every person ever born, as if we have a lot more time. We treat it as a thought exercise, a philosophical conversation starter and not much more.The Stoics tried to resist that complacency. “You were probably thinking I was going to open this letter with idle
It’s Counting Down For Each Of Us | Practice Love
It may have been a hard couple weeks. It may have been a hard couple years. It may have been a tough decade–like the one that Marcus Aurelius had, complete with plagues and floods and betrayals and health issues and more. It may have been a hard life–like Epictetus’s. But you know what? At least you woke up above ground this morning. You’re alive. Not everyone is so lucky. In fact, it may have seemed like you yourself would not be so lucky.--- And with today's meditation on the day
Embracing Alive Time And Stoic Wisdom with Arnold Schwarzenegger And Robert Greene
In this Sunday episode of The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday takes us on an exhilarating journey through a weekend filled with preparation, family time and embracing what the Stoics call "alive time." After he sits down for a captivating interview with none other than the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger, he also shares his personal experiences driving along the stunning Pacific Coast Highway, and expresses gratitude for the incredible turnout at his and Robert Greene's sold-out show in Los A
Tom Segura On Honing The Craft of Comedy
Ryan speaks with Tom Segura in the first of a two-part conversation about the links between writing comedy specials and writing philosophy books, the mindset it takes to succeed in a creative field, Tom’s weird and winding journey through professional comedy, and more.Tom Segura is a stand-up comedian, writer, author, actor, and podcaster. He co-hosts the Your Mom's House podcast with his wife and fellow comedian Christina Pazsitzky, as well as the podcast Two Bears One Cave with best f
When You Don’t Like What You See | Looking Out For Each Other
Marcus Aurelius, like all of us, would catch glimpses of himself in the mirror. As we talked about recently, Marcus would have checked himself in the mirror in the morning, he would have seen his reflection as he passed through a hallway, from one room to the next.--And in today's excerpt from The Daily Stoic, Ryan explains why its so beneficial to watch other people around us succeed, and why we should show our friends and loved ones affection while celebrating their advancements as if
The Beautiful Language Of Marcus’s Philosophy | Ask DS
There are so many beautiful passages in Meditations.“The way loaves of bread split open on top in the oven,” Marcus Aurelius writes in Book 3, “the ridges are just by-products of the baking, and yet pleasing, somehow: they rouse our appetite without our knowing why.” His poetic observation of the way stalks of wheat bend under their own weight. His reflection on the way things in life are often made beautiful by their imperfections.---And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan speaks and answ
Nate Boyer On Developing Perseverance And Asking For Help
Ryan speaks with Nate Boyer in the second of a two-part interview about why his new movie is aligned with the Stoic ideal of encouraging people to ask for help, the moment from basic training that made him belief in himself, why the greats try to do their best every single time, and moreNate Boyer is a United States Army Green Beret, former football player, actor, director, producer, and television host. Despite never having played a down of organized football in his life, Nate played c
Are You Getting The Most Out Of This Gift?
You’re alive right now or you wouldn’t be reading this. But what proof do you have that you’re really living? Don’t overthink that question. It’s not some complicated metaphysical question.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priva
You’re Not Dead Yet… | 9 Stoic Secrets For Self-Mastery (From Experts)
Marcus Aurelius was already quite old while writing Meditations. He was sick and surrounded by plague. Seneca was a marked man from the moment he left Nero’s service. But as aware as these men were of their ticking clocks, they were also quite aware that they were not dead yet. Seneca wrote many of his most beautiful letters in those final years.---And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan shares 9 Stoic Secrets from some of the great thinkers of the modern world: Alexander Ludwig,
You Really Can’t Hear This Enough | Practice Silence
One of the most highlighted passages in the digital version of The Daily Stoic is the December 9th quote from Seneca:“Were all the geniuses of history to focus on this single theme, they could never fully express their bafflement at the darkness of the human mind. No person would give up even an inch of their estate, and the slightest dispute with a neighbor can mean hell to pay; yet we easily let others encroach on our lives—worse, we often pave the way for those who will take it over. No perso
How To Improve Any Team With Ego Management And Silence
Today, Ryan presents a talk he gave to a group of coaches at the Tennessee Athletics Department about the core concepts of Stoicism and how they can apply them to their coaching practices in order to make their players, teams, and themselves better. In this second half of the talk, Ryan explains how the ego can be harnessed for the good of the team, the importance of coaches to model the attitude that they would like to see in their athletes, how finding moments to be still helps the co
Nate Boyer On Striving For Excellence In Everything
Ryan speaks with Nate Boyer in the first of a two-part interview about what serving six years and multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Green Beret taught him about life, how he was able to become an NFL starter at a position he had never played before, how he is striving to be great in his television career, and more.Nate Boyer is a United States Army Green Beret, former football player, actor, director, producer, and television host. Despite never having played a down of organiz
You Either Are Or You Aren’t | Your Actual Needs Are Small
It’s impossible not to read Marcus Aurelius or Seneca and sense that they were always working. Not that they were literally always at the office–as we said, they believed in a kind of work life balance–but on themselves.They were studying. They were reflecting. They were asking questions. Late at night after his wife went to sleep, Seneca would pull out his journals and evaluate the day, going over what he’d done well, where he didn’t live up to his standards. Marcus, most famously, was
It’s Ok To Break | Ask DS
When Marcus Aurelius heard that his beloved teacher Fronto had lost a grandchild, he sent him a letter. Perhaps, if you believe in the stereotype of the unfeeling Stoic, you might expect that this letter was intended to buck his friend up, or attempted to remind the grieving Fronto that loss was a part of life and something we had to be prepared for.In our recent interview with Professor Martha Nussbaum on the Daily Stoic podcast, we talked about this exchange.---And in today's Ask Dail
Don’t Be A Snob
Because of the work we’ve done. Because of the study. Because of the experiences. We know. We know what’s right. We know what’s possible. We know how things should go.The problem, as we’ve said before, is that it’s very easy to forget that the Stoics believed only in *self-*discipline.📗 Go to store.dailystoic.com/pages/discipline to order your copy of Discipline Is Destiny: The Power Of Self-Control.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the
Heather Cox Richardson On What History Teaches Us About Fighting The Dark Energy Of The Human Soul
Ryan speaks with Heather Cox Richardson about her new book Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, her mission to deliver history as a way of promoting human connection, changing the game of story-telling, how to combat the dark energies that are fed by sowing division and more.Heather Cox Richardson is an American historian, author and educator. She is a professor of history at Boston College, where she teaches courses on the American Civil War, the Reconstruction Era, the
You Should Ask Yourself This Question When You Mess Up | 9 Stoic Keys To Building Character That Lasts
Look, we all mess up. We take certain people or clients for granted and a relationship deteriorates. We get distracted and make an unnecessary mistake. We are overwhelmed by a passion or a temper and do something bad.We’re humans. It happens.What follows are consequences.---And in today's video excerpt from the Daily Stoic YouTube channel, Ryan defines nine key methods that the Stoics used to build character that will help steer you toward a new destiny.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic em
You Either Are Or You Aren’t | Panic Is Self-Inflicted Harm
It’s impossible not to read Marcus Aurelius or Seneca and sense that they were always working. Not that they were literally always at the office–as we said, they believed in a kind of work life balance–but on themselves.They were studying. They were reflecting. They were asking questions.---And with today's meditation on the day's Daily Journal excerpt, Ryan discusses why panic, which only serves to expose us to greater danger, can only be avoided by effective preparation.✉️ Sign up for
How To Be A Leader (According To Plutarch)
As one of history’s most important biographers and essayists, Plutarch studied deeply the traits of great Greek and Roman leaders to identify just what it is that made them great. In today’s audiobook reading, Ryan shares an excerpt from How to Be a Leader: An Ancient Guide to Wise Leadership, in which Plutarch clearly and succinctly lays out his thoughts on the subject, as well as his advice to anyone striving to become a leader. This book is part of the fantastic Princeton University
Jake Seliger On Cancer, Acceptance, And The Gift Of Life
Ryan speaks with Jake Seliger about how his cancer diagnosis and having his tongue removed have changed his perspective on life, why he is prioritizing people much more highly than work now, how he is making every single minute count, what he is trying to communicate with his recent outpouring of creativity, accepting death, and more.Jake Seliger is a writer, editor, and researcher. He has written two novels: The Hook and Asking Anna, as well as many essays covering a wide range of soci
Consider The Cost Of Those Perks | No Pain, No Gain
During the American Revolution—as in any war—the British quite rightly targeted the estates and the landholdings of the leadership on the American side. Because to them, these men weren’t founders—they were instigators. At one point in the war, George Washington’s estate was threatened by advancing troops. Thinking he might be able to save his boss’s property, one of Washington’s overseers rushed out to try to convince the enemy to spare them.When Washington heard about this, he was not
You’ve Just Got To Keep Going Back | Ask DS
It’s impossible not to read Marcus Aurelius or Seneca and sense that they were always working. Not that they were literally always at the office–as we said, they believed in a kind of work life balance–but on themselves.They were studying. They were reflecting. They were asking questions. Late at night after his wife went to sleep, Seneca would pull out his journals and evaluate the day, going over what he’d done well, where he didn’t live up to his standards. Marcus, most famously, was
You Took The Job
The Emperor Hadrian’s life sometimes felt, as it does for all leaders, like an endless demand for favors. Letters came from across the empire asking for this and that. The Senate, the courts, his own family–everybody always seemed to need something. Naturally, he struggled under this burden. Naturally, he tried to create barriers and boundaries so he could do his job…and maintain some level of sanity amidst all the requests.💪 Visit store.dailystoic.com/pages/leadership to sign up for i
Sid Stockdale On The Stoic Legacy Of His Father, Admiral James Stockdale
Ryan speaks with Sid Stockdale about his who his new memoir A World Apart: Growing Up Stockdale During Vietnam speaks to, how his family survived his father’s seven-year imprisonment, the valuable lessons that his father taught him about Stoicism upon his return home, the untold story of his mother’s strength, and more.Sid Stockdale is a speaker, author, teacher, and the second of four sons of the late Navy Admiral James Stockdale, who survived captivity as a prisoner of War in Hanoi du
Who Could Have Seen It? | 9 Stoic Lessons From Running Every Single Day
Everything seems fine. Everything seems better than fine. Your life is going great. You’re happy. You’re in love. Your finances are great. But will it last? Or will Fortune, as Seneca said she is wont to do, surprise you with a reversal?---And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan shares why running is an excellent activity to use to practice Stoic, from its mental and physical endurance benefits, to its strengthening of resilience.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https:/
This Is What Leaders Do | On Handling Haters
After a long line of incompetence, after a long chain of excuses, after a series of failures, the Union cause finally turned around when General Ulysses S. Grant took command. Other generals had focused on pomp and circumstance, they had been anxious and defensive, they claimed they didn’t have the resources or troops they needed.As the great historian Bruce Catton wrote in The Hallowed Ground, “when Grant showed up things began to happen.” It didn’t matter if he was in charge of a smal
The Life Of Agrippinus The Different
Agrippinus marched to the beat of his own drum. Today, Ryan reads from his book Lives Of The Stoics to explain just what that meant for one of the most eccentric and interesting Stoic philosophers, Paconius Agrippinus, who was heralded by Epictetus as a pillar of Stoicism, and who was willing to die to be himself. ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us
James Outman On Why Baseball Is Stoicism
Ryan speaks with James Outman on why he believes that baseball and Stoicism both promote the same practices, why baseball players are uniquely prepared to deal with failure, how practicing the Stoic mindset helps him survive “the yips”, why Lou Gehrig’s story is the perfect example of Memento Mori, and more.James Outman is a professional baseball player who plays centerfield for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since being called up to the Majors in July of 2022, James has amassed a batting ave
This Is a Bad Way To Drive (and Live) | A Garden Is Not For Show
With the proliferation of dashcams and the spread of social media, we see these clips everywhere. It’s basically its own genre of video at this point. A driver is frustrated with someone going too slow in front of them, so they honk. Then they swerve, step on the gas to pass them–often waving a middle finger or honking a horn or shouting out a rolled down window as they do so–only to almost immediately get pulled over. Or violently crash. A vivid, painful demonstration of poetic justice a few mi
How You Endure It Matters Most | Ask DS
No one knows what the future holds, but if it’s anything like the present or the past, it will not be easy. Things will not go our way. Tragedies will happen. Injustices will be inflicted upon us. Institutions will crumble. People will behave abominably. Mistakes will be made. Disasters will strike.When, where, why? No one can say.But in a sense, the answers to those questions don’t really matter.---And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions from employees at a talent acquis
Who Do You See?
We don’t think of the ancient Romans as living just like us, but in many ways they did. A recent archaeological dig in Bulgaria found a Roman estate with a collection of household mirrors. In the 1st century AD, Pliny the Elder wrote in his Natural History about the invention of glass mirrors, which means that Marcus Aurelius may have looked himself in the mirror in the morning just like you did.What did he see?✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Ch
Adrian Grenier On Recovering From Being Famous
Ryan speaks with Adrian Grenier in the second of a two-part episode about what it’s really like to be famous, why and how he quit acting, how Adrian’s lifestyle was shaped for the worse by his role on Entourage, how is living a better life now for his family, and more.Adrian Grenier is an actor, director, producer, podcaster, entrepreneur, and musician. He is best known for his role as Vincent Chase on the show Entourage and his roles in The Devil Wears Prada and Clickbait, as well as h
Good Leaders Give This | 10 Rules For Life From The Stoics
General Victor Krulak was an exacting Marine. He drove his troops hard. He cared about the tiniest details. He expected perfection. So you might think he would be upset–or at least disappointed–when a major leading review of troops inadvertently knocked off his own hat…which was then trampled by every Marine who followed.---And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan shares his top ten rules that the Stoics promoted in order to help ensure that they stayed on the right path and didn'
Bring Love To Every Situation You Face | A New Way To Pray
On this day 22 years ago, Brian Sweeney was a passenger trapped on hijacked United Airlines Flight 175. He knew something was wrong, but he could not have fully understood that he and so many others were about to be murdered in one of the most hateful and deranged acts of terrorism in history.But in those final few short minutes of his life, he managed to leave a beautiful message on his wife’s voicemail.---And in today's reading from the Daily Stoic Journal, Ryan explains why the Stoic
How Stoicism Makes Coaches Better
Today, Ryan presents a talk he gave to a group of coaches at the Tennessee Athletics Department about the core concepts of Stoicism and how they can apply them to their coaching practices in order to make their players, teams, and themselves better. In this first half of the talk, Ryan explains how the wisdom that Marcus Aurelius gained during his tragic life can be translated into success on and off the playing field, and why Epictetus considered Socrates to be the ultimate ball player
Adrian Grenier On How Turning To Philosophy Saved His Life
Ryan speaks with Adrian Grenier in the first of a two-part episode about their parallel career and life trajectories, what it’s really like to be famous, the rock-bottom moment that led to Adrian taking control of his life, why he is striving to be a better father than his own, why farming is the only profession for a philosopher, and more.Adrian Grenier is an actor, director, producer, podcaster, entrepreneur, and musician. He is best known for his role as Vincent Chase on the show Ent
Where Are You Trying To Get Better? | Do Not Be Deceived By Fortune
Tom Brady has always been relentless about trying to get better. Trying to get his passes out quicker. Trying to get his spirals a little tighter. Trying to optimize his diet. Trying to recover from games faster.While almost none of us are like Tom Brady on the practice field, we’re all like him in the sense that we spend a lot of time and energy focusing on improving ourselves at work, at our chosen craft or profession. But when it comes to personal improvement?---And in today's readin
Do You Have This Ability? | Ask DS
A leader is a doer…but that doesn’t mean they’re always doing. In fact, if a leader is always doing, chances are they’ll end up doing the wrong thing. Because they haven’t taken enough time to think and study, question and prepare.---And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions from US Marines after a talk he gave at the 29 Palms Marine Corps Air/Ground Combat Center. The topics that they touch on include how to practice Stoicism with your closest family members, balancing the
Brad Stulberg On Mastering Change With Science And Stoicism
Ryan speaks with Brad Stulberg about his new book Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You, the scientific basis for humanity’s need for change, why all ancient wisdom traditions agree that the most effective way to deal with change is through skillful action, the Case For Tragic Optimism, why it is healthy to think of death, and more. Brad Stulberg is a writer, success coach, speaker, and entrepreneur whose work focuses on exploring the principles
The Only Part Of Your Reputation To Worry About
The Stoics were towering figures of their own time. Marcus Aurelius was cheered in the streets. Cato was widely admired. Musonius Rufus was called the Roman Socrates. Their reputations preceded them, as it should with anyone who takes their commitment to the virtues of courage and discipline and justice and wisdom seriously.But how do we square these reputations, which the men obviously cultivated and worked hard not to betray, with the idea that a Stoic isn’t supposed to care about wha
How Do You Know If You're A Good Leader? | What Marcus Aurelius Learned from His Father About Being a Good Man
You lead a large team. You are the head of a household. You have millions of followers or thousands of subscribers. And you often wonder,Am I being a good leader? Am I doing right by my kids, my followers, my employees? Am I being a good steward?It can be hard to know.But from the Stoics, we get a fast and easy test for whether we’re doing a good job.It’s this: Do you make people better?---And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan shares the wisdom that Marcus Aurelius learned from
Go Out And Live Today | A Hard Winter Training
Labor Day was first proposed by Matthew Maguire, a labor union secretary in 1882 in New York. It is a “tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country” and the idea that they deserved a rest for that work. The Stoics were hard driving, no-excuses, disciplined folks but they would have supported that idea wholeheartedly. “The mind must be given relaxation—it will rise improved and sharper after a good break,” Seneca wrote. He
What American Legacy Company US Steel Can Learn From Stoicism
When Ryan was asked to give a talk to the leaders of one of the most foundational companies in American history, the United States Steel Corporation, he drew inspiration from Marcus Aurelius’ examinations of fire - how it melts whatever material is thrown into it in order to create fuel and heat - to put together a speech that illustrates how the Stoic virtue of Courage can be converted into success at the highest levels of industry.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailysto
Rainn Wilson On How His Deepest Struggles Led To His Best Roles
Ryan speaks with Rainn Wilson in this second of a two-part conversation about the best entry points for the average person into philosophy and spirituality, why the serenity prayer applies to everyone, how the struggles he experienced in his early acting career led to him landing the role of Dwight Schrute, why he wishes that he enjoyed his time on The Office more, his take on the state of the writers’ strike, and more.Rainn Wilson is an actor, comedian, author, podcaster, writer, and d
In The End It Doesn’t Even Matter | A Strong Soul Is Better Than Good Luck
A couple minutes of traffic on the way to work. The tone that the person was talking to you with. The scratch in your brand new painted wall. The lost pair of AirPods–the cost of replacing them. The speed of the promised promotion, word that a colleague is making a smidge more. The culture war issue of the moment. The tenor of the media coverage for your new project…or the lack thereof. The insult from someone you thought was a friend.All these things seemed like they mattered.But there
You Can’t Be Fragile Like This | Ask DS
Cato, one of the most vaunted and towering Stoics, built a reputation and a career out of his refusal to give an inch in the face of pressure. He fought to keep Rome as it was, as it always had been. He refused political compromise in every form. Cato was Cato. He could never be anything but rigid, upright, and strong.But Cato’s inflexibility did not always best serve the public good.---And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions during the Q&A session of the Daily Stoic
Rainn Wilson On Stoicism’s Role In The Spiritual Revolution
Ryan speaks with Rainn Wilson about his new book Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution, why the guy who played Dwight Schrute wrote a book on spirituality, how anyone can find a thread to the transcendent anywhere any time, how Stoicism is helping cure the crisis that young men are in today, what the Stoics would have said about climate change, and more. Rainn Wilson is an actor, comedian, author, podcaster, writer, and director. He is most known for his role as Dwight Schr
We Can Go At Any Moment
It’s easy to nod along with a book (or even this email) when you’re reading it. Or to double-tap the like button when you see an inspiring Instagram post.But how long does this stay with you? How quickly will its message flutter away? It’s a critical problem for all of us out there who are trying to get better. Who are trying to actually live the principles of philosophy, and to rely on it in life’s stressful moments, as well as life’s ordinary hours.Inspired by the French painter Phili
In Spite Of Everything, We Must Do This | How Stoics Find And Build Deep Relationships
Marcus Aurelius must have wondered what he did to deserve all this. First, he lost his father at age three. Then he was pulled from his first love, philosophy, and pushed into politics. When he finally became emperor, roughly 200 years of peace exploded into 19 years of border wars and civil strife.There was a plague.There were floods.He had crippling health problems.At some point, as he buried another one of his children, as he wept over the ceaseless toll from disease and pestilence,
What Stoic Rules Make Life Less Erratic? | A Cure For Procrastination
Marcus Aurelius never claimed to be a Stoic.Gregory Hays, one of Marcus Aurelius’s best translators (the one we worked with on our beautiful premium edition), writes, “If he had to be identified with a particular school, [Stoicism] is surely the one he would have chosen. Yet I suspect that if asked what it was that he studied, his answer would not have been ‘Stoicism’ but simply ‘philosophy.’”---And with today's meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, Ryan discusses why Marcus Aur
Epictetus - Discourses Pt. 3: On Being Sprung From God
In today’s audiobook reading, Ryan presents an excerpt from one of the seminal texts of Stoicism, the Discourses of Epictetus, read by Michael Reid. As a series of lectures given by Epictetus that were written down by his pupil Arrian in 108 A.D., these discourses provide practical advice to think on and practice in order to move oneself closer toward the ultimate goal of living free and happy. In this third section, Epictetus discusses how we should see ourselves in comparison with the
Christina Pazsitzky On Appreciating The Miraculousness Of Existence
Ryan speaks with Christina Pazsitzky in the second of a two-part interview about what really matters in life, why studying history reveals how strange life is, enjoying what you have while you have it, how to navigate social media as a parent, and more.Christina Pazsitzky is a stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, host and TV personality. Since starting her comedy career in 1997, Christina has been known for her intelligent, thought-provoking, and hilarious takes on the realities of wom
This Timeless Adage Will Determine Your Destiny | Respect The Past, But Be Open To The Future
This is not another note about memento mori.It’s about a different immutable, inescapable law of human existence that comes to us from the Stoics through Heraclitus (one of Marcus Aurelius’ favorites): Character is fate.---And in today's excerpt from The Daily Stoic, Ryan explains why the Stoics believed it was so important to honor the past, but not to live in it.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for
Be This Kind Of Person | Ask DS
In matters of law, Cato was a stickler. In matters of principle, Cato was uncompromising. His opponents found him exhausting. Even some of his friends thought he was impossible.Yet as we wrote about recently, people who bumped into him in the street were always surprised. By how nice he was. By how low key he was. There was the man who struck Cato in the baths, not aware of whom he was fighting with, only to be unceremoniously forgiven by the great Roman he had assaulted. There were the
This Is Real Power
Seneca, Cato, and Marcus Aurelius operated in the real world. They navigated within and around the halls of power. They had people working above and below them, and they needed to figure out how to motivate, influence, understand, and accommodate those people. And while virtue kept them from being too Machavailian, they had to figure out how to affect change and get things done inside a world that wasn’t so virtuous.So it’s an interesting question: What is the most Stoic law of power?Yo
Christina Pazsitzky On Teaching Comedians Philosophy
Ryan speaks with Christina Pazsitzky in the first of a two-part interview about her new Netflix comedy special Mom Genes, why she believes that comedians should go to college to study philosophy, how she balances her work and home life, why ego is a tool for survival in a comedy career, what the Stoics would have to say about cancel culture, and more.Christina Pazsitzky is a stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, host and TV personality. Since starting her comedy career in 1997, Christin
The Biggest Lie In The World | Toxic Habits The Stoics Want You To Stop Doing
You may well have said it yesterday, or overheard someone else saying it, “Oh, I’ll do it in the morning…I’ll do it after I wake up…I’ll get to it later…I just need to do this other thing first.”It’s one of the oldest, most insidious lies in the world. Yet it’s so common that we don’t even notice it. We don’t even realize that it is a vicious untruth that deprives us and the world of potential, of awareness, of understanding.---And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan shares what
This Is How They Found Peace and Priority | Just Say No To Future Misery
An explorer at Jamestown in the 17th century.A London gentleman during the Stuart Period.An unidentified person with the initials T.S. who lived during the Renaissance.Another with the initials E.R. who lived sometime during the 16th century.We hardly know anything about them. They almost certainly didn’t know each other. But they have two things in common. First, they are dead. Second, while they were alive, they each reminded themselves every day that they would one day be dead. How d
The Life Of Chrysippus "The Fighter" From Lives Of The Stoics
Known as the “Second Founder of Stoicism,” Chrysippus was a philosophical giant as revered as he was controversial. Today, Ryan reads from his book Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius to share the winding and often confounding story of one of the most important figures of Stoicism, and to explain why he died laughing.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signe
Paul Kix On The Civil Rights Movement And What It Means To Be Courageous
Ryan speaks with Paul Kix about his new book You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live: Ten Weeks in Birmingham That Changed America, how Ryan helped him shape his writing career after being laid off by ESPN, the painful realities of the Jim Crow south and 1963 Birmingham, and more.Paul Kix is an author, journalist, and podcaster whose wide-ranging work examines sports, politics, social movements, and world history. He is a former senior editor at ESPN Magazine, and ha
You Are Strong. You Just Haven’t Been Tested. | Only Fools Rush In
In August of 1967, Lieutenant Dave Carey was shot out of his A-4 Skyhawk over Vietnam. Soon enough, he found himself a prisoner in Hanoi, where he would subsequently be beaten, tortured and placed into solitary confinement. For six years, he languished there, kept going only by the comrades around him and an occasional pick me up from the Stoics.As Carey explained on an incredible episode of the Daily Stoic podcast, fellow prisoners would tap, “Stockdale wants you to remember what Epict
All You Can Do Is This | Ask DS
Life is unpredictable. Events are uncertain. What can go wrong will. Nice guys sometimes finish last, bad things happen to good people. So much is outside our control.These realities are all well-known to a Stoic. As Seneca said, fortune behaves as she pleases. So why did they try then? Why did they work hard on stuff when it might not work out? Why did they invest and sacrifice?---And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions as part of the Daily Stoic Stoicism 101 course, add
Coach Greg Harden On The Mindset Of Champions
Ryan speaks with Greg Harden about how Stoicism influenced his new book Stay Sane in an Insane World: How to Control the Controllables and Thrive, the techniques that he has used to coach so many sports greats to the highest levels of success, the difference between confidence and ego, why Tom Brady likes The Obstacle Is The Way, and more.Greg Harden is a life coach, motivational speaker and executive consultant who is best known for his work with 7-time Super Bowl champion quarterback
Here’s How To Find Tranquility
We all want more peace, right? More stillness. The quiet confidence that comes from being on the right path, as Seneca described it, and not being distracted by all those which crisscross ours.Well, how do you get that?It’s simple, Marcus Aurelius wrote. Stop caring what other people think. Stop caring what they do. Stop caring what they say.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired product
They Don’t Want You To Know This | The Stoics Guide To Becoming Wealthy
Those shoes you’re wearing were likely made in a sweatshop by a child in horrendous labor conditions. That luxury handbag is a few dollars worth of leather and a fortune in deceptive advertising and branding. Those two politicians with radically different agendas are ladder-climbing friends behind the scenes, with the same corporate donors. Those big tough rappers whose beef you’re following are two poets laughing all the way to the bank. That fancy car will not only lose half its value
Turn Down These Voices Inside Your Head | Always Ask Yourself This Question
It is not enough, of course, to simply tune out the noise around you. One can turn off social media. One can cultivate the quiet country life, as the Stoics did on occasion. One can ignore what is inessential, pay no attention to what makes no difference.And still there is noise.To get to ataraxia, or a place of stillness and peace, the Stoics knew that controlling for externals was not enough. We had to develop an inner calm too, an ability to recognize our own destructive thought patt
Ryan Holiday And Robert Greene Talk Strategy And Philosophy For Turbulent Times
In anticipation of their upcoming live discussion series, Ryan and Robert sat down to discuss where their ideas and interests converge. This casual conversation is a small offering of the type of discourse that they will be presenting in their discussion series: Strategy And Philosophy For Turbulent Times in Los Angeles on September 19, and Seattle on September 21. There are a limited number of VIP meet-and-greet tickets available, so grab yours before they sell out!✉️ Sign up for the D
Troy Baker, Molly Bloom, Alexander Ludwig, And Camila Cabello Share How They Were Introduced To Stoicism
Ryan presents a compilation of highlights from interviews with some of his most high-profile, influential, and interesting guests about how they found Stoicism and what it has done to improve their lives.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy
The Whole Point Is To Not Fit In | No Time For Theories, Just Results
The Stoics stood out in Athens. They stood out in Rome. Whether it was Cato walking around barefoot or Cleanthes proudly doing manual labor. Whether it was Seneca practicing his poverty or Marcus Aurelius reading during gladiatorial games, the Stoics were different.It was obvious. It was intentional.If I wanted to be like the mob, Chrysippus once said, I would not have become a philosopher.---And with today's excerpt from the Daily Stoic, Ryan explains the importance of prioritizing rea
It’s Going To Take A While, So You Need To Do This | Ask DS
It takes a lot of flying time to become a certified pilot. It takes years on stage for a comedian to learn how to command an audience. It takes time to get sober, time in therapy to heal a marriage. No book is written overnight, and few fortunes are made in one swoop. No, they start small and accumulate, the power of compounding interest working on them.All great things take time. You know this. You know where you want to end up, and yet, and yet still you have not started the clock.---
This Is The Most Dangerous Vice
“The pretense of knowledge is our most dangerous vice, because it prevents us from getting any better.”Over 10,000 readers have highlighted that passage in the Kindle edition of Ego is the Enemy.The reason it resonates is that the Stoics have been riffing on that very idea for thousands of years.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, Yo
Kevin Rose On Staying Healthy With Entrepreneurship, Zen Buddhism, And Being Vulnerable
Ryan speaks with Kevin Rose about the pros and cons of his entrepreneurial drive, the calming effects of reducing the amount of stuff that you have, the overlap between Zen Buddhism and Stoicism, the dangers of social media, why being vulnerable is the hardest thing to do, and more.Kevin Rose is an entrepreneur, podcaster, and television host. Having co-founded the companies Revision3, Digg, Pownce, and Milk, and having been a venture partner at GV, Kevin’s work focuses on tracking and
The Secret To Happiness | How To Let Go And Stop Worrying (10 Stoic Tips)
What is the secret to happiness?It’s not an easy question to answer. And it might seem like the Stoics wouldn’t have a good answer either. Because it might seem like they didn’t have much fun, or experience much happiness. After all, they wrote repeatedly about the emptiness of chasing money or celebrity. They reminded themselves that fine wine is just rotten old grapes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean their lives were empty and joyless. By one definition of happiness, in fact, the St
We’re Broken…But Not Fixed | What Little Wins Can You Find?
We all have bad habits. Some of us procrastinate. Nearly all of us, as Seneca said, are slaves to something–food or sex or booze or ambition. We don’t work as hard as we should, or we work too hard. We’re too quick with our temper, we’re too slow to ask for help.It’s easy to be cynical about ourselves. We know, more than anyone, how long we’ve been struggling with things. We know how ingrained our bad habits are, how hard it’s going to be to get over them. But we can’t give up.---And wi
How Stoicism, Eastern Philosophy, And Fitness Work Together
In the spirit of sharing ideas and learning from cultures outside of one’s own, Ryan was excited when he was given the opportunity to speak to India-based fitness company Curefit Healthcare because it gave him a chance to further explore the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita and relate it to the Stoic teachings. In this virtual talk, Ryan delves into how Stoicism and Eastern philosophy can be applied to physical activity, leading a large company, getting better as people and leaders, and more
Leonard Mlodinow On The Poetry, Power, And Beautiful Challenge Of Physics
Ryan speaks with Leonard Mlodinow about his book Feynman's Rainbow: A Search for Beauty in Physics and in Life, how physicists deal with imposter syndrome and egotism, whether there is truth in physics or just better theories, how his own personal practice of self-sufficiency aligns with the Stoic ideals, why science says that there is no separation between emotions and rationality, and more.Leonard Mlodinow is a theoretical physicist, mathematician, author, screenwriter, and video game
You Have To Know Where You’re Going | No Blame, Just Focus
We know we want to go somewhere. We want to do something. We want to be successful. We want to win. We know we want to start something–a company, a creative project, a movement.Or perhaps we want justice, we want someone to make things right, we want to change and grow. We want to prove people wrong about us. We want to be happy.But what exactly? How? What does that success actually look like? What is this happiness we speak of? Well there, we have a lot less clarity.Law 29 of The 48 La
Will You Understand Or Be Understood? | Ask DS
There are very few people who feel completely understood. Starting from a young age, our parents didn’t fully get us. Or maybe it was our teachers. Maybe there is some part of us apparently beyond the reach of our spouse or our peers. This is painful. It’s lonely. It’s rough.Epictetus said that there were some things that were up to us and some things that were not.---And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions during a Q&A session at the end of the Stoicism 101 course. T
Ann Wroe On The Real Story Of Pontius Pilate, And His Connection To Stoicism
Ryan speaks with Ann Wroe about her book Pontius Pilate: The Biography of an Invented Man, what she has learned over her long career of writing obituaries, why death is the great equalizer, the intrigue and misunderstanding of Pontius Pilate and his life, and more.Ann Wroe is an author and columnist who has been the obituaries editor of The Economist since 2003. She has published several non-fiction books including biographies of Percy Shelley and Perkin Warbeck, and a book on the subje
Beware This Madness
What we do while in the sway of anger we almost always come to regret. Whether it was the yelling or the impulsive decision to quit, whether it was the cruel words or the quiet revenge, with the passage of time, we come to see we were possessed by something–by our temper–and it took us somewhere we should not have gone.The Stoics wrote often of being wary of the passion of temper, but there are other passions to beware of too.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/
What Is The Function of Worry? | How Stoicism Can Help You Get Sober (And Stay Sober)
One of the most timeless lines in all of the Stoic writings comes from Epictetus, "What upsets people is not things themselves, but their judgements about these things.”It's a powerful idea. And it's made all the more transcendent by the remarkable fact that nearly every other philosophy has come to the exact same conclusion.---And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan presents clips from interviews in which his guests share applications of Stoic wisdom that have used to get sober
We Almost Always Regret This | A Week Without Complaining
It’s not that we didn’t have a reason. That we weren’t provoked. Or mistreated. We were. We had legitimate reasons to be upset. We had a legitimate grievance.And yet…our response was such a mistake. We come to regret the yelling. We regret the harsh words. How much better would we have been had we been able to, as the great play about Cato put it, look at things through the “calm light of mild philosophy.”To the Stoics, what we did in a fit of passion–be it of lust or envy but most of a
How Stoicism Can Help Make Health Care Better
As Epictetus said, “the philosopher’s classroom is like a hospital,” so, too, can Stoic philosophy help improve the halls of medicine and the people who practice there. This was the premise of a talk that Ryan gave to a group of doctors and surgeons in February 2023, during which he applied ancient philosophy to what they do so selflessly day-in and day-out.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired produc
Lt. David Carey Uncovering Our Own Capacity To Get Through Anything
Ryan speaks with Lieutenant David Carey in this second of a two-part interview about the bonds that he and his fellow POWs formed in captivity, why he feels no hatred to the guards who imprisoned and tortured him, his relationship with former cellmate Senator John McCain, how his experiences put daily life in perspective for him, and more.David Carey is a retired Navy Lieutenant Commander who served in the Vietnam War, as well as an author, motivational speaker, consultant, and trainer.
What Matters Is What You Can Do In The Moment | Check Your Privilege
Epictetus didn’t care what you had read. He didn’t care if you had made it through the densest writings of Chryssipus. Marcus Aurelius didn’t care what your job was, what your education was, what your authority was.What mattered was who you were–in your actual life.---And in today's reading from The Daily Stoic, Ryan discusses the value of taking a step back to asses how privileged you really are in the grand scheme of life, and how that will put you one step closer toward helping other
This Is Always There | Ask DS
Every retail business knows about shrinkage–the percentage of goods shoplifted or stolen off the floor. Every manufacturer knows how to calculate their defect rate–because no production run is perfect. Every shipping company knows there will be an error rate, a delivery failure rate, even a disappeared-into-thin-air rate. Every credit card processor knows about fraudulent purchase rates and disputed charges. And the bigger the businesses, the larger these numbers are, certainly in terms
They’re Not All Going To Like You
There are so many things you don’t like. Bands you think are overrated. Shows that just didn’t do it for you. Actors who, for some reason, just bother you. People who you’d rather not see.Sometimes these dislikes are personal, but oftentimes it isn’t. The feeling isn’t even particularly strong, it’s just there. Some things are not for everyone, and this one is not for you.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic
Lt. David Carey On Surviving As A POW W/ Admiral James Stockdale (with Stoicism)
Ryan speaks with Lieutenant David Carey in the first of a two-part interview about his incredible experiences serving in Vietnam as a fighter pilot and being shot down and captured by North Vietnamese forces, how 2,022 days in captivity led to him embracing the teachings of Epictetus, why the community that he and his fellow POWs formed in prison saved them from depression, how he has been using his experiences to help others ever since, and more.David Carey is a retired Navy Lieutenant
Let It Pound Your Head | Stoicism's Secrets To Being More Present (With Your Family)
For years, you’ve worked. For years, you’ve sacrificed. You’ve risked. You’ve hustled. You’ve made tough calls, maybe even left a few knives buried in a few backs. But all of it was aimed at getting somewhere–somewhere you felt you needed to go, to do something you thought was important.And then you got there. And? And? It was a little disappointing, wasn’t it? Thus, it has always been this way.---And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan shares what the Stoics have to say about be
No One Can Hold Anything Over You | Keeping “The News” In Check
Many of the Stoics were powerful and privileged. Marcus Aurelius was born to a wealthy family and then was given the throne and the empire. Cato came from an old and prestigious family. But not all the Stoics were so lucky–Epictetus was born a slave. His teacher Musonius was exiled multiple times. Admiral James Stockdale, whose heroics we’ve spoken of often, was from an ordinary American family in Illinois.Yet advantaged or disadvantaged, all the Stoics possessed a certain power, a cert
Ryan Speaks To The YMCA About Courage, Perseverance, And Showing Up Every Day
As a fan of the YMCA and avid user of its services, Ryan jumped at the chance when the Pennsylvania YMCA asked if he would like to come to their headquarters in 2022 and speak to a group of the organization’s Executives in order to help them navigate the shifting gym usage landscape in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ryan’s speech touches on a selection of the key Stoic ideas that he himself used to push himself through that time, including the importance of recognizing and embracing
Austin Kleon On Maintaining Healthy Habits, Growing As Parents, And Interrogating The Stoic Virtues
Ryan speaks with his longtime friend fellow father Austin Kleon during a stop along his book tour for The Daily Dad: 366 Meditations on Parenting, Love, and Raising Great Kids. They discuss the life habits that they maintain in order to help fuel their creative success, why the most effective form of parenting is indirect, what parenting skills they are working on right now, how adopting a daily journaling habit vastly improved their lives, and more.Austin Kleon is a writer, author, art
How To Create Change | Made For Working Together
Rosa Parks wasn’t just some lady who happened to make a stand on a bus one day. She was trained. She had attended NAACP meetings for years. She had gone to the Highlander Folk School, which cultivated a generation of activists. In his fascinating book Waging a Good War, Tom Ricks (who has a must-listen-to interview on the Daily Stoic podcast) explains, “Each Highlander training session of one or two weeks began with a strategic question: ‘What do you want to do?’ It ended with a tactica
When You’re Tired Of Life… | Ask DS
He buried too many children. He was betrayed by those closest to him. He dealt with health issues. He was surrounded by the corrupt and inept and endlessly ambitious. He saw plagues and floods and war.So yeah, there is a hint of world weariness in Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. It would be stranger if that didn’t color his writing. While critics are wrong to call Marcus depressing or negative, he was unquestionably in pain, tired, and frustrated. This was a man who quite understandably f
Professor Martha Nussbaum On Humanity's Obligation To Protect Animal Rights
Ryan speaks with Martha Nussbaum about her new book Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility, the problems that can arise with the Stoic focus on the internal over the external, how the loss of her daughter taught her what to dedicate the rest of her life to, why animals should be considered citizens of a society, the actions that Martha is personally taking to protect animal rights, and more.Martha Nussbaum is an American philosopher, author, animal rights activist, and the c
Your Mind Is Not Your Friend
How would you describe someone who lies to you? Who riles you up? Who makes you anxious and afraid? Who questions whether you’re good enough? Who has preposterous blindspots and disturbing biases? Who prods you to suspect the worst of others? Who tricks you into doing things you’ll regret? Who encourages your worst impulses?But this is what our mind does to us on a daily basis!✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for S
There Is No Race | Transformative Quotes From The Founder Of Stoicism (Zeno)
We know at least one of the Stoics was a runner. Chrysippus ran the dolichos, a grueling three-mile loop consisting of approximately 24 stadium length wind sprints. Epictetus’s leg injury probably precluded much in the way of running, but he was clearly an avid sports fan and his lectures abound with metaphors to prove it.Yet the Stoics relationship to athletics was slightly different than your average competitor.---And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan presents some of the mos
Wait For It To Settle | Practice Gentleness Instead Of Anger
In the demands of daily life, in the immediacy of a heightened moment, in the pincering crush of competing interests—we rarely make good decisions. Whether it’s because we don’t have all the information, or we are biased by impressions, or we are blinded by emotions…it doesn’t really matter. What matters is the virtuousness of the decisions we make.---And in today's excerpt reading from the Daily Stoic Journal, Ryan discusses why the Stoics believed that the true Stoic strives to confro
Epictetus - Discourses Pt. 2: On Preserving Character
In today’s audiobook reading, Ryan presents an excerpt from one of the seminal texts of Stoicism, the Discourses of Epictetus, read by Michael Reid. As a series of lectures given by Epictetus that were written down by his pupil Arrian in 108 A.D., these discourses provide practical advice to think on and practice in order to move oneself closer toward the ultimate goal of living free and happy. In this second section, Epictetus teaches how one can preserve their character in any and all
Casey Neistat On The Purpose That Parenthood Gives You
While on tour for his new book The Daily Dad: 366 Meditations on Parenting, Love, and Raising Great Kids, Ryan met up with his longtime friend and occasional running partner Casey Neistat for a live interview at Barnes & Noble in Union Square during which they shared the story of how they met, reflections and wisdom they have gleaned from their journeys through parenthood, the work and life habits that have led to their success, their advice for new parents, and more.Casey Neistat i
Do You Practice For Rejection? | A Little Knowledge Is Dangerous
Part of the reason we’re afraid of things is that we’re unfamiliar. We don’t know what it’s like to bomb on stage in front of people, but it seems bad–so we avoid any scenario where something like that might happen. We’ve been turned down or blown off once or twice, asking someone out, asking for help, and it was unpleasant enough that we decided we did not want to explore those feelings any further. We don’t know, or don’t remember what it’s like to be living paycheck-to-paycheck anymo
You Have To Anticipate This Kind Of Behavior | Ask DS
In Richard III and in Othello, Shakespeare has two different characters utter the same line. Both Iago and a nameless orphan say, “I cannot think it.”In both cases, the news they are faced with—the conclusion they are being asked to accept—is simply too much. The Shakespearean scholar, Richard Greenblatt, calls this phrase a kind of motto for those who can’t wrap their mind around perfidy. He’s not being condescending, for it’s a very common experience. Our naivete, our w
Melinda Moyer On Changing The World By Raising Curious Kids
Ryan speaks with Melinda Moyer about how the death of her family dog became an opportunity to teach her children about emotions, why feelings of powerlessness led her to write her best-selling book How To Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes, why encouraging curiosity is a fantastic way to help kids grow up with positive outlooks on life, and more.Melinda Moyer is a journalist and author whose work focuses on parenting, science, and medicine. She is a contributing editor at Scientific America
Don’t Let Them Steal This Too
People will take things from you (as we talked about recently with Epictetus and his lamp). People will betray you–as Marcus Aurelius was by his most trusted general, Avidius Cassius. People will lie, they will cheat, they will break the rules, they will blow apart the mos morium as Cato knew all too well.This will be painful. It may even be costly.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signe
This Is All There Is | 10 Stoic Quotes That Will Motivate You To Seize The Day
It’s one of the great moments in the history of comedy. At Comedy Central Presents: The Roast of Bob Saget, the comedian Norm Macdonald is up roasting his friend, Bob Saget and the rest of the panel. Yet instead of doing what nearly every other comedian has done in the history of roasts, Norm goes on stage and basically bombs on purpose, telling a series of inane and mediocre jokes that he may or may not have stolen from an old joke book.It’s worth watching if only for the courage and s
What Are You Fueling? | Don't Look For The Third Thing
In the early days of the pandemic, many of us picked up new hobbies and habits. We started taking walks. We started cooking for ourselves. Some of us stopped drinking. Some of us started doing 50 pushups when we woke up. Some of us stopped watching the news or quit Twitter.As we talked about recently though, that time feels very far away. Some of those habits and practices, certainly the energy we had toward self-improvement, have slowed down. The last few years were also incredibly str
The Life Of Seneca The Striver
In today’s audiobook reading, Ryan narrates the chapter on Seneca the Striver from his own best-selling guide to all the major Stoics, Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius. As one of the seminal figures of Stoicism, Seneca the Younger led a fascinating and hugely influential life full of the peaks and valleys that come with a relentless pursuit of greatness. ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily
Rachel Hollis On Learning From The Worst Moments, Measuring Success, And Doing Your Best
Ryan continues the second in his two-part discussion with Rachel Hollis about what she learned from the public backlash that she received from an instagram video, how she is currently living her definition of success, why her key to being a good parent is communicating honestly and openly, and more.Part one can be heard here: dailystoic.com/rachel-hollis-on-empathy-and-emotional-acceptance Rachel Hollis is an author, podcast host, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, blogger, and mo
You Are The Solution To Your Problem | Our Duty To Learn
Life may have big challenges in store for us. What’s more certain, as we talked about recently, is the ‘petty hazards of the day.’ We may find ourselves thrust in some crisis–a big political moment or some emergency that unfolds in front of us on the street. We will definitely experience traffic and obnoxious people and temptation and burnout.It’s important we understand that whether the moment is big or small, the Stoic is supposed to respond the same way. That is to say: Calmly. Coura
You Can Let This Make You Miserable, Or Come To Terms With It | Ask DS
It doesn't matter how important you are. It doesn't matter how much money you have. It doesn't matter how used to getting your way you are, or how much you have planned and prepared.A single driver can decide to slow down lanes of traffic and lines of cars. A single bureaucrat can decide not to accept your paperwork, not to approve your application. One person with a grudge can tie you up in months, or years of lawsuits–one lawyer can bleed you more than you ever thought possible. One j
Andrew Wehrman On Why It Is Crucial To Study Pandemics Of The Past
Ryan speaks with Andrew Wehrman about his new book The Contagion of Liberty: The Politics of Smallpox in the American Revolution, how and why responses to health emergencies in the past are strangely similar to those of today, how major historical events always coincide with medical events of the day, the wisdom that studying history can impart on us, and more.Andrew Wehrman is a historian, author, and an associate professor of history at Central Michigan University whose work focuses o
May This Be The Last One Standing
For years, the Stoics had fought. First, they fought moral and spiritual decay, trying to preserve Rome’s traditions in the midst of all their success. Then they fought, as Cato did, to keep the Republic intact as Caesar attempted to overthrow it. They fought later, in a ragtag group known as the Stoic Opposition, against a series of tyrannical and deranged emperors.The Stoics did not win all these battles. In fact, they lost nearly every single one. But they kept fighting, not jus
Can You Embrace The Challenge Like They Did? | How Stoics Develop a Strong Mindset
The fact that America exists is the ultimate argument that Stoicism is not apathy and that philosophy is not mere theory. Because without Stoicism, it’s possible there would have been no revolution, no Constitution, no Bill of Rights and no Fourth of July.Thomas Jefferson kept a copy of Seneca on his nightstand. George Washington staged a reproduction of a play about Cato at Valley Forge in the winter of ‘77/’78 to inspire the troops (having first read the Stoics as
You Must Play It Like A Game | Protect Your Own Good
Life may have big challenges in store for us. What’s more certain, as we talked about recently, is the ‘petty hazards of the day.’ We may find ourselves thrust in some crisis–a big political moment or some emergency that unfolds in front of us on the street. We will definitely experience traffic and obnoxious people and temptation and burnout.It’s important we understand that whether the moment is big or small, the Stoic is supposed to respond the same way. That is to say: Calmly. Coura
Epictetus - Discourses Pt. 1
In today’s audiobook reading, Ryan presents an excerpt from one of the seminal texts of Stoicism, the Discourses of Epictetus, read by Michael Reid. As a series of lectures given by Epictetus that were written down by his pupil Arrian in 108 A.D., these discourses provide practical advice to think on and practice in order to move oneself closer toward the ultimate goal of living free and happy. This first section encompasses Epictetus’s teachings on what we should do about what is in our power a
Garland Robinette On The Stoic Principle That Shapes His Incredible Life
Ryan speaks with Garland Robinette about the brain-altering effects of chasing dopamine, how he has coped with his morally injurious experience serving in Vietnam, his movie-like life and career path, why working in broadcast forced him to let go of his ego, the deep sense of peace and purpose that painting gives him, and more.Garland Robinette is an artist and former journalist, television news anchor, radio host, entrepreneur, and janitor. Born in deep Louisiana bayou country, Garland
Yes, This Is How It Is | The Obstacle Is The Way
Nearly every day was a terror. People died of easily curable diseases. People starved to death. People were clapped into slavery. Wars broke out–fought literally to the knife–where the losers were executed alongside civilian populations…their cities razed to the ground.Seneca was exiled. Marcus Aurelius buried his own children. Epictetus was tortured, leaving him disabled for life. Yet somehow they wrote and spoke a philosophy that had within it, cheerfulness and love and lofty words ab
It’s Really That Simple | Ask DS
Sometimes we are so stuck, so in our own heads, so down on our luck that improvement–let alone a full recovery–seems impossible. Our business has been slowing down. We’re not throwing the ball like we used to. Our significant other walked out after 20 years of marriage.What do we do? Well, first thing is we don’t despair.---And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions about the Stoics of modern times who he admires, whether or not we should try to reconcile the flaws of the Stoics, how
Build A Life You Aren’t Trying To Flee
Of course, it’s lovely to take a vacation. It’s lovely to go to cool places. Even on the weekend, it’s lovely to go places and do things we can’t do during the week.But Seneca tells us to be careful. He quotes Lucretius who said, “Thus each man flees himself,” then elaborates, “But to what end if he does not escape himself? He pursues and dogs himself as his own most tedious companion. And so we must realize that our difficulty is not the fault of the places but of ourselves.”We all seem to be t
Susan Sauve Meyer On Becoming A Better Person With Aristotle
Ryan speaks with Susan Sauve Meyer about the work of making ancient philosophy accessible in today’s world, the insights that she has gained from teaching philosophy to powerful and famous people, what it was like to practice philosophy in ancient Greece and Rome, in what ways Aristotle and the Stoics would have agreed and disagreed, and more.Susan Sauve Meyer is Professor and Chair of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a B.A. from the University of Toronto and a Ph
Can You Make It This Long? | How Stoics Find Balance In Their Life
We’re supposed to put up with difficult people. We’re supposed to turn the other cheek. We’re supposed to find a way to smile through a tough situation. We’re supposed to be rational in a time of craziness and confusion. We’re supposed to be still despite the chaos. We’re supposed to be grateful for all that life gives us.Ok? But for how long? What about this exception or that one? Are we supposed to hold this stance forever? Even when it’s not working, even when no one else is doing it
How To Astonish and Inspire For Centuries | What's in Your Way Is The Way
In Walter Isaacson’s wonderful biography of Leonardo Da Vinci, he spends a lot of time dissecting and exploring the ideas in Da Vinci’s notebooks. As Isaacson observed of Da Vinci’s lifelong habit of journaling: “Five hundred years later, Leonardo’s notebooks are around to astonish and inspire us. Fifty years from now, our own notebooks, if we work up the initiative to start them, will be around to astonish and inspire our grandchildren, unlike our tweets and Facebook posts.”Paper, Isaa
The Most Beautiful Model Of A Perfect Life
Marcus Aurelius’s father died when he was young. But then this young boy who was cursed by tragedy received a great gift. A gift that all children who have received it know to be one of the most incredible things in the world: a loving step-father.Ernest Renan wrote that, more than his teachers and tutors, “Marcus had a single master whom he revered above them all, and that was Antoninus.” All his adult life, Marcus strived to be a disciple of his adoptive stepfather. While he lived, Ma
Sam Gwynne On Progress, War, And Zeppelins
Ryan speaks with Sam Gwynne about his new book His Majesty’s Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine, the triumph of hope over experience, why progress is based in irrationality, the fascinating history of the zeppelin, and more.Sam Gwynne is a writer, journalist, and historian. After earning a bachelor’s degree in history from Princeton University and a master’s degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University, Sam worked for Time magazine as a correspon
We Can Get This Expensive Thing Cheap | The Long Way Around
The rarest thing in the world is wisdom. The most expensive thing in the world is experience. How many truly wise people have you met? How many of them would take the time to download to you all that they know? And of the small amount of wisdom you have accumulated in your life, how much painful trial and error did it take to get it?There is really only one shortcut or hack around this. It is the theme we have returned to here many times: reading.---And in today's excerpt from The Daily
Give It Your All | Ask DS
Cato fought a losing battle. He was trying to preserve a Republic that was old and creaky in a rapidly changing world. He was trying to be honest and good in a political world in which corruption was the norm–clinging to idealism, as Cicero said, and refusing to accept that reality was the ‘dregs of Romulus.’ Cato was going up against the most insatiable of foes, the ambition, the ego of a future tyrant.Yet throughout it, he was implacable–when they tried to shout him down, when they th
Brett Crozier On Bravery, Impossible Decisions And What It Takes To Be A Leader
Ryan speaks with Brett Crozier about his new book Surf When You Can: Lessons in Life, Loyalty, and Leadership from a Maverick Navy Captain, what it felt like to go against his orders to save the lives of his sailors, the tensions between being a part of a system and doing the right thing, the importance of learning something new every day, and more.Brett Crozier is a retired captain in the United States Navy. In spring 2020, he was commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore
How To Not Be Afraid of Criticism | Marcus Aurelius' Advice For Better Days
No one likes to be found at fault. In fact, this is what many of us walk around fearing–that we’ll be exposed as imposters, we’ll be put on the spot in front of people, we’ll have to admit error. This makes us defensive, it makes us play it safe, and in some cases, it even makes us dishonest.It’s a cure, you could say, that’s worse than the disease.---And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan shares what Marcus Aurelius had to say about how best to utilize the 24 that the day prese
Words Count For Nothing | Take A Walk
Today the United States celebrates Juneteenth, the commemoration of the emancipation of slaves in America. Two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, and nearly 90 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Union Army troops deployed to Texas, the only state of the Confederacy still with institutional slavery, on June 19, 1865. “The people of Texas are informed,” ordered a Union General, “that in accordance with a proclamation from the Execut
Ryan And Jordan Harbinger Live At The West
Jordan Harbinger is a podcaster, radio personality, entrepreneur and longtime friend of Ryan’s. So when he invited Ryan to come to The West in LA to join him for a live conversation for his podcast, The Jordan Harbinger Show, Ryan jumped on a plane right away. This is that conversation, in which they discuss how they find their flow states, the ins and outs of teaching Stoicism, cultivating a healthy relationship with work, and more. You can follow Jordan’s work on Twitter @JordanHarbin
Matthew McConaughey On The Art Of Livin’
Ryan speaks with Matthew McConaughey in the second of a two-part interview about his new course: Roadtrip – the Highway to More, the importance of being close to the ones you love, the sense of oneness that comes with zooming out your lens, why he is striving to be less impressed and more involved, and more.Matthew McConaughey has been working in Hollywood for over 25 years, appearing in acclaimed films, including Interstellar, A Time to Kill, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Dallas Buyers
Life Is Emotionally Abusive | No Shame In Needing Help
One day everything is easy. The next, everything that can go wrong, does. One minute, everyone tells you you’re great. The next, they’ve all ganged up against you. Life is too short…and interminably long. Things move insanely fast…and also take forever.Look at Marcus Aurelius’ life. He loses his father…and is then adopted by two powerful stepfathers. He’s suddenly thrust into power…then forced to wait 19 years to wield it. He’s blessed by enormous wealth…and haunted by tragedy after tra
What To Do After You’ve Done Wrong | Ask DS
Seneca should have owned up to it. We’ve talked about this. He was 13 years in Nero’s service before he broke with the clearly broken emperor. It is to Seneca’s credit that he walked away. More to his credit still that he was at least partly involved in the Piso Conspiracy to unseat Nero, as we talked about recently (and is also told at length in Lives of the Stoics).But where in Seneca’s voluminous writings is there anything about taking responsibility for his role in such a corrupt an
Matthew McConaughey On His Greenlights Philosophy, His Roadtrip Course And Feeling Gratitude For Life
Ryan speaks with Matthew McConaughey in the first of a two-part interview about the philosophy behind his bestselling memoir Greenlights, how he aims to help teach people unique ways improve their lives with his new course: Roadtrip – the Highway to More, what he learned from his recent terrifying flight experience, why being truly selfish is actually selfless, how he strikes a balance between living an exciting life and spending quality time with family, and more.Matthew McConaughey ha
It’s Not Your Fault, But It Is Your Responsibility
So much happens in life. There is so much happening. Forget macro events—there are dogs that get sick in the middle of the night. There are trips that need to be made to the store. There are unpleasant conversations to have. Bills that somebody has to pay. Dishes to be done. Hard decisions to make.Most people’s reaction—especially when those macro events are stressing them out on top of everything—is to shirk.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Chec
You Must Stay Outside of Time | 24 Life Changing Quotes From Epictetus
Technology is advancing rapidly. While every generation has felt like it was impossible to keep up, today it really is mindblowing to try to understand everything that’s happening on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum computing, biotechnology, the blockchain, virtual and augmented reality, and on and on.World events and trends continue to accelerate too.Perhaps this is why the wisest people try to do the opposite of keeping up with it all.---And in today's Dai
This is Your Kingdom. Will You Rule It? | Try The Other Handle
In the first century AD, few would have argued that Epictetus was the most powerful person in Rome. Few would have argued that this lowly slave possessed any power at all–in fact, the name said it all: Epictetus means acquired one.Yet what philosophy helped Epictetus come to understand was that it was actually Nero and the other ‘powerful’ men and women of the time who were the slaves. They were the ones who had been acquired–by ambition, by desire, by aversions, by insecurities, by mon
The Life Of Zeno The Prophet
In today's audiobook reading, Ryan narrates a section of his own New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling book Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius, which he wrote with Stephen Hanselman. With this section, Ryan starts from the very beginning by profiling the founder of Stoicism, Zeno of Citium.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and m
Troy Baker On How Stoicism Helps Him Be A Better Actor And Father
Ryan speaks with Troy Baker about how practicing Stoicism enriches the life of the artist and the parent, why gratitude is so much more beneficial than comparison, why one of the biggest goals of life is to be okay with death, how a bad breakup and a Comic Con led him to Stoicism, why he cried reading Meditations for the first time, and more.Troy Baker is a voice actor and musician. Since starting his voice acting career in 1994, he has become known for a wide variety of roles in video
Just Keep Going | Solve Problems Early
The Stoics accepted that life could be cruel and random. They knew people were stupid and annoying. They did not deny that death was ever present.You might think the result of these beliefs was a dark and dour worldview. Certainly, many critics of the Stoics have registered that–or potential fans of the Stoics have turned away after a few passages of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations or Epictetus’ writings.Regardless of how realistic they might have been in their assessment of the world, the
Did You Get Your Bonus? | Ask DS
Here’s a way to feel good every single day, no matter what happens. A way to appreciate even a day stuck in the airport or putting out fires.It’s an exercise from Seneca.A person who wraps up each day as if it were the end of their life, who meditates on their mortality in the evening, Seneca believed, has a super power when they wake up.---And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions during a Q&A sessions after his Stoicism 101 lecture. Topics covered include how Marcus c
Peter Singer On Being Part Of The Solution
Ryan speaks with Peter Singer about the tenth anniversary edition of his book The Life You Can Save, why he finds freedom in resisting attachment to material objects, the power of monetary donation to aid people and animals around the world, practical ways that we can help others, and more.Peter is an Australian professor of moral philosophy who specializes in applied ethics. He is the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, and the founder of the Centre for Human
Late Is Better Than Never | Robert Greene's Favorite Stoic Lessons
What new information could there have possibly been for Seneca, in 62 AD, when he finally broke with Nero? Nero had been deranged for years (as detailed in James Romm’s excellent book Dying Every Day). He had been blood thirsty for years, unfit for leadership since almost the beginning. Seneca knew better from the beginning–the man was a philosopher and historian and could not have been deceived for long.We can sit here and judge. We can shake our heads in bafflement. But we really shou
Help Them Be Better | Role Models
One evening Epictetus woke up to hear someone in his house. Walking towards the noise, he found a criminal had stolen the iron lamp he kept burning in a shrine in his front hallway. As always, Epictetus handled the situation with calmness and humor. “Tomorrow,” he said to himself, “you will find an earthenware lamp; for a man can only lose what he has.”But what if Epictetus had been awake when the man walked in? What if he had caught the thief red handed? Would he have beaten the crimin
Cicero On The Paradox Of The Rich Man
In today's audiobook reading, Ryan presents the sixth and final reading of Cicero's Stoic Paradoxes. Cicero was considered Rome’s greatest politician, and he has survived as one of history’s most enduring chroniclers of Stoic philosophy and of the Stoics themselves. As Ryan explains in Lives of the Stoics, these paradoxes are designed to question commonly held beliefs in order to promote reflection and discussion. With his last paradox, Cicero examines the idea that “only the wise man i
Wright Thompson On The Costs Of Greatness Throughout History
Ryan speaks with Wright Thompson about his work studying the convergence of sports and culture, the evolution of society in conjunction with people’s emotional regression, why history is less distant than we think it is, and more.Wright Thompson is an author and journalist who covers the intersections of sports and culture. Thompson has written for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine on topics like auto racing, MMA, bullfighting and more. Thompson wrote The Cost of These Dreams: Sports Stori
The Fever Has You | Ask DS
Look at any millionaire, Seneca tells Lucilius in one of his letters, they are some of the poorest people in Rome. Money has made them obsess over public opinion. Money has control of their schedules and their decisions. Money has put them in the center of a circle of sycophants and grifters. Money has escalated their tastes and expectations beyond quenching.“These individuals,” Seneca writes, “have riches just as we say that we ‘have a fever,’ when really the fever has us.”It’s a sad s
Try To Be Less Like Yourself
A classic episode of Seinfeld begins with George Costanza having a revelation. "Every decision I've ever made in my entire life has been wrong," George says. "Every instinct I have in every aspect of life...is often wrong." Then just do the opposite, Jerry says. "Yes," Costanza says with excitement, "I will do the opposite!" For the rest of the episode, George has great success doing the opposite of what his instincts tell him to do.This is now known as The Costanza Principle. And it tu
Start The Clock. Just Start The Clock. | Plato's View
We don’t like how long they’re taking to get back to us. It’s slowing down the process, keeping us from doing what we want to do. We don’t like the estimate from the vendor who just told us it will be an extra six weeks over the initial projections. We’re frustrated the investment advisor told us we won’t hit our goal until later than expected.And there’s no question, this is annoying. It may well be fixable–if they could get their act together. But we don’t control that or them.---And
Stephen A. Smith On Debating, Working, And Living With Authenticity
Ryan speaks with Stephen A. Smith about his new memoir Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes, why it is so important to be okay with admitting when you are wrong, why his greatest attribute is his authenticity, the value of knowing when to have an opinion and when to stay silent, and more.Stephen A. Smith is a sports commentator, journalist, host, personality, and podcast host. His career spans nearly thirty years and includes stints in print media writing for The
This is The Most Expensive Thing | The Best Stoic Insights On Raising Kids
Since Stoicism was founded, most of the Stoics have been wealthy…and yet almost to a letter, most of them have warned of the dangers and perils of wealth. No one embodies this paradox more than Seneca. The Stoics have warned again and again about the downsides of abundant wealth. He accumulated a net worth of three hundred million denarii (for context, Judas received thirty denarii to betray Jesus). He famously owned three hundred ivory tables for entertaining. He made so many enormous
What Do You Pledge Your Sacred Honor To? | The View From Above
As the Founders signed the Declaration of Independence, they knew that this wasn’t some painless petition. This wasn’t some minor political stand. No, they knew, as they wrote, they were mutually pledging their “life, fortune, and sacred honor.” It was a cause they were willing to give everything for—even die for.This idea of sacred honor, of full commitment, is worth considering today on Memorial Day, as we honor and think about all the men and women who died while serving in the Unite
Stoicism and Thought Leadership
When an old friend from Ryan’s UC Riverside days reached out early on in the pandemic with an opportunity to speak at one of the premiere non-profit, non-partisan global policy think tanks in the country, the RAND Corporation, Ryan jumped at the opportunity. Today we share that talk with you, which features Ryan communicating Stoic principles to scientists, academics, and political thought leaders from around the globe, and how they can apply Stoicism to their work.✉️ Sign up for the Da
Tim Urban On Procrastination, Changing Habits, And Slow Improvement
Ryan speaks with Tim Urban about his new book What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies, why everyone who wants to improve at something should aim to do it slowly, what it really means to “trust the process,” why they like writing so much, and more.Tim Urban is a writer, illustrator, blogger, and entrepreneur. He earned his A.B. from Harvard University, graduating cum laude with a major in Government. Since starting his long-form, stick figure-illustrated blog Wait But Why in
How The Stoics Got Rich | Stop Caring What People Think
When you think of Stoicism, you don’t usually think of words like “rich” or “wealthy.”But you should.Before he founded Stoicism, Zeno was a wealthy and successful merchant from a family of wealthy and successful merchants. Seneca was so wealthy that when he called in some of his loans to the Roman colony in Britain, it crashed their economy and sparked a rebellion. Marcus Aurelius was born with ordinary bloodlines but–in part because of his serious study of philosophy–he became the rich
It’s Never Too Late To Get Back | Ask DS
Maybe you said some stuff you regret. Maybe the stress of the business has made you a nightmare of a boss lately. Maybe you’ve not been the parent you want to be. Maybe you’ve not been the spouse you’ve promised to be. Maybe you’ve relapsed on some bad or destructive habits. Maybe, but hopefully not, you’ve been heading in the direction of Elon Musk and gotten yourself in a kind of downward spiral of negative attention and impulsive decisions.And now, staring at the consequences of this
This Can Drive You Nuts, Or You Can Learn To Love It
You clean and then it gets dirty. You do the dishes and then five minutes later, the sink is full again. You made it through your inbox in the morning and by the time late afternoon strikes, you’re already digging yourself out again. Literally before you’ve even finished putting the dog’s toys away, they’re splayed out across the floor. Just as you put the finishing touches on that big project, another is dropped on your plate. You finally organize your kids’ clothes and now they’ve gro
David von Drehle On The Pursuit Of A Good And Meaningful LIfe
Ryan speaks with David von Drehle about his new book The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man, what he learned from one of the oldest people in the world, how being a Stoic shaped Charlie’s boundless optimism, and more.David von Drehle is an author and deputy opinion editor and columnist at The Washington Post whose work focuses on national affairs and politics. Prior to joining The Post in 2017, David worked at Time magazine, where he wrote mo
This Is Demanded Of You | 5 Stoic Secrets From The Ultimate Man Of Principle (Cato The Younger)
Seneca tried to teach it to Nero but Nero couldn’t grasp it. To be fair, most leaders, most powerful people, most governments and civilizations struggle with it. In fact, up until Seneca sat down to write De Clementia there wasn’t even a word for what we have, ever since, called clemency.Clemency, as Seneca explains it, is basically how a powerful person treats a person they have power over–particularly when the less powerful person has done wrong.---And in today's Daily Stoic video exc
Ask Yourself These Crucial Questions | Practice True Joy
There’s a story of Musonius Rufus paying a thousand sesterces to a charlatan posing as a philosopher. When an observer stepped in to say that the man was a liar unworthy of the payment, Musonius replied, “money is exactly what he deserves.”It’s always revealing to look closely at those who seem to prize financial success above all else. The writer Anne Lamott jokes in Bird by Bird, “Ever wonder what God thinks of money? Just look at the people he gives it to.” Marcus Aurelius writes in
Just Start Journaling
In today's audiobook excerpt, Ryan cracks open his best-selling book Stillness Is The Key to read the chapter titled “Just Start Journaling,” which covers why you should start your journaling practice.📔 Visit the Painted Porch to order a copy of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTo
Renée Mauborgne On Blue Oceans, Disruption, And Succeeding By Being Yourself
Ryan speaks with Renee Mauborgne about her new book Beyond Disruption: Innovate and Achieve Growth without Displacing Industries, Companies, or Jobs, the strategies that have helped both of be find success in their careers, why we are all blue oceans, the philosophy behind positive disruption, the deep level of dedication that it takes to “make it” in anything, and more.Renee Mauborgne is an economist, business theorist and author. She is a professor of strategy at INSEAD, a business sc
Money Isn’t Rare | Learn, Practice, Train
It’s interesting how infrequently money comes up in Meditations. Here was a guy who had incredible wealth, whose predecessors obsessed over it and found it to be a source of both pleasure and conflict, and yet in his private meditations, it hardly comes up at all.In his actions, we see Marcus was conscious of money, but primarily as a means to an end not as an end to itself. He was more interested in what it could do for other people. He declined gifts and inheritances. H
Find A Way To Use What Life Hands You | Ask DS
Change is a constant in life, and embracing it is key to living a fulfilling and meaningful existence. The Stoics recognized this fact and encouraged us to be adaptable and flexible, no matter what life throws our way.It can be tempting to resist or fear the unknown. However, the Stoics taught that change is not something to be feared, but rather, it is an opportunity for growth and self-improvement.Marcus Aurelius wrote, "The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it."
General Ty Seidule On Our Responsibility To Study, Understand And Grapple With History
Ryan speaks with Ty Seidule about his book Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause, Henry Flipper and the less-told story of the aftermath of the Civil War and slavery in America, the importance of choosing carefully who to commemorate, how to grapple with challenging family history, and more.Ty Seidule is a retired United States Army brigadier general, the former head of the history department at the United States Military Academy, the first profe
Do You Have This Kind of Clarity?
Warren Buffett, whose net worth is north of $100 billion, lives in the same house he bought in 1958 for $31,500. The NFL lineman turned mathematician John Urschel is worth millions but manages to live on $25,000 a year. Well past signing a $94 million dollar contract, the NBA star Kawhi Leonard drove the 1997 Chevy Tahoe he had since he was a teenager.Cato, who came from a wealthy and powerful family, walked around bareheaded and barefooted and generally abstained from unnecessary luxuries. He c
Handle What You Control First | Robert Greene's 6 Stoic Concepts For A Fulfilling Life
Life is frustrating. You’re waiting for people to get back to you. You’re waiting for approval on stuff. You’re waiting for things to ship. You’re dealing with bureaucracy. You’re depending on teammates. You’re dealing with the fallout of decisions that weren’t your call, rules you don’t agree with.It’s interesting though how often we complain or chafe against these constraints…yet when the ball actually is in our court, we’re slow. We’re indecisive. We don’t do our best.More than stran
When Are You Going To Get This Together? | Count Your Blessings
It doesn’t matter how old you are, it looms before you. Not death–although that’s always there–but the future itself. The future when you’re not going to be so young anymore, when you’re not going to want to be hustling entry level jobs anymore, or doing this or that kind of work anymore. When you’re going to have things you want to do–a house you want to buy, kids to send to college, trips you want to go on, a potential retirement.Look, at some point, you’re going to have to get it tog
The Life Of Chrysippus
In today's audiobook reading, Ryan presents the biography of the great Greco-Phoenician Stoic philosopher Chrysippus. Written by the prolific biographer of the Greek philosophers Diogenes Laertius, this text covers Chrysippus’s early life, how he used his natural talents for dialectics and writing, stories of his teaching career, and more.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.�
MMA Legend Frank Shamrock On Conquering The Ego and Developing Honor
Ryan speaks with Frank Shamrock about his memoir Uncaged: My Life as a Champion MMA Fighter, the convergence between the Stoic virtues and the tenets of the Warrior Code, managing his ego when he was considered the greatest fighter on the planet, how his rough upbringing shaped his unconventional life, the mutual respect that they have for each other’s work, and more.Frank Shamrock is a former professional mixed martial artist and a pioneer of the sport. He was the first to hold the UFC
What Gets The Best Part of Your Day? | Kindness Is Always The Right Response
In those first moments you’re awake, how do you decide to start this fresh day? By reaching for the phone, for social media? We fill the sunlight hours with meetings, spending them all indoors. We wait until after school, after a long stint at the office, to try to spend quality time at home. We pick up a book for a few minutes before we close our eyes to sleep, already tired, already fried.It’s insane. Both Seneca and Marcus Aurelius lamented at the quickness with which ambitious profe
Do You Make Time For this? | Ask DS
Even when he was president, Jimmy Carter tried to carve out space for reflection and study. Just a few days after being sworn in, he was already asking his aides to push his meetings back. “I need more time alone early each morning,” he wrote to his team. He wanted an hour of reading and thinking and prayer.The Stoics protected this time too.---And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions from the audience at the conclusion of a Stoicism 101 seminar, covering topics including
Gretchen Rubin On The Power Of Exploring Your Senses
Ryan speaks with Gretchen Rubin about her new book Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World, how our reality is composed entirely of our perceptions, her striving to better accept herself while still expecting more from herself, the wisdom that can be found with reading and re-reading great books, her former boss Sandra Day O’Connor, and more.Gretchen Rubin is an author, blogger, podcaster, and speaker whose work focuses on happiness, habits
When Is The Last Time You Challenged Yourself?
It’s very easy to get comfortable. To build up your life exactly how you want it to be. Minimize inconveniences and hand off the stuff you don’t like to do. To find what you enjoy, where you enjoy it, and never leave.A velvet rut is what it’s called. It’s nice, but the comfort tricks you into thinking that you’re not stuck.The Stoics knew that this was a kind of death.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired prod
The Personal Is Universal | Short Stoic Lessons From All Of Ryan Holiday's Books
Many artists—songwriters, poets, comedians, and so on—have said some version of the same idea: the personal is universal. Artists often find the more personal they get in their art, the more people tend to resonate with it.It actually helps explain how Meditations has endured for thousands of years.---And in today's video excerpt, Ryan highlights some of the most important Stoic lessons from all of his books. Check out the full video on the Daily Stoic YouTube channel.✉️ Sign up for the Daily St
This Is A Great Pleasure | We Are A Product Of Our Habits
Of the four Stoic virtues, Marcus Aurelius said justice was the most important. To him, it was “the source of all the other virtues.” After all, how impressive are courage or discipline if they are only used to serve self-interest? What good is wisdom if not put to use for the whole world?---And in today's Daily Stoic Journal reading, Ryan discusses why it's so important for us to pay close attention to our habits in order use them as a positive force in our lives, and he outlines some strategie
Ryan And Guy Raz On Controlling Only What You Can
When a recent Q&A session between Ryan and Robert Greene fell apart just hours before the conference due to emergency health concerns, the moment presented Ryan with an opportunity to lean into the Stoic practice of controlling only what one can. Thinking quickly and without panic, Ryan called his friend, NPR host and journalist Guy Raz, who was planning to sit front-row at the event, and asked if he wanted to fill in. Guy’s enthusiastic acceptance and willingness to jump into such
Kevin Kelly On The Courage It Takes To Live Your Own Life
Ryan speaks with Kevin Kelly about his new book Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier, how his remarkable life and career is shaped by his quest to do things his own way, understanding that life is fluid and mistakes are important to development, the best lessons that we can pass onto our children, and more.Kevin Kelly is a writer, photographer, painter, lecturer, conservationist, student of Asian and digital culture, and the founding executive editor of Wired mag
Tie Your Well-Being To This | You Are The Project
Today, we know F. Scott Fitzgerald as one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century. Tragically, in his own time, many regarded Fitzgerald as a failure. Sure, he was one of the highest paid writers of his time, but his novels sold poorly, and the critical reviews were precisely that–critical.This weighed heavily on Fitzgerald, who had a sensitive and vulnerable soul, as many artists do. As Sarah Churchwell, an expert on 20th- and 21st-century American literature and author of Carele
The Trouble Of Too Many Opinions | Ask DS
It goes without saying that the man has changed the world for the better. He’s reinvigorated the American space program. He popularized electric cars. His solar panels cover the roofs of countless homes, his batteries save electricity for emergencies, taking pressure off overwhelmed grids, his satellites supply wireless internet where it’s desperately needed. And this is to say nothing of the payments company which has processed billions of payments.Yet these days the reputation of Elon
Jason Singer Of Michigander On The Reality Of Being A Rock Star
Ryan speaks with Jason Singer of the band Michigander about he and his wife getting back on track after a series of injuries, the humbling experience of asking for help and paying it forward, the realities of being a professional rock musician, the power of art to give the artist a healthy outlet, and more.Jason Singer is the creator, frontman, and songwriter for the indie rock band Michigander. A Michigan native and self-taught multi-instrumentalist, Singer founded Michigander in the e
Keep In Mind How Fast Things Pass By
In 1859, before he was president, before he suffered through that harrowing train ride to Washington on his way to office where many thought he would be killed before he arrived, before the Union tore itself to pieces and around 750,000 people died in the Civil War (the total number dead is still unknown), Abraham Lincoln gave a speech at the Wisconsin State Fair. The subject of the speech was supposed to be agriculture, but Lincoln decided to go a little deeper.✉️ Sign up for the Daily
This Is The Secret | 6 Stoic Examples Of Living A Great Life
It seems obvious. If you want to be better at your job, work more. If you want to be more successful, focus on it entirely. Yet history doesn’t actually bear this out.Overwork. A lack of balance…it ends in ruin. It’s why Marcus Aurelius tried to remind himself to “not be all about business.” It’s why Seneca advocated wandering walks and lots of time reading and thinking. It’s why middle Stoics like Antipater spoke of the importance of cultivating a happy and healthy family–not just worl
This Predicts Everything | Show, Don't Tell
Who a person is determines what will happen and what they can do. It’s true in sports. It’s true in politics. It’s true in business. No matter how talented a person is, how great the incentives, how great the system around them—in the end, character is everything. It can’t be hidden. It can’t be compensated for. It comes out.This is an excerpt from Ryan Holiday’s latest book The Daily Dad.---And in today's Daily Stoic Journal excerpt reading, Ryan examines the importance of letting
Control Your Emotions
In today's audiobook excerpt, Ryan presents his reading of the section of his own book The Obstacle is the Way entitled “Control Your Emotions,” in which he discusses why real strength lies in recognizing, understanding, and controlling one’s emotions.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more, including The Obstacle is the Way.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Face
Actor Alexander Ludwig on How Stoicism Helped Him Get Sober
Ryan speaks with Alexander Ludwig about how studying Stoicism gave him the discipline to quit drinking, the power of surrendering to the moment, pursuing mastery of the crafts of acting and songwriting, the mindset he has maintained while navigating his career, and more. Alexander Ludwig is a Canadian actor and country musician. He is most known for his starring and supporting roles in the History Channel series Vikings and the films Bad Boys for Life, Lone Survivor, The Hunger Gam
Now That You Know, Do Better | Wants Make You A Servant
We look back on things we clearly messed up. We were too preoccupied. We were too harsh. We were wrong. We didn’t know.And because we messed up, we feel guilty. We regret what could have been. We’re mad at ourselves. We wallow in pity or shame.Dr. Edith Eger, the Holocaust survivor, cut through all this with her graceful bluntness on the Daily Stoic podcast recently (she’s been on twice, both episodes are must listens). “I’ll give you a sentence,” she said. “If I knew then, what I know
Make Them Do Their Own Stuff | Ask DS
There is a great story about a young Spartan woman, Gorgo, who would one day become queen. Despite her royal status, like all Spartans she was raised to be self-sufficient, with no frills or needless luxury. So imagine Gorgo’s surprise when she witnessed a distinguished visitor to Sparta have his shoes put on by a servant. “Look, Father,” she said innocently to her father, King Leonidas, “the stranger has no hands!” Sadly, for some of us, it could just as easily be deduced that our kids
Rachel Hollis on Empathy and Emotional Acceptance
In the first of a two-part discussion, Ryan speaks with Rachel Hollis about how her success has been defined by perseverance and acceptance, the importance of approaching work without arrogance, improving relationships by working to understand emotional boundaries, dealing with public criticism, and more. The second part of the discussion can be found at Rachel’s podcast, The Rachel Hollis Podcast.Rachel Hollis is an author, podcast host, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, blogger, and
Don’t Let Them Make You Bitter Or Mean
Whatever you decide to do with your life, whatever path you decide to walk, people are going to stand in your way. They’re going to doubt you. They’re going to give you bad advice. They will do you wrong. On purpose and unintentionally. They’ll lie. They’ll undermine you. They may well actively take steps to stop you.Think about what it means to have a “disruptive” idea or business—something that promises to upend entire ways of thinking or doing things. It means you’re not just so
Don’t Waste Your Gifts | The Secret To Better Habits in 2023
There is, as we have talked about many times, a tinge of sadness in the story of Seneca. This immensely talented and wise man spent the best years of his life advising and collaborating with one of the worst emperors in history. As James Romm illustrates in his fascinating book, Dying Every Day (and you can listen to our podcast episode with James here) Seneca’s ambition, his drive, it took him fatally off track from where he should have been.We should all see it as a cautionary tale.--
You Can Never Do This Twice | The Freedom Of Contempt
The first time was revelatory. The first time you watched Mad Men. Or The Godfather. Or cracked open Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. Or heard Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’ or listened to Fantine sing, I Dreamed a Dream from Les Mis. Or stood in front of a Caravaggio painting.It hit you with all the power that new and brilliant art has. It shook you. It opened up something in you. It taught you something. But in some way, the power of these moments is actually overrated or at least overstated.
The Life of Cleanthes
In today's audiobook reading, Ryan presents the biography of the great Stoic philosopher, boxer, and successor to Zeno of Citium as the second head of the Stoic school of Athens, Cleanthes. Written by the prolific biographer of the Greek philosophers Diogenes Laertius, this text covers Cleanthes’s early life, the inspiration he took from Zeno, his strong work ethic, and more.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspir
Sarah Bakewell on Humanism and The Power of Connection
Ryan speaks with Sarah Bakewell about her new book Humanly Possible: seven hundred years of humanist freethinking, inquiry, and hope, how growing up surrounded by books shaped her philosophical mindset, the philosophical principles that she applies to her life, and more.Sarah Bakewell is an author and professor whose work focuses on existentialist philosophy and biographies of adventurers and philosophers. After growing up surrounded by books as the daughter of a bookseller father and a
There Is No More Or Less Time | Don't Let Your Attention Slide
Three years removed from those eerie and strange days of the early pandemic, one thing that strikes us is how much time we seemed to have then. People were picking up hobbies, slow cooking elaborate meals on the groceries they could get. People found their jobs that used to keep them late at the office could be finished in a couple hours. People were reading philosophy and zipping through books. There was no business travel, no long days on the road. The days blurred into each other, bu
Can You Fight To See Their Side? | Ask DS
One gets the sense that Seneca, like many smart and active people, was often frustrated by other people. It is inevitable that someone like him—someone creating art, actively participating in government, managing properties, etc—would have regularly found his interest and his will thwarted. Perhaps a neighbor opposed some changes he was making to his land. Or an intriguing enemy at the palace sought to undermine him with the emperor. Maybe his brother jostled for an inheritance. Maybe he bumped
To Have A More Peaceful Home, Have Fewer Of These
This is an excerpt from Ryan Holiday’s latest book The Daily Dad (which you can preorder signed copies of now!).To Have A More Peaceful Home, Have Fewer Of These“These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.”-Marcus AureliusAt the core of most of the conflict between parents and children—and so often spouses—is one thing: judgment. We have opinions and they have opinions, and these opinions are the source of disagreement. If we, as parents, would
Comedian Katherine Blanford on Laughing At Life
Ryan speaks with Katherine Blanford about her earning things throughout her comedy career, her Catholic upbringing, why the funniest moments come from a dark place, how her mother influences her comedy, and more.Katherine Blanford is a comedian, writer, podcast host, and YouTuber based in Atlanta, Georgia. She has opened for many renowned comedians, including Jeff Foxworthy, David Spade, and Ron White, and she recently made her television debut on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.
There Are Dreams That Cannot Be | 9 Habits The Stoics Want You To Stop Doing
Marcus Aurelius certainly hoped his reign would be peaceful and prosperous–as the fates had blessed his mentor Antoninus for 23 years. Certainly, he dreamed of growing old with all his children around him. Never would Seneca have asked for exile and loss, for Nero’s descent into cruelty. Epictetus, like every child, would have hoped for a life of fun and lightness. Stockdale, as he left his family for a tour in Vietnam, no doubt envisioned returning home unscathed as soon as it was over
It Works If You Work It | Impulse Control
It's felt like things have been a little off lately. You have been irritable. You have been stressed. You have been easily rattled by external events, you have been focusing on things outside your control. You have been a little caught up in projects at work, in getting ahead, in getting what you want. You haven't been the role model you aspire to be at home.What's the source of all this? Well, why don't we look at our habits?---And in today's Daily Stoic Journal excerpt reading, Ryan discusses
We Can Always Be Born Again | The Life of Zeno
In the year 33, a philosopher was executed by the Roman authorities. This was not an uncommon thing back then.But this man, referred to as Christus in Tacitus’ writing, l was first beaten and then after being forced to carry the weight of the tools of his annihilation to the site of his ultimate demise, was brutally crucified on full display. But then, after he was entombed–and this is where his story is said to diverge from the Stoics we mentioned above–three days later, Christus, supp
Molly Bloom on Trusting the Process and Making Daily Progress
Ryan speaks with Molly Bloom in-person at the new Daily Stoic podcast studio in the second of a two-part conversation, the first of which was conducted virtually. Today, they discuss the power of understanding and utilizing self-interest in order to connect with other people, how to improve at something every day by committing to the beginner’s mindset, what raising children can teach you about finding peace in your own mind, and more.Molly Bloom is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and
Pain Is A Part Of Life | Become An Expert In What Matters
This is an excerpt from Ryan Holiday’s latest book **The Daily Dad.**“Even though you have these powers free and entirely your own, you don’t use them, because you still don’t realize what you have or where it came from. . . . I am prepared to show you that you have resources and a character naturally strong and resilient.”-EpictetusOh, how you wish you could guarantee they will never suffer. Of course, you know that’s not possible. As the character in Hermann Hesse’
This is What Winners Do | Ask DS
In April 1960, the writer Richard Whalen was trying to meet with Diane Nash and the sit-in students for a Time Magazine cover story. These young college students had suddenly become the focus of an immense amount of attention, not just from the press but from the police and politicians and the rest of the civil rights leaders (we have a great podcast episode on the Stoicism of the Civil Rights movements here with Thomas Ricks).How were these kids going to upend years of stymied racial p
Don’t Suffer In Advance
There is a balance to Stoicism between awareness and anxiety. The Stoics want you to be prepared for an uncertain—and oftentimes dangerous—future, but somehow not worry about it at the same time. They want you to consider all the possibilities…and not be stressed that many of those possibilities will not be good. How exactly is that supposed to work?The answer lies simply in the idea of presence.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic S
Timothy Egan on Extremism and Fear
Ryan speaks with Timothy Egan about his new book A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them, how and why politics and extremism often operate hand-in-hand, dangerous misconceptions about white supremacy in America, better ways to teach American history, the fundamental lessons that he has learned about people over his long and varied career, and more.Timothy Egan is an American author, journalist and former op-ed columnist for
You Must Make This Shift | How Stoicism Helps You Deal With Big Challenges
Marcus Aurelius ruled over millions of people, and he didn't care what any of them thought about him. Well at least, he worked hard to not care about what any of them thought of him. We see that throughout Meditations where we see him repeatedly talk about focusing more on his own actions than other people's opinions.The accidental byproduct of this focus was that those millions of people loved Marcus.This is usually how it goes.---And today, Ryan puts his Stoicism to the test by taking on the..
Have You Read The Books? | Test Your Impressions
We say we want to get better. We say we want to learn about this or that. We say we want to make a change. We say we’ve decided to get serious.But is this true?The Stoics had an expression: Acta non verba. Deeds not words.So it’s ironic that most of us say we want to make these improvements, but we can’t or won’t do the bare minimum.---And in today's Daily Stoic Journal excerpt reading, Ryan discusses the importance of putting everything to the test in the same way that an assayer would
Seneca on Being
In today’s episode, Ryan presents an excerpt from audiobook The Tao Of Seneca, which is essentially a compilation of the best of Seneca’s Moral Letters, a seminal text of Stoicism. In this letter, Seneca examines the meaning of life itself. 📖 Check out the PDF of The Tao of Seneca for free and the Penguin Edition of Seneca’s Letters at the Painted Porch.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic i
Author Philipp Meyer on Channeling History, Philosophy and Failure into Art
Ryan speaks with Philipp Meyer about his novels American Rust and The Son, processing the morally questionable history of the American west through literature, how he battled through ten years of failure before his first success, the challenge of balancing ego with ambition, the philosophy that inspires his writing, and more.Philipp Meyer is an American fiction writer and novelist. American Rust and The Son have received considerable acclaim, including being included in the “Great Ameri
Are You Showing Them How To Be A Student? | Expect To Change Your Opinions
This is an excerpt from Ryan Holiday’s latest book The Daily Dad.If you think back to when you were a kid, what appeared to you to be the best part about being an adult? No more school. Our parents didn’t have to carry around heavy books or do homework. We never saw them applying to get into this school or that one. It’s sort of sad that, by and large, we show our kids that education stops. That while adulthood is isn’t always fun, one perk is that you no longer have to go to class. Tha
Beware This Thief Of Time | Ask DS
Not long ago we talked about the Stoic view on punctuality. It’s a pretty simple one: Being on time is important. It’s a matter of respect, not just for oneself, but also for others. So what do you think the Stoics would have thought of Oscar Wilde’s intriguing remark that “punctuality is the thief of time?”Perhaps they would have agreed.---And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan presents part 4 of an audio series in which he answers student questions at the Q&A portion of his Stoicism
You Need To Cultivate People Like This In Your Life
Where did Marcus learn to be Marcus? Ernest Renan writes that Marcus was very much a product of his training and his tutors. But more than his teachers and even his own parents, “Marcus had a single master whom he revered above them all, and that was Antoninus.”✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Pr
Edith Hall on Aristotelian Ethics, Intention, and Human Decency
Ryan speaks with Edith Hall about why she wants to open up Aristotle’s works to the world at large, how Aristotle defined what a human being is and how one can be happy, the importance of doing what you’re good at and enjoying what you’re doing so long as it’s good for the social good, and more.Edith Hall, FBA is a British scholar and professor of classics at Durham University, specializing in ancient Greek literature and cultural history, and professor in the Department of Classics and
Try To See The World This Way | Why Facing Death Is The Key To Success
After serving as an officer in Vietnam, Paul Woodruff decided to dedicate his life to teaching and writing about philosophy. He’s been a professor at the University of Texas at Austin since 1973. He’s written half a dozen books. He’s translated the works of Plato, Thucydides, Sophocles, and Euripides. And as it happens, it all started when he discovered Marcus Aurelius as a teenager, after he was given a copy of Meditations.Professor Woodruff told this story beautifully on the Daily Stoic Podcas
What Will You Choose? | What Can Go Wrong Might
All of our upbringings were different. Some were given two parents, others only one. Maybe it took a village to raise you. Either way, we didn't get to decide who our mom was, who our dad was, if they got divorced, if they were present, if our step-parents were a blessing or a nightmare. It was all outside of our control.Yet every one of us, as Seneca said, gets to choose whose children we will be.---And in today's Daily Stoic Journal reading, Ryan discusses the importance of musing and
Ryan Holiday on The Art and Stoicism of Digital Marketing
Today, Ryan presents a live talk that he gave in September 2022 to a group of business leaders about the art and business of modern marketing. He covers why competition is for losers, how to create clarity around what you are making and who you are making it for, the importance of doing work that addresses actual problems, and more.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and
Lori Gottlieb on Changing Your Life by Changing the Story
Ryan speaks with Lori Gottlieb about the profound effect that stories have on our lives, why we are all unreliable narrators, how we can make real steps toward positive change by practicing self-compassion, understanding other peoples’ experiences by listening to their stories, and more.Lorr Gottlieb is a physiotherapist, writer, speaker, and podcast host whose work focuses on the role that stories and storytelling take in shaping our mental landscape. She obtained an undergraduate degree at Sta
Your Standards Are For You | You’re a Product of Your Training
One of the things that separates us from other people—indeed that has been responsible for our success—is our ability to be strict and self-disciplined. Where other people are fine making excuses or taking shortcuts, we are not. Where other people wing it or do what’s easiest, taking the path of least resistance, we don’t. That’s really the essence of Stoicism and why those of us who have committed to doing the hard work have been able to get so much out of it.---And in today's Daily St
This Helps You Be A Better Person | Ask DS
Both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington profited from slavery, but both knew it was wrong. Yet at the end of their lives, it was Washington who freed his slaves, not Jefferson, who had written far more eloquently about human equality as well as the eternal shame of slavery.Why was that?---And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions in a virtual Q&A about how he gets interested in and inspired by new ideas, why the classics endure, and balancing the needs of the team w
Just Do This Daily | 8 Stoic Strategies For Controlling Your Anger
A successful day for a Stoic is simple. It’s not about making more money. Or getting more famous, or dazzling more people with your accomplishments. It’s whether or not you got better.Specifically, it’s whether you get better at life—more prepared for the troubles, for the temptations, for the opportunities that lay ahead. As Seneca wrote to Lucilius, the prescription for this philosophy is simple:“Each day acquire something that will fortify you against poverty, against death, indeed a
Wes Larson on Respecting the Awesome Power of Nature
Ryan speaks with Wes Larson about how and why he dedicated his life to working with bears, the feeling of being alive that he gets when working up close with bears in the wild, what our inherent fear and fascination with dangerous forces can teach us about our relationship to nature, how we can better live with animals rather than dominating them, and more.Wes Larson is a wildlife biologist and television presenter who has been studying and working with polar, black and grizzly bears fo
Don’t Make Assumptions
You don’t get a joke, so you say it’s not funny. You don’t like something, so you believe it sucks. You’re white, so you’ve always taken it for granted that the color ‘nude’ roughly matches your skin. You drive on the right side of the road, so it’s weird when you go somewhere and people drive on the left side. You love your job, so you have no patience for people complaining about theirs. You’ve been successful, so you can’t understand why other people struggle.We assume…and we make as
How To Better Understand The Past | Say No to the Need to Impress
In retrospect, so many of the decisions the Stoics made are baffling. Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus. Seneca and Nero. Their attitude toward women, toward slavery, toward violence, toward what society was supposed to look like. Even more recently, what of Stockdale and the complicated nature of the war in Vietnam.Didn’t they know? Didn’t they know better?Sometimes…but not always.---And in today's Daily Stoic Journal reading, Ryan discusses the importance of avoiding the need for e
Cicero on The Paradox of the Fool
Ryan presents the first of six readings of Cicero's Stoic Paradoxes. Cicero was considered Rome’s greatest politician, and he has survived as one of history’s most enduring chroniclers of Stoic philosophy and the Stoics themselves. As Ryan explains in Lives of the Stoics, these paradoxes are designed to question commonly held beliefs in order to promote reflection and discussion. In that spirit, the paradox that Cicero examines today, the fourth paradox, explores the idea that “every fool is an
Zach Braff on Healing and Helping with Art and Stoicism
Ryan speaks with Zach Braff about his new Stoicism-inspired movie A Good Person, how the idea of Amor fati has helped him translate recent personal trauma into art, what he has learned about supporting people who need help in the wake of a friend’s tragedy, and more.Zach Braff is an actor, voice actor, director, screenwriter, and entrepreneur. He is most known for his starring role on the TV comedy Scrubs (2001-2010), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstandi
Have You Been Infected Yet? | There is Philosophy in Everything
In the year 165 AD, a plague began to break out in Rome. Brought back from the far eastern corners of the empire, the virus spread from person to person, house to house, until nearly all of Rome was overwhelmed.The doctors could not keep up. Neither could the morticians or the grave diggers. Rome’s economy was devastated. Millions died, millions fled. And the plague simply dragged on, year after year, without serious respite for over a decade.As we reflect now on this third anniversary
Don’t Make This Lesson More Painful | Ask DS
We get so used to having our way. We live in a time when the skies have been conquered. When so many diseases have been vanquished. When technology allows us to do and have things that were inconceivable even just a generation ago.Consequently the eternal battle for our attention, between the things we control and the things we don’t, becomes even harder for us to wage. The lessons and warnings the Stoics have issued to us across the centuries about this perpetual internal fight, begin
Here’s How To Get Out Of A Rut
The busier we get, the more we work, even the more that we learn and read, the further we tend to drift from our center. We get in a rhythm. We’re making money, being creative, we’re stimulated and busy. It seems like everything is going well. But if we’re not careful, those other things grow and grow until they take over completely; and what once felt like a rhythm now feels like a rut.It’s true for us now just as it was true for Marcus Aurelius. He had an awful lot to k
Steve Scott on Winning in Life
Ryan speaks with Steve Scott about her book Hey, Tiger―You Need to Move Your Mark Back: 9 Simple Words that Changed the Game of Golf Forever, why having integrity is such a crucial part of being a good athlete and human being, the cautionary tale of Tiger Woods, and more.Steve Scott is an American former professional Golfer and the current PGA Head Golf Professional of The Outpost Club and Founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society. The defining moment of his career came during his competition a
They’ll Never GIVE It To You | 6 Simple Stoic Lessons To Feel More Peace
We like to think that someday, things will be slower, more peaceful. That we’ll get a break. That after the holidays, after this busy season, then we’ll be able to get serious–about that thing we needed to think about, about that exercise we wanted to start doing, about taking that vacation. Once I get away from the city, from the office, then I can relax, we tell ourselves.It’s never going to happen. You are fooling yourself. You are fooling yourself as people have always fooled themselves.---T
There Is No Greatness Without This | The Portable Retreat
People probably thought Marcus Aurelius was strange. The time he spent alone in his room. The long walks he took by himself. We know they thought it was strange that he was seen reading and writing in the Colosseum, ignoring the carnage of the games below.“The world today does not understand, in either man or woman,” Anne Morrow Lindbergh writes in Gift from the Sea, “the need to be alone.” Perhaps we ourselves don’t understand it. We don’t quite see the point. Or as much as we enjoy it, we don’
Seneca on Conquering the Conqueror
In today’s episode, Ryan presents an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. In this letter, Seneca talks about examining the causes of our fear, the unavoidable threat of death, and more. 📖 Check out the PDF of The Tao of Seneca for free and the Penguin Edition of Seneca’s Letters at the Painted Porch. ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us:
Rob Dyrdek on the Power of Living With Intention
Ryan speaks with Rob Dyrdek about finding happiness and fulfillment by managing his time and energy in more intentional ways, transitioning from self-preservation to generational preservation, how journaling and applying Stoic principles has changed his life for the better, and more.Rob Dyrdek is an American entrepreneur, actor, producer, reality TV personality, and former professional skateboarder. He is best known for creating and hosting the MTV reality and variety shows Rob & Big, Rob Dyrdek
How Well Do You Know These Backroads? | The Beauty of Choice
Meditations, you could say, is Marcus Aurelius exploring himself. That’s literally what the title means–the book isn’t for you and I, it’s “things to one’s self,” to himself. He’s exploring his fears, his desires, his flaws, his virtues.That’s the journey that philosophy took Marcus on. Since he was a young man until right before his death, he was exploring himself, trying to understand himself and his nature better.But what about you? How well do you know ‘the backroads of the self,’ as Marcus
You Can Keep It To Yourself | Ask DS
One of the criticisms of the Stoics is that they left certain things unaddressed. Nowhere in Seneca’s writings, for instance, does he directly address Nero or criticize him by name. Even after he left Nero’s service, as the man spiraled out of control, Seneca stuck with the code that General Mattis would stick with centuries later–keeping their opinions about the administration they once served to themselves. Marcus Aurelius, most scholars deduce, was not a fan of Seneca’s actions while serving
Bozoma Saint John on the Power of Embracing Memento Mori
Ryan speaks with Bozoma Saint John about her new book The Urgent Life: My Story of My Story of Love, Loss, and Survival, how intense personal traumas have shifted her perspective on life, why the best legacy to leave behind is to have treated people well, viewing grief as a choice, and more.Bozoma Saint John is an American businessperson and marketing executive who has served as the Chief Marketing Officer at Netflix, CMO at Endeavor, Chief Brand Officer at Uber, a Marketing Executive at Apple M
Mark Your Exit With Grace
Today marks the anniversary of the death of one of humanity’s greatest specimens. On March 17th, 180, in what is now modern day Vienna, Emperor Marcus Aurelius breathed his last breath and died. We don’t know exactly what his last words were. Cassius Dio claims that Marcus spoke his last sentence to his guard, saying to him, “Go to the rising sun, for I am setting.” Given the incredible legacy of the man, these words ring somewhat insufficiently.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dail
The Only Experience Worth Chasing | These Stoic Quotes Will Improve Your Life
There’s a lot of things to try to do in your life. You should feel the ecstasy of falling in love. You should try to catch the sunrise on one coast, and the sunset on another on the same day. You should feel the pride of *mastery* in your chosen line. You should experience the joy of raising children. The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat.Plenty of people who were not Stoics have chased these accomplishments and known them. It’s part of what makes life livable, fun, and wonderful. But meani
This Is What Discipline Looks Like | Think About It From The Other Person's Perspective
Marcus Aurelius was strict with himself. He slept on a hard mattress. He didn’t drink or eat to excess. He didn’t have affairs or lose his temper. Cato was strict with himself too. He didn’t wear fancy clothes or live a life of ease.But what’s remarkable about both these men, given this strictness, is the love and affection they both had for their brothers–who had very different approaches to life.---And in today's Daily Stoic Journal excerpt, Ryan discusses the importance of questioning our own
Is Virtue All that is Needed for Happiness?
Today, Ryan presents the second and third of six readings of Cicero's Stoic Paradoxes. Cicero was considered Rome’s greatest politician, and he has survived as one of history’s most enduring chroniclers of Stoic philosophy and the Stoics themselves. As Ryan explains in Lives of the Stoics, these paradoxes are designed to question commonly held beliefs in order to promote reflection and discussion. In his second and third paradox, Cicero interrogates the ideas that “virtue is sufficient for happi
Carli Lloyd on Fueling Greatness with Discipline
Ryan speaks with Carli Lloyd about the intense discipline that it takes to be a professional athlete at the highest level, how she was able to bounce back from being cut from the Women’s National Under-21 team, how Stoicism informed her soccer career, and more.Carli Lloyd is a former American professional Soccer player who retired in 2021. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, two-time FIFA Player of the Year, and a four-time Olympian (2008, 2012, 201
Winning Isn’t As Fun As It Seems | Find Yourself a Cato
There’s an old joke: When the Gods wish to punish us, they give us everything we’ve ever wanted. Look at most people who win the lottery. Look at most famous people. Look at most world leaders. To borrow an expression from one particularly unhappy world leader, what do they look like? They look like they’re tired of winning. Because winning isn’t actually as fun as it seemed like it would be...and most of what we want to win turns out to not really be worth it.This was Marcus Aurelius’ point.--
Why You Can’t Worry | Ask DS
We’ve said before that a Stoic focuses on what they control. That is the essence of Epictetus’s teachings, after all. You put your energy where you can make an impact and you ignore the rest–the rest being fear of what other people will think, fear of the potential results, your chances of success, the long hard road that may come next.To do anything else is a recipe for misery.---And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions about how to respond to someone who ignores praise and jeers.
To Find Pleasure, Look for Purpose
It might seem like the Stoics didn’t have fun, didn’t experience pleasure. They did write, after all, quite a bit about the emptiness of chasing sex or money or fine wines. But just because they scorned excess luxury and comfort doesn’t mean their lives were empty and joyless.Quite the contrary.In his book The Expanding Circle, the philosopher Peter Singer (who was on a great episode of the Daily Stoic podcast recently if you haven’t listened) explains that what they were actually doing was tryi
Dr. Shadi Bartsch on Eastern vs. Western Philosophy
Ryan speaks with Dr. Shadi Bartsch about her new book Plato Goes to China: The Greek Classics and Chinese Nationalism, the controversial role that Greek classics are taking in China, the surprising similarities between western and eastern philosophical interpretations, and more. Dr. Shadi Bartsch is an American academic and author and the Helen A. Regenstein Distinguished Service Professor of Classics at the University of Chicago. Shadi is an expert on Roman Stoicism, the reigns of Hadrean, Nero
Marcus Had A Dream | The Most Life Changing Marcus Aurelius Quotes
It was last night 1,862 years ago that Marcus Aurelius had a dream.A few years earlier, when Marcus received the news of Hadrian’s plans to have Antoninus Pius adopt him and place him next in line for the throne, he broke down in tears. There was no one he revered more than Antoninus. How could he possibly live up to the task of following in his footsteps?Today, you would say that Marcus was struggling with what we call “imposter syndrome.” As the story goes, the night before he was to become em
How To Find Treasure | What Expensive Things Cost
The reason we don’t get what we want is because we want it too much. We reach for it with too much force. We lack the patience, we lack the poise. In Buddhism, they speak of willful will. More often than not, that is our problem.In her beautiful book Gift from the Sea, Anne Morrow Lindberg writes on the hunt for sea shells: “The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patie
The Escalation of the Rivalry that Destroyed Rome
Ryan presents the second of four excerpts from Josiah Osgood’s Uncommon Wrath: How Caesar and Cato’s Deadly Rivalry Destroyed the Roman Republic. Here, in Chapter Two, we witness the parallel paths that the rivals took as they grew and gained power in Rome, as well as how their journeys shaped their personalities.You can listen to Ryan’s recent conversation with Josiah here.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspir
Rick Rubin on The Creative Act Part Two
In the second of a two-part interview, Ryan speaks with Rick Rubin about his new book The Creative Act: A Way of Being, respecting everyone’s unique approach to the creative process during collaboration, his new podcast Tetragrammaton, the importance of studying art created long ago, and more.Rick Rubin is a renowned American record producer and the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. He has produced albums for a
You Deserve Moments Like This | (Dis)integration
We are so busy. We think we’re supposed to be. We think that’s how we get better. We think that moving is the only way to move forward.You might think that Marcus Aurelius could relate. Yet when he speaks most beautifully it’s of moments of quiet and calm. "If you can cut free of impressions that cling to the mind," he said, "free of the future and the past—can make yourself, as Empedocles says, 'a sphere rejoicing in its perfect stillness.’" Have you ever had a moment like that?---...
This Is A Good Moment | Ask DS
It’s hard not to look at the lives of Marcus Aurelius and Seneca and Epictetus and Cato and Zeno and not see what seems like one trauma after another. The loss of young children. Civil wars. Betrayals. Sickness. Criticism. Droughts, deforestation and powerful storms. Then again, it’s hard not to look at our lives and see the same thing. Financial crises. Political unrest. Political violence. A pandemic. Terrorist attacks. Mass shootings. Climate change.But of course, this is not how a Stoic trie
The Best New Ideas Come From Old Books
We live in modern, cutting edge times. Each day, there are breakthroughs in neuroscience, microcomputing, medicine, and in how we make, save, and spend money. Our ability to beam information around the world, instantaneously, also means that we can get breaking news from all corners of the planet. Big data gives us the power to scrap enormous amounts of inputs and draw new insights from them. All this is wonderful and illuminating. We know things that we never thought we’d be able to know…and th
Rick Rubin on The Creative Act Part One
In the first of a two-part interview, Ryan speaks with Rick Rubin about his new book The Creative Act: A Way of Being, the importance of allowing creativity to happen rather than willing it into existence, working with the unique facets of the artist’s ego, the importance of changing up the way that you do things, the phases of the creative process, and more.Rick Rubin is a renowned American record producer and the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and fo
We Are All Replaceable | This Stoic Virtue Will Change Your Life
The Stoics believed in the concept of "amor fati," or "love of fate." This means accepting and embracing everything that happens, including the fact that we are all replaceable.As Marcus Aurelius wrote, "All things are ephemeral – fame and the famous as well." No matter how great or important we may feel in the moment, time marches on and eventually someone else will fill our place.But this shouldn't be seen as a negative.---Today, Ryan presents highlights of his discussions with top performers
You Must Do This Dance | Cultivate Indifference
While most of us will never be an emperor or a rock star, we can imagine what it would be like.It would be so abnormal as to be dehumanizing. Indeed, this is what a lot of famous people say—that they often feel like an animal at a zoo.The point isn’t to say that we should pity famous people or even that we should try to avoid fame. The point is to say that, when we come across a famous person who seems to have stayed normal, we should learn how they did...
Life Is Too Short To Read Bad Books
To the Stoics, it wasn’t that we read. It’s what we read. We should seek out books that make a difference in our lives…not ones that win prizes. What matters is what we think of the books, not what other people think. What’s impressive is what we get out of them, not how they look on our shelves or that they might impress certain types of company.Read widely. Read aggressively. But don’t be a glutton for punishment.In October of 2022 Ryan Holiday was asked to speak at the Austin Central Li...
William D. Cohan on Power, Ego, and the Imperial CEO
Ryan speaks with William D. Cohan about his new book Power Failure: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon, the link between Marcus Aurelius and the “imperial CEO” of General Electric Jack Welch, the legacy of Thomas Edison and GE, the egos of powerful CEOs, and more.William D. Cohan is a business writer and former investigative reporter. He is a graduate of Phillips Academy, Duke University, and Columbia University Journalism and Business schools. Prior to his career as a writer, he worked on Wa
Take This Seriously…But Not TOO Seriously | The Real Source of Harm
Punctuality is a matter of self-discipline, but also respect. We must be aware of and in command of our schedule and the time we’ve allocated to different people and activities. We must also care about how our decisions affect those people.Which is why it’s not hard to imagine Marcus Aurelius or Cato being quite diligent about when they arrived and when things started, even though they were powerful enough to insist that others wait for them.But what about when they screwed up or lost track of t
They Are Not Your Rivals | Ask DS
What’s the opposite of Stoicism, this austere philosophy based on toughness and resilience, virtue and service? Well, in the ancient world, it was Epicureanism–a philosophy that said that pleasure was the highest good. Could there be anything more different than Stoicism?As it happens, the Epicureans got a bad rap in the ancient world and in today’s.---And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan presents part three of his Q&A at the Young President's Organization West Michigan chapter in which he discu
You Can’t Turn Away From Things That Are Hard
One way to go through life is to turn away from the things that are hard. You can close your eyes and ears to what is unpleasant. You can take the easy way, forgoing difficulty whenever possible. The other way is the Stoic way—it entails not only not avoiding hardship, but actively seeking it out.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube,
Anthony Everitt on Nero, Rome’s Most Misunderstood Emperor
Ryan speaks with Anthony Everitt about his book Nero: Matricide, Music, and Murder in Imperial Rome, how Rome would have been different if Nero were free to become a musician, why Nero’s overbearing mother contributed to his lack of moral compass, and more.Anthony Everitt is a British professor, author and historian of ancient Rome. His critically acclaimed books about Roman history include Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician, Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor, The
Have You Considered This? | 60 Stoic Lessons In 1 Minute Or Less
We all have reasons we don’t like something. We think a certain comedian isn’t funny or is a hack. We think a certain author is too basic or overhyped. We think that Oscar-winning movie is total garbage. We know what’s stupid and lame, what’s low brow or trash, what’s fake and what’s real, authentic and commercial. It’s interesting how certain we are with these opinions about particular people or products. Far less often do we stop and think, “Oh maybe I’m just not the audience for that.”---And
How To Achieve Things | Reduce Wants, Increase Happiness
It’s always been difficult to concentrate. In one of his letters, Seneca talks about trying to write while Rome resounds beneath him with cacophony. There are street sellers and protestors and a fight and blacksmiths screaming and yelling and hammering down below. Now add to those typical sounds of the outside world, the chaos of our personal world–a buzzing iPhone, an overflowing inbox and endless Zoom meetings–and you get our daily nightmare.But if we wish to succeed, as Seneca did, we must fi
How to Create Change in Your Life
Today’s audiobook reading features the second excerpt from The Way to Love: The Last Meditations of Anthony de Mello. Anthony was an Indian Jesuit priest, psychotherapist, and spiritual teacher, writer, and public speaker who wrote several books on spirituality, including this collection of his last meditations on love and awareness. In today’s excerpt, Anthony discusses why awareness is a key part of creating real change in your life.This book is published by the Center for Spiritual Exchange,
Sam Harris on Stoicism and Mindfulness Practice
Ryan speaks with Sam Harris about the overlap between eastern and western philosophy, how mindfulness practices like meditation help us become better Stoics, why he is so dedicated to providing his content for free, and more.Sam Harris is a philosopher, neuroscientist, author, and host of the Making Sense Podcast. His work touches on a range of topics, including rationality, religion, ethics, free will, neuroscience, meditation, psychedelics, philosophy of mind, politics, terrorism, and
Just Put It On My Tab | The Enemy of Happiness
Life was just one thing after another for Marcus Aurelius. The plague. The flooding. The wars. He did not meet with, “the good fortune he deserved,” one ancient historian noted, “as his whole reign was a series of troubles.”Anyone who has had a run of bad luck knows the feeling. It’s frustrating and annoying and sometimes deeply unfair, but there is also something freeing about it. Because after a certain point, you stop fighting and start accepting.---In todays Daily Stoic reading, Ryan explore
This Isn’t The Way To Practice Detachment | Ask Daily Stoic
Seneca wasn’t fond of philosophers you could recognize. Not by their fame, but by their uniform. In his time, just as it is in ours, there was a type of person who, in reading about the Diogenes types or the tough Stoic types, thought that philosophy required that they give up their worldly possessions or start dressing like a bum.Today, these types try to signal their virtue by driving a beat up old car or by showing you how little they own. See, they say, I am practicing detachment. See, I don
Massimo Pigliucci on Why Virtue Matters
Ryan speaks with Professor Massimo Pigliucci about his new book The Quest for Character: What the Story of Socrates and Alcibiades Teaches Us about Our Search for Good Leaders, what Alcibiades’s magnetism and lack of moral compass can teach us about what we look for in leaders today, the tension between being virtuous and being pragmatic, and more.Massimo Pigliucci is Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York, the former co-host of the Rationally Speaking Podcast, the orig
How To Be Free
Ruby Doris Smith died at age 25 of cancer. It was an unfair death, concluding a short, unfair life. For two and half decades on this earth – from 1942 to 1967 – she experienced the brutal day-to-day realities of Jim Crow segregation. Yet her tombstone laments none of this. Instead, it codifies into stone one of the most basic principles of the SNCC, the civil rights organization she had been so dedicated and active in during her short life. “IF YOU THINK FREE,” it reads, “YOU ARE FREE.”✉️ Sign
The Right Time Is Right Now | The Virtue That Made Marcus Aurelius So Great
We know what we want to do–or need to do. We need to quit that job. We need to have that hard conversation. We need to be more active in our community. We need to stop smoking or start eating healthy. We need to tell our crush we like them.But when? That’s the question. Or at least, we tell ourselves that it is a question.---Today, Ryan recounts one of the greatest stories in human history and talks about how Antoninus Pius taught Marcus Aurelius the most important virtue of a...
How To Become Rich | Watch Over Your Perceptions
The writers Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse Five) and Joseph Heller (Catch-22) were at a glamorous party outside New York City. Standing in the palatial second home of the billionaire host, Vonnegut began to needle his friend. He described the exchange in a poem published in the New Yorker in 2005:I said, “Joe, how does it make you feel to know that our host only yesterday may have made more money than your novel Catch-22 has earned in its entire history?”And Joe said, “I’ve got something he can n
How to Enjoy Life Fully
Today’s reading features an excerpt from The Way to Love: The Last Meditations of Anthony de Mello. Anthony was an Indian Jesuit priest, psychotherapist, and spiritual teacher, writer, and public speaker who wrote several books on spirituality, including this collection of his last meditations on love and awareness. In today’s excerpt, Anthony explores the origins of our wants and desires, and how they translate into our quest for love.This book is published by the Center for Spiritual Exchange,
Dr. Samantha Boardman on Turning Stress in Strength
Ryan speaks with Dr. Samantha Boardman about her book Everyday Vitality: Turning Stress into Strength, how you can improve your life by changing small daily habits, why feeling stressed is not necessarily a bad thing, how to deal with catastrophizing, and more.Samantha Boardman is a Positive Psychologist based in New York. She received a B.S. from B.A. from Harvard University, an M.D. from Cornell University Medical College, and completed a 4-year residency program in Psychiatry at Weill Cornell
How To Handle A Bad Call | Anger is Bad Fuel
In Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll made a decision that will be remembered in sports history for decades. The headlines called it “the worst play call in NFL history,” the “dumbest call in Super Bowl history,” and a “terrible Super Bowl mistake.”Carroll would of course disagree with this Monday morning quarterbacking, believing it was the right call based on the numbers and his experience. But there is no disputing that the play did not work. So the more interes
What Will This Cause? | Ask Daily Stoic
When horrible things happen to us, our instinct is always to ask why me? Why this? Why now? It’s understandable, but it’s also irrelevant and unhelpful, because those questions have no answer. At least no answer that you can do anything about or take any comfort from. Besides, life has a better question. One it is constantly asking us, one that Michael Lewis to his credit has fully embraced: what will this cause? Will it put us out of commission or give us a new mission? Will it cause good thing
John Hendrickson on Embracing Disability with Stoicism
Ryan speaks with John Hendrickson about his new book Life on Delay: Making Peace with a Stutter, how Stoicism and Ryan’s work influenced him to open up about his stuttering, how stuttering being diagnosed as a neurological disorder changed his perception of himself, how his daily struggles can be found in the lives of many other people who don’t have disabilities, and more.John Hendrickson is an author and Senior Editor at The Atlantic where he writes stories on a wide array of political issues,
Turn To This Friend Constantly
In her beautiful book about the Los Angeles Public Library fire, Susan Orlean captures the magic of what libraries can offer. She describes walking through the empty library in Downtown L.A., not a soul in sight, and feeling connected to all the different voices represented on the millions of pages that surround her.Books, in this way, are wonderful friends.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, sign
Have You Considered This? | What Stoicism Can Teach Us About Mental Health
Things go wrong. We get screwed over. We make mistakes. It happens. The idea that it shouldn’t affect a Stoic? Preposterous. No amount of training, Seneca writes, takes away natural feelings. So it’s OK that you don’t like what happened. What matters is what happens next.---Ryan also talks about how Stoicism has improved his mental health and how it can improve yours too.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired p
You Must Practice This Ritual This Year | Suspend Your Opinions
Marcus Aurelius was a busy man. He was a smart and able and talented man. So why did he need to spend so many precious hours in his tent, writing by the lamplight, practicing philosophy in his journals? It wasn’t for our benefit. No, he never expected Meditations would see an audience. He was writing for himself, to himself, trying to get better by himself. He was journaling as a means of self-improvement as much as he was of self-expression.In today's Daily Stoic Journal reading, Ryan discusses
Epicurus’s Key to the Good Life
Today, Ryan presents a reading of Epicurus’s Letter to Menoeceus in which the philosopher and father of Epicureanism lays out to his friend why he believes that living a life of pleasure based on virtuous acts is the greatest good. This greatly influential work offers insights into ethics that can still be applied to our lives thousands of years later. To learn more about Epicurus and his work, check out The Art of Living at The Painted Porch.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailys
MLB All-Star Ian Happ on the Power of Discipline
Ryan speaks with Ian Happ about how practicing Stoic principles helps him play better baseball, the mindset of a professional athlete, how he uses discipline to overcome self-doubt, and more.Ian Happ is a professional baseball player who plays for the Chicago Cubs. Ian made his MLB debut with the Cubs in 2017, and since then he has hit 108 home runs, driven in 308 RBIs, and accumulated a batting average of .249. In 2022, he was selected for the All-Star game for the first time, and he won a Gold
Why Did Marcus Write His Meditations? | The Source of Your Anxiety
Why did Marcus Aurelius write his Meditations? It wasn’t for an audience. It wasn’t simply to practice his Greek or his rhetorical abilities—he was already good at all those things. The book lacks an author’s note and he never seemed to have told anyone about his intentions, so we can’t know for sure.But there are two clues that, when put together, provide an answer as good as any. Have you noticed how much of Meditations is about other people? The opening, “Debts and Lessons,” makes up nearly t
Very Little Is Needed | Ask Daily Stoic
We think we need a lot to be happy. We think we need piles of money. And power. And fame. And to get that perfect house and to marry that perfect person. There are so many things we tell ourselves we have to have.They are nice to have. But it’s not what we need.---And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan discusses the strategies he uses to identify when declining an offer is the best course of action. He also touches on the best ways to teach your kids about St...
The Worry Part Is A Choice
We think if we just make enough money, someday we won’t have to worry about it anymore. We think if we just get big enough, strong enough, we won’t have to worry about being pushed around. We think if we can just get through this or that rough patch, we can relax and not be so worried anymore.Of course, it never works out that way.Does that mean worry is just a part of life? Well, no – unless you choose for it to be.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http...
Dr. Nate Zinsser, Josh Peck, Annie Duke, Amy Morin, Paul Bloom, and Yung Pueblo on Building Better Habits
Ryan looks back on some of the best discussions of 2022 that he and his guests had about building better habits. Featuring Dr. Nate Zinsser on looking for the positive aspects of your life while maintaining objective awareness, Josh Peck on his journey getting sober, Annie Duke on the power of walking away from things that don’t align with your beliefs, Amy Morin on overcoming mentally challenging situations by gaining perspective, Paul Bloom on the importance of recognizing our own bias, and Yu
The Best Time Is Now | 9 Peak Performance Tips from Top Performers
Obviously, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The earlier you get started on something that takes time, the bigger and better the results will be. As Seneca once said about the days that pass us by, "They are gone never to return." And that's sad. But as the second half of that expression about trees goes, the next best time is now. Today. Now is an opportunity to start. This is what you deserve.Today, Ryan talks to some of the top performing athletes and coaches about the keys that
History Repeats And It Doesn’t | Focus On The Present Moment
History is the same thing happening over and over again, Marcus Aurelius said. There’s nothing new under the sun.And yet, like all things in philosophy, the opposite idea must also be held true at the same time. The Stoics would also agree with what Stanford professor Scott Sagan once said, “Things that have never happened before happen all the time.”---In today's Daily Stoic reading, Ryan discusses the power of Marcus's assertion that "concentrating on the task before you like a Roman" is the b
Cicero on The Paradox of Virtue
Ryan presents the first of six readings of Cicero's Stoic Paradoxes. Cicero was considered Rome’s greatest politician, and he has survived as one of history’s most enduring chroniclers of Stoic philosophy and the Stoics themselves. As Ryan explains in Lives of the Stoics, these paradoxes are designed to question commonly held beliefs in order to promote reflection and discussion. In that spirit, the first paradox sees Cicero examine the idea that “virtue is the only good.”✉️ Sign up for the Dai
Professor Paul Woodruff on Philosophy, War and Justice
Ryan speaks with Paul Woodruff about his book The Ajax Dilemma: Justice, Fairness, and Rewards, the ancient purpose of justice, reflections on a lifetime of studying philosophy, what serving in Vietnam taught him about justice, and more.Paul Woodruff is a classicist, professor of philosophy, and dean at The University of Texas at Austin, where he once chaired the department of philosophy. Before starting his career at the university in 1972, Paul served as an officer in Vietnam. His work deals w
Are You Great Like This? | Ask Daily Stoic
People have different definitions of greatness or success.Maybe you think yourself powerful because you have a lot of people working for you. Or successful because you have a full calendar. Or important because you’ve been on TV. Or happy because you go from one pleasurable activity to the next.But do you know what Seneca considered the sign of greatness?---In today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan presents part 4 of his live Q&A at Alechemy in which he covers the "life books" that influence him every da
What To Do When You Have Fallen Short | The Three Areas of Training
He had considered not going public with it. He had wanted so badly to be able to keep saying, to get credit for being the guy who says, ‘I’m sixteen years sober.’ But he could not.So in September of 2020, the actor Dax Shepard opened up on his podcast about relapsing. The episode was titled “Day 7”—because after a streak of a decade and half he was effectively back at the beginning. “Today, I have seven days,” he said with as much strength as he could muster.Beautiful.---In today's Daily St...
Lean Into Their Strengths Rather Than Disdain Their Weaknesses
Marcus Aurelius was clearly torn about his fellow man. He was loving and kind and spoke repeatedly of serving the common good. He was also clearly frustrated and disappointed with the flaws of the people around him. Like many great men, he had trouble understanding that not everyone had his gifts, not all of them were capable of what he was capable of.You can see in Meditations how he wrestled with these feelings.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out
Professor Sarah Churchwell on Genius, Big Dreams and F. Scott Fitzgerald
Ryan speaks with Sarah Churchwell about her book Careless People: Murder, Mayhem, and the Invention of The Great Gatsby, the complicated figure of F. Scott Fitzgerald, how The Great Gatsby’s celebration of mad dreamers who chase the American Dream informs our pursuit of the same ideal today, and more.Sarah Churchwell is professor of American Literature and Public Understanding of the Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. Her work focuses on 20th- and 21st-century Amer
Come Back To The Rhythm | A Stoic Idea Worth Tattooing On Your Body
Marcus Aurelius wasn’t perfect.With so many responsibilities competing for his time and attention, he was guilty, as we all have been, of letting his good habits slide. The question is: What do we do when this happens?Today, Ryan discusses how Marcus kept his habits in check and how you can, too, as well as the Stoic idea that influenced his newest tattoo, which he got from Andy Pho. Andy is the owner of Upside Tattoo, and he opened a new shop in Hutto, TX in 2022. Follow Andy on Instagram: http
Don’t Abuse This Power | A Little Better Every Day
In one of the weirdest passages of Meditations, Marcus Aurelius notes with pride that he never laid a hand on any of his female slaves.Not cheating on your spouse, not sexually assaulting a captive person, these are hardly achievements worthy of being feted for. They are the bare minimum, you could argue, to be considered a good, moral, virtuous person. And yet, they are not nothing, especially back then, it’s worth taking a minute to consider. ---In today's Daily Stoic Journal reading, Ryan exp
How Cato’s Deadly Rivalry With Caesar Destroyed Rome
Ryan presents the first of four excerpts from Josiah Osgood’s Uncommon Wrath: How Caesar and Cato’s Deadly Rivalry Destroyed the Roman Republic. Here, in chapter one, Josiah sets the stage for Rome’s great collapse by describing the world that Julius Caesar grew up in, how Cato the Younger’s upbringing put him at odds with Caesar, and the explosive events that escalated the tension between them.You can listen to Ryan’s recent conversation with Josiah here. ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email:
Molly Bloom on the Reality of Being Rich and Powerful
Ryan speaks with Molly Bloom about her book Molly's Game: The True Story of the 26-Year-Old Woman Behind the Most Exclusive, High-Stakes Underground Poker Game in the World, the crossroads moment that taught her to overcome challenges through mindfulness, the intoxicating and eye-opening effects of running poker games for the ultra-rich and famous, how hitting rock-bottom taught her that good character is something to be trained, and more.Molly Bloom is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and form
It’s Just Happening | Ask Daily Stoic
It feels terrible to hear that someone is breaking up with you. Or that your retirement portfolio has dropped significantly in recent months. To find out that the company you’ve invested your entire career in is laying you off. That your father doesn’t accept the person you love or how you live your life.We want it to be otherwise, so we’re disappointed. It hurts, so we take it personally. In Meg Mason’s novel Sorrow and Bliss (listen to our great podcast episode with Meg), Martha Friel's mother
Are You In Touch With Your Future? | Wherever You Go, There Your Choice Is
As Gandhi sat with a reporter one hot afternoon, he began experiencing some stomach pains. An attendant brought him a mudpack to place on his abdomen. “This puts me in touch with my future,” he said with a smile.He was joking about his mortality, just as the Stoics and all wise philosophers have. The reporter was a bit surprised. You are so young, he said. And that’s when Gandhi reminded him, as Marcus Aurelius did in Meditations, that age didn’t matter. Death was the common lot of all people he
You Know You’ve Made This Mistake
It is certainly true that people can do some awful things to each other. We hear of a trusted representative who is stealing from their clients. We hear of a man who has been leading a second life, even starting a second family. We hear of a woman who commits an unspeakable crime.These gross violations of morality and law do exist. They are things we would never do, we’d never even consider doing them. However, the truth is that most of the wrongs committed day to day are done by ordinary people
Champion Distance Runner Lauren Fleshman on the Power of Sport
Ryan speaks with Lauren Fleshman about her new book Good For a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World, how the Stoics approached many of the gender equality issues that we still debate today, the unique power of sports to shatter perceptions and shift perspectives, and more. Lauren Fleshman is a retired world champion track and field athlete who competed in the 1500, 3000, 5000, and marathon events. Lauren graduated from Stanford as a 15-time All-American and five-time NCAA champion, and went on
A Person Without Boundaries Is Not a Person | 7 Stoic Keys To Happiness
It’s clear when you read about Cato and Marcus Aurelius that these were men of great reserve. Antoninus, too. They were friendly and kind of course, and to people who knew them well, there was frivolity and fun, but they kept something back from strangers.They were self-contained.Today, Ryan examines why having the discipline to create strong boundaries for yourself is how you define who you are, especially in the age of social media, He also presents seven Stoic principles to adhere to on your
The Things You Own…Can’t Own You | The Wake Up
To the Stoics, there wasn’t anything wrong with having money. Marcus Aurelius came from money. So did Cato. Seneca came from money and also made a lot of it. In fact, pretty much all the Stoics except for Cleanthes and Epictetus were incredibly rich.Money, nice stuff, living the comfortable life…this was not necessarily the problem.🎧 For a limited time, you can purchase The Daily Stoic ebook for only $1.99 on Kindle✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check
Steven Pressfield on Creating Work That Lasts
Ryan speaks with his friend Steven Pressfield during an impromptu walk along Town Lake in downtown Austin, Texas. The two discuss the life experiences behind Steven’s new book Govt Cheese a memoir, the lessons that they've learned from their many mentors, the value of repurposing content, and more.Steven Pressfield wrote for 27 years before he got his first novel published. During that time he worked 21 different jobs in eleven states. Steven taught school, drove tractor-trailers, worke
Mark Manson on Disrupting the Self-Help Industry
Ryan speaks with Mark Manson about the new documentary based on his astronomically successful book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, how being highly successful can ruin one’s life, what he is striving to disrupt in the self-help industry, and more.Mark Manson is a self-help blogger and the author of four books, including the New York Times Bestsellers Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope, Will, and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. His work focuses on providing life advice that is scie
Don’t Disgrace Yourself | Ask Daily Stoic
Francis Bacon was a brilliant philosopher whose breakthroughs reverberate through our world today. He was also a human being and a politician. Less glorious than his intellectual achievements were his travails in the public sphere, which ultimately ended in his conviction for accepting bribes.No one was more disappointed in this than Bacon, who lamented at the end of his life that he had wasted himself, “in things for which I was least fit, so as I may truly say, my soul hath been a stranger in
If You Are Studying Philosophy, It Is Well | The One Path To Serenity
In one of his letters, Seneca tells us of an old Roman pleasantry that friends would exchange when greeting each other: “If you are well,” one would say after inquiring how someone was doing, “it is well and I am also well.”It’s a nice little custom, isn’t it? If you’re good, I’m good, and everything is good. Nothing else matters. Well, Seneca took it one step further.---In today's Daily Stoic excerpt, Ryan examines Epictetus's assertion that the one path to serenity is in "giving up all else ou
A Stoic Isn’t Born. They’re Made.
Marcus Aurelius wasn’t born Marcus Aurelius (literally, his name was Marcus Catilius Severus Annius Verus). Epictetus wasn’t born a sage–to say he was would be to deprive him of the enormous credit due to a man who went from a lowly slave to a wise and powerful philosopher.No, becoming a Stoic takes work. It takes practice.🎧 For a limited time, you can purchase The Daily Stoic ebook for only $1.99 on Kindle✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the D
Humble, The Poet on Being Free of Passion but Full of Love
Ryan speaks with Humble, the Poet about his new book How to be Love(d), why our passions often get in the way of real love, viewing love as a service to others rather than a reward for ourselves, and more.Kanwer Singh, professionally known as Humble, the Poet, is a Canadian poet, author, YouTuber, rapper, and spoken word artist, as well as the son of immigrant Indian Punjabi Sikh parents. In 2010, he left his job as an elementary school teacher in 2010 to become a poet, and since then, he has au
You Can’t Keep It From Happening | How To Get Through Life's Most Difficult Situations
When he was starting out in Hollywood, Judd Apatow began to have panic attacks. The stress of rewriting a script. Getting a film in on time. Managing all the moving pieces on a project. He felt the enormity of the pressure and like a lot of us, he took that to an irrational extreme.The Stoics would say panic, stress, and anxiety are feelings, and you can’t prevent them from happening. And if you try to suppress these emotions, like stuffing junk in your closet, it eventually comes exploding out.
Ten Percent Happier presents: The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness
Happiness isn’t just a feeling, it’s a skill that can be cultivated. This is a clip from The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness, a five-part audio documentary series by the Ten Percent Happier podcast. Over the course of the series, Dan Harris talks to His Holiness about practical strategies for thorny dilemmas, including: how to get along with difficult people; whether compassion can cut it in an often brutal world; why there is a self-interested case for not being a jerk; and how to create social
You Know What’s Coming | The Sphere Of Choice
We worry about the future. About who might win an election we’re closely watching. About what some foreign leader might do. About the markets and your portfolio. About the climate. It’s so uncertain, we think, unpredictable and potentially overwhelming.But is it really?In today's Daily Stoic Journal reading, Ryan explores why the Stoics viewed the soul as a sphere which is strengthened or weakened only through one's choices, and how meditating on this can set us off on the right foot in 2023.🎧
How Country Living Can Improve Your Life
Ryan celebrates country living with this presentation of the first in a four-part reading of MD Usher’s translation of Princeton University Press’s How to Be a Farmer: An Ancient Guide to Life on the Land. This excerpt examines the benefits of living with nature, dealing with good and bad days on the farm, being neighborly in the country and more.Ryan’s conversation with MD Usher can be heard here🎓 Sign up for the Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge to create better habits in 2023:
Steven Pressfield, Robert Greene, Jack Carr, Meg Mason, and Adam Hochschild on Writing
Ryan looks back on some of the best interviews of 2022 about writing. Featuring Steven Pressfield on what it takes to build discipline and why it’s so important, Robert Greene on our natural tendency as humans to take the path of least resistance, Jack Carr on how your character impacts your work, Meg Mason on how important it is to develop taste as a writer, and Adam Hochschild on how history can inform the push for change in the present.🎓 Sign up for the Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challeng
Don’t Join The Mob | Ask Daily Stoic - Habits
In today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan discusses how he cultivates better habits, people with habits that he admires, and books that you can read to help improve your routine. If you want to develop better habits in your own life, check out the Daily Stoic Habits Challenge at dailystoic.com/habits.📙 For a limited time, you can purchase The Daily Stoic ebook for only $1.99 on Kindle✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspi
Are You Ready For Combat? | Clarify Your Intentions
It’s not for posterity that the Stoics sat with their journals. It wasn’t whiney self-indulgence either. They weren’t cataloging their achievements or pouring out their fantasies. They were doing important work.📙 For a limited time, you can purchase The Daily Stoic ebook for only $1.99 on Kindle✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Ti
Don’t Make It Someone Else’s Problem
“If it is not right, do not do it,” Marcus Aurelius wrote in Meditations, “if it is not true, do not say it.” But it’s worth pointing out that as a philosophy, Stoicism demands more of us than just this negative. As Marcus would also point out, “Often injustice lies in what you aren’t doing, not only in what you are doing.”📙 For a limited time, you can purchase The Daily Stoic ebook for only $1.99 on Kindle✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the D
100 Lessons from Marcus Aurelius
Meditations is perhaps the only document of its kind ever made. It is the private thoughts of the world’s most powerful man giving advice to himself on how to make good on the responsibilities and obligations of his positions. Trained in Stoic philosophy, Marcus Aurelius stopped almost every night to practice a series of spiritual exercises—reminders designed to make him humble, patient, empathetic, generous, and strong in the face of whatever he was dealing with.Today, Ryan breaks down
How To Train Yourself | 4 (Stoic) Secrets To The Good Life
You don't lift a weight one time and become strong. You aren’t taught something once and it stays in your mind forever. You don’t do the right thing once and it becomes a lifelong habit.It would be nice if it worked that way, but it doesn’t.Many, many more reps are required. In life and in philosophy. It’s about taking the right actions and holding yourself to the highest standard, day by day by day.Today, Ryan outlines the 4 Stoic virtues that will improve your life, if you live by...
What We Want (And Deserve) More Than Anything | What’s Up To Us, What’s Not Up To Us
We think we want to be rich. Or famous. Or powerful. We want to succeed, we want to achieve. We want more of this. We want less of that. These desires of ours are explicit, they define our goals and order our priorities. We salivate over them.But deep down, they don’t reflect what we actually want. They’re proxies, indirect ways of getting to what we’re really looking for.---In this first Daily Stoic Journal entry of the new year, Ryan revisits the most important Stoic task that there is: di...
Tony Gonzalez, Keita Bates-Diop, Courtney Dauwalter, and Steven Rinella on Sports and Building Resilience
Ryan looks back on some of the best interviews of 2022 about sports and building resilience. Featuring football legend Tony Gonzalez on the path to becoming your best self, basketball player Keita Bates-Diop on doing what you do for love over money, ultramarathon runner Courtney Dauwalter on her metaphor of the pain cave that she visualizes when pushing her body, and hunter Steven Rinella on the temperance that is required to be a great hunter.🎓 Sign up for the Daily Stoic New Year, Ne
It Was Terribly Unfair…Yet | Ask Daily Stoic
In 41 AD, Seneca was exiled from Rome. He was at the height of his senatorial career but found himself facing trumped up charges from a petty emperor who was driving him into the wilderness. He was reeling from the loss of a young child, he was leaving behind a grieving mother. But what could he do?Nothing. All he could do was try to survive and endure it, to not be broken by it.---In today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan presents part 2 of his 2020 Q&A at the Young Presidents Organization
This Is The Year! | Give Thanks
We all have vices. We all have flaws. We all have things we know we want to change.Make this the year. This is the year you drive the bad habits out. This is the year you follow through. This is the year you demand the best of and for yourself.🎓 Sign up for the Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge to create better habits in 2023: https://dailystoic.com/challenge✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired produc
James Clear on How to Build Better Habits
Ryan talks with author James Clear about practical ways to shift your internal narrative, how to begin and maintain productive habitual action, being flexible with your goals as you set and achieve them, and more. James Clear is the author of the New York Times Bestseller, Atomic Habits, as well as a world-renowned speaker. His weekly 3-2-1 Newsletter has over 1,000,000 subscribers and is sent out every Thursday. 🎓 Sign up for the Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge
Transcend Your First Impression
It’s perfectly reasonable to tremble in the face of danger, Donald Robertson writes in his wonderful book, How To Think Like a Roman Emperor, and it was likely that Cato and Marcus Aurelius were scared on the eve of battle or before an important speech. But we don’t hold that against them, because what mattered is what they did next.🎓 Sign up for the Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge to create better habits in 2023: https://dailystoic.com/challenge✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: htt
This Will Not Free You | The Secret To Better Habits in 2023
Seneca had money and privilege. Lots of it.Yet where did it get him?It didn’t save him from illness, or spare him from years of convalescence. Does this mean there is no advantage to having money? No. Nor does it imply that not having money is better than having it (Seneca would deem money a ‘preferred indifferent’—better to have than not have).--- In one of the best passages in Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations, Marcus tells himself to stop hoping and “be his own savior while he can.” It’...
How Much Longer Are You Going To Wait? | Turn Words Into Works
This is that weird time of year where we start to think about how we want the following year to go. We start thinking about what we call “resolutions”—the promises we make to ourselves about what we’re going to do in the next 12 months. The habits we’re going to quit, the skills we’re going to learn, the standards we’re going to hold ourselves to.Here you are today, staring down the barrel of 2023. And while the best time to demand the best for and of yourself was years ago, the second best time
Theranos Whistleblower Tyler Shultz on Doing the Right Thing and Overcoming Fear
Ryan speaks with Tyler Shultz about his new audiobook Thicker than Water, the harsh realities of being a whistleblower, how he overcame the fear of backlash from his decision to expose Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes’s motivation, and more.Tyler Shultz is an entrepreneur and author whose work focuses on driving innovation in healthcare. He graduated from Stanford with a Biology degree and entered the national scene when he blew the whistle at Theranos by exposing the company’s dubious blood-testing p
5 Usable Practices From Stoicism | Ryan Holiday Speaks At Ole Miss
In April of 2022 Ryan Holiday traveled to Oxford Mississippi to speak to the Ole Miss Football team about 5 strategies that can improve your performance no matter what you do.🎓 Sign up for the Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge to create better habits in 2023: https://dailystoic.com/challenge✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube,
Habits and Addictions — Excerpt 2 from Steven Pressfield’s “Turning Pro”
Back in October, Ryan presented the first of four audiobook excerpts from Steven Pressfield’s “Turning Pro.” In this excerpt Steven talks about identifying and battling the habits and addictions that hold us back, the fears of the amateur, the simplicity of life once one turns pro, and his own story of turning pro. Published by Recorded Books on Brilliance Audio.📕 Grab a copy of “Turning Pro” at the Painted Porch Bookshop and on Audible✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.c
Push Through To The Finish Line | Ask Daily Stoic
The Cynic philosopher Diogenes was once criticized by a passerby for not taking care of himself in his old age, for being too active when he should have been taking it easy and resting. As per usual, Diogenes had the perfect rejoinder: "What, if I were running in the stadium, ought I to slacken my pace when approaching the goal?"---Ryan speaks at the EO Alchemy entrepreneurial conference about his early career and his view on interpreting the Stoics.🎓 Sign up for the Daily Stoic New Year, New Y
It’s Time To Quit | Stake Your Own Claim
Dwight Eisenhower gave himself the order.Quit smoking.It had been a 38-year habit, and he knew it was time. His health was on the line. His ability to be of service was in jeopardy. So he quit. After 38 years of smoking, he quit—cold turkey.“The only way to stop is to stop,” Eisenhower would tell an aide, “and I stopped.”🎓 Sign up for the Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge to create better habits in 2023: https://dailystoic.com/challenge✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailys
Former NBA Star Cuttino Mobley on Pursuing Greatness and Developing Balance in Life
Ryan speaks with former pro basketball player Cuttino Mobley about the challenges of adjusting to life after basketball, growing up with Kobe Bryant and Rasheed Wallace, why pursuing greatness is not for everyone, how Cuttino approaches parenting as a single father, and more.Cuttino Mobley, a.k.a. “Cat”, is an entrepreneur, podcast host, and former American professional basketball player who played in the NBA from 1998 to 2008 for the Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, and Sa
It’s Hard Work
Marcus Aurelius wasn’t magically Marcus Aurelius. Cato wasn’t born that way. All their virtues–their assiduous self-control, their patient wisdom, their commitment to justice, their courage at critical moments–this didn’t just happen. It wasn’t a biological freak event.It was the result of hard work.🎓 Sign up for the Daily Stoic New Year, New You Challenge to create better habits in 2023: https://dailystoic.com/challenge✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛
This Is The Greatest Pleasure | 9 Habits the Stoics Want You to Stop Doing
The Stoics were not afraid of joy, but they found joy in a different place than most people. It wasn’t pleasure. It wasn’t accumulating money. “Just as one person delights in improving his farm, and another his horse,” Epictetus liked to say, “so I delight in attending to my own improvement day by day.”---Excellence isn’t this thing you do one time. It’s a way of living. It’s foundational. It’s like an operating system and the code this system operates on is habit.🎓 Sign up for the Daily Stoic
You’re Not There Now (That’s A Good Thing) | Stake Your Claim
It’s easy to look at history and despair. Humans have been terrible to each other–going back to Marcus Aurelius’s time all the way through today. In fact, sometimes it feels like that’s all we’ve ever been.The writer Mary Karr once asked a religious friend, “How can you believe in God, you know, when there was a Holocaust?” The friend had a reply that stopped her cold: “But you’re not in the Holocaust.”✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily
18 Things You Didn’t Know About Marcus Aurelius
It is amazing that Meditations, year after year and read after read, feels both incredibly timely and incredibly timeless (there’s a reason the book has endured now for almost twenty centuries). It’s amazing that a person so famous—known to millions in his own lifetime and subject to countless books and articles and movies—could still be giving off new secrets, but indeed that’s what he’s doing.Today, we examine 18 things you didn’t know that shaped the life of that person, Marcus Aurelius.📕 We
Jeremy Jones on Quieting the Mind and Confronting Fear with Snowboarding
Ryan speaks with snowboarder Jeremy Jones about his new book The Art of Shralpanism: Lessons from the Mountains, why having discipline on the mountain saves lives, the relationship between courage and fear when approaching the dangers of snowboarding, and more.Jeremy Jones is an American professional snowboarder,businessman, author and filmmaker. He is the founder of Jones Snowboards and the co-founder of Protect Our Winters, a nonprofit that works to reduce the effects of climate chang
Find a Way To Use It | Ask Daily Stoic
It would be nice to be a comedian, wouldn’t it? Not because it might make you rich and famous, though that would be nice. But rather, for the opportunity it would afford to turn all the things that bother you in life into material.Talk about the obstacle being the way! Comedians get to use everything that happens to them in their life, in their work. Heartbreak. Frustration. Fear. Insecurity. Confusion. It all becomes material.---In today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions about living on
Difficult Things Are Good For You | A Simple Way To Measure Our Days
When one thinks of a philosopher, they usually picture something like an ancient figure in a toga, or they think of a college professor in a tweed jacket. They don’t think of an athlete. They don’t think muscles, right? They think brains, not brawn.But in the ancient world philosophers were warriors, athletes, hunters, boxers, wrestlers, and distance runners. They did hard things. They pushed their physical limitations.---In today's Daily Stoic Journal reading, Ryan examines Marcus Aurelius' Med
Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski on the Wonder and Discipline of Mr. Rogers
Ryan speaks with authors Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski about their new book When You Wonder, You're Learning: Mister Rogers' Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids, how hard Mr. Rogers worked to be who he was, how we can strive to “make goodness attractive”, and more.Gregg Behr is a father, writer, children’s advocate, author, and Executive Director of the Grable Foundation. For more than a decade, he has helped to lead Remake Learning – a network of educators, scientists, a
You Can't Give Up
A new year is fast approaching, and it's that time of year in which some people will try again and some people won't.Which will it be? Who will you be?For those of you ready for a change, we are back again with our fifth year of the New Year, New you Challenge. You can reserve your spot right now in the 2023 Daily Stoic New Year, New you Challenge, at daily stoic.com/challenge.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoi...
It’s Your Fault, Not Theirs | How To Manage Your Time Like A Stoic (5 Time Management Tips)
The causes of things are complicated, and rarely do they go how we’d like them to go. So it’s easy to point the finger— at other people, at unfair conditions, at the weather, at the advice we got. If it hadn’t been for _______, I’d have won. Why did so-and-so have to get involved like that? It’s all _______’s fault.And yet, the causes of things are also quite simple, at least according to the Stoics. Because to them, the fault always lies with us.---It is the only thing you...
Where Are They Now? | Keep The Rhythm
Marcus Aurelius loved history and he loved literature. He loved reading about the courts of past emperors. He loved the plays of the great Romans and their poems. He loved the lectures of Epictetus, which had been given to him by his teacher Rusticus.Sometimes, as he pored over these pages, a thought struck him. Where are they now?✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follo
Musonius Rufus Stoic Fragments pt. 2
Which is more effective: theories or practice? Should kings study philosophy? These are the questions that Musonius Rufus examines in the second half of his lesser known Stoic fragments, read today as part two of our Musonius Rufus reading series. You can listen to part one here: https://wondery.com/shows/the-daily-stoic/episode/11074-musonius-rufus-stoic-fragments-pt-1/ Check out “That One Should Disdain Hardships” at the Painted Porch.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.c
Peter Singer on Practicing Effective Altruism Daily
Ryan speaks with professor of moral philosophy, author, and activist Peter Singer about the 10th anniversary edition of his book The Life You Can Save: How to Do Your Part to End World Poverty, how Peter’s views on charitable giving have changed throughout the years, the connections between Effective Altruism and Stoicism, applying ethical philosophy to issues in our daily lives, and more.Peter is an Australian professor of moral philosophy who specializes in applied ethics. He is the Ira W. DeC
The Evidence Is In The Mirror | Ask Daily Stoic
There was a message there in the mirror this morning. Did you see it? It must have been a strange experience for Marcus Arelius the first time he saw it…waking up, looking at his reflection, and noticing his hair turning gray. Feeling his body creak. Looking at the crows feet at the corners of his eyes and the wild hairs jutting this way and that in his eyebrows. Even for someone who had so actively practiced and meditated on the idea of memento mori, it would have been a rather vivid reminder t
There is Only One Thing To Do | Don’t Hide From Your Feelings
It would be wonderful if the Stoics promised you some sort of breakthrough. One that solved for the messy divorce or the unfortunate bankruptcy. One that helped you rehab from the car accident or magically deal with a pandemic that drags on for years (as Marcus knew well). One that soothes you as you sit up sleep-deprived with an infant. The Stoics do, actually, offer solutions for these kinds of struggles. They just don’t come as the kind of breakthrough or insight that you’re necessarily looki
Passing Judgment Is No Way To Live
You don’t know that someone acted wrongly or that they totally screwed a situation up, because you don’t know the full story. You don’t know their reasons or their side of things. And what do the Stoics tell us to do when we don’t have all the facts about something?They tell us to suspend judgment.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube,
Professor Josiah Osgood on Cato, Caesar and the Battle for Rome's Legacy
Ryan speaks with historian of Rome Josiah Osgood about his new book Uncommon Wrath: How Caesar and Cato’s Deadly Rivalry Destroyed the Roman Republic, the complicated legacy of Cato, how Caesar and Cato’s relationship can help inform our daily lives, and more.Josiah Osgood is Professor of Classics at Georgetown University. His teaching and research cover many areas of Roman history and Latin literature, with a special focus on the fall of the Roman Republic. Josiah’s interest in the fall of the
It’s Not A Bad Experience | Living Like A Stoic For 30 Days
A night spent at the airport. A prison sentence. A two week bout with COVID. The crazy rush of the busiest season of the year for your business. We know we’re in for it. We dread it. We curse our fate.Actually, we should take a page from the great performance artist Marina Abramović, which she shares in her incredible book Walk Through Walls: A Memoir. She was known for her artistic feats of strength—whether it was days in a chair staring at strangers or inviting her audience to use 72 objects o
The Violence Of The Dog Days | Be Stingy With Time
As summer now passes into fall and all too quickly fall turns to winter, it is worth stopping and thinking for a second. Where did that time go? Not long ago you were watching fireworks and enjoying the light late into the evening. Now, suddenly, you’re in sweaters, looking at your lawn covered in leaves, wondering why it’s so dark and the evening news hasn’t even finished.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspire
Adam Hochschild on One’s Obligation to the Common Good pt. 2
In the second of a two-part interview, Ryan speaks with one of the great non-fiction writers and historians of our time, Adam Hochschild, about his classic 1986 memoir Half The Way Home: A Memoir of Father and Son, the impetus for his latest book American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis, and the process that Adam went through to improve his relationship with his father, and more. Adam Hochschild is an American author, journalist, historian, and lecturer
It's Not What Happens. It's How You Bear It. | Ask Daily Stoic
It doesn't matter who you are, the facts are the same. Marcus Aurelius was Emperor. Epictetus was a slave. Two different fates, but the same reality. Most of life, most situations are out of our control. All we can do is respond to them well. All we can do is endure them.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Stor
The Only Thing New In The World | Pretend Today Is The End
We live in unprecedented times, we like to think. Our technology. Our conflicts. The state of the world. It’s all very new, it’s all very different.But is it though?Check out the Read To Lead Challenge 2022 and the Memento Mori Medallion.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priv
The Best Stuff Is An Accidental Byproduct
In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius marvels at “nature’s inadvertence.” A baker, he writes, makes the dough, kneads it and then puts it in the oven. Then physics, then Nature takes over. “The way loaves of bread split open,” Marcus writes, “the ridges are just byproducts of the baking, and yet pleasing, somehow: they rouse our appetite without our knowing why.”Today is the last day you can order our premium leather-bound edition of Meditations to ensure holiday delivery!✉️ Sign up for the Daily Sto
Adam Hochschild on Our Obligation to the Common Good pt. 1
In the first of a two-part interview, Ryan speaks with one of the great non-fiction writers and historians of our time, Adam Hochschild, about how history can inform the push for change in the present, the civil rights trailblazers he examined in his book Bury the Chains (one of Ryan’s favorites), the links between the Stoic virtues and the United States’ anti-slavery movement, and more. Part two will be published on Saturday.Adam Hochschild is an American author, journalist, historian, and lect
No One Can Take This Away | Why Seeking Out Challenges Will Change Your Life
“It is a vast kingdom to be able to cope without a kingdom,” Seneca wrote in his play, Thyestes. This was no mere word play. This was hard-won wisdom.No one can stop you from ruling over yourself. It’s the best and the biggest and the strongest kingdom there is.---Those who have never been tested should be pitied, Seneca said, because they don’t know what they’re capable of. To Marcus, philosophy was all about challenging yourself. It was about settling on words and reminders (epithets, he calle
What We Owe Each Other | Balance The Books Of Life Daily
The Roman Empire at that time was enormous. Jobs were scarce. Unemployment was high. Rapid expansion and economic stagnation had led to a sort of economic recession–one not unlike the one that looms globally right now.In response, the upper and ruling classes came together and instituted the Cura Annonae—the “care of grain.” The government distributed free grain to the poor and the suffering, ensuring that everyone had enough to eat, doing their Stoic duty to care for the common good. It’s an in
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers: How To Be Content - The Problem of Passion Pt. 1
For many people, happiness is associated with contentment: being around family, enjoying work, having enough. But what are the secrets to obtaining a contented life in a world of materialistic excess and personal pressures?One of Rome's greatest and most influential poets, Horace (65-8 BCE) shared his wisdom about this question in his writings. In How to Be Content, Stephen Harrison, a leading authority on the poet, provides fresh, contemporary translations of poems from across Horace's works th
How To Be Content - The Search For The Good Life pt. 2
Nobody wrote about the “good life” more beautifully than Horace (65-8 BCE). In numerous writings, the Roman poet shared his wisdom on how to use virtue as a key to unlocking contentment and, therefore, happiness in our daily lives. Today, Ryan presents a selection of Horace’s ideas in the second half of the “The Search For the Good Life” chapter in the How to Be Content installment of Princeton University Press’s Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers series, translated by Stephen Harrison.✉️ Sign u
Drs. Edith Eger and Marianne Engle on Forgiving Over And Over Again
Ryan talks to mother-daughter duo Drs. Edith Enger and Marianne Engle about their work in clinical psychology, the power of spreading kindness in a world that often seems very cruel, letting go of the past through forgiveness, and more.A native of Hungary, Dr. Edith Eva Eger was just a teenager in 1944 when she experienced one of the worst evils the human race has ever known. As a Jew living in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe, she and her family were sent to Auschwitz. Her parents were sent to the
What To Do With What You’ve Been Given | Ask Daily Stoic
Yesterday we took a minute to think of all that we have to be grateful for, all the blessings life has bestowed on us–even if those things didn’t always appear to be blessings at the time. Well, today, on so called ‘Black Friday’ in America, instead of rushing out to get a deal on a flat-screen television, we should think about what to do with all that gratitude.It is our duty to help others. To serve others. To help people from going hungry. To alleviate someone’s worry and fear. To put food on
Convince Yourself That Everything Is A Gift | Train To Let Go Of What’s Not Yours
Today in America is Thanksgiving. It’s the day when we’re supposed to actively practice gratitude, and be thankful for all that we have. Yet this can be hard to do…when the specter of a World War looms, the lingering of a terrible pandemic, the reality of a recession, divided politics and so many other obstacles sit before us.But just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s impossible.📕 We created a premium leather-bound edition of Meditations - To learn more and to pick up your own copy of this be
Jennifer Baker on Stoicism in Academia
Ryan talks to Professor Jennifer Baker about her approach to teaching Stoicism, ethics, and political theory at the College of Charleston, what the Stoics might have said about driving a Mercedes instead of a Hyundai (or a Tesla), the challenges of teaching to today’s student population, and more.Jennifer Baker holds a Ph.D in Philosophy from the University of Arizona and B.A. in Philosophy from Brown. She brings her academic training and passion for understanding ancient wisdom to the courses t
Pity Is More Appropriate Than Anger
At the beginning of Meditations, Marcus Aurelius laments the kind of people he’s going to meet each day—the bitter, the stupid, the jealous, the petty. Throughout the book he mentions other undesirables—the shameless, the evil, the greedy, the ignorant, the manipulative. Today, we could add still others— racists, polluters, rage profiteers, trolls and on and on.These people are frustrating. They make the world less safe, less productive, less collaborative. They poison the common good. They dest
This Is The Day | How Stoicism Can Make You Happier
This is what we tell ourselves: Someday I will write my book. Someday I will travel abroad. Someday I will learn how to play guitar.But someday soon, you will no longer be able to say, “someday…”---“A good character is the only guarantee of everlasting, carefree happiness.” – SenecaThe Stoics believed in living a virtuous life, one with the potential to bring us personal happiness and fulfillment. And that’s one of the reasons a person may choose to live after their fashion. After all, what good
The Last Words Of Marcus Aurelius | Practice Letting Go
It’s one of the most haunting paintings you’ll ever see. More than 11 feet wide and 8 feet tall, painted in rich but dark oils, Eugene Delacroix (a student of the Stoics) captures Marcus Aurelius at the end of his life. A plague has devastated Rome. His troubled son stands in the wings, unlikely to rule well. Marcus has had a hard life, filled with adversity, not meeting, as one historian noted, “with the good fortune he deserved.”Yet he strived to do right and to be good. He escaped “imperializ
This Stoic Virtue Will Change Your Life
You’d think that the more powerful you are, the more freedom you’d have. The more money and success you have, the more you can do. You’d think that being a millionaire or being a celebrity or being the CEO would finally unshackle you from all the obnoxious and annoying constraints of being a ‘regular’ person…How wrong this is. How wrong this has always been.It was Eisenhower who said that freedom is really better described as the, “opportunity for self-discipline.” And you, you are lucky enough
Ramit Sethi on What It Means to be Rich
Ryan talks to personal finance advisor, entrepreneur, author, and host of the I Will Teach You To Be Rich podcast (one of Ryan’s favorites), Ramit Sethi about helping couples grow stronger through finances, the importance of a personal definition of “being rich,” healthy spending habits, and more.Ramit Sethi is the NY Times best-selling author of I Will Teach You To Be Rich, founder of GrowthLab.com, and owner and co-founder of PBworks. He grew up in Fair Oaks, California and graduated from Stan
The Most Human Thing You Can Do | Ask Daily Stoic
Years before he became president, Harry Truman owned a haberdashery that doubled as a local hang-out. A kid named Albert Ridge would often head there after his shift at the neighborhood grocery store. For the rest of his life, Ridge would tell the story of the time Truman gave him a list of ten books to read. It included books like Plutarch's Lives, Caesar's Commentaries, and Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemailCh
Small Things Are No Small Thing | Judge Not, Lest…
George Washington’s favorite saying was “many mickles make a muckle.” It was an old Scottish proverb that illustrates a truth we all know: things add up. Even little ones. Even at the pace of one per day.Our perennial Page-A-Day Calendar is designed to help you grow one day at a time. It’s one page with one Stoic quote for every day—perfect for your desk, your nightstand, your kitchen counter, or your bathroom mirror, just in time for the New Year.Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily?
Dr. Sue Johnson on Emotionally Focused Therapy and Stoicism
Ryan talks to clinical psychologist, couples therapist, and author Dr. Sue Johnson about how Stoicism and Emotionally Focused Therapy complement and enrich each other, what psychology can teach us about the nature of human relationships, her best-selling book (and a game-changer for Ryan) Hold Me Tight, and more.With a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Hull and an Ed.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of British Columbia, Dr. Sue Johnson is a British clinical psychol
Time has a Way of Humbling Us
In several of Seneca’s letters he speaks about the power of bloodletting as a medical practice. In one, he actually remarks—with some superiority—how earlier generations had not yet discovered bloodletting and suffered for it.Marcus Aurelius hints at some other medical practices. He speaks of the treatment for ophthalmia—inflammation of the eye—and how doctors treated it with a bit of egg yolk. We also know that his doctor Galen gave Marcus opium for various pains and illnesses in old age.Needle
Where Is Your Command Center? | Casey Neistat's 10 Stoic Practices (For Productivity)
We get all sorts of messages. From the world. From social media. From other people. From our bodies. The question–the great difficulty of life–is gathering, deciphering and deciding which of these messages to listen to and act on, and which to ignore.One of the best translators of the Stoics, Robin Waterfield (you must read his annotated edition of Meditations), renders Marcus Aurelius’s use of the word hegemonikon as command center. Using this mi
This Is Nothing To Brag About | Judge Yourself Not Others
Oh, you’ve read the works of Heidegger? You finished all of Infinite Jest? You made it through all of Jordan Peterson’s Maps of Meaning, all of Faulkner’s lesser works, Finnegan’s Wake and Ulysses?You must be pretty proud of yourself.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Fol
The Virtue That Made Marcus Aurelius So Great
Marcus Aurelius did not come out of the womb a leader. Nor was he an emperor ‘by blood.’ In fact, when first told he was to be king, he wept—thinking of all the bad and failed kings of history. So how did he get from there to philosopher king? Book 1 of Meditations shows us. The first ten percent of the book—Debts and Lessons—thanks people who groomed him into one of history’s greatest leaders. He knew it—without his philosophy teachers and rhetoric teachers and, most importantly, his mentor Ant
Yung Pueblo on Measuring Success and Seeking Wisdom
Ryan talks to the poet Yung Pueblo about his new book Lighter: Let Go of the Past, Connect with the Present, and Expand the Future, why servicing the common good is the most valuable metric to measure great work by, the common threads that tie differing philosophies together, and more.Diego Perez is a meditator and New York Times bestselling author who is widely known on Instagram and various social media networks through his pen name Yung Pueblo. Online he has an audience of over 2.7 million pe
How To Make Better Use Of Your Time | Ask Daily Stoic
Years before he became president, Harry Truman owned a haberdashery that doubled as a local hang-out. A kid named Albert Ridge would often head there after his shift at the neighborhood grocery store. For the rest of his life, Ridge would tell the story of the time Truman gave him a list of ten books to read. It included books like Plutarch's Lives, Caesar's Commentaries, and Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic em
There’s Nothing Like This | Always The Same
The rockstar Warren Zevon had been on the top of the Billboard charts. He’d been on the cover of Rolling Stone. He’d been admired by other great artists and musicians like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Petty. The heights of fame were enjoyable, but it took a jarring diagnosis of terminal lung cancer to give Zevon the kind of perspective that only a *memento mori* moment can give. And when it came, he passed it along in a very simple, very practical piece of advice:Enjoy every sandwich.✉️
This Is How You Strengthen Your Soul
According to the great Jesuit Monk Anthony DeMello, there are three intellectual feats that we struggle with on a regular basis, that are harder than just about any physical activity on the planet. Just three. They are, he said, in this order:Returning love for hate.Including the excluded.Admitting you are wrong.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to reme
Sophia Amoruso on the Rise and Fall of Success
Ryan talks to Sophia Amoruso about how she has navigated the highs and lows of being a successful business woman, how to become great without becoming a monster, the importance of staying grounded while reaching great heights, and more.Sophia Christina Amoruso is an American businesswoman. Amoruso was born in San Diego, California, and moved to Sacramento, California, after High school, soon after relocating to San Francisco. Amoruso founded Nasty Gal, a women's fashion retailer, which went on t
This Is Your Job As A Citizen | Why You Should Do Something Scary Every Day
The single most important practice in Stoic philosophy is differentiating between what we have control over and what we don’t. Epictetus said,“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own…”✉️ Want Stoic wisdom deliv
You Become What You Give Your Attention To | The Real Power You Have
The Stoics were all about routine and repetition. They talked about fueling the habit bonfire. They would have agreed with Aristotle: we are what we repeatedly do. We become what we repeatedly study and focus on.📕 We created a premium leather-bound edition of Meditations - To learn more and to pick up your own copy of this beautiful new edition of Meditations, visit dailystoic.com/meditations✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://da
The Most Life Changing Marcus Aurelius Quotes
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor, born nearly two millennia ago (121 – 180). Marcus became the Emperor of the Roman Empire in 161 and ruled for nearly two decades until his death in 180. It is important to realize the gravity of that position and the magnitude of power that Marcus possessed. He held one of—if not the most—powerful positions in the world at the time. If he chose to, nothing would be off limits. There is a reason the adage that power in absolute absolutely corrupts has been rep
Kate Courtney, Karen Duffy, Meg Mason, and Susan Cain on Using Stoicism to Endure Life's Obstacles
This episode is a compilation of some of the best Stoic wisdom from the Daily Stoic Podcast. Ryan talks to Kate Courtney about the important distinction between optimization vs. maximization, Karen Duffy about how Stoicism can help guide you through pain, Meg Mason about the vitality of being tolerant and forgiving of others, Susan Cain how to take heartbreak and mold something great out of it.Kate Courtney: https://dailystoic.com/kate-courtney/ Karen Duffy: https://dailystoic.com/karen-duffy/ M
We Are Not In Decline | Ask Daily Stoic
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A Sense of Urgency | Following The Doctor’s Orders
In the kitchen at Per Se, one of the best restaurants in the world, there is a sign. All it says is: A Sense of Urgency. That’s what a great chef, a great service staff, a great organization has. A great person needs it too.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail📕 We created a premium leather-bound edition of Meditations- To learn more and to pick up your own copy of this beautiful new edition of Meditations
Thomas Ricks on the Military History of the Civil Rights Movement
Ryan talks to Thomas Ricks about his new book Waging a Good War: A Military History of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1968, the philosophical methods that guided the leaders in the civil rights movement, the grit that it took to stand up to Thomas Ricks is an American journalist and author who has won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting multiple times. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq and A Soldier's Duty.✉️ Sign up for
Pursue Excellence, Not Credit
Perhaps you remember reading The Odyssey in high school or college (or possibly you picked upEmily Wilson’s fabulous new translation at the Painted Porch). Even if you haven’t, you’re probably familiar with the cyclops scene. Odysseus and his men find themselves trapped in a cave with Polyphemus, the deranged, man-eating, sheep herding, one-eyed beast. Odysseus hatches an ingenious escape plan: they wait for the cyclops to fall asleep and then stab him in the eye with a sharpened log. Enraged an
Why We Admire Marcus Aurelius | Ancient Strategies For Finding Happiness
Marcus Aurelius was smart. He was rich and powerful. He won wars and conquered territories.But that doesn’t explain why we are still talking about his Meditations so many thousands of years later. As Brand Blandshard would observe of Marcus’s writings 1984,"Few care now about the marches and countermarches of the Roman commanders. What the centuries have clung to is a notebook of thoughts by a man whose real life was largely unknown who put down in the midnight dimness not the events of the day
We Are Not Alone | Accepting What Is
Ghosts are, of course, a silly thing to believe in (Athenodorus’ ghost story notwithstanding). Yet the Stoics would not have scoffed at Eleanor Roosevelt’s feeling of not being alone in the Lincoln bedroom. As the New York Times would write many years ago in an editorial about her claim, “The White House is built of memories…It will remain a haunted house as long as it stands, but only in the benign sense that unseen presences may still be watching the destiny of the Republic…What Ameri
The Professional — An Excerpt from Steven Pressfield’s “Turning Pro”
In this excerpt Steven talks about the difference between an amatuer and a professional, the qualities that a professional expresses, and he explains what it takes to become a professional at whatever you do. Published by Recorded Books on Brilliance Audio.📕 Grab a copy of “Turning Pro” at the Painted Porch Bookshop✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram,
Atticus the Poet on Modern Media and Remaining Anonymous
Ryan talks to the anonymous Instagram poet Atticus about how modern media has distorted old ideas, his experience meeting the Dalai Lama, the decision to remain anonymous in the public eye, and more.Atticus, who grew up in Vancouver, has built a career as a bestselling poet by reading for hundreds, from behind a mask. From being an early investor in SpaceX, to launching a coffee business with Elon's cousins, to releasing 3 NYT Bestselling books, an international wine brand, and clothing partners
More Often Than Not | Ask Daily Stoic
The Stoics were not perfect. Nothing illustrates this more than Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. Why would Marcus have to write reminders about not losing your temper or not wasting your time if he was not guilty of those very things? Why would he remind himself that the people he was going to deal with that day would be meddling, ungrateful and dishonest if he didn’t struggle dealing with those types of people? Why did he have to remind himself that doing the right thing was better than trying to
Wondery Presents: Don't Call it a Comeback
Every fan loves a comeback story. There are few moments more thrilling or inspiring. From an athlete’s resurgence after being left for dead to a cellar-dwelling franchise who suddenly defies all odds, these sports comeback moments stay with us and get passed down through generations.And no one knows how to come back better than host and former NFL star linebacker Ryan Shazier: Ryan suffered a devastating on-field hit that left him paralyzed, then scratched and clawed his way back until he could
We Don’t See The Full Picture | We Reap What We Sow
History is a lie. It is written by the victors, as the saying goes. Which means the picture it produces is inherently biased by a particular point of view. It’s also biased towards the things we know about, by our common knowledge.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow
Stoicism Is Not A Form Of Self-Flagellation
Seneca was a very rich man. He had nice stuff. Critics at the time, and ever since, have found this to be indisputable proof of his hypocrisy. How can a Stoic have expensive ivory tables? Isn’t it unphilosophical to have multiple houses? Or servants?✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.daily
Kamal Ravikant on Facing Death and Loving Yourself
This episode comes out for free on 10/26/22. Ryan talks to author and investor Kamal Ravikant about his recent near death experience, why the inner game is the ultimate game, how loving yourself can change your relationship with suffering, and more.Kamal Ravikant is the author of the bestselling books, Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It and Live Your Truth. He’s been a US Army Infantry soldier, held the hands of dying patients, climbed in the Himalayas, spoken to audiences around the glo
It’s Beyond Arrogant | 6 Insanely Useful Stoic Questions
Human beings have been putting things off for as long as there have been things to do. We tell ourselves we’ll do it when we’re older, after we finish, when we have more time, when the seasons change. We tell ourselves we’ll do it tomorrow. And yet…✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailys
This Book Was Not Meant For Us | Build Up, Don’t Tear Down
There are very few books like it. Certainly, none written by someone in such an unusual position.You see, Meditations was not meant to be a book for the reader, it was a book for the author. In Greek, it was titled Eis heauton or “To Himself.” A more recent title also captures the essence: The Emperor’s Handbook.📕 We created a premium leather-bound edition of Meditations - To learn more and to pick up your own copy of this beautiful new edition of Meditations, visit dailystoic.com/meditations📱
Musonius Rufus Stoic Fragments: PT 1
This episode comes out for free on 10/23/22. Today’s episode features two sections from the lesser known Musonius Rufus Stoic Fragments: That Man Is Born With An Inclination Toward Virtue and That Women Too Should Study Philosophy. Pick up a copy of That One Should Disdain Hardships: The Teachings of a Roman Stoic by Musonius Rufus at the Painted Porch Bookshop.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, s
Maya Smart on Transforming Education and the Power of Reading
This episode comes out for free on 10/22/22.Ryan talks to Maya Smart about her new book Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six (which you can pick up at the Painted Porch Bookshop), how she developed the ideas in the book over a span of 10 years, how she fell in love with reading, and more.Maya Smart is an author and journalist. Throughout her career, she’s written hundreds of articles, including breaking news stories, book reviews, features, and op-eds for a wide range
The Truly Wise Make Time For Leisure | Ask Daily Stoic
Leisure is one of those words that modernity has terribly corrupted and misused. When most people hear it we think of lounging around doing nothing. We think of any activity absent of activity, as an opportunity to completely shut down. And this is a tremendous perversion of a sacred notion.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at
Is The World Going Through Hell? | Marks Of The Good Life
“It’s tough to be alive now,” the actor Timothée Chalamet recently said. “I think societal collapse is in the air — it smells like it.”It’s one of those lines that got picked up by dozens of media outlets. Because those outlets know it’s one of those headlines people can’t resist clicking on. As the economist Deirdre McCloskey once put it, “For reasons I have never understood, people like to hear that the world is going to hell.”✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the
Is it Evil or Incompetence?
People do a lot of things that feel mean. That frustrate us. That cause problems for us. That make the world a worse place. They vote for bad politicians. They say offensive things. They make messes. They screw stuff up.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow u
Annie Duke on Knowing When to Quit
Ryan talks to World Series of Poker champion Annie Duke about her new book Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, the power of walking away from things that don’t align with your beliefs, the importance of making decisions in service of a larger goal, and more.Annie Duke is a former professional poker player and a bestselling author. She is an expert in cognitive psychology and co-founded the non-profit Ante Up for Africa in 2007 to benefit charities working in African nations. H
Can You Play Ball? | How To Read Books Effectively (7 Stoic Tips)
Life throws stuff at us. We have to figure out how to catch it and throw it back. That’s what Epictetus meant when he said we don’t control what happens, we control how we respond.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Faceb
This Will Sustain You | Make Honesty Your Only Policy
Each of us goes to work every day and deals with obstacles, with difficult people. We deal with stress at home. We have responsibilities in our community. Some of us have other problems still: A divorce. A looming bankruptcy. Maybe we’re on deployment. Maybe we’ve just done a stint in jail.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at t
Seneca on the Terrors of Death
Today’s episode is an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. Get the free PDF at tim.blog/seneca. In this letter Seneca talks about how to develop mental calm and reject the fear of death.📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" is out now! We’ve extended the pre-order bonuses for the next week—among them is a signed and numbered page from the original manuscript of the book. You can learn more about those and how to receive them over at Dailystoic.com/preorder.
Steve Case on the New American Dream
This episode comes out for free on 10/15/2022.Ryan talks to Steve Case about his new book The Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream, how the pandemic has shifted the cultural landscape, the opportunity gap that is being created, and more.One of America’s most successful entrepreneurs and executives, best known as co-founder of America Online and CEO of Revolution LLC, Steve Case has a passion for building startups that can change the world.
Is it Resilience, or Are You Just Naive? | Ask Daily Stoic
We’ve talked before about the so-called Stockdale Paradox—the blazing determination inside Admiral James Stockdale that allowed him to believe that, despite his imprisonment and torture, he would not only survive but thrive because of his experience. There’s something similar in Meditations where Marcus Aurelius, reflecting on the plague and the wars and the troubles that beset his reign, actually says to himself, “It’s fortunate that this happened to me.”📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline I
Your Job is to Transition | Revenge Is A Dish Best Not Served
Think of all the responsibilities on Marcus Aurelius’ plate. He’s emperor. He’s head of the army. He’s serving as consul (yes, in the Roman system, the emperor also stood for elected office). He judged cases. He was a husband. A friend. A philosopher. He also had fourteen children.📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" is out now! We’ve extended the pre-order bonuses for the next week—among them is a signed and numbered page from the original manuscript of the book. You can learn mor
David Rubenstein on Investing and Designing the Optimal Life
This episode comes out for free on 10/12/2022Ryan talks to David Rubenstein about his new book How to Invest, his experiences working for President Jimmy Carter, how design your life for happiness and productivity, and more.David Mark Rubenstein is an American billionaire businessman. Former government official and lawyer. A Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest and most successful private investment firms. Mr. Rubenstein co-founded the firm in 1987. Also th
Your Possessions Are Not Your Identity
It’s very easy to associate our possessions and our positions with our identity. There’s even an expression to that effect: The clothes make the man. When we have a powerful job, we feel powerful. When the market is hot, we feel like we have a knack for investing. When we are number one in our space, in our industry, in sales, we’re very into checking and monitoring the rankings. When people are saying nice things about us, we revel in it, because of course it’s all true and deserved.📕 Ryan Hol
What Are You Getting Better At? | 11 Stoic Principles Every Athlete Needs To Win
No one is more invested in getting better than you. You read books. You have a mentor. You even have a business coach. You go to work conferences. You go to the gym. You have hobbies that you watch videos about, that you have goals for. You have a financial advisor. You put in long hours.📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" is out now! We’ve extended the pre-order bonuses for the next week—among them is a signed and numbered page from the original manuscript of the book. You can le
Can You Stop? | Practice Love
You tell yourself you’ll go to bed after one more episode. You’ll put the phone down after one more scroll. You’ll pay your tab and leave after one more drink. That was the last time you’ll ever do that again, you say.📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" is out now! We’ve extended the pre-order bonuses for the next week—among them is a signed and numbered page from the original manuscript of the book. You can learn more about those and how to receive them over at Dailystoic.com/pre
The Vow - From Kamal Ravikant's “Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It" Pt. 2
This episode comes out for free on 10/9/2022Today’s episode features an excerpt from Kamal Ravikant’s book “Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It" provided by Harper Audio. The book is a collection of Kamal’s writings on overcoming depression and living a happier life. This second part talks about the applicable practices that Kamal used to improve his life during a dark time.📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" is out now! We’ve extended the pre-order bonuses for the next wee
Amy Morin on How to be Mentally Strong
This episode comes out for free on 10/8/2022Ryan talks to author Amy Morin about her book 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do, how to find agency in your everyday life, overcoming mentally challenging situations by gaining perspective, and more.Amy Morin is a psychotherapist turned “accidental” author. In her early 20’s Amy experienced grave loss - both her mother and her husband passed only a few years apart. In 2013, during one of my lowest points in her life, Amy wrote a letter to herse
Err On This Side | Ask Daily Stoic
One should understand, or at least empathize with, the difficult position a politician quite often finds themselves these days with the proliferation of divisive, hot-button political issues. Take Utah’s governor Spencer Cox and transgender youth in sports. Cox couldn’t easily decide what side to take on the issue–or at least he didn’t immediately act when the subject came before state lawmakers. Instead, Cox sought counsel from trusted mentors. He read books to understand both sides as best he
You Struggle With This Everyday | Looking Out For Each Other
Epictetus said that to live a good life, you have to make good choices. You are what your choices make you, nothing more and nothing less.📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" is out now! We’ve extended the pre-order bonuses for the next week—among them is a signed and numbered page from the original manuscript of the book. You can learn more about those and how to receive them over at Dailystoic.com/preorder. ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE
Little Actions Add Up to Real Transformation
📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" is out now! We’ve extended the pre-order bonuses for the next week—among them is a signed and numbered page from the original manuscript of the book. You can learn more about those and how to receive them over at Dailystoic.com/preorder. ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Faceb
Robert Mckee on the Power of Storytelling
Ryan talks to Robert Mckee about his new book Action: The Art of Excitement for Screen, Page, and Game, the importance of showing not telling, how to tell a great story, and more.Robert McKee is the most sought after screenwriting lecturer around the globe. He has dedicated the last 30 years to educating and mentoring screenwriters, novelists, playwrights, poets, documentary makers, producers, and directors internationally. Robert’s articles on Story have also appeared in hundreds of newspapers
You Can’t Not Think It | 12 Stoic Lessons From Las Vegas
📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" is out now! We’ve extended the pre-order bonuses for the next week—among them is a signed and numbered page from the original manuscript of the book. You can learn more about those and how to receive them over at Dailystoic.com/preorder. ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook See Privacy Policy a
If You Want To Be Powerful | Practice Silence
Since the time of the Stoics, people have aspired to command great armies. To accumulate great fortunes. To hold high office. To be famous. To be important. In short, humans have longed to (and continue to) chase power.📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" is out now! We’ve extended the pre-order bonuses for the next week—among them is a signed and numbered page from the original manuscript of the book. You can learn more about those and how to receive them over at Dailystoic.com/pr
How To Be Content: The Search For The Good Life Pt. 1
Today’s episode is an excerpt from Stephen Harrison’s How To Be Content: An Ancient Poet's Guide for an Age of Excess published by Princeton University Press. In this chapter Horace talks about being content with what you have, the different philosophical ideas that lead us to living “the good life.” and more.📕Pre-order Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" and get exclusive bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorder ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailye
Russ Roberts on Making Better Decisions
Ryan talks to economist and author Russ Roberts about his new book Wild Problems: A Guide to the Decisions That Define Us, the tension between being ambitious and being a good person, strategies for reducing the fear and the loss of control that inevitably come when a wild problem requires a leap in the dark, and more.Russ Roberts is the President of Shalem College in Jerusalem and the John and Jean De Nault Research Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. Russ is interested and inve
No More Than This Is Required | Ask Daily Stoic
We are impressed by people who do incredible things–whether it’s creating some great work of art or pulling off some impossible athletic feat, bringing about social change or building an enormous organization. How did they do it? Where did that come from? Sometimes to excuse our own failures, we tell ourselves it was genius or genetics, inspiration rather than perspiration.📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" is available for pre-order now! We’ve put together a bunch of cool preord
It’s Hard To Be a Person In This World | Your Actual Needs Are Small
Even if the changes are positive, we can appreciate that they’ve been difficult for people. There is so much to navigate, to be sensitive to in this modern world of ours. People are expected to be tolerant of things that just a few years ago were considered totally out of the mainstream. Words and descriptors, even the names of countries (or the pronunciations of the names of cities) seem to change by the day (with painful consequences if you screw them up)...📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipli
Find The Space
Think about the last time that someone made you upset. What did they say? What did they do? Now think back: How did you react? What did you say? What did you feel?📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" is available for pre-order now! We’ve put together a bunch of cool preorder bonuses—among them is a signed and numbered page from the original manuscript of the book. You can learn more about those and how to receive them over at Dailystoic.com/preorder. ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered
David Maraniss on Why We Study the Greats
Ryan talks to author and journalist David Maraniss about his approach to his work, and his most recent book: Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe, which is an epic biography on the trials of America’s greatest all-around athlete. David Maraniss is a New York Times best-selling author, fellow of the Society of American Historians, and visiting distinguished professor at Vanderbilt University. He has been affiliated with the Washington Post for more than forty years as an editor and write
This is the Win | Discipline Is Destiny: The Four Virtues
Before he was a big time comedian, Hasan Minhaj was asked if he thought he was going to make it big. “I don’t like that question,” he said. “I fundamentally don’t like that question.” Because the question implies that doing comedy is a means to an end—the Netflix special, selling out the stadium, doing this, getting that.“No, no, no,” he said, “I get to do comedy…I won. It being predicated on doing X or being bigger than Y—no, no, no. To me, it’s always just been about the work. I’m on house mon
Discipline Now…Freedom Later | Pain Is Self-Inflicted Harm
At a critical moment in The Odyssey, Odysseus tied himself to the mast of his ship because he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist steering the ship toward the beautiful sound of the Sirens. In temporarily giving up his freedom, Odysseus became the first person ever to hear the Sirens without fatally crashing into the rocks surrounding the island where they lived.📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" is available for pre-order now! We’ve put together a bunch of cool preorder
Memento Mori: The Reminder You Desperately Need
Who wants to think about death?In his Meditations—essentially his own private journal—Marcus Aurelius wrote that “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” That was a personal reminder to continue living a life of virtue NOW, and not wait.Epictetus, urged his students: “Keep death and exile before your eyes each day, along with everything that seems terrible— by doing so, you’ll never have a base thought nor will you have excessive desire.” Use those remi
Ryan Lavarnway on Sports and Philosophy
Ryan talks to professional baseball catcher Ryan Lavarnway about his experience being the only professional baseball player with a philosophy degree from Yale, the intersection of sports and philosophy, the ups and downs of being a professional athlete, and more.Ryan Lavarnway is the current Detroit Tigers’ Triple A Toledo Mud Hens catcher and 2013 World Series Champion. He has held many valuable experiences, both in and out of the baseball field. A Yale University graduate, Ryan was drafted by
This Is Why You Should Stick Around | Ask Daily Stoic
There are moments where things are so bad it can seem like they’ll never get better. Perhaps we’re young and being bullied. Or we’re in the midst of some massive rush of negative publicity–maybe we’re being canceled, or as the Stoics often were, exiled. Or the political situation seems to deteriorate each day. Or we’re just so sick or in pain that we can’t get out of bed.If you or someone you know is in a mental health crisis and you live in the United States, please call the National Suici...
All That Matters Is How We Respond | No Pain No Gain
It was the great Athenian leader, Pericles, who said that there was nothing wrong with poverty. It could be caused by so many things—a business failure, the sudden loss of a family’s breadwinner, theft, even just plain old back luck. Like the Stoics, he knew that Fortune could swoop in, and, in the blink of an eye, undo years of hard work and careful planning.📕Pre-order Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" and get exclusive pre-order bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorder ✉️ Want
It's About Finding the Right Amount
When we hear the word “temperance,” C.S. Lewis observed, most of us in the modern world think of “abstinence.” Even when you look up the definition of abstinence, temperance is a synonym. But temperance, Lewis wrote, is actually about going to the, “right length but no further.”📕 Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" is available for pre-order now! We’ve put together a bunch of cool preorder bonuses—among them is a signed and numbered page from the original manuscript of the book. You
Tim Miller on Political Games and Building Integrity
Ryan talks to political consultant and writer Tim Miller about his new book Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell, the game of American politics, how to maintain integrity in your work, and more.Tim Miller is a former Republican communications operative who held moderate views and backed moderate candidates for years. But he says in practicing the arts of opposition research and planting negative stories about rival candidates, he worked with increasingly extreme right-win
Don’t You See How Crazy This Is? | Discipline Is Destiny: Ruling Over Yourself
Sometimes things become so ordinary, such a normal part of life in polite society, that we fail to see how utterly insane they are. History is replete with these examples. Who would propose today that one human should be allowed to own another? Or that only one specific race and gender be allowed to vote? Just 100 years ago men wore one-piece bathing suits to the beach while women were forbidden from smoking in public, wearing pants, or owning property. It wasn’t so long ago that doctors thought
Would You Actually Be Able To Change? | On Handling Haters
Breaking news: an asteroid is hurtling towards earth and could destroy the planet. The judge rules: you have a year to get your affairs in order and report to prison for the mandatory maximum sentence. The doctor calls: you have a short time to live. The sirens sound: nuclear war has broken out and the end is near.📕Pre-order Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" and get exclusive pre-order bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorder ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? S
Aristotle on How to Tell a Story Pt. 2
Today’s episode features an excerpt from How to Tell a Story: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Storytelling for Writers and Readers translated by Philip Freeman as part of Princeton University Press’s Anient Wisdom For Modern Readers series.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pri
Elliot Ackerman on Storytelling and the Cyclical Nature of History
Ryan talks to author and journalist Elliot Ackerman about his new book The Fifth Act: America's End in Afghanistan, the origins of storytelling, his experiences evacuating hundreds of refugees in Afghanistan, and more.Elliot Ackerman is a former White House Fellow and Marine, and served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart. Elliot’s books have been nominated for the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie
Face Down in the Moment | Ask Daily Stoic
The thing about life is that it’s not a thing. Life is a series of moments. As the great Annie Dillard said, how we spend our days is how we spend our lives—and how we spend our moments is how we spend our days.📕Pre-order Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" and get exclusive pre-order bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorder ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitte
You Must Question | A Garden Is Not For Show
Marcus Aurelius was a man who did not partake in the base pleasures of his time. While other Romans saw the death and the carnage of the colosseum as entertainment, Marcus did not. While other Romans–particularly rich, male Romans–saw their slaves not just as property but as walking pleasure machines, Marcus Aurelius did not.📕Pre-order Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" and get exclusive pre-order bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorder ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inb
Know it Inside and Out
Admiral Hyman Rickover, the father of the nuclear Navy in the United States and an unsung hero in the history of the world, was once asked by a Congressman if he was prepared for the upcoming hearing in which Hyman needed to speak about a number of complex, important issues. "Yes," Rickover replied, "I shaved and put on a clean shirt."📕Pre-order Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" and get exclusive pre-order bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorder ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered t
Robert Coram on Living Life by a Code
Ryan talks to Robert Coram about the life and legacy of the fighter pilot John Boyd, the Stoic heroism of James Stockdale, the value of living your life based on a virtuous code, and more.Robert has had a long career as a reporter, staff and freelance writer, and author. He is a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist. His writing has appeared in many publications, including the Atlanta Gazette, Atlanta Magazine, the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and Esquire. As an author, he has published sev
Don’t You See How Crazy This Is | Discipline Is Destiny: Ruling Over Yourself
It’s very easy to be jaded. It’s very easy to be cynical. The system is, as it was in Rome, hopelessly broken. Corruption, dishonesty, and stupidity are all widespread. The odds are impossible. The problems enormous. So why care? Why even try?📕 Ruling Over Yourself is a chapter from Ryan Holiday's newest book Discipline Is Destiny. Pre-order now to get exclusive pre-order bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorder ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily St
Greatness is up to You | A New Way To Pray
Every day, you have to do things you’d rather not do. Or maybe you’re early in your career, and you have to do things that you think are beneath you. Maybe you dream of some higher station in life, and you phone it in on the lowly tasks you’re given now. You think, I’m better than this, this is embarrassing, this doesn’t matter.Foolishness.📕Pre-order Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" and get exclusive pre-order bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorder ✉️ Want Stoic
Greatness Is Up To You | A New Way To Pray
Every day, you have to do things you’d rather not do. Or maybe you’re early in your career, and you have to do things that you think are beneath you. Maybe you dream of some higher station in life, and you phone it in on the lowly tasks you’re given now. You think, I’m better than this, this is embarrassing, this doesn’t matter.📕Pre-order Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" and get exclusive pre-order bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorder ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your
Epictetus - The Enchiridion Pt. 2
The Enchiridion is one of the essential texts of Stoic philosophy, and one of the most important ancient documents that we have access to. It is a concentrated collection of Epictetus’s wisest teachings and contains all the fundamentals of his philosophy. It is a guiding text and required reading for students of Stoic philosophy.📕Get a copy of Discourses and Selected Writings by Epictetus at the Painted Porch BookshopEpictetus was born nearly 2,000 years ago in Hierapolis (present-day Pamukkale
David Wallace-Wells on Empowering the Future
Ryan talks to journalist David Wallace-Wells about his new book The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming, seeking out information, challenging assumptions, and becoming empowered through better understanding.During his 11 years at New York magazine, David has emerged as one of the nation’s most formidable thinkers about science and society, writing agenda-setting essays on the dangers and complexities of global warming. His 2019 book, “The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming,” was a numbe
This is What It Means To Be Indifferent | Ask Daily Stoic
The Stoics spoke about being indifferent, disinterested. Have no interest in what makes no difference, Marcus Aurelius said. That’s the image of the Stoic. Unconcerned with what’s happening around them–no preferences, no emotion, good with whatever.📕Pre-order Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" and get exclusive pre-order bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorder ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dai
History is One Damned Thing After Another | Do Not Be Deceived By Fortune
By the time Marcus Aurelius took over as emperor, he had not had an easy life. He had lost his father at age three. He had lost a beloved tutor. His lifepath was upended by Hadrian’s selection. He had 14 children during his 30-year marriage to Faustina. And then of course, in order to ascend to the purple, he had to lose his mentor Hadrian and his beloved stepfather Antoninus.📕Pre-order Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" and get exclusive pre-order bonuses at https://dailystoic.com
Daniel Lubetzky on Making the World a Better Place
Ryan talks to KIND Snacks Founder Daniel Lubetzky about the importance of culture and values in a successful company, empowering people through kindness, living out the values that you build your life on, and more.Best known as the founder of KIND Snacks, Daniel Lubetzky is a business leader, investor, and social entrepreneur working to build bridges between people and increase appreciation for our shared humanity.Through his startup investment and incubation platform Equilibra Ventures
Give Yourself This Gift
There is a beautiful passage on the last page of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s, The Little House in the Big Woods. She writes of an evening in the cabin with her family, her father playing the fiddle, her mom knitting in a rocking chair:“She thought to herself, ‘This is now.’ She was glad that the cosy house, and Pa and Ma and the firelight and the music, were now. They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now. It can never be a long time ago.”📕Pre-order Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipl
Are You Disciplined Enough For This? | 7 Essential Stoic Productivity Tips (From Top Performers)
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Don’t Be Always Working | A Hard Winter Training
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Plutarch on How To Be A Leader
Today’s episode features an excerpt from Jeffrey Beneker’s How To Be A Leader: An Ancient Guide to Wise Leadership. How To Be A Leader is a modern translation and collection of essays about successful leadership from the ancient biographer.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pr
Tyler Cowen on Identifying Talent and Self-Improvement
Ryan talks to economist and author Tyler Cowen about his new book Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World, the slow journey that is self-improvement, how to identify talent and build a great team, and more.Tyler Cowen is the author of several bestselling books and is widely published in academic journals and the popular media. Tyler’s latest book is Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World. He writes a column for Bloomberg Vi
This Can’t Make You Worse | Ask Daily Stoic
There is nothing less Stoic than disorganization, than chaos, than “winging it.” That’s why we develop a routine, why we set standards (and meet them), why we’re on top of our lives, why we take things seriously.📕Pre-order Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" and get exclusive pre-order bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorder ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, m
Freedom is An Opportunity For This | A Strong Soul Is Better Than Good Luck
You’d think that the more powerful you are, the more freedom you’d have. The more money and success you have, the more you can do. You’d think that being a millionaire or being a celebrity or being the CEO would finally unshackle you from all the obnoxious and annoying constraints of being a ‘regular’ person…How wrong this is. How wrong this has always been.📕Pre-order Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" and get exclusive pre-order bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorder ✉️ Want S
Having Flaws Does Not Mean You ARE Flawed
📕Pre-order Ryan Holiday's new book "Discipline Is Destiny" and get exclusive pre-order bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorder ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priva
DJ Vanas on the Warrior Spirit and Fueling Growth
Ryan talks to leadership expert DJ Vanas about his new book The Warrior Within: Own Your Power to Serve, Fight, Protect, and Heal, how to use the warrior mindset to fuel growth in your life, the power of living a life of service rather than selfishness, and more.DJ Eagle Bear Vanas is an enrolled member of the Ottawa Tribe of Michigan. He was born to impoverished teenage parents and went from sleeping in a drawer for the first three months of his life to becoming a proud graduate of the U.S. Air
Do It Even Harder | What Is Memento Mori (Explained In 5 Minutes)
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Why Discipline is Destiny | A Cure For Procrastination
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Resistance: Defining the Enemy - An Excerpt from Steven Pressfield’s “The War Of Art”
Today’s episode features an excerpt from Steven Pressfield’s book “The War Of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles” (get a signed copy from The Painted Porch). Provided by Black Irish Entertainment LLC.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and
Justin Gregg on Animal Intelligence and Human Stupidity
Ryan talks to Justin Gregg about his new book If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal: What Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity, what we can learn from the nature of animals, the double edge sword of human intelligence, and more.Justin Gregg is science writer and author. He writes about animal behavior and cognition, with articles and blog posts appearing in The Wall Street Journal, Aeon Magazine, Scientific American, BBC Focus, Slate, Diver Magazine. Justin produced and hosted the dolphin sci
Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants To Be | Ask Daily Stoic
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What You Propose, Fate Will Dispose | Respect The Past, But Be Open To The Future
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This is the Most Important Virtue
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Paul Bloom on Why We Need Heroes
Ryan talks to psychology professor and author Paul Bloom about the importance of recognizing our own bias, the role that our character plays in everyday life, why we look to moral exemplars to base our lives on, and more.Paul Bloom is a passionate teacher of undergraduates, and his popular Introduction to Psychology 110 class has been released to the world through the Open Yale Courses program. He has recently completed a second MOOC, “Moralities of Everyday Life”, that introduced moral psycholo
How Are You Still Not Doing This? | How Stoicism Can Give You Inner-Peace In a Crazy World
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It Blows You Away | Just Say No to Future Misery
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Seneca on Philosophy and Friendship
Today’s episode is an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. Get the free PDF at tim.blog/seneca. In this letter Seneca examines the common bases upon which friendships are formed and explains the value that friendship adds to existence.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at
Steven Pressfield on Consistency, Overcoming Resistance and Discipline
Ryan talks to author Steven Pressfield about his new book Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants To Be, how to do good work consistently, the importance of discipline, and more.Steven Pressfield wrote for 27 years before he got his first novel published. During that time he worked 21 different jobs in eleven states. Steven taught school, drove tractor-trailers, worked in advertising and as a screenwriter in Hollywood. He worked on offshore oil rigs, and picked fruit as a migrant worker. His books i
You Can Shut Your Ears | Ask Daily Stoic
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Who Is In Charge | Only Fools Rush In
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Will MacAskill on Creating Lasting Change
Ryan talks to professor and writer Will MacAskill about his book What We Owe The Future, how to create effective change in the world, the importance of gaining a better perspective on the world, and more.Will MacAskill is an Associate Professor in Philosophy and Research Fellow at the Global Priorities Institute, University of Oxford. His research focuses on the fundamentals of effective altruism - the use of evidence and reason to help others as much as possible with our time and money - with a
It’s Good That Things Have Been Hard
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Why You Must Build A Deep Bookshelf | The Best Advice Ryan Holiday Ever Got
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Don’t Be So Tough | Always Ask Yourself This Question
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The Power Of Courage | Ryan Holiday Speaks To The US Naval Academy
In April of 2022 Ryan Holiday traveled to Annapolis, Maryland to speak to the US Naval Academy about courage.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🎓 FREE GUIDE to Stoic philosophy: https://dailystoic.com/freeguide🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Cal
Mt. Joy’s Matt Quinn on Creating Work That Lasts
Ryan talks to Mt. Joy’s frontman Matt Quinn about the current state of the music industry, how to create work that lasts, our responsibility for each other, and more. Matt Quinn is the frontman and songwriter for hit Philly folk group Mt. Joy. They named themselves Mt. Joy as an ode to a mountain in Valley Forge National Park. Matt was actually only a couple of months into law school when the single “Astrovan” began racking up hundreds of thousands of plays on Spotify. ✉️ Sign up for the Daily
This Is The Meaning of Life | Ask Daily Stoic
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Will You Dance or Throw A Tantrum? | No Time For Theories, Just Results
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How To Respond To Crazy People
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Donald Robertson on Marcus Aurelius and Understanding Stoicism
Ryan talks to author Donald Robertson about his new graphic novel Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius, the various influences that molded Marcus Aurelius into a philosopher king, how Stoicism is about unity and love, and more.Donald is a writer, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist and trainer. He is the author of several books and many articles on philosophy, psychotherapy, and psychological skills training, including How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Ma
This is All It’s Good For | 3 Stoic Mantras To Build Your Life On
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You Can’t Resent Them | What Little Wins Can You Find
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You Can’t Resent Them | What Little Wins Can You Find
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Aristotle on How to Tell Story
Today’s episode features an excerpt from How to Tell a Story: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Storytelling for Writers and Readers translated by Philip Freeman as part of Princeton University Press’s Anient Wisdom For Modern Readers series.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pri
John Barry on the Great Influenza and the Value of Truth
Ryan talks to John M. Barry about the similarities between the public reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 1918 pandemic, the importance of telling the truth, serving the common good, and more.John M. Barry, the prize-winning and New York Times best-selling author whose books have won multiple awards, His books The Great Influenza: the story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History and Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America have involved John in high-level p
Life is a Team Sport | Ask Daily Stoic
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Trust Your Prep List | No Blame, Just Focus
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Molly Jong-Fast on Generational Trauma and Cancel Culture
Ryan talks to journalist Molly Jong-Fast about the generational trauma that we’re passing down, the me too movement, how cancel culture has impacted our society, and more.Molly Jong-Fast is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and the author of its newsletter Wait, What? She is also the host of The New Abnormal and a columnist for Vogue. She often writes about parenting, whether that be reflections on her relationship with famed mother and feminist, Eric Jong, who is also an American novelist,
The Earth Is Big And Has Room For Everyone
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Don’t Just Be Tough, Be Practical | 7 Stoic Stories To Guide You Through Life
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Your Weakness Can Be Your Strength | A Week Without Complaining
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Epictetus - The Enchiridion Pt. 1
The Enchiridion is one of the essential texts of Stoic philosophy, and one of the most important ancient documents that we have access to. It is a concentrated collection of Epictetus’s wisest teachings and contains all the fundamentals of his philosophy. It is a guiding text and required reading for students of Stoic philosophy.📕Get a copy of Discourses and Selected Writings by Epictetus at the Painted Porch BookshopEpictetus was born nearly 2,000 years ago in Hierapolis (present-day Pamukkale
Morgan Housel on Building Wealth and Happiness
Ryan talks to Morgan Housel about the real definition of wealth, the intricacies of building an audience as an author, the sacrifice required to gain success, and more.Morgan Housel is a partner at The Collaborative Fund. His book The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness is a deep dive into the psychology of money and investing. Morgan is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of American Business Editors, winner of the New York Times Si
We Are Free…and Not Free | Ask Daily Stoic
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It All Fades Away | Check Your Privilege, right?
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Chef Kwame Onwuachi on Overcoming Adversity and Pursuing Your Dreams
Ryan talks to Kwame Onwuachi about his book Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir, the importance of looking at failures as opportunities for growth, how to effectively lead a team of people, and more.Kwame Onwuachi is an American-Nigerian chef based in Washington, D.C. By the age of 27, Onwuachi had competed on Top Chef, been named a 30 Under 30 honoree by both Zagat and Forbes, and had opened five restaurants. He cooked at the White House twice under the Obama administration, and he was the
Don’t Take Control, Take Charge
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You Can’t Only See This | Where To Start With Stoicism (9 Exercises)
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There Needs To Be Outlets | Keeping “The News” In Check
🎓 Inspired by these last few difficult years, we’ve assembled the best Stoic wisdom into an actionable course—Slay Your Stress: A Daily Stoic Challenge. The new 20-day challenge, which includes 6 new days, is designed to equip you with the strategies and mindsets needed to reclaim your life from the negative effects of stress and anxiety. This will be a live course. Beginning on July 26, all participants will move through the course together at the same pace. Registration is open and will be fo
Epictetus on How to Be Free
Today’s episode features an excerpt from Anthony Long’s translation of Epictetus How to Be Free: An Ancient Guide to the Stoic Life as part of Princeton University Press’s Anient Wisdom For Modern Readers series. ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy N
Tony Gonzalez on Becoming Your Best Self
Ryan talks to former NFL football player about his transition from sports to broadcasting and acting, the path to becoming your best self, the process of becoming great at any skill, and more.Tony Gonzalez is regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time. He spent his first 12 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, who selected him in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft. During his last five seasons, he was a member of the Atlanta Falcons. Since retiring in 2013, Gonzalez has served as
This is the Key To The Stoics | Ask Daily Stoic
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Under Unimaginable Stress, This Has Stood Up | Made For Working Together
🎓 Inspired by these last few difficult years, we’ve assembled the best Stoic wisdom into an actionable course—Slay Your Stress: A Daily Stoic Challenge. The new 20-day challenge, which includes 6 new days, is designed to equip you with the strategies and mindsets needed to reclaim your life from the negative effects of stress and anxiety. This will be a live course. Beginning on July 26, all participants will move through the course together at the same pace. Registration is open and will be fo
Who The True Stoics Were
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Former Attorney General Eric Holder on the Value of History
Ryan talks to former attorney general Eric Holder about his new book Unfinished March: The Violent Past and Imperiled Future of the Vote, the importance of understanding and learning from history, believing in people's ability to create change, and more. Attorney General Eric Holder is the third longest-serving attorney general and the first African American attorney general in American history, holding the role under President Barack Obama from 2009 until 2015. He currently serves as the chairm
Wisdom Is Wisdom | 7 Lessons From Famous Stoics (Matthew McConaughey, Camila Cabello, General Jim Mattis)
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How Much Did They Take You For? | Practice Gentleness Instead of Anger
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The Vow - From Kamal Ravikant's “Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It"
This episode features an excerpt from Kamal Ravikant’s book “Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It" provided by Harper Audio. The book is a collection of Kamal’s writings on overcoming depression and living a happier life. This first part talks about the vow that he made with himself and the practice that saved his life.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱Follow us: Ins
Victor Juhasz on Epictetus and Creating “The Girl Who Would Be Free”
Ryan talks to illustrator Victor Juhasz about the process of creating his newest book “The Girl Who Would Be Free,” the decision to make Epictetus a girl, how he was impacted by the story of Epictetus, and more.Victor Juhasz is an artist and illustrator whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Time Magazine, and Esquire Magazine, and more. He has illustrated many books including The Boy Who Would Be King, G is for Gladiator: An Ancient Rome Alphabet and is for Zeus: A Greek Mythology Alphabet.�
Don’t Waste Your Days With Thinking | Ask Daily Stoic
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Be A User, Not A Loser | A Little Knowledge Is Dangerous
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Stress Is a Fact. Being Stressed Is A Choice | A Little Knowledge Is Dangerous
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Be A User, Not A Loser
✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chris Bosh, Les Snead, Scott Oberg, Bob Bowman, and Dominique Dawes on Sports and Stoicism
Today’s episode features some of the best interviews on Sports and Stoicism from the podcast. Ryan talks to NBA star Chris Bosh about his book Letters to a Young Athlete and the importance of putting everything into what you do even when it’s tough, Los Angeles Rams GM Les Snead about making tough decisions under intense pressure, MLB Pitcher Scott Oberg about how Stoicism has helped Scott overcome physical and mental adversity, Olympic swimming coach Bob Bowman about how athletes can maintain s
You Must Attack The Day | Stillness Is The Key Summarized In 5 Minutes
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This Is The Only Way To See Life | Don’t Look For The Third Thing
Framebridge makes it easier and more affordable than ever to frame your favorite things - without ever leaving the house. Get started today - frame your photos or send someone the perfect gift. Go to Framebridge.com and use promo code STOIC to save an additional 15% off your first order.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lesson
Matthew McConaughey On Stoicism & How To Focus On What Matters
On today’s episode, Ryan speaks with Academy Award-winning actor and producer Matthew McConaughey about his approach to the craft of acting, the simple keys to living a happy life, his new book, the #1 best seller Greenlights, and more.Matthew McConaughey has been working in Hollywood for over 25 years, appearing in movies like A Time to Kill, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Dallas Buyers Club. His work in the latter film won him the 2013 Academy Award for Best Actor. McConaughey also works as a pr
How To Have a Great Empire? | Ask Daily Stoic
📕 The Girl Who Would Be Free is an all-ages fable written by the bestselling author Ryan Holiday and illustrated by the prolific illustrator Victor Juhasz. The 148-page book, produced entirely by Daily Stoic and printed here in the United States, is OFFICIALLY AVAILABLE online at dailystoic.com/girl or at The Painted Porch Bookshop in Bastrop, Texas.😡 The Stoics have some of the smartest and most applicable insights about getting your anger contained. For a high level introduction to
It’s An Extraordinary Thing Indeed | Our Duty To Learn
📚 Get a copy of Marcus Aurelius Meditations at The Painted Porch Bookshop✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19
Sam Koppelman on Voting Rights and Serving the Common Good | Accepting The Little Facts of Life
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Sam Koppelman about his new book Our Unfinished March: The Violent Past and Imperiled Future of the Vote-A History, a Crisis, a Plan, serving the common good, the history of voting rights, and more.Sam Koppelman is a New York Times best-selling author. He is currently a Principal at Fenway Strategies, where he has spent half a decade telling the stories of leaders working to make the world a better place—and he’s written for publications including
You Need to Calm Down | How To Read Epictetus (Enchiridion, Discourses)
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Are You Really Free? | Protect Your Own Good
If you pre-order The Girl Who Would Be Free through the Daily Stoic Store BEFORE July 8, 2022, you receive these exclusive bonuses and deals:Audiobook and e-book versions (emailed directly to the email associated at checkout on July 8, 2022): the audiobook contains over an hour of original content, including an interview between Ryan Holiday and Victor Juhasz, narration by Ryan Holiday, narration by his wife, Samantha Holiday, and more.If you pre-order a signed copy of The Girl Who Would Be Free
Seneca on Groundless Fears
Today’s episode is an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. In this letter Seneca explores our irrational relationship with fear, how fear is the thing that is holding us back, and how we suffer more in imagination than reality.The Daily Stoic is now available as a Shortcast on Blinkist. You can revisit past episodes or get through ones you missed—all with a fresh perspective and even a few updates in insight-packed listens of around 15 minutes. Check it out at
David Gelles on Jack Welch’s Legacy and the Future of Corporate America
Ryan talks to David Gelles about his new book The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America―and How to Undo His Legacy, the importance of developing a strong will, David Gelles is a reporter for the Climate desk and the Corner Office columnist for the New York Times. Before joining the Times in 2013, he spent five years with the Financial Times. At the FT, he covered tech, media and M&A in San Francisco and New York. In 2011 he conduc
The Heart is a Muscle | Ask Daily Stoic
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They Punish Themselves First | The Obstacle Is The Way
Ryan talks about revenge, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.Blinkist is the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction books out there. Blinkist lets you get the topline information and the most important points from the most important nonfiction books out there, whether it’s Ryan’s own The Daily Stoic, Yuval Harari’s Sapiens, and more. Go to blinkist.com/stoic, try it free for 7 days, and save 25% off your new subscription, too.MUD WTR is a coffee alternative w
Steve Magness on Doing Hard Things and Why We Get Resilience Wrong | All Great Stories Have One Thing In Common
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Steve Magness about his new book Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness, how to lead people effectively, embracing the long game instead of quitting, and more.Steve Magness is a world-renowned expert on performance, coauthor of Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox. Collectively his books have sold more than a quarter-million copies in print, ebook, and audio formats. His writing has appeared in
When You’re Angry, Do This
✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Don't Think About It, ACT On It | What's In Your Way Is The Way
Ryan talks about the importance of living out philosophy, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.InsideTracker provides you with a personalized plan to improve your metabolism, reduce stress, improve sleep, and optimize your health for the long haul. For a limited time, get 20% off the entire InsideTracker store. Just go to insidetracker.com/STOIC to claim this deal.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailys
7 Stoic Strategies For Being Creative
Ancient philosophy and creative work are rarely thought analogous. Maybe they should.Creative work of any kind—a book, a screenplay, a painting, an album, a business—really comes down to having something to say and a way to say it so people listen. Ryan Holiday breaks down the Stoic strategies for being creative that have helped him write 12 books in 10 years. The process can be lonely, intimidating, and filled with self-doubt. Stoicism is a tool ready to help. Sign up for the Daily Stoic email:
Ramachandra Guha on Gandhi’s Extraordinary Life and Legacy
Ryan talks to author Ramachandra Guha about his books Gandhi Before India and India After Gandhi, the journey that led Gandhi to become one of the worlds most influential leaders, how humanity was impacted by Gandhi’s legacy, and more.Ramachandra Guha—hailed by Time as “Indian democracy's preeminent chronicler” - is a prominent author and columnist based in Bangalore. Ram’s research interests have included environmental, social, political, and cricket history, and his books cover a wide range of
Don't Make Life Tougher
✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
How To Get Out Of A Slump | The Long Way Around
Ryan talks about how you should look at obstacles in life, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.InsideTracker provides you with a personalized plan to improve your metabolism, reduce stress, improve sleep, and optimize your health for the long haul. For a limited time, get 20% off the entire InsideTracker store. Just go to insidetracker.com/STOIC to claim this deal.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyem
Journalist James Pogue on Political Principles and Cultivating Virtue | We All Must Go Into The Wilderness
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to journalist James Pogue about his recent piece on the new right in Vanity Fair, how the modern political climate is void of solid principles, why cultivating virtue is so important, and more.I came across his recent piece in Vanity Fair on the New Right, where he dives inside the new strain of reactionary, retro-patriarchal conservative politics embodied by those like Tucker Carlson and J.D. Vance. It touched on a lot of things I have been thinking
We Are All So Powerless
Ryan talks about story of Epictetus and launches pre-orders for his new book The Girl Who Would Be Free.If you pre-order The Girl Who Would Be Free through the Daily Stoic Store BEFORE July 8, 2022, you receive these exclusive bonuses and deals:Audiobook and e-book versions (emailed directly to the email associated at checkout on July 8, 2022): the audiobook contains over an hour of original content, including an interview between Ryan Holiday and Victor Juhasz, narration by Ryan Holiday, narrat
These Are The Luckiest People | Take A Walk
Ryan talks about how your actions have a multigenerational impact, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.InsideTracker provides you with a personalized plan to improve your metabolism, reduce stress, improve sleep, and optimize your health for the long haul. For a limited time, get 20% off the entire InsideTracker store. Just go to insidetracker.com/STOIC to claim this deal.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email
Why Stoics Put Greatness On Display
When we see greatness, we should memorialize it.We should put it that greatness up on display. On our desk. On the wall. In ink on our skin. On the home screen of our phones. However you decide to honor the people whose example you love, put it somewhere you are guaranteed to see it every day and ask: "am I living by the example they stand for?"→ Put your own greatness on display:Marcus Aurelius Print: https://store.dailystoic.com/products/marcus-aurelius-print Page-A-Day Desk Calendar: https://
Justin Baldoni on Redefining Success, Small Improvements, and Vulnerability
Ryan talks to actor Justin Baldoni about his book Man Enough: Undefining My Masculinity, the importance of structure in the process of improving, how being vulnerable can change the way you view the world, and more.Justin Baldoni is an actor, director and entrepreneur whose efforts are focused on creating impactful media. He can be seen playing Rafael on CW’s award-winning phenomenon Jane the Virgin. In 2012, Baldoni created the most watched digital documentary series in history, My Last Days, a
Hold Fast To This
Ryan talks about the Stockdale paradox.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email:http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Where Are You Rushing To? | No Shame In Needing Help
Ryan talks about how to read more, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.Ten Thousand makes the highest quality, best-fitting, and most comfortable training shorts I have ever worn. Ten Thousand is offering our listeners 15% off your purchase. Go to Tenthousand.cc/stoic to receive 15% off your purchase.Stamps.com makes it easy to mail and ship right from your computer. Use our promo code STOIC to get a special offer that includes a 4-week trial PLUS free postage and a digital scale. Go to
Keita Bates-Diop on Destigmatizing Mental Health and Doing What You Love | These Things Have No Power Over You
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to NBA Spurs basketball player Kieta Bates-Diop about his journey getting into the NBA, what he’s learned playing for coach Gregg Popovich, doing what you do you because you love it not for money, and more.Keita Bates-Diop is a pro basketball player for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs. He played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Despite several setbacks and challenges throughout his career, Keita has been able to excel because of his relent
This Is What It Means To Be A Stoic
Ryan talks about the core tenants of Stoicism.🎓 Sign up for Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life - https://dailystoic.com/101Sign up for the Daily Stoic email:http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
The Best Leaders Are the Reluctant Ones | Try the Other Handle
Ryan talks about the qualities of a great leader, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge is a 9-week course that was built to mirror the kind of education that produced historically great leaders like Marcus Aurelius. It is now a recorded course, which means all participants will join the course and move through it at their own pace. Sign up at https://dailystoic.com/leadershipchallengeSign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailySto
How The Stoics Dealt With Anxiety (10 Strategies)
How much more enjoyable would your days be without the constant dread of stress looming over you? Anxiety was one of the main emotions Stoicism was built to handle. In this video best-selling author Ryan Holiday explores 10 of the best time-tested ways that the Stoics dealt with anxiety.⚔️ Overwhelmed? You’re not alone. Check out the Daily Stoic Slay Your Stress Course: A 13-day challenge designed to reclaim your life from the negative effects of stress and anxiety. Go to https://dailystoic.com/
Meg Mason on Writing, Developing Taste, and Tolerance
Ryan talks to author Meg Mason about her book Sorrow and Bliss, how to develop taste as a writer, the vitality of being tolerant and forgiving of others, and more.Meg Mason began her career at the Financial Times and The Times of London. Her work has since appeared in The Sunday Times UK, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Sunday Telegraph. She has written humor for Sunday STYLE magazine and The New Yorker's Daily Shouts and been a regular columnist for GQ and contributor to ELLE, marie claire an
The Cost Is Just Too High
Ryan talks about why you must tame your temper.The Stoics have some of the smartest and most applicable insights about getting your anger contained. For a high level introduction to some of those insights, check out this article: Anger Management: 8 Strategies Backed By Two Thousand Years of Practice. Or if you really want to get serious about conquering your anger, sign up for our course: Taming Your Temper: The 11-Day Stoic Guide to Controlling Anger. 11 days of challenges, exercises, video le
You Don’t Get Time. You Make Time. | Solve Problems Early
Ryan talks about how to read more, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.InsideTracker provides you with a personalized plan to improve your metabolism, reduce stress, improve sleep, and optimize your health for the long haul. For a limited time, get 20% off the entire InsideTracker store. Just go to insidetracker.com/STOIC to claim this deal.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired
Scott Hershovitz on Making Philosophy Practical | Assume Everyone Is Lying
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Scott Hershovitz about his new book Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with Kids, the common misconceptions about philosophy, how to apply philosophy to actual life, and more.Scott writes about law and philosophy. His academic work has appeared in the Harvard Law Review, The Yale Law Journal, and Ethics, among other places. He also writes occasional essays about philosophy for the New York Times. Before joining the Michigan facult
Who Is In Charge?
Ryan talks about the importance of treating the body rigorously.We’re excited to announce the release of the updated edition of The Daily Stoic Challenge Deck that pushes you to challenge yourself all year round.The new and improved Challenge Deck features 40 challenge cards categorized into three themes—the three critical disciplines of Stoicism: Perception, Action, Will. Each card includes challenge instructions, a quote from Stoic philosophers like Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus, and a unique
This Surprises You? | Role Models
Ryan talks about why Stoics anticipate adversity, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.InsideTracker provides you with a personalized plan to improve your metabolism, reduce stress, improve sleep, and optimize your health for the long haul. For a limited time, get 20% off the entire InsideTracker store. Just go to insidetracker.com/STOIC to claim this deal.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and F
8 Stoic Don'ts For A Better Life
“If you seek tranquillity,” Marcus Aurelius said, “do less.”And then he follows the note to himself with some clarification. Not nothing, less. Do only what’s essential.Ryan Holiday's 8 Stoic don'ts will help you determine the things are essential, and those that aren't. Follow these tips today and everyday. This is the simple recipe for improvement and for happiness. So much of what we think we must do, so much of what we end up doing is not essential. We do it out of habit. We do it out of gui
Jack Carr on Writing, Becoming World Class, and Building Character
On this live edition of the podcast Ryan talks to author Jack Carr about his new book In The Blook (which you can buy at The Painted Porch), how his experiences as a Navy SEAL have impacted his writing career, how your character impacts your life and work, and more.Jack Carr spent 20 years as a Navy SEAL, where he served as a Team Leader, Platoon Commander, Troop Commander, Task Unit Commander and sniper. Now, he’s an author behind the New York Times bestselling Terminal List series.Inspired by
This is The Reward For Being A Leader
Ryan talks about how to be a great leader.The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge is a 9-week course that was built to mirror the kind of education that produced historically great leaders like Marcus Aurelius. It is now a recorded course, which means all participants will join the course and move through it at their own pace. Sign up at https://dailystoic.com/leadershipchallengeSign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebo
You Will Need This In Every Situation | Plato's View
Ryan talks about the importance of the four virtues, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.The Four Virtues Pendant design, custom to Daily Stoic, was hand-sketched by Lewis Williams, an artist based in Brooklyn, NY. The mixed-metal pendants are handmade by Williams, who uses the ancient processes of carving into the wax and casting into brass and sterling silver and then sawing, engraving, hammering & soldering the metals with precision and care. Each pendant comes with a 24" sterling si
Jack Weatherford on Genghis Khan and Learning From History | The Most Stoic Person In Marcus’ Life
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to author Jack Weatherford about his books Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World and Indian Givers: How Native Americans Transformed the World (which you can get at The Painted Porch), why we should learn from history and implement new solutions based on past failures, and more. Jack Weatherford is the New York Times bestselling author of Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, which sold over 300,000 copies and has been optioned b
Do Less
Ryan talks about cutting out then inessential.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
This Never Makes Things Better | The View from Above
Ryan talks about the perils of anger, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.The Stoics have some of the smartest and most applicable insights about getting your anger contained. For a high level introduction to some of those insights, check out this article: Anger Management: 8 Strategies Backed By Two Thousand Years of Practice. Or if you really want to get serious about conquering your anger, sign up for our course: Taming Your Temper: The 11-Day Stoic Guide to Controll
12 Lessons From 12 Months Owning A Bookstore
It's going to take longer than you thought, but it will be worth it in the end.By the first week of March 2020 the world was entrenched in a pandemic. What began with such excitement for Ryan Holiday and his wife Samantha ended up taking much longer and costing way more than they had expected. In this video Ryan breaks down the 12 most important lessons that he's taken away from the first year being in business.Sign up for Ryan Holiday's Reading List Newsletter: https://ryanholiday.net/reading-l
Comedian Drew Michael on Optimization, Social Media Culture, and Empathy
Ryan talks to Drew Michael about his new stand up special Red Blue Green, the line between being artistic and being offensive, how ideology and emotional disposition are linked, and more.Drew Michael is a stand-up comedian who has long been a fixture in the New York stand-up scene. Drew has also released comedy albums (2013’s Lovely and 2016’s Funny to Death) along with a very funny Comedy Central half-hour. He spent the 2016-2017 season writing for SNL, and he appeared on an episode of The Carm
It’s About The Paring Down
Ryan talks about getting down to what really matters.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Here’s to the Renegades | Stop Caring What People Think
Ryan talks about why the Stoics do what is right above all else, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge is a 9-week course that was built to mirror the kind of education that produced historically great leaders like Marcus Aurelius. It is now a recorded course, which means all participants will join the course and move through it at their own pace. Sign up at https://dailystoic.com/leadershipchallenge80,000 Hours is a nonprofit that provides free resear
Admiral James Stavridis on Evaluating Risk and Building Confidence | Remember This Always
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Admiral James Stavridis about his new book To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision, doing the right thing in the face of consequence, maintaining confidence in who you are despite others opinion, and more.Admiral James Stavridis is a retired four-star U.S. naval officer. He served for five years as the Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He led the NATO Alliance in global operations from 2009 t
Carry These Around Like A Compass
Ryan talks about the vitality of remembering the four Stoic virtues, and launches the new 4 Virtues Pendant.The Four Virtues Pendant design, custom to Daily Stoic, was hand-sketched by Lewis Williams, an artist based in Brooklyn, NY. The mixed-metal pendants are handmade by Williams, who uses the ancient processes of carving into the wax and casting into brass and sterling silver and then sawing, engraving, hammering & soldering the metals with precision and care. Each pendant comes with a 24" s
It Doesn’t Matter What You Do, It Matters How You Do It | Practice True Joy
Ryan talks about the why the Stoics stress the importance of taking action, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.If you want to become a great reader, the Stoics can help. We built out their best insights into ourRead to Lead: A Daily Stoic Reading Challenge. Since it first launched in 2019, Read to Lead has been our most popular challenge, taken on by almost ten thousand participants. Today, we’re excited to announce that, for the first time ever, registration to jointh
How To Read Seneca (The World’s Most Interesting Stoic)
Seneca is one of the most fascinating Stoic figures. A famed writer, dramatist, politician and advisor, Seneca is one of the three key figures in the development of Stoicism. He not only wrote on philosophy but used it in the way it’s meant to be used: to handle and navigate through the upsides and downsides of fortune. And those he knew extremely well—varying from massive wealth to exile to handling with dignity the suicide order from his own pupil Nero.In this episode Ryan Holiday breaks down
Michael Ian Black on Vulnerability, Becoming an Actor, and Raising Kids
Ryan talks to Michael Ian Black about how becoming a father forced him to face his emotionally cauterized state, how the theater became his escape from reality, our obligation as human beings to serve the common good, and more.Michael Ian Black is a multi-media talent who’s starred in numerous films and TV series, written and/or directed two films, is a prolific author and commentator, and regularly tours the country performing his ribald brand of jokes and observations. He most recently starred
This Was Marcus Aurelius’s Biggest Weakness
Ryan talks about the importance of taming your temper.The Stoics have some of the smartest and most applicable insights about getting your anger contained. For a high level introduction to some of those insights, check out this article: Anger Management: 8 Strategies Backed By Two Thousand Years of Practice. Or if you really want to get serious about conquering your anger, sign up for our course: Taming Your Temper: The 11-Day Stoic Guide to Controlling Anger. 11 days of challenges, exercises, v
A Reason To Stick Around | Learn, Practice, Train
Ryan talks about the Stoics view on suicide, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.If you or someone you know is in a mental health crisis and you live in the USA, please call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline today. You can also text 741741 for help in a crisis.KiwiCo is a subscription service that delivers everything your kids will need to make, create and play. Get 50% off your first month plus FREE shipping on ANY crate line with code STOIC at kiwico.com
Rich Cohen on the Keys to Negotiation | This Is How To Respond to Everything
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to author RIch Cohen about his new book The Adventures of Herbie Cohen: World's Greatest Negotiator, how to be a great negotiator, his fathers legacy, and more.Rich Cohen is the author of several New York Times bestsellers, including The Chicago Cubs: Story of a Curse and Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football. Rich is also the author of a book we carry here in the store, Pee Wees: Confessions of a Hockey Parent, where he chr
This Is What Progress Looks Like
Ryan talks about the importance of being a good friend to yourself.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
How To Change The World | Count Your Blessings
Ryan talks about the importance of constantly learning that which you do not yet know, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.If you want to become a great reader, the Stoics can help. We built out their best insights into ourRead to Lead: A Daily Stoic Reading Challenge. Since it first launched in 2019, Read to Lead has been our most popular challenge, taken on by almost ten thousand participants. Today, we’re excited to announce that, for the first time ever, registratio
8 Lessons From Epictetus (To Live A Stoic Life)
Born a slave, Epictetus spent the first 30 years of his life in chains.Epictetus never actually wrote anything down. It is through his student Arrian that we have a written account of his lessons. And if everyone from Emperors to war heros have been grateful as they found guidance, solace and strength in Epictetus’ lessons, then there must be something for us. But only if we choose to.Learn more about Epictetus: https://dailystoic.com/Epictetus/ The Jordan Harbinger Show is one of the most inter
AJ Jacobs on the Enduring Power of Puzzles and Memento Mori
Ryan talks to A.J. Jacobs about his new book The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life, the enduring power of puzzles, the Stoic concept of Memento Mori, and more.A.J. Jacobs is an American journalist, author, and lecturer best known for writing about his lifestyle experiments. He is a self-proclaimed “human guinea pig” and avid nightly crossworder. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, sc
Here’s Where They Hide Money
Ryan talks about the value in knowing how to read books and apply them to your life.If you want to become a great reader, the Stoics can help. We built out their best insights into ourRead to Lead: A Daily Stoic Reading Challenge. Since it first launched in 2019, Read to Lead has been our most popular challenge, taken on by almost ten thousand participants. Today, we’re excited to announce that, for the first time ever, registration to jointhe 2022 live cohort is officially open.Sign up for the
You Must Find The Stillness | Kindness Is Always The Right Response
Ryan talks about why it’s so important to find stillness, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.Get a copy of Ryan Holiday’s bestselling book “Stillness Is The Key” at The Painted Porch Bookshop.GiveWell is the best site for figuring out how and where to donate your money to have the greatest impact. Go to Givewell.Org and enter Daily Stoic at checkout so they know we sent you.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, an.
Josiah Osgood on Cicero and the Fall of Rome | Store This Up Inside You
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Josiah Osgood about his new book “How to Stop a Conspiracy: An Ancient Guide to Saving a Republic,” the complicated life of Cicero, what we can learn from the decline of the Roman Empire, and more.Get a copy of “Frederick” and “The Boy Who Would Be King” at The Painted Porch.Josiah Osgood is Professor of Classics at Georgetown University. His teaching and research cover many areas of Roman history and Latin literature, with a special focus on the
It's OK To Cry
Ryan talks about the importance of embracing emotions.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Why You Should Never Stop Studying | We Are a Product of Our Habits
Ryan talks about the importance of constantly learning that which you do not yet know, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.If you want to become a great reader, the Stoics can help. We built out their best insights into ourRead to Lead: A Daily Stoic Reading Challenge. Since it first launched in 2019, Read to Lead has been our most popular challenge, taken on by almost ten thousand participants. Today, we’re excited to announce that, for the first time ever, registratio
Stoicism and the Art of Resilience
How does someone who was born into slavery, whose master broke their leg and crippled them for life, somehow escape all that and become one of the fathers of Stoicism and an amazing thinker? Epictetus had every reason to be unable to transcend his own struggles, but instead he is one of the most important Stoic philosophers. He lived the philosophy and it saved him.Watch the video: https://youtu.be/6-UQYo1YabY Ten Thousand makes the highest quality, best-fitting, and most comfortable training sh
Steven Rinella on Hunting, Self-Discipline, and Finding Balance
Ryan talks to Steven Rinella about his new book Outdoor Kids in an Inside World: Getting Your Family Out of the House and Radically Engaged with Nature, the temperance that is required to be a great hunter, how to find the right balance between pursuing your purpose and spending time with family, and more.Steve Rinella, from his books to his groundbreaking show MeatEater, has made hunting and nose-to-tail wild game gourmet cooking popular from New York City to Hollywood. Thanks in large part to
It Will Be Enough (Whether You Like It Or Not)
Ryan talks about the importance of finding enough.Grab a Memento Mori pendant necklace from the Daily Stoic Store.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
A Leader Must Be a Reader | You Are The Project
Ryan talks about the importance of establishing a great reading practice, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.If you want to become a great reader, the Stoics can help. We built out their best insights into ourRead to Lead: A Daily Stoic Reading Challenge. Since it first launched in 2019, Read to Lead has been our most popular challenge, taken on by almost ten thousand participants. Today, we’re excited to announce that, for the first time ever, registration to jointhe 2022 live cohort
Jeff Waldman on Craftsmanship, Memento Mori, and Developing Competence | It’s Not That You Read, It’s How You Read
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Jeff Waldman about his new book “Tools: The Ultimate Guide” (which you can get a signed copy of at the Painted Porch), the Stoic concept of Memento Mori, why it’s so vital to develop competence, and more.Jeff Waldman is a maker, builder and creator with a talent for connecting with interesting people and even more interesting projects. With the help of their friends, he and his partner designed and hand-built their own cabin and communal getaway i
We Are All Tested In Different Ways
Ryan talks about how every situation is a test.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
There is Heaven in You Now | Show, Don’t Tell
Ryan talks about the power of turning inward, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.Get a signed copy of Ryan Holiday’s bestselling book “Stillness is The Key” at the Painted Porch.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
25 Essential Rules For Life (From The Stoics)
It's pretty straight forward: Define your rules. Live by them. “When the standards have been set,” Epictetus said, “the work of philosophy is just this, to examine and uphold the standards, but the work of a truly good person is in using those standards when they know them.”But of course, the Stoics were not quite so direct in practice. One Stoic, Chrysippus—supposedly wrote 500 lines a day…the vast majority of which are lost. The Stoics spoke, wrote, debated, but nowhere did they put their “com
Coach John Calipari on Stoicism and Realizing Your Potential
Ryan talks to Coach John Calipari about his love of Stoicism, being indifferent to winning and losing, becoming your best self, and more.Coach John Calipari is a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, has guided six teams to the Final Four, led one to a national championship and helped 54 players earn selection in the NBA Draft during his 30-year college coaching career. During Calipari's 13 seasons at UK, no coach in the NCAA Tournament has more wins (31), Final Fours (four), Elite Eights
Are You Ready To Be Challenged?
Ryan talks about the importance of perpetuating growth.we’re excited to announce the release of the updated edition of The Daily Stoic Challenge Deck that pushes you to challenge yourself all year round.The new and improved Challenge Deck features 40 challenge cards categorized into three themes—the three critical disciplines of Stoicism: Perception, Action, Will. Each card includes challenge instructions, a quote from Stoic philosophers like Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus, and a unique and inspi
What Gets The Leftover You? | Wants Make You A Servant
Ryan talks about where you should place your attention, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.InsideTracker provides you with a personalized plan to improve your metabolism, reduce stress, improve sleep, and optimize your health for the long haul. For a limited time, get 20% off the entire InsideTracker store. Just go to insidetracker.com/STOIC to claim this deal.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
R.C. Buford on Leadership, Evaluating Character, and Building Championship Cultures | When Something Breaks
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to R.C. Buford about how the Spurs went about trying to build a culture of sustainable success, the hallmarks of building great cultures, the benefit of diversity within an organization, and more.This is an excerpt from the Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge, a 9-week course that was built to mirror the kind of education that produced historically great leaders like Marcus Aurelius. It is now a recorded course, which means all participants will join th
It’s a Gift (If You Make It One)
Ryan talks how to make the best of what you’ve been given.The Boy Who Would Be King is out now, written by Ryan Holiday in the depths of the pandemic (not unlike the one Marcus ruled through), this new beautifully crafted book is available now. Go to dailystoic.com/king to order now and you’ll automatically get the free audiobook.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
This Is What They’re Going To Say | The Freedom of Contempt
Ryan talks about the power of Memento Mori, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.🗓 Get your Memento Mori Life Calendar at https://dailystoic.com/mmcalendarSign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Robert Greene on the War in Ukraine
Bismark says that “Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others.” The best way to understand the present is to study the past. That’s what makes Robert Greene’s work so great. He crystalizes the best historical lessons about war, strategy, and power that can help us make sense of the problems that we face in the modern world.In today’s episode Robert Greene brings you his take on the war that is taking place in Ukraine, seen through the lens of his book t
Stacey Abrams on Leveling up and Serving the Common Good
Ryan talks to Stacey Abrams about the true meaning of the word Stoic, the notion of scaling and leveling up in business, the importance of serving the common good, and more.The name Stacey Abrams has become synonymous with voting accessibility and turnout, making history by becoming the first woman and first African American woman to hold positions in state and national politics. Stacey is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States. She rose to nationa
Don’t Borrow Suffering
Ryan talks about why you should not let other people’s negative emotions affect you.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
The Old Way Is Not The Only Way | Don't Let Your Attention Slide
Ryan talks about why you should be open to change, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
John Mackey on Conscious Capitalism and Doing Good | A Reminder This Spring You Cannot Miss
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to CEO John Mackey about how to be conscious of how your actions affect the world around you, the Stoic’s concept of the “circles of concern,” why you should do as much good as you can in the world, and more.Our new Memento Mori Life Calendar has 4,160 dots, each dot representing a week of your life and each row representing 2 years of your life. By filling in the Memento Mori Life Calendar every week, you will not only see how much life you've alrea
You Make Your Own Good Fortune
Ryan talks about the power you have over your circumstances.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
You’ll Be Stressed Either Way | Impulse Control
Ryan talks about the inevitability of stress and anxiety, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.For Stoicism-based guidance on how to tackle your anger problem or manage your anxiety, Daily Stoic offers a series of great courses. Our 11-day Tame Your Temper challenge will give you the tools you need to keep anger from getting in your way. And our 13-day Slay Your Stress course will help you keep stress out of your life and out of your way.Sign up...
10 Timeless Meditations From Stoic Philosophy
We hope this video helps you find the serenity, self-knowledge, and resilience you need to live well. Where can you find joy? What's the true measure of success? How should we manage anger? Find meaning? Conquer grief? These 10 timeless meditations from Stoic philosophy will help you answer questions and more.The Daily Stoic is a wise, calming, page-a-day guide to living a good life, offering inspirational daily doses of classic wisdom. Each page features a powerful quotation from the likes of E
Chuck Klosterman on Writing, Being Wrong, and The Nineties
Ryan talks to author Chuck Klosterman about his new book The Nineties, the inevitability of being wrong, the value of simplicity, and more. Chuck Klosterman is a NYT bestselling author and culture critic. His books include Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs; But What If We’re Wrong?; and Chuck Klosterman X, and two novels Downtown Owl and The Visible Man. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, GQ, Esquire, ESPN, and more. Klosterman served as the Ethicist for The New York Times Mag
Do Things That Make You Normal
Ryan talks about the importance of cultivating humility.For a one day only, the ebook edition of Ego Is The Enemy by Ryan Holiday is only $1.99! We have no idea how long the discount will last, so grab your copy now! Or if you prefer hardcover, you can get those over in the Daily Stoic store, where you can also get signed copies!Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow...
Is This The Only Story? | Becoming An Expert In What Matters
Ryan talks about the question you should ask yourself before over reacting, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge is a 9-week course that was built to mirror the kind of education that produced historically great leaders like Marcus Aurelius. It is now a recorded course, which means all participants will join the course and move through it at their own pace. Sign up at https://dailystoic.com/leadershipchallengeSign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://
Karen Duffy on Using Stoicism to Find Happiness (Even with Chronic Illness)
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talk to actress Karen Duffy about her new book Wise Up: Irreverent Enlightenment from a Mother Who's Been Through It, how she got introduced to Stoic Philosophy, her ongoing battle with sarcoidosis, and more.Karen Duffy was born on May 23, 1962 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, producer, and writer, known for Dumb and Dumber, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Blank Check. In 1996, Duffy was diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis. Her brain and spinal cord
Who To Be Friends With?
Ryan talks about the relationships that you should have.For a limited time, the ebook edition of Courage Is Calling by Ryan Holiday is only $1.99! We have no idea how long the discount will last, so grab your copy now! Or if you prefer hardcover, you can get those over in the Daily Stoic store, where you can also get signed copies!Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us...
This Was a Reminder | Test Your Impressions
Ryan talks about how nothing in this world is truly certain, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.For a limited time, the ebook edition of Courage Is Calling by Ryan Holiday is only $1.99! We have no idea how long the discount will last, so grab your copy now! Or if you prefer hardcover, you can get those over in the Daily Stoic store, where you can also get signed copies!Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTub
8 Stoic Habits That Will Improve Your Life
You might ask yourself, what am I missing? What is holding me back? The answer is simple: good habits. Excellence isn’t this thing you do one time. It’s a way of living. It’s foundational. It’s like an operating system and the code this system operates on is habit In this episode Ryan Holiday outlines 8 of the most important Stoic habits that will improve your life.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemailCheck out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, sig
Scott Thompson on Epictetus and Approaching Life with Laughter
Ryan talks to Scott Thompson about his introduction to Stoicism after hearing Ryan on the Breakfast Club, the humor that he finds in the teaching of Epictetus, the striking similarities between tragedy and triumph, and more.Scott Thompson is a Canadian born comedian and actor. He is best known for being a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall and for playing Brian on The Larry Sanders Show. At an early age, Scott found comedy as his way of coping with and overcoming the traumatic even
There is Only One Place to Look for Approval
Ryan talks about why you should hold yourself to your own standards.For a limited time, the ebook edition of Courage Is Calling by Ryan Holiday is only $1.99! We have no idea how long the discount will last, so grab your copy now! Or if you prefer hardcover, you can get those over in the Daily Stoic store, where you can also get signed copies!Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/email
Can You Savor it | Expect To Change Your Opinions
Ryan talks about why it’s so important to soak in the present moment, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.For a limited time, the ebook edition of Courage Is Calling by Ryan Holiday is only $1.99! We have no idea how long the discount will last, so grab your copy now! Or if you prefer hardcover, you can get those over in the Daily Stoic store, where you can also get signed copies!Go M...
Susan Cain on Transforming Tragedy Into Beauty | This Is Our Most Dangerous Opponent
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to author Susan Cain about her new book “Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole,” how melancholy can spark creativity and drive ambition, how to take heartbreak and mold something great out of it, and more.Susan Cain is the author of the bestsellers “Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverted Kids,” and “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in A World That Can't Stop Talking,” which is in its eighth year on The New York Times bestsell
Yes, Even Those People…
Ryan talks about how we all need each other.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
What Will It Bring Out Of You? | What Can Go Wrong… Might
Ryan talks about how our character is exposed in themes extreme circumstances, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.Go Macro is a family-owned maker of some of the finest protein bars around. They're vegan, non-GMO, and they come in a bunch of delicious flavors. Visit gomacro.com and use promo code STOIC for 30% off your order plus free shipping on all orders over $50.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTu
7 Life Changing Stoic Ideas That You Can Practice Daily
Stoicism is a practical philosophy, which means it is made to be PRACTICED. In this podcast, Ryan discusses 7 key ideas of Stoicism that will help you develop a daily practice and respond to challenging situations in your life. Stoicism provides exercises to help manage stress, excessive thought, anger, depression, worry, and other destructive mindstates. Stoic practices can help develop a sense of inner peace and calmWatch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0lmSRCSGIU&t=12sAs a me
Ultramarathoner Courtney Dauwalter on Building Mental Strength
Ryan talks to ultramarathon runner Courtney Dauwalter about the balance between listening to your body and pushing through pain, prioritizing happiness and enjoyment rather than optimization, her metaphor of the pain cave that she visualizes when pushing her body, and more.Courtney Dauwalter is the world’s best female ultra runner in the world, and when it comes to races over 200 miles, she is, hands down, the best. She is a two-time ultra runner of the year, and has been named one of t
How to Be More Patient With People
Ryan talks about the key to dealing with people who you will inevitably come across.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
This Is How To Own Everything | You’re a Product of Your Training
Ryan talks about the vital importance of stillness and presence, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.Try Surfshark risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get Surfshark VPN at surfshark.deals/STOIC. Enter promo code STOIC for 83 % off and three extra months free.As a member of Daily Stoic Life, you get all our current and future courses, 100+ additional Daily Stoic email meditations, 4 live Q&As with bestselling author Ryan Holiday (and guests), and 10% off your next purchase
Thomas Chatterton Williams on Reading, Practical Philosophy, and Embracing Contradiction | Approach Your Troubles Like Doctor
Ryan reads today’s meditation and talks to author Thomas Chatterton Williams about how his father helped him cultivate his love for reading, why the point of philosophy should be practical application rather than theorizing, the importance of embracing contradicting ideas, and more.Thomas Chatterton Williams is an American culture critic and is the author of two memoirs: “Self-Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race” and “Losing My Cool: How a Father’s Love and 15,000 Books Beat Hip-Hop Cul
You’d Be A Fool To Not Do This
Ryan talks about the importance reading diverse and challenging books.Check out the Read To Lead Reading Challenge at: https://dailystoic.com/readSign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Can You Be a Glow Worm? | Say No to the Need to Impress
Ryan talks about how nothing will last forever, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.For a limited time, UCAN is offering you 30% off on your first order when you use code STOIC at checkout Just go to UCAN.CO/STOICSign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
5 Powerful Insights From Stoic Women
The Stoics believed this philosophy transcended any individual human being or society with it being based on the universal principles of life. In this video Ryan Holiday outlines 5 of the most powerful insights that he’s gathered from Stoic women.Musonius Rufus—Epictetus’s teacher—was the most vocal on the matter: “It is not men alone who possess eagerness and a natural inclination towards virtue, but women also. Women are pleased no less than men by noble and just deeds, and reject the opposite
Journalist Kati Marton on Angela Merkel’s Remarkable Stoicism
Ryan talks to journalist and author Kati Marton about her new book “The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel,” the unshakable calm that she exuded as the chancellor of Germany, the stoic qualities that she embodies, and more. Kati Marton has combined a career as an acclaimed reporter and writer with human rights advocacy. Since 1980, Kati has published nine books and is an award-winning former NPR correspondent and ABC news bureau chief in Germany. She also contributes to The Atl
It Happens To The Best of Us
Ryan talks about how important of a reminder Memento Mori really is.Pick up a Memento Mori medallion or a Dance of Death Print at store.dailystoic.comSign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
This is the Critical Difference | There is Philosophy in Everything
Ryan talks about how parents can shape the fate of their kids, about how everything we do for others comes back to us, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Historian Barry Strauss on the Rise and Fall of Nations | It’s Good That You’re Scared
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to author and historian and author Barry S. Strauss about his new book “The War That Made the Roman Empire,” the mistakes and successes of the ancient stoics, the self-inflicted wounds that lead to the end of empires, the value of immigration and assimilation, and more.Barry Strauss has spent years researching and studying the leaders of the ancient world. He is also a widely acclaimed military and naval historian whose analyses of the strategies and
Let It Go, You’re Plenty Guilty Yourself
Ryan talks about how you should reflect on yourself before correcting somebody else.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Do You Want To Join These Ranks? | The Portable Retreat
Ryan talks about the importance of studying philosophy, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.🎓 Sign up for Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life - https://dailystoic.com/101Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
7 Ways Marcus Aurelius Will Help You Journal Like A Pro
Almost 2000 years ago, Marcus Aurelius stole time away from his incredibly busy life full of obligations to write in his journal. By some incredible stroke of luck, that journal survives to us today. And though it is full of countless pieces of wisdom and important lessons to us, perhaps its greatest teaching is held in its very existence. The fact that this person who thought so deeply and was so highly effective took the time to regularly write out his thoughts is one of the most important thi
Jennifer Raff on the Genetic History of America
Ryan talks to Anthropological geneticist Jennifer Raff about her new book Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas, how drastically our understanding of North American history has changed, the important perspective that understanding of history gives you about the world around you, and more.Dr. Jennifer Raff is an assistant professor at the University of Kansas, in the department of Anthropology. She studies the genomes of contemporary and ancient peoples in order to uncover details of human pr
Philosophy Is Not A Thought Experiment
Ryan talks about what practicing Stoicism is actually all about.🎓 Sign up for Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life - https://dailystoic.com/101Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
It's All Normal | The Beauty of Choice
Ryan talks about how the challenges we face in the modern era are no different than what the ancient Stoics faced, about how everything we do for others comes back to us, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.🎓 Sign up for Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life - https://dailystoic.com/101Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Josh Peck on Sobriety and Self-Improvement | You Have Been Misled
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Josh Peck about his new book “Happy People Are Annoying” (which you can pick up at The Painted Porch), his journey from being a child actor to getting sober at 21, the power of breaking the cycle of generational trauma, and more.Links: Daxflame interviews Josh Peck | Curios with Josh Peck: Ep. 32 | Ryan Holiday Josh Peck is an American actor, comedian, and YouTuber. Josh began his career as a child actor in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Peck ro
Are You Better or Worse?
Ryan talks about why you should look inward and examine yourself critically.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
So, How Did You Do? | Think About It from the Other Person’s Perspective
Ryan talks about the lasting impact that COVID-19 has had on the world around us, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.For a limited time, UCAN is offering you 30% off on your first order when you use code STOIC at checkout Just go to UCAN.CO/STOICSign up for the 14-day Daily Stoic Alive Time Challenge to take control of your life and get the most out of your time.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, Yo...
9 Stoic Rules For A Better Life (From Marcus Aurelius)
Marcus Aurelius knew that he couldn’t control all that happened to him, but he could control how he responded. These 9 rules that Ryan Holiday has taken from the Roman Emperor can help you take control of your happiness and live your best life. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/heh5XLwZVOYRight now, when you purchase a 3-month Babbel subscription, you’ll get an additional 3 months for FREE. That’s 6 months, for the price of 3! Just go to Babbel.com and use promo code DAILYSTOIC.Sign up for the D
Roosevelt Montás on Socrates and the Universality of the Classics
Ryan talks to Roosevelt Montás about his new book "Rescuing Socrates," how his life changed at 16 when he discovered a copy of Socrates in his neighbors trash, how the universality of the ancient texts blur the lines between our conceptions of race and class, and more.Roosevelt Montás is Director of the Freedom and Citizenship Program. He was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to New York as a teenager. He attended public schools in Queens and was admitted to Columbia College i
Do The Little Thing, It’s All The Matters
Ryan talks about why the small things are what matter most.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
You Don’t Get To Learn By Trial and Error | Find Yourself a Cato
Ryan talks about why you must learn from the experiences of others, about how everything we do for others comes back to us, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Elliot Ackerman on Writing, Military Service, and Polarization | People Do Well When They Can
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Elliot Ackerman about his book Green on Blue, how he became a writer, his tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, the problems of radicalization and polarization, and more.Elliot Ackerman is the author of the novels 2034, Red Dress In Black and White, Waiting for Eden, Dark at the Crossing, and Green on Blue, as well as the memoir Places and Names: On War, Revolution and Returning. His books have been nominated for the National Book Award, the Andr
What Would You Do More Of?
Ryan talks about why you should think about how you actually want to spend your time.Grab a Memento Mori pendant necklace from the Daily Stoic Store to remember this message.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
What Would You Do Less Of? | What Expensive Things Cost
Ryan explains why the practice of Memento Mori is so important, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.Get a Memento Mori medallionin the Daily Stoic Store.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
8 Ways To Make Courage A Habit (From The Stoics)
The world wants to know what category to put you in, which is why it will occasionally send difficult situations your way. Think of these not as inconveniences or even tragedies but as opportunities, as questions to answers. "Am I brave? Am I going to face this problem or run away from it? Will I stand up or be rolled over?"Have you gotten a copy of Ryan Holiday's new book Courage Is Calling? Pick up a signed edition in the Daily Stoic Store - https://dailystoic.com/courageiscalli
Andrew Sullivan on The Classics, Independence, and the Human Experience
Ryan talks to Andrew Sullivan about his new book “Out on a Limb: Selected Writing, 1989-2021,'' the common culture that we find through ancient and classic texts, the fine line between truth and being out of touch with reality, and more.Andrew Sullivan is one of today’s most provocative social and political commentators. A former editor of The New Republic, he was the founding editor of The Daily Dish, and has been a regular writer for The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Time, N
How To Make Better Decisions in Life
Ryan talks about a simple tip that could improve your life.Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Beware the Freight Train Coming Your Way | (Dis)integration
Ryan talks about why you need to be prepared for what is to come, about how everything we do for others comes back to us, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Kathryn Schulz on Misinformation and Coping with Grief | The Strong Do What They Can but the Weak Must…
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Kathryn Schulz about her new book Lost & Found: A Memoir, the perpetual disconnect between reality and rhetoric, the importance of confronting darkness and dealing with grief, and more.Kathryn Schulz is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error. She won a National Magazine Award and a Pulitzer Prize in 2015 for “The Really Big One,” an article about seismic risk in the Pacific Northwest.
Legacy is Not For You...But This Is
Ryan talks about what legacy actually means.Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
This is Another Word for Obstacles | Cultivate Indifference
Ryan talks about the way that Stoics view the tough moments in life, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.Get a copy of The Obstacle Is The Way in the Daily Stoic Store or The Painted Porch.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookThis is Another Word for Obstacles
Seneca's 8 Tips For Mastering Yourself
Seneca was a power broker, a playwright, and a Stoic philosopher. These 8 lessons will teach you to become a better master of yourself, just like Seneca was striving to do.Learn more about Seneca: https://dailystoic.com/seneca/→ Get Seneca's 'Letters from a Stoic'→ Get a signed copy of Lives of the StoicsSign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemailCheck out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.Follow us: Instagram, Twitt
NFL Trainer Tareq Azim on Living Intentionally, Redefining Success, and Memento Mori
Ryan talks to NFL trainer and author Tareq Azim about his new book Empower: Conquering the Disease of Fear, why intention is a better indicator of long term growth than specific goals, the distinction between ego and confidence, the power of meditating on death, and more.Tareq Azim is a seven-time World Championship attending coach in combat sports, a former Division I linebacker at Fresno State, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, an author, and a philanthropist. He also created the first Afghan Wom
We Have To Care About This
Ryan talks about why you should value independence.Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
There Is An Upside to the Downside | The Real Source of Harm
Ryan talks about how you can turn obstacles upside down and grow from them, about how everything we do for others comes back to us, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.We have some exciting news to share with you all — for some reason, The Obstacle is the Way ebook is just $1.99 everywhere you get your ebooks. We’re not sure how long the price drop will last, but if you haven’t already read The Obstacle Is The Way, this is probably...
Arthur Brooks on the Keys to Finding Happiness
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Author and Professor Arthur Brooks about his new book From Strength to Strength, how to manage your wants to increase your happiness, why good habits and systems are the actual keys to a happy life, and more.Arthur Brooks is the William Henry Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School. Brooks is the author of 12 books, including the nati
This Is When You Use It
Ryan talks what to do when you think you can’t go on any longer.We have some exciting news to share with you all — for some reason, The Obstacle is the Way ebook is just $1.99 everywhere you get your ebooks. We’re not sure how long the price drop will last, but if you haven’t already read The Obstacle Is The Way, this is probably the cheapest it will ever be. Or if you’re like us and prefer physical books, we have hardcopies and...
Leave It Better Than You Found It | Reduce Wants, Increase Happiness
Ryan talks about how you can improve your life, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
5 Life Changing Journaling Habits from the Stoics
Do you have a copy of the Daily Stoic Journal? Get a special signed edition in the Daily Stoic Store or at The Painted Porch Bookshop.Journaling is Stoicism. It’s almost impossible to have one without the other. Ryan Holiday's journaling ideas come from his 15+ year practice of writing and reflecting on Stoicism. Journaling is one of the most essential exercises in Stoic philosophy. Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius all praised the benefits of journaling. In Stoicism the daily practice
Psychotherapist Terri Cole on Saying No and Setting Healthy Boundaries
Ryan talks to psychotherapist and author Terri Cole about her new book Boundary Boss-The Essential Guide to Talk True, Be Seen and (Finally) Live Free, the Stoic’s concept of controlling what you can control and letting go of what you can’t, how the clearest boundaries make the most successful businesses, and more. Terri Cole is a licensed psychotherapist, global relationship and empowerment expert. For over two decades, Terri has worked with a diverse group of clients that includes everyone fro
All The Roads We Have To Walk Are Winding
Ryan talks about the twists and turns that will make you great if you choose.We have some exciting news to share with you all — for some reason, The Obstacle is the Way ebook is just $1.99 everywhere you get your ebooks. We’re not sure how long the price drop will last, but if you haven’t already read The Obstacle Is The Way, this is probably the cheapest it will ever be. Or if you’re like us and prefer physical books, we have hardcopies an...
Turn It Into Something | The Enemy of Happiness
Ryan talks about how you can turn your trials into triumph, about how everything we do for others comes back to us, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.We have some exciting news to share with you all — for some reason, The Obstacle is the Way ebook is just $1.99 everywhere you get your ebooks. We’re not sure how long the price drop will last, but if you haven’t already read The Obstacle Is The Way, this is probably the cheapest it will ever be. Or if you’re like us and prefer phy...
U.S. Senate Candidate Admiral Mike Franken on Serving the Common Good | How to Travel Through Time
Ryan reads today’s meditation and talks to Admiral Mike Franken about his campaign for U.S. Senate in Iowa, what he learned about the art of leadership throughout his service in the U.S. military, the modern political climate and what we can do collectively to improve it, and more.Admiral Mike Franken is a former United States Navy vice admiral. Franken entered the United States Navy in 1981 and was the first commanding officer of USS Winston S.Churchill. Franken was the first director of the De
This Is What Karma Looks Like
Ryan talks about how your actions impact your well being.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
You Must Learn From History | Watch Over Your Perceptions
Ryan talks about why it’s better to learn from the experience of others, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.Blinkist takes top nonfiction titles, pulls out the key takeaways and puts them into text and audio explainers called Blinks that give you the most important information in just 15 minutes. Go to Blinkist.com/STOIC to start your free 7 day trial and get 25% off of a Blinkist Premium membership.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow
Seneca on Despising Death
Today’s episode is an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. In this letter Seneca writes about why we should not get upset about future problems by making them a problem of the present. Go to tim.blog/seneca to get the PDF for free. Get Letters From a Stoic from the Painted Porch.As a member of Daily Stoic Life, you get all our current and future courses, 100+ additional Daily Stoic email meditations, 4 live Q&As with bestselling author Ryan Holiday (and guests), and
Jon Ronson on Empathy, Culture Wars, and Finding Community
Ryan talks to author and filmmaker Jon Ronson about how to balance empathy and compassion with finding the truth, the importance of policing your side of the street to fight radicalization, the lack of connection in modern culture, and more. Jon Ronson is an award-winning writer and documentary filmmaker. He is the author of many bestselling books, including So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, The Psychopath Test, and The Men Who Stare at Goats. His latest work is a Radio 4 and BBC Sounds podca
Don’t Let Your Virtues Become This Vice
Ryan talks about why you have to think make progress for it's own sake. Check out The Daily Stoic and The Daily Stoic Journal at The Painted Porch Bookshop.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The Most Temporary and Illusory State | Anger is Bad Fuel
Ryan explains why you should remember the fragility of life, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.Try Surfshark risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get Surfshark VPN at surfshark.deals/STOIC. Enter promo code STOIC for 83 % off and three extra months free!Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privac
Matthew B. Crawford on Practical Philosophy and Shop Class as Soulcraft | This is The Opinion To Care About
On today’s episode of the podcast Ryan talks to author Matthew B. Crawford about his New York Times bestselling book Shop Class as Soulcraft (which you can pick up at the Painted Porch), why philosophy must be practiced and experienced in actual life rather than in the classroom, our inherent fear of death and how it impacts our day to day existence, and more.Matthew B. Crawford is an American writer and research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virgin
Here’s A Way To Get Some Timeless Stillness
Ryan talks about the vitality of seeking out stillness in your life.For more on tuning out distractions and finding the focus that you need to succeed, check out Ryan Holiday’s best selling Stillness Is the Key. It’s the perfect tool to help you find that critical stillness in your life, even in distracting times like these. Get it here: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/ryan3?_pos=1&_sid=fa7b33b70&_ss=r Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: ht
Losing Your Temper Is a Luxury | Suspend Your Opinions
Ryan talks about why you must keep your anger in check, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.As a member of Daily Stoic Life, you get all our current and future courses, 100+ additional Daily Stoic email meditations, 4 live Q&As with bestselling author Ryan Holiday (and guests), and 10% off your next purchase from the Daily Stoic Store. Sign up athttps://dailystoic.com/life/Try Surfshark risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get Surfshark VPN at surfshar
7 Stoic Lessons From An Abandoned Ghost Town (Cerro Gordo)
What can the Cerro Gordo Ghost Town teach you about the art of living? When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March of 2020 Brent Underwood moved to the abandoned ghost town of Cerro Gordo. He's now lived there for almost 2 years entirely alone.Ryan Holiday has known Brent since he first hired him as his intern over 10 years ago. He went to visit the ghost town on his road trip last summer and documented the Stoic lessons that he took from his time on the hill.Watch the video: https://youtu.be/fDz
X Mayo on Discipline, Christianity, and Practicing Stoicism in Hollywood
Ryan talks to actress and comedian X Mayo about the difference between discipline and passion, the common misconception of Stoics as unfeeling and unemotional, how Stoicism relates to Christianity, the importance of being content to be thought clueless about some things, and more.X Mayo is an actor, writer, producer, comedian, and taco expert. Landing in NYC in 2013 with just 80 Dollars and A Suitcase, X has survived over 24 moves to now being an Emmy Nominated writer for The Daily Show With Tre
Have A Near-Death Experience Every Morning
Ryan talks about the importance of thinking about what you will do when you get thrown for a loop.Check out the Memento Mori medallion in the Daily Stoic Store.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Your Heart Shouldn’t Be Getting Harder As You Go | The Source of Your Anxiety
Ryan explains why you should hold tight to your values, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Brian Klaas on the Pursuit of Power and How It Corrupts | It’s About What We’re Willing To Give
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to professor Brian Klaas about his new book Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, why we should minimize the psychological distance between leaders and the people they lead, the differences between functional and dysfunctional psychopaths, and more.Brian Klaas is an associate professor of global politics at University College London and the host of the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast. Klaas is a contributor to The Washingto
What’s Your Emergency Routine?
Ryan talks about the importance of thinking about what you will do when you get thrown for a loop.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
You Have Time, If You Make It | Focus On The Present Moment
Ryan talks about the importance of finding time to improve yourself, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal.Check out the Read To Lead Reading Challenge at: https://dailystoic.com/readSign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
21 (Stoic) Quotes That Will Change You Into A Better Person
Ryan gives you 21 quotes that will change you into a better person, if you let them. Each one is worth remembering, having queued in your brain for one of life’s crossroads or to drop at the perfect moment in conversation. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/pHtgQDqXqVoTalkspace is an online and mobile therapy company. Make your mental health more than just another New Year’s resolution, with Talkspace. Visit talkspace.com and get $100 off your first month when you use promo code STOIC at
Dr. Nate Zinsser on Restraining Ego and Building Confidence
On today’s episode of the podcast Ryan talks to performance psychologist Dr. Nate Zinsser about the difference between confidence and evidence, how to think about the moments in your life selectively to cultivate confidence, looking for the positive aspects of your life while maintaining objective awareness, and more.Dr. Nate Zinsser is the director of West Point’s Performance Psychology Program. He has been the lead performance psychologist at West Point since 1992. Dr. Zinsser is the author of
Do It Before It’s Too Late
Ryan talks about the importance of being prepared for the worst.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Helping Others Helps You | Three Areas of Training
Ryan talks about the recent passing of Thich Nhat Hanh, about how everything we do for others comes back to us, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day.Blinkist takes top nonfiction titles, pulls out the key takeaways and puts them into text and audio explainers called Blinks that give you the most important information in just 15 minutes. Go to Blinkist.com/STOIC to start your free 7 day trial and get 25% off of a Blinkist Premium membership.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyS
Michael Schur on the Virtuous Life and Humor in Philosophy | It’s Pointing Right At You
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to television producer and writer Michael Schur about the importance of making philosophy accessible, the difficulty of living virtuously without becoming cynical, the power of expressing humor and positivity in entertainment, and more.Michael Schur created the critically acclaimed NBC comedy The Good Place and co-created Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the Peacock series Rutherford Falls. He is also an executive producer on HBO Max’s H
Here’s Why Worry Is Pointless
Ryan discusses the worthlessness of worry, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It's Ok To Stumble | A Little Better Every Day
Ryan explains why it’s ok to mess up, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.For ONE WEEK ONLY, you can sign up and immediately begin the 2022 Daily Stoic New Year New You Challenge at your own pace. It’s 3 weeks of actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy. Just go to https://dailystoic.com/challenge to sign up.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.c
Bonus: Walter Isaacson on Bending the Arch of History and Demystifying Science
Today’s episode of the podcast is from a February 2021 interview with Ryan Holiday and prolific bestselling author Walter Isaacson. They talk about his newest book The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race, the brilliant execution that it took to create the first Coronavius vaccine, demystifying the scientific narrative through a journey of discovery, and more.For THREE MORE DAYS, you can sign up and immediately begin the 2022 Daily Stoic New Year New You
Robert Greene on the Wisdom of the Stoics
Ryan talks to bestselling author Robert Greene about the importance of understanding, processing, and observing your emotions, our natural tendency as humans to take the path of least resistance, how to deal with anxiety by viewing situations objectively, working on his new book about the laws of the sublime, and more.Robert Greene is an American author known for his books on strategy, power, and seduction. He has written six international bestsellers: The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of S
Just For A Moment, Let’s Be Still
Ryan talks about the importance of stillness, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Be Tough On Yourself and Understanding To Other | Reignite Your Thoughts
Ryan talks about why you must continually hold yourself accountable, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.For ONE WEEK ONLY, you can sign up and immediately begin the 2022 Daily Stoic New Year New You Challenge at your own pace. It’s 3 weeks of actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy. Just go to https://dailystoic.com/challenge to sign up.Blinkist takes top nonfiction titles, pul
Bari Weiss on the Power of Choice and Voicing Your Opinion | It’s Too Early To Quit On Yourself
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to author Bari Weiss about the pressure to be agreeable, the importance of calculating opportunity cost, the line between speaking up about social issues and staying silent, and more. From 2017 until 2020, Bari was a staff writer and editor for the Opinion section of The New York Times. Before joining the Times, Bari was an oped editor at the Wall Street Journal and an associate book review editor there. Her first book, "How to Fight Anti-Semi
Our Actions Echo Through Eternity
Ryan discusses how our actions have a larger impact than what lies on the surface, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Make Good On Your Promise | The Wake Up
Ryan discusses what we can learn from Martin Luther King Jr. about living philosophically, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Eight Sleep is the most advanced solution on the market for thermoregulation. It pairs dynamic cooling and heating with biometric tracking. Go to eightsleep.com/dailystoic to check out the Pod Pro Cover and save $150 at checkout.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, T
Seneca on the First Cause
Today’s episode is an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. In this letter Seneca writes about matter is being substance ready for any use whereas cause (reason) molds matter and turns it in whatever directions it will, how the wise man is so trained that he neither loves nor hates life, and how wise men regard their body as nothing but a chain since it is the only part of man which can suffer injury. Go to tim.blog/seneca to get the PDF for free. Get Letters From a Stoi
Professor M.D. Usher on Living in Accordance with Nature
Ryan talks to professor M.D. Usher about his new book How to Be a Farmer: An Ancient Guide to Life on the Land, the philosophical contradiction of the ancient’s practice of slavery, what the Stoics mean by living in accordance with nature, and more.M.D. Usher is a UVM alumnus and joined the UVM faculty in 2000. Before attending UVM as an undergraduate he apprenticed in Germany as a post-and-beam carpenter and later earned his Ph.D. in Classics at The University of Chicago.Watch the Stoic (and li
This is Your Reward
Ryan explains what you get for doing the right thing, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
“Not Much” Adds Up | Circle of Control
Ryan explains how to be productive at a high level, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.GiveWell is the best site for figuring out how and where to donate your money to have the greatest impact. Go to Givewell.org to read more about their research or donate to any of their recommended charities. Enter Daily Stoic at checkout so they know we sent you.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Inst...
General Stanley McChrystal on Getting Comfortable with Risk | Set Up Your Hall of Heroes
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to retired United States Army General Stanley Allen McChrystal about how to become comfortable with risk as a leader, the rise and spread of misinformation, the effect that individuals have on humanity, and more.Stanley Allen McChrystal is a retired United States Army general best known for his command of Joint Special Operations Command in the mid-2000s. He established a consultancy firm, McChrystal Group, in 2011 and advises senior executives at mu
It’s Never Too Late To Learn
Ryan discusses the importance of always continuing your education, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Check out the Read To Lead Reading Challenge at: https://dailystoic.com/readSign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
No Man Ever Reads The Same Book Twice | The Sphere of Choice
Ryan talks about the importance of re-reading the greats, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.For a limited time, the Daily Stoic ebook is $1.99 in the US and UK this week only. We have a premium leather bound version available at dailystoic.com/leather. GiveWell is the best site for figuring out how and where to donate your money to have the greatest impact. Go to Givewell.org to read more about their research or donate to any of th
6 Hits of Stoic Motivation (Sports and Philosophy)
Today, Stoicism has been embraced by nearly every professional sport. Stoicism as a philosophy is really about the mental game. It’s not a set of ethics or principles. It’s a collection of spiritual exercises designed to help people through the difficulty of life. To focus on managing emotion; specifically, non-helpful emotion. In this episode of the podcast, Ryan breaks down 6 of the most important insights on sports and endurance training from the Stoics.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http
Alex Lieberman on Defining Values, Restraining Opinion, and Curating Wisdom
Ryan talks to Morning Brew founder Alex Lieberman about his journey with Stoicism, the false belief that money can change your level of happiness, the higher standard that leaders should hold themselves to, the power of restraining opinion, and more. Alex Lieberman is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Morning Brew. Alex started Morning Brew as a college student in 2015 and has grown it to over 3 million subscribers. Alex is also the host of the podcast Founder’s Journal, which offers
Does It Measure Up?
Ryan explains why you must always stop and check yourself, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
We Must Beat Back The Mob| Where, Who, What and Why
Ryan talks about the high stakes of America’s political climate, the Stoic's responsibility to uphold justice, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.For a limited time, the Daily Stoic ebook is $1.99 in the US and UK this week only. We have a premium leather bound version available at dailystoic.com/leather. Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at ht
Thomas Ricks on the Wisdom of the Classics and Balancing Power | This Is What It Means To Be “Well-Read”
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and speaks with author and historian Thomas Ricks about his newest book First Principles, the founding fathers familiarity with the ancient Stoics, the wisdom that was embedded into the constitution, how America’s 3 part system was meant to reflect the wisdom of the Classics, and more.Thomas Ricks is an American journalist and author who has won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting multiple times. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Fiasc
You Are Not Exempt
Ryan explains why you must think about the inevitable things coming your way, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It's About Intensity Not Magnitude | What's Up to Us, and What's Not Up to Us
Ryan explains why you should linger on the works of the master thinkers, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.For a limited time, the Daily Stoic ebook is $1.99 in the US and UK this week only. We have a premium leather bound version available at dailystoic.com/leather. The new Pod Pro Cover by Eight Sleep is the most advanced solution on the market for thermoregulation. It pairs dynamic cooling and heating with biometric tracking. Yo
Seneca on Pleasure and Joy
Today’s episode is an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. In this letter Seneca writes about his wish to know why is it that we keep doing things that are not good for us, even when we ought to know better, he contrasts transitory pleasures with a more mature and lasting joy, and he lists a number of “preferred indifferents,” meaning things that can reasonably be pursued, but that do not make us better human beings. Go to tim.blog/seneca to get the PDF for free.Reframe
James Clear, Robert Greene, Brad Stulberg, Tom Nichols, and Julia Baird on the Writer’s Process
Today’s episode features some of the best interviews with authors from 2021. Ryan talks to James Clear about how to begin and maintain productive habitual action, Robert Greene about the process of writing some of his bestselling books and his newest book The Daily Laws, Brad Stulberg about practical steps to alleviate the anxiety that comes with the lifelong pursuit of greatness, Tom Nichols about what it means to take your responsibilities as a responsible citizen seriously, and Julia
There Is No Better Time Than Now
Ryan talks about the urgency of self-improvement and how you can make changes now, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.→ We hope you join us in the 2022 New Year New You Challenge. It kicks off in a little over a week. It’s 3 weeks of actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy. Just go to https://dailystoic.com/challenge to sign up before sign ups end on January 1st!Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic
Stop Waiting To Demand The Best For Yourself | Taking The Bite Out Of It
Ryan talks about how people tend to put off making changes and improving their lives, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.→ We hope you join us in the 2022 New Year New You Challenge. It kicks off in a little over a week. It’s 3 weeks of actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy. Just go to https://dailystoic.com/challenge to sign up before sign ups end on January 1st!Sign up for
Major General Dan Caine, Randall Stutman, Robert Greene, and Jeni Britton Bauer on Becoming a Great Leader | This is The Truly Inexcusable Thing
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and looks back at some of the best interviews from the Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge. Ryan talks to Major General Dan Caine about the importance of defining success before you set out to try to solve a problem, Randall Stutman about the important distinction in being subtle and being manipulative, how great leaders see themselves as stewards, not owners, Robert Greene about their experiences and lessons learned from watching American Apparel’s unhinged CEO
You Can’t Just Stuff It Down
Ryan explains why a Stoic should process and deal with their emotions, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.→ We hope you join us in the 2022 New Year New You Challenge. It kicks off in a little over a week. It’s 3 weeks of actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy. Just go to https://dailystoic.com/challenge to sign up before sign ups end on January 1st!Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us:
You Have Two Options | Turn Words Into Works
Ryan talks about the crossroads that we all face and how to know which way you should go, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.→ We hope you join us in the 2022 New Year New You Challenge. It kicks off in a little over a week. It’s 3 weeks of actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy. Just go to https://dailystoic.com/challenge to sign up before sign ups end on Jan
11 Stoic Secrets To Better Habits in 2022
The Stoics had a word, arete, which was the ultimate expression of human greatness—moral, physical, spiritual. It’s what the Stoics were chasing. It’s what you’re chasing today. But how do we get there? Well, it requires a certain philosophical approach. Because brilliance and inspiration and skill are not enough. Here are some Stoic secrets to better habits that Ryan Holiday is taking in the new year, and we hope you do too.Watch the video: https://youtu.be/0OV4sl7SV-E → We hope you join u
Chris Bosh, Les Snead, Scott Oberg, Bob Bowman, Dominique Dawes, and Brad Keselowski on Sports and Stoicism
Today’s episode features some of the best interviews on Sports and Stoicism from the podcast. Ryan talks to NBA star Chris Bosh about his book Letters to a Young Athlete and the importance of putting everything into what you do even when it’s tough, Los Angeles Rams GM Les Snead about making tough decisions under intense pressure, MLB Pitcher Scott Oberg about how Stoicism has helped Scott overcome physical and mental adversity, Olympic swimming coach Bob Bowman about how athletes can maintain s
Remind Yourself Who is in Charge
Ryan discusses how you can turn anything into a good thing, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Get signed copies of Courage Is Calling in the Daily Stoic Store.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Don’t Be a Power Slave | What Are You So Afraid Of Losing
Ryan talks about the nature of power and using it for the common good, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.→ We hope you join us in the 2022 New Year New You Challenge. It kicks off in a little over a week. It’s 3 weeks of actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, built around the best, most timeless wisdom in Stoic philosophy. Just go to https://dailystoic.com/challenge to sign up before sign ups end on January 1st!Sign up for the Daily Stoic
Gary Vaynerchuk, David Rubenstein, Ali Abdaal, Emily Oster, Brad Feld, and Randall Stutman on Business and Success | It’s Time To Snap Out Of It
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and looks back at some of the best interviews on business from 2021. Featuring entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk on the best way to maintain long term business success, billionaire David Rubenstein on learning from past historical figures’ successes and from their mistakes, Ali Abdaal on staying productive and getting your life organized, economist Emily Oster on how to communicate positive messaging and weigh out risk vs rationality, venture capitalist Brad Feld o
It’s Good.
Ryan discusses how you can turn anything into a good thing, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Check out the Amor Fati Challenge Coin in the Daily Stoic Store.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
How To Be Beautiful | Stake Your Claim
Ryan discusses how Epictetus defined being beautiful, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Eight Sleep is the most advanced solution on the market for thermoregulation. It pairs dynamic cooling and heating with biometric tracking. This holiday season, give yourself or a loved one a gift that keeps getting better night after night. Right in time for the holidays, give the gift of better sleep and a present that will keep giving back, everyd
Live Q&A with Ryan Holiday | The 2021 New Year, New You Challenge
Today’s episode of the podcast was taken from one of the live Q&A’s that took place during last year’s New Year, New You Challenge. The participants of the challenge get to engage in weekly group zoom calls with bestselling author Ryan Holiday to chat about how the challenge is going, ask questions, and more. → We hope you join us in the 2022 New Year New You Challenge. It kicks off in a little over a week. It’s 3 weeks of actionable challenges, presented in an email per day, buil
Historian Allen C. Guelzo on Robert E. Lee’s Complexity of Confusion
On today’s episode of the podcast Ryan talks to Historian Allen C. Guelzo about his new book Robert E. Lee: A Life, the mystery of how Lincoln would have handled reconstruction had he not been assassinated, the importance of cherishing and protecting democratic principles, Lincoln’s complexity of depth and Lee’s complexity of confusion, and more.Allen C. Guelzo is an American historian who serves as Senior Research Scholar in the Council of the Humanities and Director of the Initiative on Politi
What Are You Spending Your Time On?
Ryan explains the importance of guarding your time above all else, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Get the Daily Stoic Page a Day Calendar in the Daily Stoic Store!Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Life is Not a Victory March | Everlasting Good Health
Ryan explains why a Stoic never stops moving forward and getting better, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.LMNT is the maker of electrolyte drink mixes that help you stay active at home, work, the gym, or anywhere else. Electrolytes are a key part of a happy, healthy body. As a listener of this show, you can receive a free LMNT Sample Pack for only $5 for shipping. To claim this exclusive deal you must go to drinkLMNT.com/dailystoic. If you don’t love i
Scott Galloway on the Rarity of Restraint and Being Authentic | If You’re Not Seeking Out Challenges, You’re Betraying Yourself
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to professor and bestselling author Scott Galloway about the importance of being authentic and voicing genuine emotions, why living a great life is better than getting revenge, the immense mental and physical value that comes from endurance training, and more.Scott Galloway is a Professor of Marketing at NYU Stern School of Business where he teaches Brand Strategy and Digital Marketing. Professor Galloway has served on the board of directors
A Few Sacred Minutes
Ryan explains the importance of daily reflection and the role it plays in life, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Get signed copies of Stillness Is The Key in the Daily Stoic Store!Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
No One Is Unbreakable | Keep The Rhythm
Ryan explains how you can become incredibly resilient with Stoicism, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.The new Pod Pro Cover by Eight Sleep is the most advanced solution on the market for thermoregulation. It pairs dynamic cooling and heating with biometric tracking. You can add the Cover to any mattress, and start sleeping as cool as 55°F or as hot as 110°F. Go to eightsleep.com/dailystoic to check out the Pod Pro Cover and save $150 a
7 Viral Speeches About Stoicism | Ryan Holiday Speaking
On today’s episode of the podcast we’ve compiled some of Ryan Holiday’s best and most viral talks about Stoicism. Few writers have done more to bring ancient solutions to help solve our modern problems than Ryan. By age 33, his philosophically driven bestselling books have sold over four million copies and spent more than 200 weeks on bestseller lists. Ryan provides a framework for overcoming obstacles, scaling new challenges and battling both the ups and downs and life. Profiled by the New York
Author Catherine Baab-Muguira on Creating Lasting Work and Edgar Allen Poe
On today’s episode of the podcast Ryan talks to Catherine Baab-Muguira about the life and work of Edgar Allan Poe, the difference between fleeting fads and sustained appreciation, how to find the balance between accepting feedback and being impervious to criticism, and more.Catherine Baab-Muguira is a writer and journalist who has contributed to, among others, Slate, Quartz, CNBC and NBC News. A frequent podcast and radio guest, with appearances on NPR and Lifehacker’s Upgrade. She has a M.A. in
Hate The Sin, Love The Sinner
Ryan discusses how a Stoic should deal with people who they disagree with, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It's Not About Manifesting, It's About Taking Action | Spendthrifts Of Time
Ryan discusses the Stoic’s take on the law of attraction, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Blinkist is the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction books out there. Blinkist lets you get the topline information and the most important points from the most important nonfiction books out there, whether it’s Ryan’s own The Daily Stoic, Yuval Harari’s Sapiens, and more. Go to blinkist.com/stoic, try it free for 7 days, and
CrossFit Athlete Brooke Wells on Training The Mind and Reaching Your Potential | This Is How You Can Talk To The Dead
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Professional CrossFit Athlete Brooke Wells about getting better not just physically but mentally, how she finds balance in an inherently unbalanced profession, how to be great but not miserable, and more.Brooke Wells is a 7x CrossFit Games Athlete. She made a name for herself at the 2015 Central Regional, which she won at 19 years old. It was her first individual regional appearance. In 2014, she competed with team 540 Beefy of CrossFit 540 at the
Evidence is Better Than Belief
Ryan explains why you should strive for knowledge, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Who Is Calling You To Greatness? | Be Stingy With Time
Ryan discusses the importance of reminding yourself of the greats throughout history, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Blinkist is the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction books out there. Blinkist lets you get the topline information and the most important points from the most important nonfiction books out there, whether it’s Ryan’s own The Daily Stoic, Yuval Harari’s Sapiens, and more. Go to blinkist.com
The Obstacle Is The Way | Summarized by Ryan Holiday
The Obstacle Is the Way has become a cult classic, beloved by men and women around the world who apply its wisdom to become more successful at whatever they do. In this episode of the podcast, Ryan Holiday gives you a summary of the book. Its many fans include NBA legend Chris Bosh, PGA Champion Rory McIlroy, NBC sportscaster Michele Tafoya, pop star Camila Cabello, former U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, and the coaches and players of winning teams like the New England Patriots, Se
Ryan Shazier on Struggling in Public and Overcoming Obstacles
On today’s episode of the podcast, Ryan talks to former NFL linebacker Ryan Shazier about his new book Walking Miracle, his journey after being diagnosed with Alopecia as a child, how he managed to overcome incredible adversity after a career ending spinal cord injury, and more.Ryan Dean Shazier is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Ohio State and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Shazier had a successful first few
If You Can Get THIS, You Will Be Happy. Guaranteed.
Ryan talks about the only thing that you really need to be satisfied, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
What Are Your Panic Rules? | Don’t Mind Me, I’m Only Dying Slow
Ryan explains how you should think about panic, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.GiveWell is the best site for figuring out how and where to donate your money to have the greatest impact. If you’ve never donated to GiveWell’s recommended charities before, you can have your donation matched up to $250 before the end of the year or as long as matching funds last. Just go to GiveWell.org and pick podcast and enter DAILY STOIC at checkout.Sign up for the D
Gary Vaynerchuk on Stoicism, Soft Skills, and Becoming Your Best Self | The End Will Not Be Pretty
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk about his new book Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success, how to get comfortable with vulnerability and emotional development, the best way to maintain long term business success, and more.Gary Vaynerchuk is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and Internet personality. First known as a wine critic who expanded his family's wine business, Vaynerchuk is now more kno
The Best Don’t Care About Winning
Ryan talks about how a Stoic thinks about success, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.We've joined Team Feed Corporate to help end hunger in America. No one should go without a meal, yet more than 38 million people in America still face hunger. We created this fundraiser to help provide these much needed meals to our neighbors through the Feeding America network of food banks and we're asking you to join us in our cause. Go to https://dailystoic.com/feeding to donate and let's end hunger togeth
Fortune Favors the Brave | Balance The Books Of Life Daily
Ryan talks about how crucial the virtue of courage is, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave is out now! Pick up a copy wherever books are sold or at the Daily Stoic Store: https://dailystoic.com/courageiscallingGiveWell is the best site for figuring out how and where to donate your money to have the greatest impact. If you’ve never donated to GiveWell’s recommen
Seneca on Choosing Our Teachers
Today’s episode is an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. In this letter Seneca writes about the importance of having a model to measure yourself against, how to learn from the great men and women of history, learning not only from the strengths but also from the fault and weaknesses of others, and more. Go to tim.blog/seneca to get the PDF for free.Centered is a Mac and Windows app that helps you get into Flow and work faster...and healthier. Join thousands of users w
Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe on Fighting Fear With Gratitude
On today’s episode of the podcast Ryan talks to Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe about how Stoicism helped him get through his time in a Czech prison, how to find peace in the midst of uncertain circumstances, the prevalence of substance abuse in the artistic community, and more.Get his book Dark Days: https://geni.us/LbtRRandy Blythe is the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Lamb of God. Blythe joined Lamb of God in 1995, when they were still known as Burn the Priest. Before Lamb of God was suc
We Have An Obligation
Ryan talks about the hunger crisis that America faces and explains how you can make a difference, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.We've joined Team Feed Corporate to help end hunger in America. No one should go without a meal, yet more than 38 million people in America still face hunger. We created this fundraiser to help provide these much needed meals to our neighbors through the Feeding America network of food banks and we're asking you to join us in our cause. Go to https://dailystoic.co
Every Day is a Day of Thanks | Funny How That Works Out
Ryan discusses how a Stoic thinks about gratitude, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.GiveWell is the best site for figuring out how and where to donate your money to have the greatest impact. If you’ve never donated to GiveWell’s recommended charities before, you can have your donation matched up to $250 before the end of the year or as long as matching funds last. Just go to GiveWell.org and pick podcast and enter DAILY STOIC at checkout.Sign up for th
Ross Edgley on Swimming Around Great Britain and the Value of Resilience
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Ross Edgley about his 1,792 mile swim all the way around Great Britain, overriding the innate function of self-preservation to perform feats of endurance, the importance of protecting yourself against becoming too comfortable in life, and more. Ross Edgley is an extreme adventurer, ultra-marathon sea swimmer and author. He holds multiple world records, but is best known for completing the World's Longest Staged Sea Swim in 2018 when he became
We’re Screwed Either Way, Might As Well Do This
Ryan gives you a reason for always doing the right thing, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
What If You Weren’t Such a Know It All? | Practice Letting Go
Ryan talks about how to truly cultivate wisdom, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.The new Pod Pro Cover by Eight Sleep is the most advanced solution on the market for thermoregulation. It pairs dynamic cooling and heating with biometric tracking. You can add the Cover to any mattress, and start sleeping as cool as 55°F or as hot as 110°F. Go to eightsleep.com/dailystoic to check out the Pod Pro Cover and save $150 at checkout.Sign up fo
Rome's Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato | Ch. 2: The Pillar
Today’s episode is an excerpt from Rome's Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato by Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni. This chapter deals with the early life of Cato, his promise and willingness to take on those who were clearly more powerful than himself, why he embraced the philosophy of Stoicism, how much he valued the “living tradition” by going barefoot and wearing out-of-date clothing, and more.Centered is a Mac and Windows app that helps you get into Flow and work faster...and healthier. Join
Julia Baird on Phosphorescence and Making a Habit Out of Awe
Ryan talks to Julia Baird about her newest book Phosphorescence, The awe and wonder that unfolds in the midst of deep suffering, how the journey towards achieving stillness requires incremental progress, and more. Julia Baird is a journalist, broadcaster and author based in Sydney, Australia. She hosts The Drum on ABCTV and writes columns for the Sydney Morning Herald and the International New York Times. Her new book Phosphorescence reflects on her encounters with a luminescent phenomenon
This Is Real Wealth
Ryan explains why you should have your own definition of wealth, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Courage is Contagious | Four Habits Of The Stoic Mind
Ryan explains how you can overcome fear with the virtue of courage, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.LMNT is the maker of electrolyte drink mixes that help you stay active at home, work, the gym, or anywhere else. Electrolytes are a key part of a happy, healthy body. As a listener of this show, you can receive a free LMNT Sample Pack for only $5 for shipping. To claim this exclusive deal you must go to drinkLMNT.com/dailystoic. If you don’t love it, th
Randall Stutman on Becoming a Life-Long Student of Leadership | It’s Not Much, But It’s Enough
This is an excerpt from week 1 of the Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge, a 9-week course that was built to mirror the kind of education that produced historically great leaders like Marcus Aurelius. It is now a recorded course, which means all participants will join the course and move through it at their own pace. Sign up at https://dailystoic.com/leadershipchallengeRyan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Dr. Randall Stutman about the difference between feedback and advice, the importan
Good Character and Good Deeds
Ryan discusses why you should have your own definition of success, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nobody Gets Out Alive | Judge Yourself Not Others
Ryan talks about the importance of practicing memento mori, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.LMNT is the maker of electrolyte drink mixes that help you stay active at home, work, the gym, or anywhere else. Electrolytes are a key part of a happy, healthy body. As a listener of this show, you can receive a free LMNT Sample Pack for only $5 for shipping. To claim this exclusive deal you must go to drinkLMNT.com/dailystoic. If you don’t lo
Robert Greene on Being Effective and Courageous
Have you ordered your copy of Ryan's new book? Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave is out everywhere and you can still get the preorder bonuses over at https://dailystoic.com/preorderOn today’s episode of the podcast, Ryan talks to author Robert Greene about how you can become courageous and effective in everyday life for the Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge.Sign up for the Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge: https://dailystoic.com/leadershipchallengeThe Jordan Harbinger Show is one of th
Journalist Seth Wickersham on Cultivating Greatness
Ryan talks to Seth Wickersham about his book It's Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness, the struggle and tension that exists in the pursuit of greatness, how Tom Brady has cultivated greatness and maintained it throughout his career, and more.Seth Wickersham is an American sports writer for ESPN and ESPN The Magazine. He has written for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine since graduating from the University of Missouri in 2000. His work primarily covers
Don’t Self Deter
Ryan talks about how to follow through with what you know if right on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave is out now! Pick up a copy in the Daily Stoic Store: https://dailystoic.com/courageiscallingSign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do
Do This Unflinchingly | It’s Not The Thing, It’s What We Make Of It
Ryan explains why you must engage with the material that you study, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.List your product on AppSumo between September 15th - November 17th and the first 400 offers to go live will receive $1000, the next 2000 to list a product get $250. And everyone who lists gets entered to be one of 10 lucky winners of $10k! Go to https://appsumo.com/ryanholiday to list your product today and cash in on this amazing deal.Sign up for the
Olympian Kate Courtney on Optimization and Embracing the Process | This is What You Have To Choose
Ryan reads today’s meditation and talks to mountain bike champion Kate Courtney about her recent trip to the Tokyo Olympics which she wrote about in the Washington Post, seeing moments of failure as opportunities for growth, the important distinction between optimization vs. maximization, and more.Kate Courtney is a professional mountain bike racer for the Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team. Kate is the 2019 Elite XCO World Cup Overall Champion, and the 2018 Elite XCO World Champion. In 2017, Kate won f
Are You Being a Good Steward?
Ryan discusses how to think about your responsibilities, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Practice Everything. Be Ready for Anything. | The Real Power You Have
Ryan talks about the importance of practicing premeditation malorum, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.List your product on AppSumo between September 15th - November 17th and the first 400 offers to go live will receive $1000, the next 2000 to list a product get $250. And everyone who lists gets entered to be one of 10 lucky winners of $10k! Go to https://appsumo.com/ryanholiday to list your product today and cash in on this amazing dea
Courage Is Calling | Going Beyond The Call
On today’s special episode of the podcast, Ryan reads a chapter from his newest book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave. Opening the 3rd and final section of the book “Going Beyond The Call” details the incredible heroism of the 300 Spartans at the battle of Thermopylae. This audiobook is published by Penguin Random House Audio.Grab a signed copy of Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave at the Daily Stoic Store or pick up a copy anywhere books or audiobooks are sold. Sign u
Michael Dell on Calculating Risk and Playing Nice But Winning
Ryan talks to founder and CEO of one of America’s largest technology companies Michael Dell about his new book Play Nice But Win: A CEO's Journey from Founder to Leader, the balance between trusting yourself and trusting the opinions of experts, focusing on what you can control, and more. Michael Dell is chairman and chief executive officer of Dell Technologies, an innovator and technology leader providing the essential infrastructure for organizations to build their digital future, transfo
This is the Struggle
Ryan explains what the Stoics can teach us about controlling our emotions when it matters most, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Why Aren’t You Virtue Signaling? | Not Good, Nor Bad
Ryan discusses the paradoxical nature of our cultures negative view of virtue signaling, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.List your product on AppSumo between September 15th - November 17th and the first 400 offers to go live will receive $1000, the next 2000 to list a product get $250. And everyone who lists gets entered to be one of 10 lucky winners of $10k! Go to https://appsumo.com/ryanholiday to list your product today and cash in on this amazing
Dr. Kara Cooney on the Power Strategies of the Ancient World | This Is The Secret To Stoicism
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to author and Egyptologist Dr. Kara Cooney about her new book The Good Kings: Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World, the use of short term thinking and long term thinking as tools to gain power, ancient strategies that were used to gain and maintain power, and more.Dr. Kara Cooney is a professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture at UCLA. Specializing in craft production, coffin studies, and economies in the ancient world, Cooney receive
If You Stay Ready, You Don’t Have To Get Ready
Ryan talks about the vitality of always being prepared for what comes your way, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It Can Happen To You | Accepting What Is
Ryan explains why being prepared is so essential, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.List your product on AppSumo between September 15th - November 17th and the first 400 offers to go live will receive $1000, the next 2000 to list a product get $250. And everyone who lists gets entered to be one of 10 lucky winners of $10k! Go to https://appsumo.com/ryanholiday to list your product today and cash in on this amazing deal.Sign up for the D
Why You Should Re-Read, Not Just Read Books
The Stoics were not only avid readers, but also avid re-readers. In this video, Ryan Holiday explains why we should re-read the books we love or those that have had a big impact on us. For more on how to get more out of your reading, check out http://dailystoic.com/readJoin Daily Stoic’s Read to Lead Challenge: http://dailystoic.com/readSign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.co...
Powerlifter Stefi Cohen on Self-Mastery and Visualizing Negative Outcomes
On today’s episode of the podcast, Ryan talks to powerlifter and boxer Stefi Cohen about how she got involved in weightlifting after immigrating to the U.S. from Venezuela, the incremental difference between just being great and being world class, her decision to transition from powerlifting to boxing, and more.Stefi Cohen is a 25x world-record-holding powerlifter and the first woman in the history of the sport to deadlift 4.4x her body weight. She is a doctor of physical therapy, author, co-hos
What Have You Done?
Ryan asks you to question what kind of an impact you’re having on the world, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The Best Way To Arm Yourself | We Were Made For Each Other
Ryan talks about way to prepare and act in the face of immorality, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.List your product on AppSumo between September 15th - November 17th and the first 400 offers to go live will receive $1000, the next 2000 to list a product get $250. And everyone who lists gets entered to be one of 10 lucky winners of $10k! Go to https://appsumo.com/ryanholiday to list your product today and cash in on this amazing deal.Sign up for the D
Ali Abdaal on the Keys to Productivity and Re-Defining Success | Take This Motto To Heart
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to YouTuber Ali Abdaal about his journey from going to medical school to become a doctor to becoming a full time YouTuber and entrepreneur, what the Stoic definition of success actually looks like, staying productive and getting your life organized, and more.Ali Abdaal is a YouTuber, Podcaster and co-founder of 6med, best known for his videos on his youtube channel surrounding studying/revision techniques and productivity related content. His YouTube
You Own Nothing
Ryan explains the reality of all of the possessions you pile up, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
You Have To Lead Yourself First | Build Up, Don’t Tear Down
Ryan discusses why you can’t lead others if you’re not prepared, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.List your product on AppSumo between September 15th - November 17th and the first 400 offers to go live will receive $1000, the next 2000 to list a product get $250. And everyone who lists gets entered to be one of 10 lucky winners of $10k! Go to https://appsumo.com/ryanholiday to list your product today and cash in on this amazing deal.Si
10 Stoic Choices You Can Make Today (To Get Better)
On today’s podcast Ryan gives you 10 Stoic inspired choices that you can make today to live a better life. The single most important practice in Stoic philosophy is differentiating between what we can change and what we can’t. What we have influence over and what we do not. The same is true for us today. If we can focus on making clear what parts of our day are within our control and what parts are not, we will not only be happier, we will have a distinct advantage over other people who fai
Nick Palmisciano on the Crisis in Afghanistan and Serving the Common Good
On today’s podcast Ryan talks to Nick Palmisciano about his recent trip to Afghanistan to help rescue American interpreters, the philosophical implications of practicing Brazilian jujitsu, his journey after leaving the military and becoming an entrepreneur, and more.Nick Palmisciano is the CEO of Diesel Jack Media, a full-service marketing agency. Nick is also the Vice President and one of four founding board members of Save Our Allies, an effort that rescued 12,000 refugees in the final 10 days
There Have Always Been Haters (and Always Will Be)
Ryan talks about why you can’t let critics paralyze you, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Ask Yourself This Question About every Thought | Heroes, Here And Now
Ryan explains why you should always think through your impressions before you act on them, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.List your product on AppSumo between September 15th - November 17th and the first 400 offers to go live will receive $1000, the next 2000 to list a product get $250. And everyone who lists gets entered to be one of 10 lucky winners of $10k! Go to https://appsumo.com/ryanholiday to list your product today and cash in on this amazin
Steven Pinker on the Pursuit of Rationality | Never Wish Away A Minute of Your Life
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to author Steven Pinker about his new book Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters, the importance of pursuing effective altruism, the responsibility of institutions to protect the common good, and more.Steven Pinker is an experimental cognitive psychologist and a popular writer on language, mind, and human nature. Pinker is the Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, and his academic specializations are v
Legacy Is Not For You
Ryan discusses what actually matters in life, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This Is How To Become Wise | Make Honesty Your Only Policy
Ryan explains how you should think about the process of learning, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
12 (Stoic) Questions That Will Change Your Life
On today’s episode of the podcast Ryan gives you 12 Questions that will change your life. Gathered from some of the wisest philosophers, most incisive thinkers, greatest leaders and most awesome badasses that ever lived. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/X5JwF5pwR34Novo is the #1 Business Banking App - because it’s built from the ground up to be powerfully simple and free business banking that Money Magazine called the Best Business Checking Account of 2021. Novo makes banking easy and secu
David Rubenstein on Patriot Philanthropy and the Value of History
Ryan talks to American billionaire businessman David Rubenstein about his new book The American Experiment: Dialogues on a Dream, learning from past historical figures' successes and from their mistakes, his original concept of patriotic philanthropy and giving back after coming from a middle class family, his thoughts on finding enough and finding peace in success, and more. David Mark Rubenstein is an American billionaire businessman. Former government official and lawyer. A Co-Founder an
You Can’t Put Things Off
Ryan explains why you must create a sense of urgency and clarity in your life, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
If You Can’t Stand The Heat… | Don’t Get Mad, Help
Ryan explains why you can’t let the external world define your perspective, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.LinkedIn Jobs is the best platform for finding the right candidate to join your business this fall. It’s the largest marketplace for job seekers in the world, and it has great search features so that you can find candidates with any hard or soft skills that you need. And now, you can post a job for free. Just visit linkedin.com/STOIC to post a j
Robert Greene on the Power of Daily Practice | You Have To See Both
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to bestselling author Robert Greene about his new book The Daily Laws: 366 Meditations on Power, Seduction, Mastery, Strategy, and Human Nature, the process of writing some of his bestselling books, how to have courage in the modern world, and more. Robert Greene is an American author known for his books on strategy, power, and seduction. He has written six international bestsellers: The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies
You Must Study These Laws
Ryan discusses the importance of modeling your life after those who have come before you, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Get your copy of Robert Greene’s new book The Daily Laws at The Painted Porch BookshopSign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
When the World Caves In… | Practice Love
Ryan discusses the reliability of Stoicism during tough times, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
How Stoicism Can Help You Persevere and Succeed
On today’s podcast Ryan speaks to a group of entrepreneurs about one of the biggest threats they will face in pursuing their goals: themselves. Our egos can stunt us, alienate us, tarnish our successes and deepen our failures, which is why it is so maligned by the Stoics.Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOvvZBPcF_IThe Jordan Harbinger Show is one of the most interesting podcasts on the web, with guests like Kobe Bryant, Mark Manson, Eric Schmidt, and more. Listen to one of Ryan
Major General Dan Caine on Becoming a Great Leader
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to Major General Dan Caine about the importance of defining success before you set out to try to solve a problem, the responsibility of leaders to be as prepared as possible, the ineffectiveness of holding others to the standards you hold yourself to, becoming a lifelong student of leadership, and more.Maj. Gen. J. Daniel Caine is the Director of Special Programs and the Department of Defense Special Access Program Central Office (DoD SAPCO), the Pentagon, Arlingto
Who Are You Studying Under?
Ryan explains the importance of studying great men and women who came before you, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Make A’s in a few things | A Selfish Reason To Be Good
Ryan discusses how you can get better at what you do by doing less, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Cometeer partners with the best locally owned roasters in the world and through their breakthrough brewing technology, provides a delicious, high-quality, balanced cup of coffee for a fraction of the price. For a limited time, you can save 20 Dollars off your first order - that’s 10 free cups on your first order, and shipping is always free - but only w
Kate Bowler on Memento Mori and Falling in Love with Fate | This Decision—This Process—Will Change Your Life
Ryan reads today’s meditation and talks to author and professor Kate Bowler about her recent book Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved, her battle after being unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, the similarities between hope and fear, the importance of stillness, how the prospect of death concentrates the mind, and more.Kate Bowler, PhD is a New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and a professor at Duke University. She studies the cultural stories we tell
You Have To Be Firm… But Not Rude
Ryan explains how to balance the discipline and poor bahavior, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This Is the Greatest Thing | Practice Silence
Ryan discusses the vitality of stillness and reflection that philosophy demands of us, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast. Novo is the #1 Business Banking App - because it’s built from the ground up to be powerfully simple and free business banking that Money Magazine called the Best Business Checking Account of 2021. Novo makes banking easy and secure - you can manage your account in Novo’s customizable web, android, and iOS apps with b
How Stoicism Can Help You Be Brave (7 Practical Tips)
Ryan Holiday’s newest book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave is out today! Check it out at https://dailystoic.com/courageiscallingIn a world in which fear runs rampant—when people would rather stand on the sidelines than speak out against injustice, go along with convention than bet on themselves, and turn a blind eye to the ugly realities of modern life—we need courage more than ever. We need the courage of whistleblowers and risk takers. We need the courage of activists and adventur
Rabbi Mordecai Finley on the Value of Rationality
On today’s podcast Ryan talks to Rabbi Mordecai Finley about what he learned from his encounter with an active shooter at the LAX airport in 1978, what our obligation to the common good looks like in the modern world, the Stoic’s obligation to remaining rational and responsible within society, and more. Rabbi Mordecai Finley is the rabbi and co-CEO of Ohr HaTorah Synagogue. He co-founded the synagogue with his wife Meirav Finley in 1993. Rabbi Finley integrates into his counse
The Gift Of Having To Start Over
Ryan explains the other-side of the disorder and devastation that has come from the pandemic, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave is out now! You can still get the preorder bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorderSign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Noti
Why Are We Still Talking About This? | You Can’t Touch Me
Ryan why we must be continually reminded of our duty to the common good, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave is out today! You can still get the preorder bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/preorderLadder makes the process of getting life insurance quick and easy. To apply, you only need a phone or laptop and a few minutes of time. Ladder’s algorithms work quickly a
Stephen Hanselman on Pursuing Virtue and Redefining Courage | How Are You Going To Be?
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to his agent and writing partner Stephen Hanselman (The Daily Stoic, Lives of The Stoics) about how they both got introduced to Stoic philosophy, how his new book Courage Is Calling and the Stoic Virtues series came about, how true excellence cannot be achieved without the 4 virtues, and more.Stephen Hanselman has worked for over three decades in publishing as a bookseller, publisher and literary agent. He is a graduate of Harvard Divinity S
Prepare Yourself To Answer The Call | Courage Is Calling: Preface & Introduction
Ryan explains why you must be prepared when you are called upon, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave is out today! You can still get the preorder bonuses at https://dailystoic.com/courageiscallingSign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art1
The World Wants To Know | Pain Is Self-Inflicted Harm
Ryan explains how we should think about courage, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave comes out tomorrow - you can still preorder it at https://dailystoic.com/preorderAppSumois the best way to automate all of the busywork that comes with running a business, so you can boost your productivity, scale beyond your skillset, and focus on what matters most to you
Exclusive Preview: Courage Is Calling | Don’t Be Deterred by Difficulties
On today’s special episode of the podcast, Ryan reads a chapter from his newest book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave which is available for pre-order now. If you pre-order the book before September 28, 2021 you can get exciting pre-order bonuses (you could even have dinner with Ryan at his bookstore in Bastrop, TX).BUY 1 COPY: TWO full bonus chapters that Ryan wanted to get into the book but couldn't fit, an extended bibliography of the books that went into the making of this book,
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman on Having the Courage to Doing the Right Thing
On today’s episode of the podcast Ryan speaks with Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman about his book Here, Right Matters, the difference between physical and moral courage, the importance of cultivating perspective and confidence, how one individual can change the course of history, and more.Alexander Semyon Vindman is a retired United States Army lieutenant colonel who was the Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council (NSC) until he was reassigned on February 7, 2020
You Have The Power
Ryan discusses the innate power that resides within us all, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Pre-orders are available for Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave - check it out at https://dailystoic.com/preorderSign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-inf
This is All You Need | The Most Secure Fortress
Ryan explains why the desire to preserve and keep going is all that we need, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Pre-orders are available for Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave - check it out at https://dailystoic.com/preorderLinkedIn Jobs is the best platform for finding the right candidate to join your business this fall. It’s the largest marketplace for job seekers in the world, and it has great search f
Coach Bob Bowman on Balancing Stillness and Excellence | You Have To Earn That Trust
Pre-orders are available for Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave - check it out at https://dailystoic.com/preorderRyan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Bob Bowman, who is best known as the coach of 23-time Olympic gold medalist American swimmer Michael Phelps, about how athletes can maintain stillness while still performing at a high level of excellence, the importance of preparation and how to lean on your training, finding the balance
What We Accept, and What We Must Never Accept
Ryan explains why why we must do everything we can to change injustice when we see it, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Pre-orders are available for Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave - check it out at https://dailystoic.com/preorderSign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com
You Must Be Willing To Stand Alone | On Handling Haters
Ryan explains why no matter the circumstances courage is always required, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Pre-orders are available for Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave - check it out at https://dailystoic.com/preorderSign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy
How to Be More Courageous With Stoicism (7 Tips)
Pre-orders are available for Ryan Holiday’s new book "Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave" at https://dailystoic.com/preorderAlmost every religion, spiritual practice, philosophy and person grapples with fear. The most repeated phrase in the Bible is “Be not afraid.” The ancient Greeks spoke of phobos, panic and terror. It is natural to feel fear, the Stoics believed, but it cannot rule you. Courage, then, is the ability to rise above fear, to do what’s right, to do what’s needed, to do
Professor Jo Lukito on the Rise of Misinformation
On today’s episode of the podcast, Ryan talks to Jo Lukito about her research on trading up the chain and the spread of misinformation, the difference between disinformation and misinformation and the importance of the distinction, the tragedy of the social media giant’s lack of response to helping resolve this issue, and more.Josephine ("Jo") Lukito is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism and Media (in the Moody College of Communication). Her ongoin
You Need To Be That Bright Spot
Ryan explains why doing the right thing matters even when it seems like no one else is, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This is Why You're Upset | Anyone Can Get Lucky, Not Everyone Can Persevere
Ryan explains why legacy is for everyone else not for you, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Pre-orders are available for Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave - check it out at https://dailystoic.com/preorderDECKED truck bed tool boxes and cargo van storage systems revolutionize organization with a heavy-duty in-vehicle storage system featuring slide out toolboxes. DECKED makes organizing, accessing, protec
Author Adam Rubin on Creativity and Pursuing Your Passion | Did It Make You Better
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Adam Rubin about his newest book High Five, taking the leap from being a part time artist to being a full time artist, the magic that is being able to express yourself creatively, following your destiny and inspiring others to do the same, and more.Adam Rubin is a #1 New York Times best selling author of children's books. His books have sold over one million copies. Rubin graduated from Washington University in St. Louis where he studied advertisi
The Whiplash is Your Fault
Ryan discusses how much control you have over your response, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Pre-orders are available for Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave - check it out at https://dailystoic.com/preorderSign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-in
Just A Few Seconds Of Courage | A New Way To Pray
Ryan explains how a few seconds can define so much of your life, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Pre-orders are available for Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave - check it out at https://dailystoic.com/preorderSign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Cali
New Book Preview: Courage Is Calling | You Must Burn The White Flag
On today’s special episode of the podcast, Ryan reads a chapter from his newest book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave which is available for pre-order now. If you pre-order the book before September 28, 2021 you can get exciting pre-order bonuses (you could even have dinner with Ryan at his bookstore in Bastrop, TX).BUY 1 COPY: TWO full bonus chapters that Ryan wanted to get into the book but couldn't fit, an extended bibliography of the books that went into the making of this book,
Bobby Hall (Logic) on Turning Pain Into Prosperity
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to recording artist Bobby Hall (known professionally as Logic) about his new memoir This Bright Future, defining what enough is for yourself, the stigma of speaking out about mental health, dealing with pain and struggle in an expressive and creative way, and more. Bobby Hall, known professionally as Logic, is an American rapper and record producer. He has released six studio albums and received two Grammy Award nominations. Logic achieved mainstream popularit
You Can’t Go Out Like This
Ryan explains why we all need what you have to offer and why you should believe in the value that you bring to the world, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.If you or someone you know is in a mental health crisis and you live in the USA, please call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline today.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pr...
You Are Not Seeing The Whole Picture | Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself
Ryan explains why legacy is for everyone else not for you, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Blinkist is the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction books out there. Blinkist lets you get the topline information and the most important points from the most important nonfiction books out there, whether it’s Ryan’s own The Daily Stoic, Yuval Harari’s Sapiens, and more. Go to blinkist.com/stoic, try it free for 7 days, and save 25%
Author Tom Nichols on the Assault on Modern Democracy
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Tom Nichols about his new book Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault from within on Modern Democracy, how to bridge the gap between detailed knowledge and the public conversation, what it means to take your responsibilities as a citizen seriously, and more.Tom Nichols is Professor of National Security Affairs, US Naval War College, a columnist for USA Today, and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. He is the author of The Death of Expertise and is al
How Are You Using Your Platform?
Ryan challenges you to think about how you are using the voice that you were given, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Pre-orders are available for Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave - check it out at https://dailystoic.com/preorderSign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/pr
Nothing Is Possible Without This | A Hard Winter Training
Ryan explains why the virtue of courage is essential no matter what you do, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Pre-orders are available for Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave - check it out at https://dailystoic.com/preorderBlinkist is the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction books out there. Blinkist lets you get the topline information and the most important
50 (Short) Rules For Life From The Stoics
Ryan Holiday defines 50 rules for life from the Stoics, gathered from their immense body of work across two thousand years. These rules functioned, then, as now, as guides to what the ancients called “the good life.” Hopefully some of them will illuminate your own path.DECKED truck bed tool boxes and cargo van storage systems revolutionize organization with a heavy-duty in-vehicle storage system featuring slide out toolboxes. DECKED makes organizing, accessing, protecting, and securing everythin
Little Rock Nine Member Ernest Green on Creating an Atmosphere of Change
On today’s podcast Ryan talks to Ernest Green about his experience as one of the first African-American students to integrate at Little Rock Central High School in 1957, why we should strive to disprove backwards thinking, how we must change as a country, and more.Ernest Green is one of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students who, in 1957, were the first black students ever to attend classes at Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Green was the first Afric
These Are The People Watching Out For You
Ryan explains why we should thank the people who put their lives on the line for our freedom, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This Is Worse Than Death | The Philosopher’s School Is A Hospital
Ryan explains why the Stoics have always given their lives for what they believe in, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Blinkist is the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction books out there. Blinkist lets you get the topline information and the most important points from the most important nonfiction books out there, whether it’s Ryan’s own The Daily Stoic, Yuval Harari’s Sapiens, and more. Go to blinkist.com/stoic, try it fre
Brad Stulberg on the Practice of Groundedness | They Are Us And We Are Them
Ryan reads today’s meditation and talks to author Brad Stulberg about his new book The Practice of Groundedness which you can pre-order at https://www.bradstulberg.com/tpogpreorder, how the path to peak performance is inevitably tied to compulsive behavior, practical steps to alleviate the anxiety that comes with the lifelong pursuit of greatness, and more.Brad Stulberg researches, writes, and coaches on human performance, sustainable success, and well-being. He is bestselling author of the book
Nothing Is Unusual
Ryan explains why nothing should surprise a Stoic, on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This Choice Is Everything | A Cure For Procrastination
Ryan explains discusses the choice that will decide your fate, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Pre-orders are available for Ryan Holiday’s new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave - check it out at https://dailystoic.com/preorderAppSumo is the best way to automate all of the busywork that comes with running a business, so you can boost your productivity, scale beyond your skillset, and focus on what ma
Time Management Strategies From the Stoics
On today’s episode of the podcast Ryan talks about the different time management strategies that come to us from the Stoics. LMNT is the maker of electrolyte drink mixes that help you stay active at home, work, the gym, or anywhere else. Electrolytes are a key part of a happy, healthy body. As a listener of this show, you can receive a free LMNT Sample Pack for only $5 for shipping. To claim this exclusive deal you must go to drinkLMNT.com/dailystoic. If you don’t love it, they will refund
Sharon Lebell on Epictetus and Rescuing Philosophy from the Philosophers
On today’s episode of the podcast Ryan talks to Sharon Lebell about her translation of Epictetus – The Art Of Living, the imbalance in the Stoic writings concerning gender roles, why we should take philosophy back from the philosophers, and more. GiveWell is the best site for figuring out how and where to donate your money to have the greatest impact. If you’ve never donated to GiveWell’s recommended charities before, you can have your donation matched up to $1,000 before the end of June or
You May Have To Do This
Ryan explains the resistance that you are likely to face during your life.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Compete With Yourself And Root For Everybody Else | Seeking Out Shipwrecks
Ryan explains how you turn the words and phrases you come across into actions, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Ladder makes the process of getting life insurance quick and easy. To apply, you only need a phone or laptop and a few minutes of time. Ladder’s algorithms work quickly and you’ll find out almost immediately if you’re approved. Go to ladderlife.com/stoic to see if you’re instantly approved today.Sign
MLB Pitcher Scott Oberg on Overcoming Adversity with Stoicism | Will You Answer the Call?
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and launches the pre-order for his new book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave which you can check out at https://dailystoic.com/preorderToday’s interview with MLB relief pitcher Scott Oberg focuses on how an athletes career can be cut short in an instant, how Stoicism has helped Scott overcome physical and mental adversity, and why maintaining a positive outlook is important not only for yourself but for those around you. DECKED truck bed tool
You Have Not Been Harmed
“The last year has been rough. It’s not how any of us would have chosen for things to go. Working from home. Cancelled trips. No unnecessary trips to the store, no concerts, no weddings or parties. Lost time with older loved ones—maybe even lost loved ones.”Ryan explains how your life is rooted in what you learn by experience.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy an
Make Sure You Write Down Everything Interesting That You Find | Just Say No to Future Misery
“When he was young, James Mattis hitchhiked to San Francisco to meet Eric Hoffer, the philosopher most famous for his book, The True Believer, and as Mattis said, “Eric was the one who told me, ‘Make sure you write down everything interesting you find,’ and I have ever since.”Ryan explains how you turn the words and phrases you come across into actions, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.GiveWell is the best site for figuring out how and
Ryan Holiday on America’s missing Statue of Responsibility
“THE STATUE OF LIBERTY was a gift from France to America, commemorating the two nations’ friendship and shared love of freedom. Completed in 1886, it marked one of the world’s first, successful crowdfunding projects. The famous poem “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus, mounted in bronze inside the pedestal (“Give me your tired, your poor / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”), was written for the campaign. Over $100,000 was raised from more than 120,000 donors, including schoolchildr
Megan Phelps-Roper on Radicalization and Redemption
On today’s episode of the podcast, Ryan talks to former Westboro Baptist Church member Megan Phelps-Roper about her experiences growing up in the church, the problem of radicalization in society and modern institutions, considering the individual perspectives of the people who we disagree with, and more. Megan Phelps-Roper is an American political activist who was formerly a member of, and spokesperson for, the Westboro Baptist Church. Phelps-Roper left the church in 2012 after she was unab
These Conversations Are How You Learn
“In times of clickbait and divisiveness, of the filter bubble and superficiality, one medium of communication has continued to grow exponentially: podcasts. On the one hand, this is a new technology. Recording equipment, bandwidth, the ubiquity of smartphones has made the proliferation of these longform conversations possible.”Ryan explains why you must spend time doing this in order to truly gain knowledge.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitt
It's Not Unfair, It Just Is | Corralling The Unnecessary
“It’s amazing how often we find ourselves using these words. Words like “unfair,” “unlucky,” “frustrating,” “unfortunate,” “annoying,” “inconvenient”Ryan explains the fundamental Stoic practice of recognizing events as indifferent, not just talk about it, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Blinkist is the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction books out there. Blinkist lets you get the topline information and the most impo
Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson on Building Resilience and Communicating Effectively | It's About What You Make of It
Ryan reads today’s meditation and has another conversation with Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson about their new book What Do You Say?: How to Talk with Kids to Build Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home, experiencing adversity and developing resilience, why we should look at the last year as a gift that can improve our lives rather than a burden, how to teach kids to find purpose and control in their own lives, and more. Ned Johnson is the president and founder of PrepMatters.
How To Teach and How to Learn
“Tim Duncan is likely the great power forward in the history of the NBA. Five titles. Three NBA Finals MVPs. Fifteen All-star appearances. Fifteen All-NBA Team selections. Fifteen NBA All-Defensive Team selections. And he did it with a selflessness and poise that is almost unmatched.”Ryan explains why living your philosophy is so important.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.
Notice The Reminders | Always Ask Yourself This Question
“Everytime you cut your hair. Every time you trim your nails. Every time you have to replace an old shirt or a worn out pair of running shoes, take note. Take note of what they symbolize.”Ryan explains why you should embrace the reality of your mortality, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Blinkist is the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction books out there. Blinkist lets you get the topline information and t
The Lancer Brigade’s Leadership Experience - Ryan Holiday in Conversation with Col. Jonathan Chung
Today’s episode of the podcast is a conversation with Lancer Brigade’s Col. Jonathan Chung and Ryan Holiday which originally aired on The Leadership Experience Podcast. They talk about the Stoic concept of alive time vs. dead time that was originally introduced to Ryan from his mentor Robert Greene, what it means to see obstacles as opportunities, why things shouldn't go “back to normal” when the threat of COVID-19 has dissapted, and more. \DECKED truck bed tool boxes and cargo van storage syste
NASCAR Champion Brad Keselowski on Reaching Your Maximum Potential
On today’s episode of the podcast, Ryan talks to NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski about the intricacies of stock car racing, how to build endurance and become great at whatever you do, how to lead and build a team that consistently produces results, and more.Bradley Aaron Keselowski is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 2 Ford Mustang GT for Team Penske. Keselowski, who began his NASCAR career in 2004, is the second of o
This is Where You’re Supposed To Be
“We all feel pulled. To do more. To go more places. To make more progress. We are dogged by the constant worry we’re in the wrong place, doing the wrong thing—or rather, there is somewhere else, somewhere better that we could, that we should, be.”Ryan explains why you must embrace the present moment. Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy
What Are You Doing? | Make The Words Your Own
“We find ourselves baffled by our politicians. By our bosses. By our leaders. Why don’t they do something? Why can’t they just do the right thing? Why are they always putting profits over people? Why do they always hedge their bets?”Ryan explains why you must practice this philosophy, not just talk about it, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Athletic Greens is a custom formulation of 75 vitamins, minerals, and other whole-food sourced ingredients that m
Venture Capitalist Brad Feld on How Nietzsche Empowers the Entrepreneur | This Must Be Done Daily
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Venture Capitalist and Author Brad Feld about his new book The Entrepreneur’s Weekly Nietzsche: A Book for Disruptors, the common misinterpretation of Nietzsche’s philosophy and life, why entrepreneurs have to focus attention inward toward self-improvement, and more. Brad Feld is an American entrepreneur, author, blogger, and venture capitalist at Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado, a firm he started with partners Seth Levine, Ryan M
Labels Make You Worse
“It’s an interesting fact. Not once in any of his writings or speeches, let alone Meditations, does Marcus Aurelius call himself a Stoic. Other people may have applied the label to him, but he never identified with it. Never saw the need. ”Ryan discusses why you must take things as they are. Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice a
Why Are You Surprised? | What Little Wins Can You Find
“In June of 2001, Paul Wolfowitz, then U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, addressed the cadets at West Point. While the speech he gave was not itself a historical moment, one remark in it would go down in history. Because it was one of those quotes that history would, in retrospect, make particularly poignant, if not outright ironic.”Ryan explains why you should never be caught unprepared, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for th
Seneca on Being
Today’s episode is an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. In this letter Seneca writes about the ethereal nature of human existence, how time is constantly moving life forward, why we should take advantage of the time that we have here, and more. Go to tim.blog/seneca to get the PDF for free.The Jordan Harbinger Show is one of the most interesting podcasts on the web, with guests like Kobe Bryant, Mark Manson, Eric Schmidt, and more. Listen to one of Ryan's episodes ri
Journalist Oliver Burkeman on Making the Most of the Time That We Have
On today’s episode of the podcast, Ryan talks to journalist and author Oliver Burkeman about his new book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals which releases August 10th, practicing the Stoic concept of memento mori, facing the harsh state of the reality that surrounds us, and more. Oliver Burkeman is a British journalist (principally for the British newspaper The Guardian) and writer. Between 2006 and 2020 Burkeman wrote a popular weekly column on psychology, This Column Will C
You Have To Be Able To See Both Ways
“There’s no question Marcus Aurelius had a cynical eye. This was deliberate. He looked out over a feast and ignored the culinary temptations to notice “the dead body of a fish, this the dead body of a bird or pig.” He tried to strip things “of the legend that encrusts them” to get to the raw truth, and to conquer his appetites and his urges in the process.”Ryan explains why you must take a hard look at the reality around you. Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFo
You Need To Police Your Side of the Street | Silence Is Strength
“There’s no question that there are extremists on both sides of any meaningful divide. That there are liars and frauds on both sides. That there are abuses on both sides. That both sides are preposterously wrong about things that are glaringly obvious to you, and frustratingly right about things that are not. This is true wherever you live, whatever issues you’re talking about. ”Ryan explains why you should worry about your own problems before you worry about others, and reads The Daily Stoic’s
Los Angeles Rams GM Les Snead on Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing | Think About This
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Los Angeles Rams GM Les Snead about the cultural pillars of the Rams organization, making tough decisions under intense pressure, ignoring the short term incentives and the noise that comes along with his profession, and more.Les Snead is an American football executive who is the general manager of the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League. Snead played tight end for Auburn from 1992-93 and was part of the Tigers’ perfect 11-0 team in 1
If You Can Do This, Every Moment Will Be Wonderful
Ryan explains why you should meditate on your mortality.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Important Things Are Simple | A Week Without Complaining
“It’s hard to be an academic who specializes in Stoicism. Because the philosophy is so complex? On the contrary. Stoicism is a difficult choice for tenure because it’s so simple. The Stoics say what they mean and they say it clearly.”Ryan discusses the beauty of simplicity, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Priv
7 Life Changing Stoic Ideas That You Can Practice Daily
Stoicism is a practical philosophy, which means it is made to be PRACTICED. In this podcast, Ryan discusses 7 key ideas of Stoicism that will help you develop a daily practice and respond to challenging situations in your life. Stoicism provides exercises to help manage stress, excessive thought, anger, depression, worry, and other destructive mindstates. Stoic practices can help develop a sense of inner peace and calmWatch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0lmSRCSGIU&t=12sSi
Author Clint Smith and the History We Decide to See
On today’s episode of the podcast, Ryan talks to author and poet Clint Smith about his new book How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery, the struggle to remove confederate monuments throughout the Southern United States, how to make sense of the absurd lies that have been generationally passed down since slavery was abolished, and more.Clint Smith III is an American writer, poet and scholar. He is the author of Counting Descent, a 2017 poetry collection, and How the Word
Not All Leaders Are Stoics, But All Stoics Are Leaders
“There was a famous exchange between the Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus and the King of Syria. The king traveled to ask Musonius, ‘Is it appropriate for a leader to study philosophy?’”Ryan explains why leaders must study philosophy and constantly be striving to get better.The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge is a masterclass in leadership with the cadence and rigor of a boot camp. It is also a live course, which means all participants will join the course together and move through together at
Now Is The Time To Be Kind | A Cure For The Self
“The thing about stress and stuggle is that it hardens us. It makes us turn inward. With more than expected on our plate we have less time, less patience, less sympathy for others.”Ryan explains that the highest goal is not to be perfect but just to improve, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge is a masterclass in leadership with the cadence and rigor of a boot camp. It is also a live course, which means all participant
Chris Bosh on the Pursuit of Greatness | Do You Make Others Better?
Ryan reads today’s meditation and talks to Chris Bosh about his new book Letters To A Young Athlete, how you never really “make it” in life, the importance of putting everything into what you do even when it’s tough, and more. This episode was originally recorded for a Barnes and Noble Virtual Event.Chris Bosh fell in love with basketball at an early age and earned the prestigious “Mr. Basketball” title while still at Lincoln High School in Dallas, Texas. A McDonald’s All-American, Bosh was sele
Advice Without This is Worthless
“Why is stoicism worth listening to? Because it's battle tested. What good are theories about the world that are just that, theories. Philosophy from the ivory tower might be good for blowing minds, but as far as solving problems in the real world, much less. So even in Marcus Aurelius his day, there was a suspicion of pen and ink philosophers.”Ryan explains why you must practice your philosophy not just talk about it.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Inst
Leaders Are Made Not Born | Keeping “The News” In Check
“Marcus Aurelius did not come out of the womb a leader. Nor was he an emperor ‘by blood.’ In fact, when first told he was to be king, he wept--thinking of all the bad and failed kings of history.”Ryan explains how becoming a great leader is a process, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.If you want to become a better leader, sign up for our new 9-week live course The Daily Stoic Leadership Challenge today! This is a masterclass in leaders
Finding Calm – Chapter 3 from Nancy Sherman’s “Stoic Wisdom”
Today’s episode of the podcast features an excerpt from Nancy Sherman’s Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience. Stoic Wisdom presents a compelling, modern Stoicism that teaches grit, resilience, and the importance of close relationships in addressing life's biggest and smallest challenges. A renowned expert in ancient and modern ethics, Sherman relates how Stoic methods of examining beliefs and perceptions can help us correct distortions in what we believe, see, and feel. LMNT
Journalist Edward-Isaac Dovere on the Soul of America
On today’s episode of the podcast, Ryan talks to journalist and author Edward-Isaac Dovere about his new book Battle for the Soul: Inside the Democrats' Campaigns to Defeat Trump, being courageous and fighting for what’s right, how to ignore the noise and focus on the things that truly matter, and more. Edward-Isaac Dovere is an American journalist who serves as staff writer for The Atlantic and former Chief Washington Correspondent for Politico.LMNT is the maker of electrolyte drink mixes
Don't Stuff Emotions Down
“The popular image of the Stoic is of the unfeeling beast. The tough person, gritting, gutting, it out. But this is wrong.”Ryan explains why you must let yourself feel.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Perfect Is Not The Goal | No One Has A Gun To Your Head
“In martial arts, the black belt is the highest level of the master. In religion, perhaps it’s the priest or even the saint. You can get a doctorate in philosophy, but that’s not really what the Stoics admired.”Ryan explains that the highest goal is not to be perfect but just to improve, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Author Phillip Barlag on Roman History’s Lessons for Modern Life | This is Where Your Temper Will Take You
Ryan reads today’s meditation and talks to author Phillip Barlag about the life and reign of the Roman Emperor Nero, the lessons that we can learn from Roman history, why Marcus Aurelius was selected by the emperor Hadrian, and more. Phillip Barlag is the author of The Leadership Genius of Julius Caesar, a book exploring the modern lessons of the life & career of Julius Caesar. His writing has been published in Fast Company, MIT Sloan Management Review, and a number of influential business b
Keep Returning Home
“You’ve experienced it. Maybe it was after your first semester away at college. Maybe it was after a long trip or a year-long tour of duty. Maybe it’s every time you return to your childhood home for the holidays.”Ryan explains how nature and life revolve around constant change.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
You Don’t Need To Be So Reachable | Practice Gentleness Instead of Anger
“Before telephones, before email, before the constant and instant forms of communication we all take for granted, mail was the lifeline of the world. When a mail ship would pull into port in Seneca’s time, anxious and eager citizens would rush to the shore so that they could tear open the letters that brought news and money and the answers to the questions they had sent.”Ryan explains why Stillness is the key, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic
10 Pieces of Life Changing Wisdom From the Stoics
On today’s episode, Ryan breaks down 10 pieces of life changing wisdom from the Stoics. Stoicism has never been a philosophy for school. It's been a philosophy for life. That’s why the Stoic writings are blunt. Straight to the point. They get in, make their point in as few words as possible, and get out of your way. Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsv6P3Crup8&t=47sBlinkist is the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction books out there. Blinkist
NFL Cornerback Jeff Okudah on Achieving Greatness
On today’s episode of the podcast Ryan talks to NFL cornerback Jeff Okudah about how to manage high expectations and criticism, how to recover from injury and over-training, why reading is so important and how books can change your life, and more. Jeff Okudah is an American football cornerback for the Detroit Lions of the NFL. He played college football at Ohio State, where he was named a unanimous All-American and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award in 2019 before being selected by the Lions th
Can You Handle This?
“You did the right thing. You said what you thought. You produced something valuable. Yet here you are, a day, a month, a decade later, somehow having it all flipped against you. You’re being criticized. You’re being attacked. You’re being made to look like something you’re not. It’s painful. It’s unfair.”Ryan asks if you’re ready and willing to face what is to come.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
There's Two Ways To Go | Doing The Right Thing Is Enough
“As Caesar overwhelmed and destroyed the Roman Republic, the Romans had a choice. Neither choice was good, but it was all they had. They could allow it to happen or they could fight. They could ‘accept the bridle,’ as Plutarch put it, and with some humiliation, keep their estates and their status and their life...or they could fight, desperately, hopelessly, against overwhelming odds.”Ryan explains why standing up for what matters is so important, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on
Dave Asprey on Fasting and Optimizing Your Life | You Just Had A Scare
Ryan reads today’s meditation and talks to Dave Asprey about his new book Fast This Way, the benefits of intermittent fasting, how to optimize your life to maximize both physical and mental performance, and more. Dave Asprey is the founder of Bulletproof & known as the ‘Father of Biohacking’. He is a four-time New York Times bestselling science author, host of the Webby award-winning podcast Bulletproof Radio, and has been featured on the Today Show, CNN, The New York Times, Dr. Oz, and more
Criticism is Loud, Respect is Quiet
“It can be easy to think you’re going down the wrong path, that you’re making a huge mistake, that nobody gets it, that you’re the only one. The reason for this is simple: We hear a lot more from the people who disagree with us than the people who agree with us.”Ryan explains why and how you should tune everyone else’s opinion out.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Do You Have A Heart for Any Fate? | Don’t Look For The Third Thing
“Yesterday is done, so there’s no worry there. But today? What will it bring? No one can say. Certainly no one can honestly promise you that it will be easy. Would you even listen to them if they did?”Ryan explains why you must love everything that happens to you, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Blinkist is the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction books out there. Blinkist lets you get the topline informat
4 Strategies For Achieving Calm In Troubled Times
On today’s episode, Ryan talks about four strategies he has for finding stillness in his life. Now, more than ever, we are being forced to recognize how complicated and stressful life can become. It is in times precisely like these that Stoicism is most powerful. The teachings of Stoic philosophy are a very helpful guide to achieve calm, even in the most troubled of times. The Jordan Harbinger Show is one of the most interesting podcasts on the web, with guests like Kobe Bryant, Mark Manson, Eri
Brad Stone on the Rise of Amazon and Leading With Empathy
On today’s episode, Ryan talks to journalist and author Brad Stone about his new book Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire, the future implications of technology guided business practices, the moral tension that arises in the midst of large scale business growth, and more. Brad Stone is the author of four books, including 2014’s The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon. He was previously a San Francisco-based correspondent for The New York Times and Newsw
How To Think About Money
“It’s interesting how infrequently money comes up in Meditations. Here was a guy who had incredible wealth, whose predecessors obsessed over it and found it to be a source of both pleasure and conflict, and yet in his private meditations, it hardly comes up at all.”Ryan explains how a Stoic thinks about money.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
Not Just To Read, But To Read Critically | Stop Monkeying Around
“An illiterate world is not a good one, but a world where people unthinkingly believe and accept everything they read is not that much better. So it’s great that you’re reading—but are you reading critically?”Ryan explains the importance of honing your reading practice, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Blinkist is the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction books out there. Blinkist lets you get the topline information and the
Paul Skallas on the Lindy Effect and Standing the Test of Time | 'Normal' is the Enemy
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Paul Skallas about the Lindy Effect, why certain works stand the test of time and how to replicate them, how to order your life according to the Lindy Effect, and more.Paul Skallas is a technology lawyer and an author of many books including Life & The Lindy Effect. Skallas is an original thinker who tries to use the most robust ideas from human history to make sense of the challenges and opportunities in daily life.The Jordan Harbinger Show i
Here's How To Be Right
“It must have been hard to be as smart as someone like Marcus Aurelius or Seneca. They had the best tutors. They had quick minds. And then, as now, they were surrounded by people who were misinformed, often aggressively and arrogantly so. A feeling of condescension must have always been there. Their positions of power must have made it tempting to win arguments by force or authority as well.”Ryan explains why you should do your job without any sense of superiority. Sign up for the Daily Stoic em
What Can You Give To Help Others?
“It’s impossible to overstate the terror and uncertainty that swarmed Marcus’ life. Just while writing Meditations, Rome fought a war against the Parthians that lasted five years. The River Tiber broke its banks and produced one of the worst floods in Rome’s history, destroying homes and livestock, and leaving behind a famine as it receded.”Ryan uses an example from Marcus Aurelius’ life to communicate the importance of living selflessly.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/s
Freedom to Do What | Protect Your Own Good
“Yesterday was July 4th, which as most of you know, is a day that marks the celebration of the declaration of independence for the newly formed United States. That idea of freedom is an important one and there’s no question that the founding of America was a step forward in the march for freedom across the world (though by no means a complete one).”Ryan asks you to reflect on what freedom means, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Blinkis
This Work Must Continue
“Today is the 4th of July. It’s the celebration of the American Declaration of independence, which was signed on this date in 1776. There’s no question that document—inspired as it was by ideas from the Stoics—was an essential one. As we have talked about before, it asserted man’s inalienable rights and began a great experiment in human liberty and equality under the law that was, and continues to be, unparalleled in history. But it is important that today, and on all days, we do not mistake Jul
Classics Scholar Dr. Anika Prather on Healing the Present by Studying the Past
On today’s episode, Ryan talks to Classics Scholar Dr. Anika Prather about the bridge that books can create between diverse cultures, why it’s so important to continue teaching the Classics in Universities, how to properly educate young people about racial inequality, and more. Dr. Anika T. Prather has earned several graduate degrees in education from New York University and Howard University. Her research focus is on building literacy with African American students through engagement in the boo
Existence is What You Choose To See
“What is the human condition? Marcus Aurelius says that life is just ‘marrying, raising children, getting sick, dying, waging war, throwing parties, doing business, arming, flattering, boating, distrusting, hoping others will die, complaining about their own lives, falling in love, putting away money, seeking high office and power.’”Ryan explains how your perspective shapes the world around you.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube,
The Old Way Is Not Always Better | Do Your Job
“People are frustrating. They fall short. They fail us. They do something that surprises or disappoints you. But before you get angry, you have to remember: Everyone is going through something. Sometimes people are going through things and even they don’t know it.”Ryan explains why you have to think about other peoples troubles, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Athletic Greens is a custom formulation of 75 vitamins, minerals, and other whole-food sourc
Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson on Developing Confidence and Finding Purpose | You Never Know What Someone is Going Through
Ryan reads today’s meditation and speaks with Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson about their book The Self-Driven Child which they wrote to help parents and educators nurture a sense of agency and purpose in children, how to define and give your best effort in all of the things that you do, the difference between a healthy drive for excellence and having enough, and more.Ned Johnson is the president and founder of PrepMatters. A 1993 graduate of Williams College, Mr. Johnson has a BA in Economi
Try To Stay in the Bubble
“To fight the pandemic, we engaged in what you might call the largest forced lifestyle experiment in human history. We traveled less. We ate out less. We tightened our social circles. We spent more time at home. We stayed in at night with our family, instead of going out.”Ryan explains why we should come out of the pandemic stronger than we were before.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook
This Will Be Your Undoing… If You Can’t Stop | What’s In Your Way Is the Way
“There is one thing at the root of the downfall of so many powerful people. There was Xerxes, enraged at the imprudence of the Greeks, whose anger drove him to overreach and underestimate his foe. There was Nixon, ranting and raving about his enemies, authorizing retaliation that he would come to regret, saying things on tape that would drive him from office.”Ryan explains why anger is what you must get under control, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Dail
7 Stoic Productivity Strategies That Will Change Your Life
If you'd like to learn Stoic inspired, proven strategies for forming and breaking habits that will help you be more productive check out: https://dailystoic.com/habitsIn this video, Ryan Holiday outlines 7 Stoic strategies that have helped him write and publish 10 books in 10 years. The Stoics don't encourage shortcuts but they do offer real advice that can help you overcome resistance every single day.Talkspace is an online and mobile therapy company. Talkspace lets you send and recei
Kate Fagan on the Perspective Shifting Reality of Death
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to author Kate Fagan about her new book All the Colors Came Out: A Father, a Daughter, and a Lifetime of Lessons, her reflections on the bond that she shared with her father and his difficult fight with ALS, the controversial issue of transgender athletes, and more.Kate Fagan is an Emmy-award winning journalist and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Made Maddy Run. She currently writes for Sports Illustrated and co-hosts the podcast Free Cookies. Kate
What's The Alternative?
“All around you see things you don’t like. Bad people getting away with stuff. The wrong incentives being offered, sending trends off in an alarming direction. Perhaps you’re worried about cancel culture or the rise of illiberalism. Maybe it’s corruption or systemic injustice. Maybe it’s apathy, indifference or stupidity.”Ryan explains why you can never put off of being a better person.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok,
The Present Is All There Is | The Truly Educated Aren’t Quarrelsome
“There’s a constant internal tension within Meditations—between urgency and patience, contemplation and action, focusing in and zooming out. Marcus tells us to forget the future, on the one hand, then to contemplate infinite time on the other hand. At first glance, it can feel like there’s a dissonance there. A contradiction. But the purpose of these seemingly divergent exercises is the same: presence and the present.”Ryan explains why you have to embrace this moment, and reads The Daily Stoic’s
Classics Scholar Shadi Bartsch on What Ancient Texts Reveal About Modern Life | This Is Making You Who You Are
Ryan read today’s meditation and talks to Classics scholar and professor Shadi Bartsch about Seneca’s contradictory service to the emperor Nero, why the classics are still relevant and important in modern society, how to use ancient texts as a way to reflect and think critically about oneself, culture, and politics, her translation of Virgil's The Aeneid, and more. Shadi Bartsch-Zimmer is the Helen A. Regenstein Professor at the University of Chicago. She works on Roman imperial literature,
Don't Complain, Respond!
“We live in a time when people who hear opinions they dislike think they can demand those opinions be unsaid or never repeated. How dare you criticize _______! Why did you have to go and get all political? You’ve offended me. You’re wrong! Shut up! Unfollow!”Ryan explains how you should respond when faced with differences of opinion.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast
You Can’t Let People Puff You Up
“As it is today, so it was in Rome. People have always tried to tell other people what they want to hear. Yeah, you’re doing great. Have you lost weight? I love your new haircut, boss. As a species, humans are quite good at obsequious flattering. That’s one of the things social media has harnessed: Our endless capacity for receiving and giving. We can fish for compliments and easily catch them as well. I am doing something special. Look at how many people liked my post!”Ryan reminds you why you
Marcus Aurelius' Most Important Education Came From This Man
Want more Stoic inspired parenting wisdom? Subscribe to the Daily Dad Podcast, read each morning by Ryan on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, and all other streaming platforms.On today’s episode of the podcast, Ryan talks about Marcus Aurelius’ step-father Antoninus Pius and the effect he had on his philosophy. Antoninus was held up as an example of all the things Marcus hoped to be in his life. In this video, Ryan Holiday talks about the importance of mentorship and modeling as a parent and a
Malcolm Gladwell on Running, Writing, and Storytelling
On today’s episode of the podcast, Ryan talks to Malcolm Gladwell about his new book The Bomber Mafia which is an exploration of how technology and good intentions collided in the heat of the second world war, their mutual love of endurance sports, the critical infrastructure that surrounds art and culture, and more. Malcolm Gladwell is the author of five New York Times bestsellers including The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers. He is also the co-founder of Pushkin Industries, an audi
What Did You Learn?
“There’s no question that the last year and a half has been tragic. Millions of people have perished in a merciless pandemic, millions more are still dealing with the consequences. Businesses were destroyed. Jobs were lost that will never come back. Relationships were subjected to unimaginable strain. Institutions were stretched to their breaking points.”Ryan explains the importance of learning from experience, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for y
Your Perspective Is Everything | Offense or Defense?
“Is your house dirty or just well-played in? Are you struggling or growing stronger through resistance training? Are you poor or unburdened? Are you rich or temporarily blessed?”Ryan explains why the way you view things can change how you respond to them, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Go Macro is a family-owned maker of some of the finest protein bars around. They're vegan, non-GMO, and they come in a bunch of delicious flavors. Visit gomacro.c
Ultramarathon Runner Dean Karnazes on the Virtue of Self-Discipline | And Now We Do What Is Necessary
Ryan reads today’s meditation and talks to Ultramarathon runner and author Dean Karnazes about his new book A Runner's High: My Life in Motion, his fascination with how far the human body can be pushed, finding the balance between pushing yourself and reaching your limits, the relation between writing and endurance sports, and more. Dean Karnazes is an American ultramarathon runner, and author of Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, which details ultra endurance running fo
You Just Have To Accept It
“When the pandemic hit—as with all sudden or unexpected life events—people responded in myriad different ways. Some people denied it. Some people hoped to be exempted from it. Other people cowered in fear of it. As you likely saw among your own peer group, none of these responses were particularly effective.”Ryan explains why you must always stare unflinchingly at reality, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
There’s Only One Path To Greatness | Try the Other Handle
“Thirteen years before Marcus Aurelius would be old enough to legally hold any public post, Hadrian decided something extraordinary: he was going to make Marcus Aurelius the emperor of Rome. What was it that Hadrian saw in this young boy?”Ryan discusses the importance of reading, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Blinkist is the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction books out there. Blinkist lets you get the
10 Pieces of Life Changing Wisdom From the Stoics
Follow us on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@daily_stoic for more life changing wisdom.Stoicism has never been a philosophy for school. It's been a philosophy for life. That’s why the Stoic writings are blunt. Straight to the point. They get in, make their point in as few words as possible, and get out of your way. In this video Ryan Holiday breaks down 10 pieces of life changing wisdom from the Stoics.Go Macro is a family-owned maker of some of the finest protein bars around. They'r
Holocaust Survivor Dr. Edith Eger on the Gift of Forgiveness
On today’s special episode of the podcast, Ryan talks to Dr. Edith Eger about her book The Choice: Embrace the Possible which details her time at the Auschwitz concentration camp, the importance of feeling traumatic experiences in an effort to heal them, how suffering should lead us to strength rather than victimization, why forgiveness is a gift that you must choose to give to yourself, and more. A native of Hungary, Edith Eva Eger was just a teenager in 1944 when she experienced one of the wo
Don't Escape It. Create It.
“Escapism is tempting...but dangerous. We think, when frenzied or fraught, an exotic getaway will be the cure. But inevitably, the rush of travel wears off and the pretty pictures fade from your phone’s “recent” album.”Ryan explains why you should create the future that you really want, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we ca
There Is Always Something Else Going On | You Can Do It
“One of the things you figure out quickly with kids, and as we’ve talked about a bunch over on our Daily Dad email and podcast, is that there is always a reason they’re behaving a certain way. Your kid is acting crazy because they’re tired. They’re having a meltdown because actually they’re starting to get sick. Bedtime isn’t happening because naptime got skipped. They’re biting because they’ve been ignored and they know this will get a reaction.”Ryan explains how most people are trying their be
A.J. Daulerio on Recovery and Finding Peace With Stoicism | What Can You Get For Free?
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to writer and blogger A.J. Daulerio about his involvement in the famous Hulk Hogan and Gawker lawsuit, his journey to recovery and making peace with his past, how he came to study Stoic philosophy, and more.A.J. Daulerio is an American writer and blogger. He is the former editor of Gawker and Deadspin. Daulerio famously published an excerpt of Hulk Hogan’s sex tape, which led to a lawsuit and the bankruptcy and sale of Gawker Media. In 2020
Avoid This Sickness | Role Models
“Nobody wants to get sick. We don’t want food poisoning. We don’t want the flu. We don’t want COVID-19. This is why we protect our immune system, wash our hands, take care of ourselves. Good. Health is important. But what about, as the great Phoebe Bridgers put it, emotional motion sickness?”Ryan explains why you should build up your emotional resilience, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is brought to you by GoMacro. Go Ma
If You’re Going To Make Something, Make It Beautiful
“Fifty years after he helped his father build a fence around their house in Mountain View, Steve Jobs took his biographer Walter Isaacson to see it. Jobs skimmed his hand along one of the fence panels and told Isaacson the lesson his father instilled in him that day all those years ago.”Ryan explains why beauty goes beyond the surface level, and launches the new premium leather edition of The Obstacle Is The Way, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.The first production run has only a limited quantity
Rome's Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato - Ch. 1
Today’s episode is an excerpt from Rome's Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato by Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni. This chapter deals with the early life of Cato, how he survived in a Roman culture that viciously tested the toughness of newborns, how his predilection for justice was formed at a young age and he was destined to clash with the empire, and more.The Jordan Harbinger Show is one of the most interesting podcasts on the web, with guests like Kobe Bryant, Mark Manson, Eric Schmidt,
Luke Burgis on Mimetic Desire and Getting What You Want in Life
On today’s episode Ryan talks to author Luke Burgis about his new book Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life, the philosophy of French polymath René Girard, getting to the truth of what you should want in life, and more.Luke Burgis has co-created and led four companies in wellness, consumer products, and technology. He’s currently Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Director of Programs at the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship where he also teaches business at The Catholic
These Things Don’t Care
“The virus doesn’t care. It doesn’t care that you were just about to open your first retail shop. It doesn’t care that you love visiting your grandmother. It doesn’t care that you recently finished chemotherapy. It doesn’t care about the collateral damage. It doesn’t care about your theories or your political beliefs. It doesn’t care about anything.”Ryan discusses how indifferent external events are to our wants and needs, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’
This Is What You Replace Anger With | It Is Well to Be Flexible
“The Stoics weren’t robots. It wasn’t that they stuffed things down, or that they didn’t feel anything. How could that have been true? They were husbands and fathers, wives and daughters. They wrote beautiful works of art. They took principled stands. They told jokes. They worked hard and they sacrificed.”Ryan explains what you should replace anger with, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.GiveWell is the best site for figuring out how and where to donate
Chris Bosh on Embracing the Process and Staying Present | This Cannot Be Allowed To Happen
Ryan reads today’s meditation and talks to Chris Bosh about his new book Letters To A Young Athlete, what he learned winning multiple NBA Championships, the importance of having a diverse range of interests, learning to live in the moment, and more. Chris Bosh fell in love with basketball at an early age and earned the prestigious “Mr. Basketball” title while still at Lincoln High School in Dallas, Texas. A McDonald’s All-American, Bosh was selected fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors after on
Take The Interior Voyage
“Have you ever noticed that we often refer to Marcus Aurelius just as Marcus? You likely read those references without breaking stride. Because you, like us, feel connected to Marcus. So much so that there’s a vivid picture of him painted in your head. So much so that you could describe Marcus more thoroughly than you can most co-workers, or clients, or friends, even. Isn’t it incredible to feel like you’re on a first name basis with a Roman Emperor who lived more than two thousand years ago?”Ry
To What Do You Pledge Your Honor? | The View from Above
“As the Founders signed the Declaration of Independence, they knew that this wasn’t some painless petition. This wasn’t some minor political stand. No, they knew, as they wrote, they were mutually pledging their “life, fortune, and sacred honor.” It was a cause they were willing to give everything for—even die for.”Ryan challenges you to question where your honor lies, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is brought to you by
Seneca on Philosophy and Friendship
Today’s episode is an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. In this letter Seneca writes about overcoming troubles without being affected by them, what true friendship really is, how we should value friendship, and more. Go to tim.blog/seneca to get the PDF for free.The new Pod Pro Cover by Eight Sleep is the most advanced solution on the market for thermoregulation. It pairs dynamic cooling and heating with biometric tracking. You can add the Cover to any mattress, and
Charlie Mackesy on the Creative Process and Finding Enough
On today’s episode, Ryan talks to author Charlie Mackesy about his #1 New York Times bestselling book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, the process of writing and creating the book, how beautiful and rare it is to find contentment, and more.Charlie Mackesy is the author of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. The book has sold over 1.4 million copies and spent 55 weeks on the Sunday Times Bestsellers List top ten. He co-runs Mama Buci, which is a honey social enterprise in Zambia.Gi
This Reminder Hurts, But We Need It
“At the height of his powers, King Pyrrhus was killed by a roof tile, thrown by an old woman, as he conquered another city. In 1967, Harold Holt, the prime minister of Australia, went out for a swim in the ocean and simply never came back.”Ryan reminds you of the inevitable fact of your mortality, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the
What You Need To Know About Most People | Sweat the Small Stuff
“It’s true. As Marcus Aurelius reminded himself, today you will meet jealous people. Selfish people. Mean people. Shameless people. Even stupid people.”Ryan discusses how we should view the vast majority of people, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Go Macro is a family-owned maker of some of the finest protein bars around. They're vegan, non-GMO, and they come in a bunch of delicious flavors. Visit gomacro.com and use promo code STOIC for 30% off y
Author Candice Millard on the Moments that Define Great Leaders | You Have To Get To The Outside
Ryan reads today’s meditation and talks to author and biographer Candice Millard about her books The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey, Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President, Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, how we can relate to and learn from the great leaders of history, why you should compete with yourself and root for everyone else, and more.Candice Millard is the author of three books, each of which was a New York Times b
Those Who Read Little, Know Little
“Was there a Stoic who didn’t love reading? It’d be hard to name one. The last thing Cato did before he died was read.”Ryan explains why reading is so important, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com...
This Is Why It's So Hard | Practice True Joy
“Everyone has trouble admitting they were wrong, including Marcus Aurelius. Yes, he writes glibly in Meditations about how he’s glad to be corrected, but why do you think he wrote that? Because it wasn’t natural. He was reminding himself...probably right after he caught himself failing to admit an error.”Ryan discusses why it’s dangerous to confuse what we do with who we are, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brough
Navy SEAL Brandon Webb on Autonomy and Radicalization in America
Today’s episode is a partial interview with combat-decorated Navy SEAL sniper Brandon Webb. Ryan and Brandon talk about his new thriller series Steel Fear which follows the US navy’s first serial killer, the idea of autonomy over making a certain amount of money or reaching a certain level of success, and the radicalization of the American nation and how it is viewed from a military perspective.Brandon Webb is a combat–decorated Navy SEAL sniper turned entrepreneur who has built two brands (SOFR
Sebastian Junger on the Wonder of Existence and Complexity of Freedom
On today’s episode of the podcast Ryan talks to author and filmmaker Sebastian Junger about his new book Freedom which details his 400 mile journey along the railroad lines of the American East Coast, the unforeseen consequences of fighting for freedom, how the fragility of life reveals a wonderment at existence, and more. Sebastian Junger is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of The Perfect Storm and Tribe. As an award-winning journalist, a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a specia
Why You Should Never Borrow Unhappiness
“Some time around the year 64 AD, Seneca’s friend Lucilius sent him a letter. Lucilius was nervous about an ongoing lawsuit. We’re not sure what the suit was over, but we know that it was a serious case and that Lucilius had made himself anxious about the outcome and had written to Seneca for some advice.”Ryan explains why you should always be prepared for what could go wrong, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podca
We’ve Been Tested. Did You Pass? | Quality Over Quantity
“The last half-decade has tested us in many ways. A pandemic. Corresponding outbreaks of conspiracy theories and magical thinking. A booming economy...then a collapsing one. Civil unrest. Illiberalism. The passions of the mob. Authoritarian leaders. Natural disasters. Slow-moving crises.”Ryan asks you to think about how you’ve faced modern trials, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Go Macro is a family-owned maker of some of the finest protein bars around. They're vegan, non-GMO, and they come
Cal Newport on Knowledge Work and Effective Communication | Don't Be Satisfied With This
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to Cal Newport about his new book A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload, how knowledge workers can improve their efficiency and gain autonomy, why effective communication is so important, and more. Cal Newport is an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and the bestselling author of 6 books including Digital Minimalism, Deep Work, and So Good They Can’t Ignore You. He is also t
Are You High or Low?
“Even in the ancient world, the classics scholar (and recent podcast guest) Robin Waterfield says, there was a distinction between high philosophy and low philosophy. Which was better?”Ryan explains the difference in high and low philosophy, and relaunches Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the
It Is What It Is | Count Your Blessings
“There are a lot of things that oppose us in this life. Starting with gravity, we are held down by so many things: other people, bad luck, unfavorable odds, and god knows what else. We struggle to get ahead. We struggle to realize our potential. We run into so many obstacles.”Ryan discusses you must face reality with boldness, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is brought to you by Blinkist, the app that gets you fifteen-min
8 Stoic Tips For Spending Less Time On Your Phone
On today’s episode, Ryan talks about what Stoicism can teach you about managing your phone use.If Marcus Aurelius was alive today, he would use a phone too. But he would be thinking about how to get the benefits from the technology without all the downsides. Try these strategies out if you're trying to spend less time on your phone. Some of them are easy. Others are tougher, and you’ll probably think some of them are nuts. Maybe they are. But they work.Go Macro is a family-owned maker of so
Daniel Barkhuff on Restoring the 4 Stoic Virtues to Leadership
On today’s episode Ryan talks to Daniel Barkhuff about his path to the Naval academy and becoming a Navy SEAL, our individual obligation to each other and to serving the common good, Admiral Stockdale and restoring the 4 Stoic virtues to leadership, and more.Daniel Barkhuff is the president and treasurer of Veterans for Responsible Leadership. He attended the United States Naval Academy and served 7 years on active duty as a member of Naval Special Warfare and completed multiple combat tours. Up
You Have To Find The Good In People Pt. II
“It’s not telling you anything new to point out that there will be obnoxious, flawed, annoying, awful idiots that you will come across today, and every day. There are selfish drivers and internet trolls. There is the contractor who you will catch trying to rip you off. There is that politician who just cannot seem to understand that this isn’t about them, that they work for us. These people exist, and that’s unfortunate.”Ryan explains how to apply your training to an everyday problem, on today’s
How Will You Measure Your Life? | Fueling the Habit Bonfire
“Of people who rise to positions of power, there are two types. Those who think they can do it alone and those who know that that is insane.”Ryan explains where the true value in life lies, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep. The new Pod Pro Cover by Eight Sleep is the most advanced solution on the market for thermoregulation. It pairs dynamic cooling and heating with biometric tracking. You can add the Cover
Author Nancy Sherman on Building Resilience and Living Well | What Are You Making Up About This? That’s The Question.
Ryan reads today’s daily meditation and talks to author Nancy Sherman about her new book Stoic Wisdom: Ancient Lessons for Modern Resilience, using Stoicism to work through emotional trauma rather than repress it, her experience teaching Stoic philosophy to the armed forces, and more. Nancy Sherman is a New York Times Notable Author. She has written several books on Stoicism including Stoic Warriors: The Ancient Philosophy Behind the Military Mind. She has also written over 60 articles in the ar
Beware The Little Things
“It can be easy to make an excuse. Oh, it’s just a bad habit. Oh, it doesn’t matter. It’s also easy to think you’ve got this life thing handled—because you’ve survived some big adversity in your time. In truth, we are all vulnerable. To our habits. To unexpected weaknesses.”Ryan explains why small steps are no small thing, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the mo...
There Are No Banned Books | We Are a Product of Our Habits
“One way to get a sense of how powerful something is is how scared people are of it. Why have governments gone to such trouble to ban various books over the years? Why do people try to censor things they disagree with? Because they’re scared of meeting ideas on an open playing field.”Ryan explains the powerful impact that books have on culture, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is brought to you by GoMacro. Go Macro is a fa
Amazon Kindle Author Fishbowl – Ryan Holiday on The Boy Who Would Be King
Today’s episode is an interview with Amazon Author Fishbowl hosted by Jason Yoong for Ryan’s newest book The Boy Who Would Be King. They talk about Ryan’s writing process, how the book came together over the last year, Stoicism as a practical philosophy for day to day life, and more.This episode is also brought to you by the Jordan Harbinger Show. Jordan's podcast is one of the most interesting ones out there, with guests like Kobe Bryant, Mark Manson, Eric Schmidt, and more. Listen to one
Greg McKeown on Doing Less and Getting More
On today’s podcast Ryan talks to bestselling author Greg McKeown about his new book Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most, how the present moment is the true antidote to uncertainty, how effortlessness actually produces better outcomes, and more. Greg McKeown is a speaker, a bestselling author, and the host of the popular podcast What’s Essential. McKeown’s New York Times bestselling book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less has sold more than a million copies worldwide. Or
You Need to Arm Yourself With These Weapons
“In Greek mythology, characters go through katabasis—or “a going down.” Something forces them to retreat, to experience a breaking point, or in some cases literally descend into the underworld. When they emerge, it’s with heightened knowledge and understanding. These moments are painful but essential. “Although to be driven back upon oneself,” Joan Didion once wrote, “is an uneasy affair at best...it seems to me now the one condition necessary.” ”Ryan discusses how to defend yourself from what l
Before You Go Anywhere, Remember This | Righteousness Is Beautiful
“The people on your flight tomorrow will be slow and rude. They will recline their seats into you. They will clog the aisles. They will watch videos on their phone without earbuds in. They will fight you for the armrests, even though they obviously belong to the person in the middle seat. They will take too long in the bathroom. And they will do ungodly things in there while they’re at it. They will take forever to deplane; they will not care that half the plane have connections to make.”Ryan di
Jessica Lahey on Self-Efficacy and the Virtue of Temperance | Whatever Will Be Will Be
Ryan reads today’s meditation and talks to Jessica Lahey about her new book The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence, how a Stoic should measure their success, the discovery of our genetic predisposition to addiction, and more.Jessica Lahey is the New York Times bestselling author of The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed. She has written for The New York Times and The Atlantic and has taught middle and high schoo
Life Is Too Short To Rush Through
“You look around and you see people rushing everywhere. Rushing through traffic. Rushing to get their kids down to bed. No time to talk. No time to sit. There is too much to do. There is somewhere to go, and the faster the better.”Ryan explains why this moment is so important, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest..
This is the Mindset For Life | Show, Don’t Tell
“You clean and then it gets dirty. You do the dishes and then five minutes later, the sink is full again. You made it through your inbox in the morning and by the time late afternoon strikes, you’re already digging yourself out again.”Ryan explains the nature of continual change, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brought to you by Athletic Greens. Athletic Greens is a custom formulation of 75 vitamins, minerals, and
Quintilian on How to Tell a Joke
Today’s episode features a section from Michael Fontaine’s How to Tell a Joke: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Humor part of Princeton University Press's Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers series. How to Tell a Joke is a modern translation and collection of Cicero and Quintilian’s timeless advice about how to use humor to win over any audience.This episode is brought to you by Blinkist, the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction books out there. Blinkist lets you ge
Classics Scholar Robin Waterfield on Translating Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations - Pt.2
On today’s episode, Ryan talks to Robin Waterfield about his new annotated translation of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, the art of translating ancient texts, the key Stoic concepts that Marcus writes about in Meditations, and more.Robin Waterfield is a British classical scholar, translator, and editor, specializing in Ancient Greek philosophy. He studied Classics at Manchester University and went on to research ancient Greek philosophy at King's College, Cambridge. He lives in Greece.This e
The More You Learn, The Less You Know
“It’s wonderful that you are so committed to this philosophy that you get these emails, and you have read these books. You probably know more about Stoicism than most people alive, and probably more than most people who have ever lived (being that most people knew nothing). You certainly know more today than you did yesterday or a year ago.”Ryan explains the paradox that you come across as you gain more knowledge, and launches the new Stoicism 101 course, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Stoicism
Enjoy It While You Have It, Don’t Miss It When You Don’t | Washing Away the Dust of Life
“The thing about most things we label as “bad” is that they aren’t. They just are. A virus isn’t evil. An economic depression isn’t malicious. They are unfeeling, indifferent, inhuman events. Their impact on humans, unfortunately, is not quite so neutral, but the fact remains: They are things that just are.”Ryan explains how a Stoic views external events, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life is a 14 day
Classics Scholar Robin Waterfield on Translating Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations - Pt.1 | There’s Only One Path To Greatness
Ryan reads today’s Daily Stoic meditation and talks to Robin Waterfield about his new annotated translation of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, the historical accuracy of the critical moments that shaped Marcus’s life, the difference between high and low philosophy, and more.Robin Waterfield is a British classical scholar, translator, and editor, specializing in Ancient Greek philosophy. He studied Classics at Manchester University and went on to research ancient Greek philosophy at King's Col
Life is School. School Is For Life
“Late in his reign, a friend stopped Marcus Aurelius as he was leaving the palace, carrying a stack of books. Finding this to be a surprising sight, the man asked where Marcus was going. He was off to attend a lecture on Stoicism, he said, for ‘learning is a good thing, even for one who is growing old. From Sextus the philosopher I shall learn what I do not yet know.’”Ryan explains why you must always be learning, and launches the new Stoicism 101 course, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Stoicism
Your Shoulders Are Made of Ivory | The Freedom of Contempt
“Marcus was like us. He wasn’t naturally extraordinary. He wasn’t born to greatness. His destiny was not pre-ordained. So how did it happen? How are we here today—what would have been his 1900th birthday—still talking about him?”Ryan remembers Marcus Aurelius on his 1900th birthday, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. Athletic Greens is a custom formulation of 75 vitamins, minerals, and
Sextus Empiricus on How to Keep an Open Mind
Today’s episode is an excerpt from Chapter 2 of Richard Bett’s How to Keep an Open Mind: An Ancient Guide to Thinking Like a Skeptic published by Princeton University Press. How to Keep an Open Mind is a part of the Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers series and is a collection of Sextus Empiricus’ writings about how ancient skepticism can help you attain tranquility by learning to suspend judgment.This episode is brought to you by GoMacro. Go Macro is a family-owned maker of some of the finest pr
YouTubers Sam and Colby on Fame and Practicing Memento Mori
On today’s episode, Ryan talks to YouTube duo Sam & Colby about the early days of their career, finding peace in the practice of memento mori, what they’ve learned making haunted and ghost story videos, and more.Sam Golbach and Colby Brock are an American YouTube exploration and comedy duo. They first started making videos on Vine where they had over 1.6 million followers before the app shut down in 2016. After creating their YouTube channel in 2014 they have amassed over 4 million subscribe
Have You Ever Had A Motionless Moment?
“We are so busy. We think we’re supposed to be. We think that’s how we get better. We think that moving is the only way to move forward.”Ryan discusses why you must strive for moments of stillness, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better.Sign up for the Dai...
This Is How To Treat Your Brain | The Marks of a Rational Person
“On the one hand, the Stoics were big believers in the power of reason. They believed we were rational creatures, capable of thinking away through all the distractions and impulses and biases of the mind and body. On the other hand, they knew that people were crazy—that our mind, our thoughts were hardly infallible and didn’t always have our best interests at heart. ”Ryan explains the difference between the brain and the mind, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic
Michael Gervais on the Path to Excellence | You Have To Wrestle With This
Ryan reads today's Daily Stoic meditation and talks to sport psychologist and entrepreneur Dr. Michael Gervais about his work in elite performance, the practical path to excellence, how to find purpose and meaning in your life, and more.Dr. Michael Gervais is a high-performance psychologist who has worked with NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, numerous Olympic medalists, and MVPs from every major sport. Dr. Gervais is the host of the popular Finding Mastery podcast that explores the psycholo
You Don't Need Everyone, Just More
“It’d be wonderful if we could get everyone on board. If evidence and data and civic duty convinced people to do the right thing, the smart thing, the selfless thing. It feels like we’re living through a unique era for this kind of dissonance and denialism, but the reality is that since even before Marcus Aurelius' time, getting everyone on board for the right thing has been impossible.”Ryan explains why you can’t expect everyone to do the right thing, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If y
This Is The Only Acceptable Form of Anger | Impulse Control
“There is an expression popular amongst basketball coaches. A coach doesn’t “get” a technical foul, they take one. If you’ve ever watched Gregg Popovich coach, you’ve seen it. When his team isn’t playing with enough passion, when the refs are getting complacent, when the crowd needs to be fired up, or when he’s just plain tired of watching his team not do what they’re supposed to be, he’ll pick a call to get angry about and take a technical foul. Sometimes he’ll even say to his assistant coach
Life Is About What We Can Do For Each Other
“Why are we here? It’s an impossible question to answer, I suppose. Of course, on a fundamental evolutionary level, we’re here to pass along our genes. This is why we strive for success. This is why we lust for sex. This is what keeps the species going. But equally encoded in that evolutionary software and in our culture is another purpose, another less selfish drive: The drive for meaning. Merely to subsist, to persist—what kind of existence is that?”Ryan reads his recent article about the resp
Admiral James Stavridis on James Stockdale and the Voyage of Character
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to Admiral James Stavridis about the voyage of character as detailed in his book Sailing True North, his friendship with the modern day Stoic James Stockdale, the urgency of educating yourself through books and reading, and more. Admiral James Stavridis is a retired four-star U.S. naval officer. He served for five years as the Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He led the NATO Alliance in global operations from 2009 to 2013 and is
It All Turns on Concentration
“We often think that greatness is a synonym for brilliance. That great leadership is all about magnetism and communication. For which we need vision and boldness, allies and luck. And of course, to be successful in any field, but particularly in leadership, all of those things are true. But we also need something far simpler that is yet even more rare.”Ryan explains why everything hinges on your ability to do this one thing, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, w
You Are Not Alone | Pay Your Taxes
“Sometimes it can feel like you’re a solitary warrior. Certainly Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations reads like that at times. He feels like the last honest man. The last good man. The only one keeping the faith.”Ryan explains the struggle that we all share, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brought to you by stamps.com, a secure Internet mailing solution to print postage using your computer. Stamps.com allows you to mail and ship anytime
Author Bonnie Tsui on the Wonders of Water | Pressure, Like Power, Reveals
Ryan reads today's Daily Stoic email and talks to author Bonnie Tsui about her new memoir, Why We Swim, their mutual adoration of swimming, how physical exercise can be a catalyst for creative thinking, the philosophical benefits of spending time in the water, and more. Her newest piece, The Uncertain Sea, is available now on Scribd.Bonnie Tsui is the author of many books including American Chinatown: A People’s History of Five Neighborhoods, which won the 2009-2010 Asian/Pacific American A
Not Who’s Right, What’s Right
“You have your views. You have your side of things. You have the team you’re on, the group you belong to. So instinctually, naturally, you default there. You started out making your argument, believing that things should go this way or that way, so what are you gonna do? Just give in? You’re going to let them win? How Stoic is that?”Ryan discusses the important distinction between facts and feelings, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave
You Can—No, You Should—Forget About This. | Test Your Impressions
“You’ve been wronged. Someone let you down. Something didn’t go your way. This person stole from you. That one lied to you. She betrayed you. He insulted you right to your face. The surefire deal fell through. Your most lucrative client decided to go with another vendor. Your dream girl found somebody else.”Ryan explains why the art of letting go is essential to success, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Today’s episode is brought to yo
Cicero on How to Tell a Joke
Today’s episode features a section from Michael Fontaine’s How to Tell a Joke: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Humor published by Princeton University Press and HighBridge audio, a division of Recorded Books. How to Tell a Joke is a modern translation and collection of Cicero and Quintilian’s timeless advice about how to use humor to win over any audience.This episode is brought to you by Policygenius. Policygenius helps you compare top insurers in one place, and it lets you save 50% or more on l
Charles & Chase Koch on the Power of Principles
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to Charles and Chase Koch about challenging assumptions and leaning on first principles, the advantages of a bottom-up approach as detailed in Charles’ new book Believe in People: Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World, how to make a difference by working together locally, their philanthropic organization Stand Together, and more. Charles Koch is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He has been co-owner, chairman, and CEO of Koch Industries sin
Remember: Little Things Are Not Small
“George Washington’s favorite saying was “many mickles make a muckle.” It was an old Scottish proverb that illustrates a truth we all know: things add up. Even little ones.”Ryan discusses why small things make a big impact, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better.Sign up for the Daily S
But What Will We Do IF? | The Cost of Accepting Counterfeits
“A few days ago we talked about this paralyzing fear—the “preemptive whataboutism” that holds people back from doing the right thing. It’s why we don’t speak up about somebody on our side. Why we won’t take that career risk. Why we don’t see enough real leadership.”Ryan explains why you can't let the concept of the future disturb you, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brought to you by Scribd, the e-book and audiobook subscript
Arthur Brooks on Stoicism vs. Epicureanism | You Don’t Know What’s Going On With People
Ryan reads today's Daily Stoic email and talks to Arthur Brooks about the differences and similarities in Stoicism and Epicureanism, the obligation we have to each other as human beings, the importance of virtue in modern society, and more.Arthur C. Brooks is Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School. Brooks is the author of 11 books, including the national bestsellers Love Your Enemies (2
Who Are You Studying Under?
“It’s interesting to think of the Stoics, from Marcus Aurelius to Zeno, reaching back through the centuries like links in a chain (from Z to A no less!).”Ryan explains the importance of choosing who you learn from, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Ryan Holiday's book Lives of the Stoics is on sale as an E-Book for just $1.99! The pages of this book start with Zeno, the founder of Stoicism, and end with Marcus Aurelius, the great philosopher king. In between, you’ll learn the stories of Cicero
Better Days Will Shine Through | What Can Go Wrong… Might
“Imagine you are Seneca and tuberculosis has claimed ten years of your life in convalescence. Imagine you are Seneca and after climbing to the top of Roman life, you were cruelly exiled to some rock in the middle of nowhere.”Ryan explains how Fortune behaves as she pleases–what she gives she takes away, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn Jobs is the best platform for finding the
Today is a Day of Rebirth | A Day in the Life of a Stoic
On today’s special episode of the podcast, Ryan describes the universal message of redemption that can be found in the story of Jesus Christ’s execution. He also takes us through a typical day and what he does to keep balance and clarity as he goes through his day according to Stoic philosophy. This episode is brought to you by LMNT, the maker of electrolyte drink mixes that help you stay active at home, work, the gym, or anywhere else. Electrolytes are a key part of a happy, healthy body. Right
Lt. General H.R. McMaster on Strategic Empathy and Seneca’s Contradiction
On today’s episode, Ryan talks to Lt. General H.R. McMaster about why leaders must study history and philosophy, his book Dereliction of Duty about the controversial Vietnam war, Seneca’s complicated service for the emperor Nero, and more.H.R. McMaster is a retired United States Army Lieutenant General who served as the 26th United States National Security Advisor. He is known for his roles in the Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. His book, Battlegrounds: The Fig
If You’re Not Feeling This, You’re Doing It Wrong
“You see them in the comments sections. You see them on social media. You hear it come out of the mouths of friends, family members. Sometimes it’s casual. Other times it’s uncouth. Sometimes it’s couched in intellectualization or an economic analysis.”Ryan explains why we must always consider the whole, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podca
Just Keep Hammering Away | The Color of Your Thoughts
“There is something delightfully simple about Ulysses S. Grant. Napoleon seems like some sort of larger than life figure, a peerless genius like the freak athletes we see on television. The same for the incredible heroism of Admiral Stockdale. Their accomplishments are impressive, but not exactly relatable.”Ryan explains why you must keep your emotions under control to continue the work, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brought to
A Book Isn’t A Mirror. It’s A Door!
“A couple weeks ago, we talked about Fran Lebowitz’s secret to be immensely rich. They also happen to be a secret to empathy and understanding. There has been a big push lately for diversity and inclusion in books and television. This is important, obviously, because any system that does exclude voices is an unjust one. But we should also be careful in our pursuit—as readers or consumers—of art about people like me.”Ryan explains why gaining perspective through reading is so important, on today’
Author Robert Wright on Buddhism vs Stoicism
Ryan speaks to the author and journalist Robert Wright about the Stoic obligation to being involved in politics, staying creative while controlling your own destiny, the temptations and distractions of social media, and more. Robert Wright is an author and journalist who has written five books including The Moral Animal and Why Buddhism Is True. He has also written for The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and The New York Times Magazine. His weekly newsletter Mindful Resistance is sent out ever
You Can’t Buy Fearlessness
“There’s no question that the super rich can afford better medical care than you. They have access to the best doctors, the most cutting-edge treatments. So, naturally, they are living longer—they are buying what scientists are calling “radical life extension.” In fact, some thinkers believe this will be a source of conflict in the future. Today, we have income inequality. Tomorrow, it will be longevity inequality.”Ryan explains why you need to conquer the fear of death, on today’s Daily Stoic P
What Would Less Look Like? | Say No to the Need to Impress
“This has not been fun. It’s been brutal. But it has been, at least, an exercise in that question that the Stoic aficionado Tim Ferriss is a fan of: What would less look like? Less flights. Less dinners out. Less meetings. Less income. Less time with friends.”Ryan explains why you must focus on what is essential, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brought to you by Literati Kids, a subscription book club that sends 5
These Simple Words Will Help You Through Life's Most Difficult Situations
On today's episode, Ryan introduces 3 core Stoic concepts that are sure to help you through whatever life puts in front of you. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche would describe his formula for human greatness as amor fati—a love of fate. Memento Mori—the ancient practice of reflection on mortality that goes back to Socrates, who said that the proper practice of philosophy is “about nothing else but dying and being dead.” The single most important practice in Stoic philosophy is dif
Agnes Callard on Socrates and Wisdom
On today’s episode Ryan speaks to professor and author Agnes Callard about the philosophical model that Socrates passed down, the ancient problem of fundamentally flawed people, how to re envision success and ambition, pulling rather than pushing your children towards philosophy, and more. Agnes Callard is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago (ancient philosophy and ethics). She wrote Aspiration: The Agency of Becoming and wrote the lead essay in On Anger, one of the
You Can Do This. You Can Do This.
“Marcus Aurelius didn’t believe he was suited to be emperor. In fact, when he received the news of Hadrian’s plans to have Antoninus Pius adopt him and place him next in line for the throne, he broke down in tears. There was no one he revered more than Antoninus. How could he possibly live up to the task of following in his footsteps?”Ryan explains why you have everything you need to live up to the moment that you are in, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.The Boy Who Would Be King is out now...
There Will Always Be These Kinds of People | Wealth and Freedom are Free
“It’s easy to become disappointed with humanity each time you step into your car. Not even because of how angry and aggressive some drivers are. Or from the amount of litter you see on the side of the road. The slow, clueless drivers who needlessly cause traffic are sufficient.”Ryan explains why you have to prepare yourself for what life throws at you, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brought to you by Public Goods, the one stop sh
You Are Blessed
“It’s easy not to feel blessed. We look readily for what we don’t have rather than what we do. We see people who are taller, who look better, who have more and feel deprived. Why couldn’t I have been born rich? Why couldn’t my company have gotten that contract? Why can’t I play in the NFL?”Ryan discusses why your perception of your life defines your true wealth, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Po...
Volleyball Legend Gabrielle Reece on Relationships and Finding Enough
Ryan speaks to Gabrielle Reece about how the Stoics valued hard work, the stillness that is required to accurately observe ourselves, how to properly maintain healthy relationships and find enough for yourself, and more. Gabrielle Reece is a professional volleyball player and author of the New York Times bestseller My Foot Is Too Big for the Glass Slipper. She is also an executive member of Laird Superfood and is also the host of the Gabby Reece Show.This episode is brought to you by Beekeeper’s
Power Doesn’t Corrupt, It Reveals
“There were not many good emperors in Rome. There have not been many good kings since. In fact, there haven’t been many good leaders ever—there is something about power that seems to bring out the worst in people. It seems to be a light which destroys the moths that are drawn to it.”Ryan discusses why your character is defined by what you do, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.The Boy Who Would Be King is out now, written by Ryan Holiday in the depths of the pandemic (not unlike the one Marcus rul..
We Can’t Let This Go On | The Portable Retreat
“No man is an island. We’ve taken the line from the John Donne poem and turned it into a common expression, but we’ve missed the point. It’s not simply that we can’t exist by ourselves. It’s much deeper than that.”Ryan explains why we must recognize that we are all a part of the whole, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brought to you by Blinkist, the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction
7 Ways Marcus Aurelius Will Help You Journal Like A Pro
On today’s podcast, Ryan discusses 7 strategies that can help you develop a highly effective journaling habit. Almost 2000 years ago, Marcus Aurelius stole time away from his incredibly busy life full of obligations to write in his journal. By some incredible stroke of luck, that journal survives to us today. And though it is full of countless pieces of wisdom and important lessons to us, perhaps its greatest teaching is held in its very existence. The fact that this person who thought so deeply
Dr. Jonathan Fader on Peak Performance
Ryan speaks to psychologist Dr. Jonathan Fader about how difficult mental preparation and training can help lead to peak performance, the unseen value of time and developing a method for clear decision making, creating a routine to create and retain gains, and more. Dr. Jonathan Fader is a licensed clinical and performance psychologist best known for working with professional athletes in the MLB and NFL. He is part of The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Mental Performance Initiative and a f
It’s Possible To Tune These Things Out
“We have so many strong opinions. Especially about things we don’t like. We don’t like it, and we want you to know that we don’t like it—that musician, that politician, that restaurant, the way that so-and-so talks.”Ryan discusses the importance of having the ability to stick to your own path, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the mor
This is the Secret to Real Wealth | Impossible Without Your Consent
“What is the point of reading? ’To me,’ Fran Lebowitz tells Martin Scorsese in the new ‘Pretend It's A City’ docuseries, ‘[reading] is just a way of being immensely rich. This may be the reason I never cared about money. Because as soon as you can read, you are incredibly rich.’”Ryan explains why reading is the key to a rich life, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brought to you by FitTrack, the best way to calculate your body
Guitarist Nita Strauss on Music and Philosophy
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to musician Nita Strauss about their mutual love of Iron Maiden, how she uses Stoicism to approach life as a female musician, how she has had to pivot due to the pandemic, and more. Nita Strauss is a musician and is the current touring guitarist for Alice Cooper. She was the first female signature artist to sign a deal with Ibanez guitars and was also ranked No. 1 on Guitar World's list of "10 Female Guitar Players You Should Know."This episode is br
Start Strong, Finish Strong. That Is The Way.
“It was on this day 1841 years ago that Marcus Aurelius came to the end. It had been an incredible life, as we’ve talked about. From an ordinary kid to the ruler of the world, this boy who would be king, had made the absolute best of the hand he had been dealt. He hadn’t been corrupted by power, but shared it. He hadn’t been made bitter by adversity but great because of it. Even the plague--which had dragged on for years--had brought out the best in Marcus Aurelius.”Ryan explains why you must tr
So, How Did You Do?
“It’s been a year, as unbelievable as that is to write. Time has dragged. It has flown by. On March 14, 2020, almost exactly one year ago, we sent out an email about the rising threat of COVID-19 and its relation to the timeless dictum of Stoicism: We weren’t going to be able to control what had happened, but we could control how we responded.”Ryan discusses the past year and asks you to reflect on how you handled it, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d lov
Always Consider the Unconsidered Consequences | Think About It from the Other Person’s Perspective
“A little while back we talked about the bold stroke—inspired by the Stoics—which struck down Julius Caesar and his reign on the Ides of March. This moment has always been judged ambiguously by historians. Yes, Caesar was a tyrant… but did the ends justify the means? And what were the ends? Were they successful? Were things better or worse?”Ryan explains why you must think it all the way through before you act, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic
Plutarch on How To Be A Leader Part 2
Today’s episode features another excerpt from Jeffrey Beneker’s How To Be A Leader: An Ancient Guide to Wise Leadership. How To Be A Leader is a modern translation and collection of essays about successful leadership from the ancient biographer Plutarch.Jeff Beneker is a Professor of Classics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. His primary research interest is in Greco-Roman biography and historiography. In addition to teaching courses in Greek language and literature, he teaches lecture
Steven Pressfield on Battling Resistance and Winning With Love
Ryan speaks to his friend and fellow author Steven Pressfield about battling resistance and becoming who you were meant to be, the triumph of good over evil and ultimately love, his new novel A Man At Arms, and more. Steven Pressfield is the author of several critically acclaimed books including Gates of Fire, an epic novel about the battle of Thermopylae, and The War of Art, a guide to unlocking the creative potential inside yourself. This episode is brought to you by LMNT, the maker o
What Can You Give Up To Help Others?
“It’s impossible to overstate the terror and uncertainty that swarmed Marcus’ life. Just while writing Meditations, Rome fought a war against the Parthians that lasted five years. The River Tiber had one of the worst floods in history, destroying homes and livestock, and delivering a famine. Eventually victorious against the Parthians, celebrations were short-lived because returning soldiers brought home a deadly contagion, which became known as the Antonine Plague.”Ryan challenges you to find s
You’ll Never Get Your Pound of Flesh | Living Without Restriction
“They screwed you over. Hurt your career. They disrespected you. They blew it. They did...whatever. Now, you want your revenge. You want them to suffer as you suffered. You want them to know, to feel, the same thing that you’re feeling. The Stoics talk about justice, so that’s OK, right? They shouldn’t be able to get away with this!”Ryan explains why you cannot dwell what is done to you, even if you know that it’s not right, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Po
Illustrator Victor Juhasz on Marcus Aurelius and The Boy Who Would Be King
On today’s podcast, Ryan speaks to his collaborator and illustrator for his new book The Boy Who Would Be King about the process of creating the art for the book, imposing discipline on yourself, how he was impacted by Marcus Aurelius’ story, and more. Victor Juhasz is an artist and illustrator whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Time Magazine, and Esquire Magazine, and more. He has illustrated many books including G is for Gladiator: An Ancient Rome Alphabet and is for Zeus: A Greek
Put The Weight Right On Me
“So much happens in life. There is so much happening. Forget macro events—there are dogs that get sick in the middle of the night. There are trips that need to be made to the store. There are unpleasant conversations to have. Bills that somebody has to pay. Dishes to be done. Hard decisions to make.”Ryan discusses why a Stoic leans into responsibility and adversity instead of avoiding it, and launches his new book The Boy Who Would Be King, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this w
If You Want To Be Great...
“You can’t find a single page in Meditations where you get the sense that Marcus was attuned to his extraordinariness. There’s nothing about a legendary moment of courage on the battlefield. Nothing about a remarkable imparting of wisdom to a young politician at the perfect time. Nothing about a spectacular display of patience in the courtroom.”Ryan discusses the Stoic’s formula for greatness, and launches his new book The Boy Who Would Be King, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.The Boy Who Would B
You Will Fight This Battle All Alone | What Expensive Things Cost
“It would be wonderful we were aligned on this. It would be nice if the world was your ally, that it was green lights all the way—for your diet, for your sobriety, for the path to virtue. But it isn’t.”Ryan discusses the individual battle that we all face, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brought to you by Athletic Greens. Athletic Greens is a custom formulation of 75 vitamins, minerals, and other whole-food source
How to Beat Procrastination With Stoicism
Procrastination is something we all have to struggle with. It can be so tempting to put off a daunting task indefinitely. On today’s episode, Ryan talks about how Stoicism has helped him overcome procrastination, be more productive, and have more free time. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IdMDhrkxts&t=38s This episode is brought to you by LMNT, the maker of electrolyte drink mixes that help you stay active at home, work, the gym, or anywhere else. Electrolyte
Allie Esiri On the Power of Poetry and Daily Reads
On today’s podcast, Ryan speaks to writer Allie Esiri about the Stoic’s infatuation with ancient poetry, how to read and find insight in poetry, how the greatest writing communicates to us on a subliminal level, and more. Allie Esiri is a writer and former actress in stage, film, and television. She has released several poetry anthologies including 2020’s, Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year, a collection of passages from Shakespeare's greatest works. This episode is brought to you b
Success Can Make People Better... Or Worse
“Success made Marcus Aurelius better. It seems to have made Seneca worse. Marcus turned to philosophy in his twenties, was first selected for the throne as a teenager, and fully inherited the throne at age 40. Despite the truism that absolute power corrupts absolutely, he somehow managed to not only maintain his philosophical principles from the throne, but seems to have taken the opportunity to become kinder, more reflective, more generous, and more open-minded the longer he was in power. ”Ryan
Respect the Man Who Stands Alone | Awareness Is Freedom
“It’s hard not to read about Cato’s life and not be struck by how often the man stood alone. He stood alone as Quaestor, as he reformed Rome’s treasury. He was the sole voice willing to say “No” when people wanted to spend money the empire didn’t have.”Ryan talks about the importance of living by principles and respecting others who do the same, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brought to you by Literati Kids, a subscription book c
Author Ron Lieber on Money and Values
Ryan speaks to author Ron Lieber about the key Stoic virtue of temperance, how money can be a great tool for teaching, how parents and kids should approach college and gap years, and more.Ron Lieber is a bestselling author of several books and has been a New York Times columnist since 2008. His newest book The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make released in January 2021. This episode is brought to you by LMNT
Keep Doing This—You’ll Always Need It
“You’ve been reading for years now. You’ve been studying your Stoicism. You’ve been keeping up with your morning journals, doing your evening review. So when does this all culminate and coalesce into wisdom? When are you good? Never. The answer is never. “Until when is a person obligated to study Torah?” Maimonides once asked. “Until the day of one’s death.””Ryan explains why the pursuit of wisdom is never ending, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love fo
Are You Really That Special?
“You’ve been reading for years now. You’ve been studying your Stoicism. You’ve been keeping up with your morning journals, doing your evening review. So when does this all culminate and coalesce into wisdom? When are you good? Never. The answer is never. “Until when is a person obligated to study Torah?” Maimonides once asked. “Until the day of one’s death.””Ryan explains why the pursuit of wisdom is never ending, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Pre-order The Boy Who Would Be King, our newest rel
Don’t Get Even, Get Justice | Cultivate Indifference
“These are angry times… with plenty to be angry about. From politicians that have failed us to systemic evils that have gone on for too long. Maybe you’re someone who was conned, pressured into spending money you didn’t have with the hope of promises someone didn’t keep. Maybe you were hurt in an accident. Maybe you were wrongly deprived of your liberties or fair share.”Ryan explains why justice should always prevail over anger, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on t
Plutarch on How To Be A Leader
Today’s episode features an excerpt from Jeffrey Beneker’s How To Be A Leader: An Ancient Guide to Wise Leadership. How To Be A Leader is a modern translation and collection of essays about successful leadership from the ancient biographer Plutarch.Jeff Beneker is a Professor of Classics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. His primary research interest is in Greco-Roman biography and historiography. In addition to teaching courses in Greek language and literature, he teaches lecture cours
Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke on Building a Better Future
Ryan talks to Shopify CEO and founder Tobias Lütke about his introduction to Stoic philosophy, how Stoicism can be a guide to wealth and power, the importance of builders and entrepreneurs in society, and more.Tobias Lütke is the founder of Shopify, a Canadian e-commerce firm that helps companies set up and run online stores. Lutke grew up in Germany and moved to Canada in 2002. Shopify had 1,000,000 businesses in approximately 175 countries using its platform as of January 2021.This episode is
You Must Find Your Rules and Stick To Them
“It’d be wonderful if life never tempted you, if you could just go day-to-day, winging it and always do right. But that’s not how the world is. That’s not who you are. If left to our own devices, with enough opportunities, eventually we’ll mess up—we’ll drift, we’ll stray.”Ryan explains the importance of abiding by your own set of rules, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibilit...
This Is the Great Equalizer | Smoke and Dust of Myth
“Imagine what it must have been like to be Alexander the Great, conquering most of the known world by the time you were 30 years old. Born into royalty, you surpass even the incredible accomplishments of your father, to rule an empire of some 3,000 miles.”Ryan discusses where we are all headed and why it levels the playing field, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brought to you by Trends. Trends is the ultimate online community for
What It Means To Carry the Fire
“We’ve talked about this before—this idea of Carrying the Fire. It’s a concept that comes to us from the beautiful and haunting novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Set in an apocalyptic world, one that echoes Rome in the aftermath of the Antonine Plague or even our own days of pandemics and unprecedented unemployment, the novel follows a young boy and his father who are trying to survive in a world of darkness.”Ryan uses a concept from Cormac McCarthy’s The Road to explain the importance of the f
Adam Grant on Ego and Knowledge
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to author Adam Grant about his new book, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know, why the Stoics believed in the power of intellectual humility, how to keep your ego at bay, and more.Adam Grant is an author, organizational psychologist, and a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Grant is the author of 4 New York Times bestselling books and the host of WorkLife, a highly rated TED original podcast.This episode is brought t
You Can’t Make People Feel What You Want
“It would be so nice if they could just come around. If they could get with the program. Don’t they see what we need? Don’t they see that we love them? Don’t they see that this approach is not working for them, that it’s hurting everyone, including themselves?”Ryan discusses why you must let go of what other people feel, because it’s entirely out of your control, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podc...
How Stories Teach Us The Truth | Reduce Wants, Increase Happiness
“They seem silly. Aesop tells us stories about dogs and mice and foxes and lions. Children love them of course. Isn’t that proof that they’re childish?”Ryan explains why all stories are windows into the truth, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Pre-order The Boy Who Would Be King, our newest release at Daily Stoic, written by Ryan Holiday in the depths of the pandemic (not unlike the one Marcus ruled through), this new beautifully crafte
Stoicism and the Art of Resilience
How does someone who was born into slavery, whose master broke their leg and crippled them for life, somehow escape all that and become one of the fathers of Stoicism and an amazing thinker? Epictetus had every reason to be unable to transcend his own struggles, but instead he is one of the most important Stoic philosophers. He lived the philosophy and it saved him.This episode is brought to you by LMNT, the maker of electrolyte drink mixes that help you stay active at home, work, the gym, or an
Poker World Champion Annie Duke on Choosing the Truth
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to World Series of Poker champion Annie Duke about making ethical choices, the overlap between Stoicism and cognitive psychology, how to objectively assess your own decisions, and more.Annie Duke is a former professional poker player and a bestselling author. She is an expert in cognitive psychology and co-founded the non-profit Ante Up for Africa in 2007 to benefit charities working in African nations. Her recent book, How To Decide, details how to be a more confi
Face What’s In Front of You First
“It’s a tempting cognitive bias but ultimately a paralyzing one. Worse, it is often complicit in very preventable evil.”Ryan discusses why you need to concentrate on the present moment, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/sign
You’re Not As Beloved As You Think | Prepare For The Storm
“It’s easy to let self-importance set in. Look at the car they sent for you. Look at how big your office is. Look at all the people who report to you. Look at the awards you’ve won. Look at the recognition you’ve gotten. You’re a pillar of your community. You’re the best in your field.”Ryan discusses why we have to protect ourselves from the perils of ego, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brought to you by LinkedIn Jo...
James Clear On Getting 1% Better Every Day
Ryan talks with author James Clear about practical ways to shift your internal narrative, how to begin and maintain productive habitual action, being flexible with your goals as you set and achieve them, and more. James Clear is the author of the New York Times Bestseller, Atomic Habits, as well as a world-renowned speaker. His weekly 3-2-1 Newsletter has over 1,000,000 subscribers and is sent out every Thursday. Building success day by day is just one of the many things you can do with
There Are Going To Be These Kinds Of People In The World
“When Barbara Bush died, a college professor in California decided to go on a tweetstorm to insult the newly deceased. For years, the Westboro Baptist Church has outdone themselves with offensive protests, including, in some cases, at the funerals of veterans. Trump mocked a disabled reporter. Give your neighbors a few posts on Nextdoor.com and you’ll quickly find that they’ve been harboring some dark thoughts they’ve been apparently dying to share.”Ryan explains that there will always be selfis
We Are Chosen For Things
“It’s one of the most incredible stories in all of history. A young boy, out of nowhere, is chosen to be the emperor of most of the known world.”Ryan details one of history’s greatest fables, and launches the pre-order for his newest book, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Pre-order The Boy Who Would Be King, our newest release at Daily Stoic, written by Ryan Holiday in the depths of the pandemic (not unlike the one Marcus ruled through), this new beautifully crafted book is available for preo
It’s Easy To Forget This… But You Can’t. | Watch Over Your Perceptions
“You have so much to do. So much going on. There are only so many rolls of toilet paper left at the store. Only so many jobs available. Only so many kids who get accepted to the Ivy League, only so many spots on the bestseller list. So you fight. You claw. You might even kill to get what you want. What choice do you have?”Ryan explains why life is not a zero-sum game, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is brought...
Seneca on the Shortness of Life - Part 2
Today’s episode features another section from James Romm’s How to Die: An Ancient Guide to the End of Life. How To Die is a modern translation and collection of Seneca’s musings on the shortness of life. James Romm is an author and professor of classics at Bard College in Annandale, NY. His specialty is in ancient Greek and Roman culture and civilization. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the London Review of Books, the Daily Beast, and more.This episode is also brought to y
Tamler Sommers On the Urgency of Honor
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to professor Tamler Sommers about the obligation to spread philosophy in the modern age, the timeless dilemma of monetizing philosophy, the critical distinction between pride and honor, and more. Tamler Sommers is a professor of philosophy at the University of Houston. He has written several books, including 2018’s Why Honor Matters. He is the co-host of the philosophy and science podcast Very Bad Wizards.This episode is brought to you by LMNT, the maker of el
Here’s Where You’ll Find True Beauty
“As we’ve discussed before, John Adams was one of those people whose racing mind gave them little rest. He was always doing, doing, doing and more dangerously, always thinking, thinking, thinking. His friends saw the pain this caused him and he saw it himself. As he said many times, all he wanted was “tranquility of mind”—stillness—but it was elusive.”Ryan describes the beauty that surrounds us, and why it is the height of brilliance, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s
You Just Keep Going | Hero or Nero
“It has been a series of body blows, hasn’t it? The economy. Politics. Our health. Maybe you lost your job. Maybe you’ve lost your hope. All of us are concerned. Each of us is unsure of lays in the future, and what kind of shape we’ll be in when it comes.”Ryan discusses the Stoic’s formula for endurance, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is brought to you by Beekeeper’s Naturals, the company that’s reinventing your medicine with clean, effe
What Did the Stoics Think About Politics?
“Some of you are mad before you’ve even read this email. Relax. The Stoics lived 2,000 years ago. They had little in the way of policy beliefs that are relevant to us today.”Ryan discusses the Stoic’s obligation to being political, and why they must demand virtue from their leaders, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can in
Amelia Boone On Excellence and Endurance
Ryan speaks to champion obstacle racer and attorney Amelia Boone about the absence of clear communication during the pandemic, creating structure and balance for success in multiple careers, how Stoicism offers tools to deal with our emotions, and more.Amelia Boone is a 4x world champion obstacle racer as well as a full-time practicing attorney. She is one of the most decorated obstacle racers in history and has been written about in the Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN. Th
No, The World Is Not Conspiring Against You
“Sometimes it can feel like you’re surrounded by small-minded idiots. Especially when you’re trying to do something new, important, or good. All of a sudden, you’re dealing with insane red tape, incompetence, or worse, vehement protest from people who plain don’t know what they’re talking about.”Ryan explains why we should focus our energy on being better, not on other peoples flaws, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Appl
There Is Nothing Beneath the Philosopher | Suspend Your Opinions
“We get it. You’ve worked hard. You’re a good person. You respect yourself. That’s why you’re frustrated to be in this job beneath your talents. It’s why you don’t like that your ideas aren’t getting their due. It’s why you hate wasting your time on all this low-level crap.”Ryan explains why a Stoic excels in everything that they do, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brought to you by Public Goods, the one stop shop
How To Use Stoicism To Control Your Anger
Anger is antithetical to Stoicism, so naturally, the Stoics had methods of dealing with it. In this video, Ryan Holiday walks us through the various tools Marcus Aurelius used to avoid anger. If you'd like to learn more, go to https://dailystoic.com/angerThis episode is brought to you by LMNT, the maker of electrolyte drink mixes that help you stay active at home, work, the gym, or anywhere else. Electrolytes are a key part of a happy, healthy body. Right now you can receive a free LMNT Sample P
Jonathan Church On Terminal Cancer and Making Peace with Fate
On today’s episode, Ryan speaks to author and economist Jonathan Church about his brain cancer diagnosis, coming to terms with mortality through philosophy, the origin and nature of microaggressions, his new book, Reinventing Racism, and more. Jonathan Church is an economist and writer with degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University, who became a CFA charter holder in 2014. He has also published poems, a short story, and several papers in economics, which can be
Is This What You Spend Your Life For?
“Early on in Address Unknown, a haunting novel about the rise of fascism in Germany in the 1930s, two German entrepreneurs write to each other with much affection about their business success. One line, written from the entrepreneur Max to his friend Martin, stops us cold in the way that truth, rendered in fiction, occasionally can.”Ryan discusses the cost of the things and experiences that we chase after, and why we must spend our time wisely, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed th
You Don’t Have To Do This Anymore | On Being Invincible
“In one of the most vulnerable scenes in the Taylor Swift documentary on Netflix, Swift talks about how she feels while looking at a paparazzi photo of herself. Her lifelong habit she says, is to see what’s wrong with her appearance, to instinctively see that she needs to lose weight, to start monitoring what she eats more closely, quite possibly to stop eating all together.”Ryan discusses the process of identifying and rooting out problems in our lives, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the
The Highway Don’t Care
“It doesn’t matter that you’re a safe driver. Or that you’ve always paid your taxes. It doesn’t matter how hard you’ve worked for this. Or that you volunteer with poor blind kids after school.”Ryan discusses the odds that we are all up against and how indifferent they are to our lives, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the mor...
Bryan Doerries On the Power of Greek Tragedy and Seneca’s Plays
On today’s episode, Ryan speaks to writer Bryan Doerries about his work in familiarizing service members and veterans with ancient Greek plays, the military history of Greek playwrights, how the performance of theatre can be a useful tool for healing, and more.Bryan Doerries is the founder of Theater of War, a project that presents readings of ancient Greek plays to service members, veterans, and their families. He has written several books including The Theater of War: What Ancient Tragedies Ca
Things Are Not That Different
“We live in the glorious future. Yet somehow it is exactly the same as the past. The scourge of the ancient world: Pirates. Pompey fought them in Cato’s time. Bandits and highwaymen. Countless Romans suffered their depretations. Epictetus had his house broken into by one. Plagues. Marcus Aurelius lived through a decade and a half of one, likely dying of it himself.”Ryan explains why there is nothing new under the sun, and why we should be prepared for the same trials that have come before us, on
This Is How a Wise Man Responds to Triggers | Focus On the Present Moment
“There’s a story in the Talmud about a man betting his friend four hundred zuzim that he couldn’t provoke the famous rabbi Hillel into anger. The friend accepted the wager and settled on an ingenious and failproof strategy for pissing someone off: Asking really, really dumb questions.”Ryan discusses the practice and humility that it takes to control your temper, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is brought to you by Athleti
Seneca On the Shortness of Life
Today’s episode features a section from James Romm’s How to Die: An Ancient Guide to the End of Life. How To Die is a modern translation and collection of Seneca’s musings on the shortness of life. James Romm is an author and professor of classics at Bard College in Annandale, NY. His specialty is in ancient Greek and Roman culture and civilization. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the London Review of Books, the Daily Beast, and more.This episode is brought to you by LMNT,
James Frey on Turning Chaos Into Success
Ryan Speaks to writer and businessman James Frey about the challenges of being isolated during the pandemic, the philosophy behind his sobriety, the painful discovery of human flaws in your heroes, and more.James Frey is the author of several bestselling books including A Million Little Pieces, My Friend Leonard, and his most recent, Katerina. He is also the founder and CEO of the transmedia production company, Full Fathom Five. This episode is brought to you by Ladder, a painless way
Practice Makes You Prepared
“In 2017, the New England Patriots were down 28-3 to the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter of the Super Bowl. It had not been a good game. Fans had already begun to write the Patriots off. Announcers had serious doubts as to whether a comeback was possible. But somehow, against all odds, the Patriots would come back to win that game in one of the greatest victories in all of sports.”Ryan discusses the incredible feat accomplished by the Patriots in Super Bowl LI, and why we should be prepared
Can You Forgive Them? | Watching the Wise
“They hurt you, your parents. Everyone’s did. Some in big ways, some in small ways. It’s just a fact. As the poet Philip Larkin wrote, ‘They f**k you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had and add some extra, just for you.’”Ryan discusses the universal damage that parents do to their kids, why we should do our best to forgive them, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entry of the day, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is...
It’s A Series Of High Water Marks
“There’s a beautiful scene in Hunter S. Thompson’s dark memoir, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He talks about how just outside Las Vegas, in the shadow of the lights of the strip and the noise of the casinos, it’s possible to just barely discern the high water mark of the idealism of the 60s, which had by then, given way to the indulgences and selfishness of the 70s.”Ryan discusses how we can look at history as a constancy of peaks and valleys, and how we can use this perspective to guide the p
David Roll on What We Can Learn from General George Marshall
On today’s podcast, Ryan and historian David Roll discuss his most recent book George Marshall: Defender of the Republic, the most magnificent moment in American history, the moral obligation to remove confederate statues, and more. David Roll is the author of several books and is the founder of the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation, an organization that provides free legal services to social entrepreneurs around the world.This episode is brought to you by LMNT, the maker of electrolyte drink m
Not No Emotions, No Useless Emotions
“Stoicism, as we have said, is not the elimination of all emotion. It’s the regulation of them. Effectively, as Nassim Taleb has said, it’s the domestication of your urges and impulses and knee-jerk reactions.”Ryan explains that the goal of a Stoic is to react with their ruling reason, not to stuff their emotions down into a dark hole, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the
The Present Moment Is All You’ve Got | A Little Better Every Day
“There’s a lot going on in your life. Good for you. It’s a sign of success. It’s also a burden, a source of stress. You’ve got projects wrapping up. You’ve got projects starting soon. You’ve got a long to-do list, a lot to look forward to, a lot to worry about.”Ryan discusses how concentrating on the moment you are in can help you overcome stress and anxiety, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is also brought to you by Li...
How the Stoics Can Make You A Better Leader
The Stoics have many lessons to share about leadership. From Marcus Aurelius' reflections on his rule as the Emperor of Rome, to Epictetus' experiences as a slave, the Stoics are uniquely positioned to discuss leadership and how to approach it. On today’s podcast, Ryan discusses the Stoic principles that can improve your role as a leader, no matter what you do.This episode is brought to you by GiveWell, the best site for figuring out how and where to donate your money to have the greatest impact
Susan Straight on the Power of Story
Ryan speaks to professor and author Susan Straight about their first encounter at the University of California, Riverside, finding joy in the private process of writing, how specific books can change your life, and more. Susan Straight is a professor of creative writing and part of the MFA faculty at the University of California, Riverside, as well as an award-winning author. Her newest book, In the Country of Women, is a memoir based on the people of California and stories from the women i
There Are Only Hard Decisions
“Wouldn’t it be nice if everything was simple and straightforward? That’s what we’d like to think the job of a leader is. You become president—or emperor—and now that you’re in charge, things can finally be cleaned up. Just bring me the decisions, you think, and I’ll do a much better job than those fools who came before me.”Ryan explains why we have to be prepared to make difficult decisions on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a revie.
You Get Bad Breaks… and Good Ones | A Morning Ritual
“In the year 41 CE, Seneca was banished by the emperor Claudius for supposedly sleeping with Julia Livilla, the sister of Caligula. We don’t know if he was completely innocent of the accusation, but we do know that the incident was hardly an exemplar of justice. The historian Suetonius tells us that Seneca’s ‘charge was vague and the accused was given no opportunity to defend himself.’”Ryan explains how Seneca’s fortune lead him to great depths and great heights, and reads The Daily Stoic’s entr
Mike Duncan On Using the Past to Guide the Future
On today’s podcast, Ryan speaks to author and historian Mike Duncan (History of Rome podcast) about his incredibly important book, The Storm Before The Storm, and what Roman history can tell us about current events. Mike Duncan is an author, historian and host of the award-winning podcast series, The History of Rome, which has been downloaded more than 100 million times. His ongoing podcast series, Revolutions, explores history’s greatest political revolutions This episode is brought t
All The Rest Is Commentary
“It’s a famous story, one we’ve told before. Hillel was asked to explain the Torah. ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself,’ he said. ‘All the rest is commentary.’”Ryan discusses why the fundamental concepts of philosophy are all that matter, and why you should embody them, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and m
Wake Up, You’re Fever Dreaming
“You want it. You want it badly. The promotion. To win that higher office. To get called up. To buy that house. To sleep with that person. To have just one free punch at you-know-who. You want it more than anything and, by god, you’re going to get it. You’re working. You’re scheming. You’re… obsessed. Honestly, what you’re in is a fever dream—a delusion of drive and lust and want. ”Ryan explains the cost of striving for pleasure, and how it will crumble before your eyes, on today’s Daily Stoic P
You Are Dying Every Day | The Wake Up
“It’s easy to see death as this thing that lies off in the distant future. Even those of us who choose not to live in denial of our mortality can be guilty of this. We think of dying as an event that happens to us. It’s stationary—whatever date it will happen at—and we’re moving towards it, slowly or quickly, depending on our age and health.”Ryan reminds us of the power that can be found in remembering our mortality, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily
Stoicism's Simple Secret To Being Happier
On today’s podcast, Ryan discusses how he has used Stoic principles to find happiness and stillness in the modern world. Stoicism is a practical philosophy and one of the fundamental tenets is that if you want to be happy, you have to flip the script. You can't try to meet your desires, instead, you should limit them. This episode is brought to you by Manly Bands, the best damn wedding rings period. Freedom for your hand to look like you want it to look. Whether you’re looking for men’s wed
Cal Newport On the Art of Time Blocking
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to “Deep Work” author and computer scientist Cal Newport about his new Time-Block Planner, the logistics of writing a good book, what life after COVID will look like, and more.Cal Newport is an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and the author of 6 books including his most recent, Digital Minimalism, which was a New York Times bestseller. He is also the host of the Deep Questions podcast which launched in May 2020. This epis
You Still Have Time Pt II
“We talked a while back about one of the most inspiring lessons of Seneca’s life—that’s it’s not too late for anyone. This was a man who lost his twenties to illness, lost close to a decade of his life to exile, and then in old age was forced into a painful retirement which he turned into one of the most productive writing sprints of his life.”Find hope for healing your past in the story of Seneca and a poem from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoy...
Don’t Just Settle For a Shortcut, Do The Work | Peace Is In Staying the Course
“When things are scary, when we’re overwhelmed, when we’re struggling, it’s tempting to look for a shortcut, for a pill that makes you feel better, for a TV show that helps you turn off your brain. Nothing makes that clearer than the last couple years of alarmingly destabilizing global events. People have turned to all sorts of magical solutions to get through these dark days, from meditation to self-help gurus to sending countless tweets and petitions off into cyberspace.”Ryan discusses how to
Economist Emily Oster On Rationality and Risk
On today’s episode, Ryan has a wide-ranging conversation with professor and economist Emily Oster. They talk about how to balance your life with children, how to communicate positive messaging, how the American government handled the pandemic, and more.Emily Oster is a professor of economics at Brown University, as well as the bestselling author of several books. Her most recent book, Cribsheet, aims to help improve decision making during the early years of parenting.This episode is brought to y
You Are Not Too Busy To Read
“We get it. You’re busy. You have kids. You have a job—maybe two. You have these things you are trying to accomplish. You have to get to the gym. You have a long commute. You have all these projects around the house.”Discover the vitality of reading and how historical leaders carved out time to make it a priority, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people li...
There Is No Reason Not To Follow Your Heart
“Steve Jobs was more interested in Buddhism than he was Stoicism. He may not have been, at least according to biographies, a particularly good person. But he was still a person, one whose perspective on life was shaped in interesting ways and utterly changed after his first brush with cancer in 2003.”Learn how the Stoic concept of memento mori marked a turning point in Steve Job’s life, and why you too should meditate on mortality, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s pod
What If This Made You Stronger? | The Sphere of Choice
“It wouldn’t be wonderful if it weren’t true. But it is: “Anyone who proposes to do good must not expect people to roll stones out of his way,” the philosopher and Nobel Prize winner Albert Schweitzer said, “but must accept his lot calmly if they even roll a few more upon it.”Ryan explains the timeless art of turning trials into triumph, and reads this week's meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave
The Incredible Stoicism of James Stockdale: Prisoner At War
“On September 9, 1965, Admiral James Stockdale’s A-4 Skyhawk jet was shot down in Vietnam. He was taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese and spent the next seven years being tortured and subjected to unimaginable loneliness and terror. Fortunately, three years earlier, he was recommended a book. That book, he says, saved his life.” Find out how Stoicism helped James Stockdale face unimaginable adversity, on today’s podcast. Today’s episode is brought to you by Thuma. Thuma has spent thousan
Historian Thomas Ricks on Stoicism and the Founders
Ryan speaks with author and journalist Thomas Ricks about his new book, First Principles, the importance of looking back at the virtues and principles embodied by the founding fathers of America, how our current political atmosphere unraveled, and more.Thomas Ricks is an American journalist and author who has won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting multiple times. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq and A Soldier's Duty.This
Here’s What You Can Do With Those Long Odds
“To face long odds, to face what others call an “impossibility”—some people can handle this and some people can’t. Think of the chances that Epictetus faced, when the life expectancy for a wealthy person in Rome was only a few decades, but for a slave was abysmally lower. Think of Cato, trying to stand alone against Caesar. Think of the odds faced by Marcus to not be corrupted and destroyed by absolute power. Think of Washington as he and a ragtag militia stared down the greatest army and empire
You Can Find Peace
“There’s a chapter in Epictetus’ Discourses entirely about forlornness (or solitude, depending on the translation), the state where one feels miserably and helplessly lonely. His aim is to make a careful distinction. Lonely and alone are not synonymous. One can be alone, in their own company, and feel entirely connected and at peace with the world, just as one can be in a crowd and feel miserably lonely. Similarly, Epictetus adds, the world can be at war while one is at peace, just as the world
Jay Shetty On How to Think Like a Monk
On today’s podcast Ryan talks to influencer and author Jay Shetty about his former life as a monk, finding stillness in the modern world, and focusing on the process rather than the outcome. Jay Shetty is a British author and influencer with a mission to make wisdom go viral. His videos have reached over 4 billion viewers and he has a combined 20 million followers on social media. He is the host of the On Purpose podcast and released his bestselling book, Think Like a Monk, in September 202
What This Philosophy Is Here For
“You’ve got problems. We all do. Maybe you’re having a difficult time in your relationship. Or work has worn you down. Or you’re trying to figure out what to do with your life. Maybe the pandemic has shaken you to your foundation and you’re still reeling from the blow. Or things have gone exceedingly well and now you’re overwhelmed by opportunities you never thought possible. Or you’re stuck, or you’re lacking motivation, or you’re terrified by all the uncertainties facing the world as we enter
It’s About Infusing It Into Your DNA
“Marcus Aurelius read Epictetus… a lot. We know this because Meditations is proof of it. Almost every page has some direct quote or allusion to Epictetus. We also find, upon deeper inspection, references to the works of Panaetius, Chrysippus, the plays of Euripides, Zeno and countless other philosophers.”Ryan explains the importance of lingering on great work so that it becomes a part of you, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Great news! The Daily Stoic is $1.99 as an ebook right now (UK discounted
What Have You Managed to Get Done? | Whats Up to Us, What's Not Up to Us
“It’s been a strange year, hasn’t it? Our days have been disrupted. Our lifestyles changed. Plans have been put on pause. Whole projects made impossible. In one sense, this pandemic has been totally unprecedented. But in another sense, isn’t it all too common? We find ourselves laid up with a broken leg. We have to spend two months away from home, cleaning up a mess in the West Coast office. We get posted overseas with little notice. We get laid off. We get exiled, as Seneca did, or we find ours
Who was Marcus Aurelius? The Life Of The Stoic Emperor
Marcus’s "Meditations" is perhaps the only document of its kind ever made. It is the private thoughts of the world’s most powerful man giving advice to himself on how to make good on the responsibilities and obligations of his positions. On today’s podcast, Ryan talks about the man behind "Meditations," who he was, what his life was like, and how he applied Stoicism in it.This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn Jobs is the best platform for finding the right candidate to join y
Shaka Smart, Buzz Williams, Manu Ginóbili, Pau Gasol, Dominique Dawes, and Danica Patrick On Sports and Stoicism
Today’s episode features clips from some of the best interviews about sports in 2020. Ryan talks to Shaka Smart, Buzz Williams, Manu Ginóbili, Pau Gasol, Dominique Dawes, and Danica Patrick about finding balance between greatness and happiness, what it takes to become elite, the philosophical principles behind sports, and much more.This episode is brought to you by GiveWell, the best site for figuring out how and where to donate your money to have the greatest impact. GiveWell’s team of research
Things Are Won at the Beginning
“Here we are at the beginning of a new year. On the one hand, today is just a day, no different than any other. Yet there is also something special about today because we are starting the year 2021. And as the expression goes, well begun is half done. In fact, the Stoics would express it a little differently, because to them, the beginning was the only thing that was up to us. As the philosopher Democritus said, ‘Boldness is the beginning of action. But fortune controls how it ends.’”Ryan kickst
Now Is the Time
“We all have vices. We all have flaws. We all have things we know we want to change. What happens? Nothing happens. This is true for everyone, even Martin Luther King. ‘One day,’ King said that we tell ourselves, ‘I’m going to rise up and drive this evil out. I know it is wrong. It is destroying my character and embarrassing my family.’”Ryan brings the year to a close, and discusses why you must get started now and quit delaying, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.We created the New Year, New You Ch
Jessica Lahey, Angel Parham, Brett McKay, and Dr. Harvey Karp On Parenting and Stoicism
Today’s episode features clips from some of the best interviews about parenting in 2020. Ryan talks to Jessica Lahey, Angel Parham, Brett McKay, and Dr. Harvey Karp about letting your kids fail, reading the classics to them, teaching them hope and decency, and how to approach parenting from a Stoic perspective.This episode is also brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn Jobs is the best platform for finding the right candidate to join your business this fall. It’s the largest marketplace for j
This We Must Avoid
“When he was young, Seneca experimented with vegetarianism. It was a fad at the time—considered a transgressive but trendy idea from the philosopher Pythagoras. Then, soon enough, he abandoned it, forgetting quite quickly the thing he’d been so passionate about that he was willing to risk his life for (that’s how transgressive Rome perceived Pythagoras’ teachings).”Ryan discusses why timeless wisdom will always conquer fleeting trends, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.Just 24 hours left to join us
How Much Longer Are You Going To Wait?
“We all know professional procrastinators. You know, those people who constantly put stuff off. Who always have some new plan in the works to improve their health, their finances, their work, their friendships, their relationships. I’m ready to start eating better, they say… after the holidays. I’m ready to settle down… soon. I’m ready for my next big project… I just have to do something else first.”Ryan explains why you can’t wait to become better, you have to take action now, on today’s Daily
You Can’t Freeze Up | Turn Words Into Works
“Where this goes and what will happen is impossible to ascertain. The only certainty over the next few months and possibly years is uncertainty. But there is one thing you can bet on for sure: There will be a lot of decisions to make. A lot of things to do. It’s going to be essential that you don’t freeze up. You cannot become paralyzed. It is the surest way to defeat and failure.”Ryan discusses the importance of facing what life brings you with courage, and reads this week's meditation from The
These 3 Books Changed My Life Completely
On today’s episode, Ryan discusses the 3 books that completely changed his life. Listen to find out what books had such a great impact on Ryan’s thinking, and why re-reading important books can give you new insights.This episode is also brought to you by HelloFresh, the meal-kit subscription that gets you healthy and delicious home-cooked meals, right to your doorstep. HelloFresh sends you meal kits in a way that fits in with your schedule and dietary preferences. Meals are seasonal and deliciou
Matthew McConaughey, Pete Holmes, Martellus Bennett, and George Raveling on How to Be a Modern Leader
Today’s episode features clips from some of the best interviews in 2020. Ryan talks to Matthew McConaughey, Pete Holmes, Martellus Bennett, and George Raveling about focusing on what’s in your control, finding growth in suffering, the Stoic virtue of justice, and why all leaders are readers.This episode is brought to you by GiveWell, the best site for figuring out how and where to donate your money to have the greatest impact. GiveWell’s team of researchers works countless hours to determine whi
This is the Tradition We Hail From
“2,000 years ago today there was a woman who went into labor in a province of the Roman Empire, she couldn't find shelter, she was young, and she was scared. 150 years ago soldiers fighting to preserve the Union and to free their fellow man, found a way to celebrate Christmas in forts and trenches dividing a sundered Nation. Almost a century ago in the worst part of the Great Depression, parents around the world did what they could to cobble together gifts and a dinner for their hungry and exhau
What Matters is the Response
“It was a dark day exactly 244 years ago. Christmas was here, at one of of the darkest times in the American Revolution. George Washington was planning to cross the Delaware, a desperate move necessitated by a string of setbacks and ebbing support for the revolution across his struggling country.”Learn about how George Washington applied Stoic principles to help guide the Continental Army to victory, and why we should focus on what we are going to do next, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast. We crea
Always Give Credit to Something Greater
“It’s almost a cliché at this point. A reporter walks into the locker room of a victorious team and gets some version of the following quotes from the athlete who has pulled it off: ‘It was a team effort.’ ‘We worked hard and got lucky out there.’ ‘I trusted in God and did my best.’”Ryan discusses the importance of cultivating humility, and keeping your ego at bay, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It help
Cal Newport, Jocko Willink, Tim Ferriss, and Robert Greene on Life During a Pandemic
Today’s episode features clips from some of the best interviews in 2020. Ryan talks to Cal Newport, Jocko Willink, Tim Ferriss, and Robert Greene about time management, daily routines, how to deal with fear, and facing the truth. This episode is brought to you by Amazon Music. one of the things that makes this time of year truly wonderful is the music—and my family’s getting its holiday music fix thanks to Amazon Music. Whether it’s the Charlie Brown Christmas album or Mariah Carey, Ama
If You Want to Look Better, Do This
“Epictetus said that the root of beauty was beautiful choices. He was talking less of physical beauty, one imagines, than of true beautiful human behavior, but actually, it applies to both. A stunning woman whose looks are the result of her vanity and self-obsession will be rather unattractive when you get to know her. A man with strapping muscles acquired through steroids and a neglect of all other concerns is not really that impressive.”Ryan explains why the intentions behind the choices you m
You Have To Be Ready | Stake Your Claim
“In his 91st Letter, Seneca tells Lucilius about his friend Liberalis who is “in some distress at the present moment following the news of the complete destruction of Lyons by fire.” It was a terrible, savage tragedy that calls to mind the images we see on the news all over the world on a day-to-day basis.”Ryan explains the importance of being prepared and seizing the present moment, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is bro
5 More of the Most Stoic Moments in History
On today’s episode, Ryan discusses 5 of the most Stoic moments in history with examples from Agrippinus, Steve Scott, Kerri Strugg, Frederick Douglass, and Epictetus.Today’s episode is also brought to you by Thuma. Thuma has spent thousands of hours making the perfect platform bed frame, called The Bed. The Bed by Thuma is super supportive of your mattress, breathes well, and is built to naturally minimize noise. Thuma ships your bed frame right to your door, and it takes five minutes to assembl
The National’s Matt Berninger On Ego, Collaboration, and Slowing Down
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to the lead singer of indie rock band The National about the false glamour of the rock n’ roll lifestyle, staying creative during the pandemic, and how he has sustained a successful career in the music industry.After quitting a career in advertising in his thirties, Berninger went on to form The National in 1999. The band has released several critically acclaimed albums, including Boxer and the Grammy-nominated Trouble Will Find Me. In October he released his debut
The Better You Get, The Less You Care…
“Whether it’s a great athlete or a great comedian, the truth is the same. The better they get, the less they care about results. That’s not to say they don’t care about winning, or about success—of course they do—it’s that the longer you do something, the closer you get to mastery, the less external results matter in terms of measuring progress.”Ryan discusses why you should strive to measure progress internally, rather than externally, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’
We Are All In This Together
“One of the strangest pejoratives that has come up in this new divisive political era is the idea of calling someone a “globalist.” It’s particularly popular in far right circles. If someone believes in NATO, if someone can see the obvious self-interest that the United States has in basing troops on the Korean Peninsula, or if they like doing trade deals with other countries, then they are clearly a World Bank-loving globalist who is betraying their own country in favor of some traitorous prefer
UFC Fighter Michelle Waterson On Training the Mind and the Body
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to champion MMA fighter Michelle Waterson about the philosophy of being a mother, a business owner, and a world renowned fighter.Known as “The Karate Hottie”, Waterson made her fighting debut in 2007 and is the former Invicta FC Atomweight Champion. In 2013 she joined the UFC and was later ranked the #1 women’s atom weight fighter in the world. She is currently ranked #7 in the Women’s Strawweight Division.This episode is brought to you by Trends. Trends is the ult
This Is What You Have Been Working For
“A quarterback can spend thousands of hours in the gym, watching footage, and working on their throwing accuracy. But ultimately, what matters is what they do on Sunday. What matters is what they do in the 4th quarter. Surgeons can study pre-med, go to med school, spend years in residency, and read every scientific journal ever published. But ultimately, what matters is whether they can perform in the operating room. A musician can practice chords, study the greats, work with the best instructor
You Have to Be Willing to Change
“We’ve been this way for a while. We are set in our ways. We’ve always had a short fuse. We’ve always been sad about our childhood. We’ve always had trouble with our eating. We’ve never been much good at being faithful. Maybe you’ve had a mean streak. Maybe you’re too timid. Maybe you don’t like to try very hard. Maybe you don’t think you’re good enough. How’s that working out for you? Why keep going down a road that leads nowhere?”Ryan describes why you must always be getting better a...
Yes, This is Unfair, Yet... | Keep the Rhythm
"You didn’t cause the pandemic. You might have even been one of the people who was vocal about the dangers early on. Perhaps you didn’t vote for the leaders—worldwide—who have so failed us in preventing it or protecting us. Yet here you are, stuck dealing with the fallout." Ryan explains the importance of doing what is right, even when faced with unfair circumstances, on today's Daily Stoic Podcast. This episode is brought to you by ExpressVPN, the #1 worldwide VPN. ExpressVPN has sup
Death and the View From Above — An Excerpt from Don Robertson’s “How to Think Like a Roman Emperor”
On today’s episode, Ryan features another clip from the audiobook of Donald Robertson’s 2019 book How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, published by Macmillan Audio, and available wherever book and audios are sold. This chapter focuses on the last days of Marcus Aurelius, and what lessons they hold for all of us.For more from Ryan and Donald, check out their appearance on Daily Stoic’s podcast from August, when they discussed the history behind Stoicism, the Antonine Plague, and more.Donald Roberts
Ramit Sethi on How to Live the Rich Life
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to his longtime friend, author and financial expert Ramit Sethi. From backbreaking summer jobs in Sacramento to financial success and acclaim, Ryan and Ramit have walked a similar path—hear them talk about what they’ve learned from those shared experiences.Ramit Sethi is a bestselling author and expert on how to use money to live the richest life. His first book, I Will Teach You to Be Rich, along with his courses and advice, has taught thousands of people
A Leader Must Be a Reader
"A leader will be forced into countless situations that they have never been in before. Trying, painful, stressful, baffling dilemmas and difficulties unlike any they have known. Nothing could have prepared Kennedy for the Cuban Missile Crisis, but it’s a good thing he had read B. H. Liddell Hart a few years before—it was Hart’s wisdom that helped Kennedy rationally and calmly deal with that unprecedented moment. Nothing could have prepared Churchill for the outbreak of WWII… except of course, t
Greatness Should Be Put Up For Display
"Go stand in front of the Jefferson Monument in D.C. on an early morning, watch the sun rise through the columns and shining on those words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…” and try not to feel anything. Go stand in front of the Marcus Aurelius statue in Rome (or the replica at Brown University) and not feel as if you are a
Author Connor Towne O’Neill On the Battle to Shape History
On today’s episode, Ryan talks to a fellow Southern transplant, writer Conor Towne O’Neill. They nerd out over their mutual fascination with the ghosts of American history that linger in the South, and how their presence looms in the Confederate monuments that even now, unconscionably, still stand on American soil.Connor Towne O’Neill is an author and journalist based in Alabama. His new book, Down Along with That Devil's Bones: A Reckoning with Monuments, Memory, and the Legacy of White Suprema
This Is the Power You Have
"Life is hard. We face insurmountable odds with so many problems. We get bad news. We mess up. We find out that what we wanted—what we deserve, what is fair—is just not in the cards for us. Think about Pete Frates. In his late 20s, he was hit by a pitch in an amateur league baseball game. At the doctor, shortly thereafter, it was discovered that he had ALS. Talk about “crying, stung by bee.” A sports injury uncovered a terminal diagnosis."Find out what Frates did in response to his diagnosi
Each of Us Has a Job to Do
"Today, we find ourselves in the teeth of a global pandemic, one with a mortality rate close to the Antonine Plague that killed millions of people during Marcus Aurelius’ reign. Our medical efforts are running behind. Our supply chains are overtaxed. The cowardice and incompetence of many governments (or rather the heads of many governments, since responsibility falls on the leader, whether they accept it or not) has been laid bare. So what do we do?"Ryan explains how we must handle this ne
How Do You Not See This? | Be Stingy With Time
"You consider yourself a programmatic thinker, a political realist, a student of history, a righter of wrongs, a teller of truths. The world is going to hell and you know how to fix it. But maybe you’ve become blind to the way your decisions, your actions, your beliefs are contributing—not to any sort of solution, but rather to the very thing you’re bemoaning. Maybe you’re the problem."Ryan describes why we should be wary of the absolute certainty that we know what is right and wrong, and reads
Temporary Madness — An Excerpt from Don Robertson’s “How to Think Like a Roman Emperor”
On today’s episode, Ryan features a clip from the audiobook of Donald Robertson’s 2019 book How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, published by Macmillan Audio, and available wherever book and audios are sold. For more from Ryan and Donald, check out their appearance on Daily Stoic’s podcast from August, when they discussed the history behind Stoicism, the Antonine Plague, and moreDonald Robertson is a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, trainer, and writer. Robertson has been researching Stoicism
Pop Star Camila Cabello On Stoicism, Creativity and Success
On today’s episode, Ryan talks with Camila Cabello on training your mind to work for you, finding courage and happiness in your career, how she values stillness and the idea of memento mori, and more.Camila Cabello is one of the biggest stars in the music industry today. Cabello’s 2018 debut album, Camila, reached the top of the Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum. Cabello has billions of streams on digital music platforms and has won multiple awards, including two Latin Grammy Awards
You Think You’re So Powerful
"You’re smart. You’re experienced. You’ve made a bunch of money. You have a few prestigious letters before or after your name. You’re a citizen of this country or that one. You’re got an impressive physique. You have a large following. We can start to feel pretty good about ourselves… and then life has a way of reminding us how meaningless these things really are. "Ryan explains how your personal attributes are less important than how you respond to life, on today's Daily Stoic Podcast
Who You Spend Time With Matters
"We’d like to think we are above being influenced by others, but of course that’s not true. We are shaped by the people we spend time with, and the examples we observe. Benjamin Hardy has called this the “proximity effect,” and many years ago Jim Rohn famously declared that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with."Ryan discusses why it's so important that you carefully choose who you associate with, on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, w
ESPN's Wright Thompson On What Makes Us Great… And Human
Ryan speaks with writer Wright Thompson about what drives an author to cover a topic, the similarity between writing and sports, their differing writing processes, and more.Wright Thompson is an author and journalist who covers the intersections of sports and culture. Thompson has written for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine on topics like auto racing, MMA, bullfighting and more. Thompson wrote The Cost of These Dreams and recently released the New York Times bestselling Pappyland: A Story of Fami
It’s Not If You’re Reading, But WHAT You’re Reading
Reading is an indisputable good. How could it not be? It’s hard to criticize anyone who takes the time, in this crazy, busy (and shockingly ignorant) world, to sit and read a book. But if wisdom is our aim, then of course, it’s not that simple. Great readers don’t just think about quantity, they think about quality.Ryan explains how you should measure the quality of your reading on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review o...
Who Will You Look For?
If you look out at the world right now, what you’ll see at first glance is a pretty terrible picture of desperation. Steep market declines. Fear. Panic. Unemployment. People in hospitals. Leaders who have fallen down on the job at every level of government, who actually feel no shame, saying things like, “I don't take responsibility at all.”But if you choose to be a bit more deliberate about how you look, you might see something else—a pretty amazing picture of dedication.Ryan describes why the
Look for the Smooth Handle | Balance the Books of Life Daily
In 1811, a 68-year-old Thomas Jefferson sat down to try to put down some advice that he could pass along to his 12-year-old granddaughter Cornelia. His advice survives to us as “Canons of Conduct,” 12 rules for living. Ryan discusses the importance of one of Jefferson's rules, and reads over the week's guidance from the Daily Stoic Journal, on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is brought to you by Four Sigmatic. Four Sigmatic is a maker of mushroom coffee, lattes, elixirs, and more. Their
7 Things the Stoics Can Teach Us in 2020
On today's episode, Ryan discusses 7 lessons we can all learn from the Stoics that are especially pertinent to the trials of 2020.This episode is brought to you by Neuro. Neuro makes mints and gums that help you retain focus and clarity wherever you go. Made with a proprietary blend of caffeine, L-theanine, and other focus-building compounds, Neuro’s products are great for anyone who needs help focusing in these trying times. Try out Neuro’s gums and mints at getneuro.com—and use discount code S
Tech Investor Joe Lonsdale On How Philosophy Makes You Better at Business
Ryan speaks with entrepreneur and investor Joe Lonsdale about the intersections of business and philosophy, what Cicero means to him, why so many people are relocating to Texas, and more.Joe Lonsdale is a major Silicon Valley tech sector investor. A co-founder of Palantir Technologies, Lonsdale was an early investor in companies including Oculus, Oscar, Illumio, and Orca Bio, and is a partner at 8VC, his venture capital firm. Lonsdale also started the Cicero Institute, a group dedicated to publi
This Is Our Duty
"That nice, warm feeling you have right now? That fullness? From the food you stuffed yourself with, from the wonderful meal you had with your family?It’s important that you realize not everyone is feeling that right now."Ryan explains what we can do to help others who don't have enough to eat this holiday season on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.Donate to the Daily Stoic Feeding America fundraiser: http://dailystoic.com/feed***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review
Now, More Than Ever, You Have To Find This
"On this day of American Thanksgiving, we’re supposed to make time to give thanks, to actively think about that word which has become almost cliché in wellness circles: gratitude. But what is gratitude? Some people think of it as being thankful for all the good things you have in your life. Others see it as the act of acknowledging what people have done for you or what you appreciate about others. While the Stoics would have agreed that all of what those interpretations encompass is importa
Filmmaker Daniel Lombroso on How To Stay Sane Amidst Radicalization
Ryan talks to director and journalist Daniel Lombroso about social media and the ways that people can be manipulated and radicalized by it, the Internet-fueled rise of extremist movements, and more.Daniel Lombroso is a filmmaker and journalist based in New York City. His most recent work is the feature documentary White Noise, which follows key figures in the American alt-right movement. Before that, Lombroso spent five years directing video shorts for The Atlantic.This episode is brought to you
The Right Amount Is Key
"If you’re not on guard, you’ll find yourself falling victim to the urge for just one more helping, or I’ve earned that treat. But what we are bad at calculating is what kind of person we’re going to feel like after. It’s like with drinking: it might make you friendlier at first, and then a real monster a few hours later. And the next day? Well then you won’t be good for anything."Ryan describes why moderation is so critical on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this...
Anger Is a Kind of Madness
"They didn’t have the studies to back it up, but they knew.Anger makes you dumber. It makes you a worse leader, a worse decision-maker."Ryan tells us precisely why anger is so irrational on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better.Sign up for the Daily Stoic...
Love Them as You Love Yourself | Practice Letting Go
"Other people. Ugh.They are all the things Marcus Aurelius said, and more: Dishonest. Arrogant. Envious. Frustrating. Shortsighted. Selfish. And yet? Other people are not hell, as the expression goes. They are all we have. They are not even 'other.' They are us. We are all part of one whole, the Stoics would say."Ryan explains why we need to work for the common good, and reads over the week's guidance from the Daily Stoic Journal, on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is brought to you by.
Rich Roll and Ryan Reflect on Stoicism (Live Talks LA)
Today’s episode features an interview of Ryan conducted by yesterday’s guest Rich Roll about Ryan’s latest book, Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius at a Live Talks LA event. They talk about the intersection of Stoicism and politics, the best way to live virtuously, and more.Live Talks LA: https://livetalksla.org/This episode is brought to you by Four Sigmatic. Four Sigmatic is a maker of mushroom coffee, lattes, elixirs, and more. Their drinks all taste amazing a
Rich Roll - Ultra-Endurance Athlete On How to Be Healthy
On today’s episode, Ryan talks with athlete and wellness advocate Rich Roll about how our leadership has reacted to the coronavirus pandemic, the modern wellness community, the pros and cons of psychedelic therapy, and more.Rich Roll is an author, wellness advocate, athlete, and podcast host. Roll was previously an entertainment lawyer, but after becoming sober and losing 50 lbs, Roll transformed into an ultra endurance athlete with a vegan diet. He has written a memoir, Finding Ultra, and hosts
How Will You Account for This Time?
"When Ebola was first spreading, the news would run fascinating stories about the habits of the people who were unknowingly infected. These stories are often as revealing as they are cautionary. First, how clueless people are—how flagrantly they violate warnings and guidelines out of selfishness and dismissiveness. But more interestingly, how much time people waste."Ryan exhorts us to use the time given to us during the pandemic wisely, on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’
This Is What Echoes in Eternity
"It’s ironic that today we celebrate the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, because the entire conceit of Lincoln’s short, 271-word address was that people would little note nor remember what he was saying. What counted to Lincoln was what the soldiers had done. The full measure of their sacrifice, for freedom, to preserve the Union, was beyond anyone’s ability to add or subtract. The Stoics would have agreed with that sentiment. It’s a waste of time to talk about what a good man is lik
These Are Habits to Avoid
"Because of how Stoicism survives to us—mostly in the form of scraps and fragments and letters—we don’t exactly have a list of dos and don’ts. There are no Ten Commandments of Stoicism. No definitive book of what they believed or didn’t. But in those scraps and fragments, we do get plenty."Ryan explains what we know about how the Stoics felt about habits on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts...
Mike Herrera, Punk Rock Stalwart (MxPx, Goldfinger), On 30 Years On and Off the Road
On today’s episode, Ryan speaks with singer Mike Herrera, founder of the punk band MxPx. They talk about being a touring musician during COVID, the insights he has gained from being in MxPx, and more.Mike Herrera is lead vocalist, bassist, and songwriter for the punk band MxPx. Herrera founded the band in 1992 in Bremerton, WA, and it has since gone on to reach Billboard charts multiple times and sell millions of albums worldwide. Herrera also performs solo and with LA punk band Goldfinger, and
How To Have a Great Day. Every Day.
"A lot can happen to ruin your day. You could wake up to a freak storm, or roads gnarled with traffic. Your dog could throw up on the carpet. You could find out that the president called you out by name on Twitter. You could have the flu or food poisoning. You could just be tired. You could have a job you hate. You could get dumped… or dumped on. The potential nightmares are endless. It would be wonderful then if there was some way to counteract those looming difficulties, a pair of gl
You Can’t Predict the Future, But You Can Predict This | Judge Yourself, Not Others
"Few saw the pandemic coming. But certainly the woefully inadequate response, at all levels, was predicted by many. The same is true for most events, in politics, in sports, in business, in life. It’s next to impossible to know what adversity or what good luck will fall in someone’s lap. How they’ll be able to handle this—whether they’ll rise to the occasion, be corrupted or destroyed by it—on the other hand? That’s much easier to see coming.A simple Stoic maxim guides us: Character is fate."Rya
The Leadership Secrets of Marcus Aurelius
On today's episode, Ryan talks about the virtues that Marcus Aurelius brought to his position as Emperor of Rome. How did Marcus lead the Roman people through invasions and plagues, war and disaster, and still maintain his mettle? Find out on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is brought to you by the Theragun. The new Gen 4 Theragun is perfect for easing muscle aches and tightness, helping you recover from physical exertion, long periods of sitting down, and more—and its new motor makes i
Matthew McConaughey On Winning the Role of Life
On today’s episode, Ryan speaks with Academy Award-winning actor and producer Matthew McConaughey about his approach to the craft of acting, the simple keys to living a happy life, his new book, the #1 best seller Greenlights, and more.Matthew McConaughey has been working in Hollywood for over 25 years, appearing in movies like A Time to Kill, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Dallas Buyers Club. His work in the latter film won him the 2013 Academy Award for Best Actor. McConaughey also works as a pr
What Matters and What Doesn’t
"It’s almost surreal to think about the things we were thinking about not long ago. How could we have been so naive? So entitled? How could we have missed the signs?Well, no matter, life has a way of letting you know that you’ve had your head up your own ass. And there is no other expression for what Western society, particularly but by no means limited to the progressive amongst us, has done to itself. Cultural appropriation. Micro-aggressions. The War on Christmas. Does square dancing have rac
It’s Not Much, But It Adds Up
"Don’t think of wisdom as something you get via epiphany or even a couple years of graduate school. No, it’s something you accumulate day by day—action by action, as Marcus Aurelius put it—over the course of a lifetime."Ryan points out the wisdom that can build up from small steps on today's Daily Stoic Podcast. And for another source of daily wisdom, get your 2021 Daily Stoic Page-a-Day Calendar! They're available now at the Daily Stoic web store: https://store.dailystoic.com/products/daily-sto
You Must Meet It All the Same
"We have good days. We have bad days. We will have, as Seneca experiences, moments of heartbreak and bad luck as well as strokes of good fortune and good timing. The question is how we’re going to respond to these swings of fate..."Ryan uses a poem by Rudyard Kipling to explain the poise with which we should all meet fate, on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more p...
Converting a Stoicism Skeptic with Novelist Amy Shearn
Ryan talks with author Amy Shearn about her own journey with Stoicism, how she and Ryan both wrestle with the concepts of Stoicism in a modern context, the role of women in Stoicism, and more.Amy Shearn is an American author and essayist. During the coronavirus pandemic, Shearn became fascinated by Stoicism; she wrote about her experience learning about, grappling with, and ultimately accepting Stoicism in a popular Medium article. Shearn has written in venues like The New York Times, Slate, Jan
Ignore It. It Doesn’t Matter.
"'“A trifle consoles us,' Blaise Pascal wrote, 'because a trifle upsets us.' We get so worked up about things that don’t matter—of course we can be convinced to drop them. Of course we can be easily distracted.This is why Marcus talks about the importance of having no opinion."Ryan discusses the importance of Marcus Aurelius's advice on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the m
We Can't Just Do This. (Or Can We?) | The Real Power You Have
"Sometimes it can feel—especially lately—that we are, to use the novelist James Salter’s haunting phrase, just burning the days. We get up. We answer emails. We work. We eat. We sleep. One day bleeds into the next. What day is it again? The weekend? Already?"Learn how to break through that feeling in today's Daily Stoic Podcast. Also learn more about today's weekly meditation, which exhorts you to find the true, lasting sources of power that you have.This episode is brought to you by Blinkist, t
The Art of Journaling
On today's episode, Ryan goes in-depth into journaling, describing the benefits of journaling, how to get started, and more.This episode is also brought to you by Warby Parker, the online vision care boutique that delivers glasses right to your front door. Warby Parker has an amazing selection of the most stylish frames for your glasses. And with their free Home Try-On program, you can try out five of your favorite frames for five days before you make a purchase, with no obligation. Whether you’
Tank Sinatra - Meme King on how How Comedy Helps You Live
Ryan talks with Instagram star Tank Sinatra about his unique approach to comedy, the best way to use or deal with anger, what philosophy tells us about how to handle our emotions, and more.Tank Sinatra, aka George Resch, is a Long Island dad who runs one of the biggest meme accounts on Instagram. Since launching the original account @tank.sinatra in 2015, Resch’s Instagram accounts (which also include @influencersinthewild and @tanksgoodnews) have over 8 million followers, with even more on Twit
Here’s How to See Life
"Most people see life as a kind of a race. They want to win. They want to get somewhere. They want to do it better than other people. Certainly, one can see how this approach can produce impressive results. By creating a competition, by creating a way to keep score, it’s natural that one will do well by those metrics. The problem is that life isn’t a race, and even if it were, there’s no evidence that we’re all in the same race."Ryan explains a better way to perceive life, on...
So, It’s Been a Rough Year?
"This has probably not been the year you expected. Few of us went into 2020 expecting an impeachment, a pandemic, murder hornets, earthquakes, fires, record-setting unemployment and god knows what else has hit you individually. Blew out your knee? Lost a big client? A falling out?It’s easy to sit here and say this has been a bad year. But is it really so bad? Is it 1865 bad? Winter of 1777 bad?"Ryan puts this crazy year into perspective in today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’
Megha Rajagopalan On Using History to Understand Modern Authoritarianism
Ryan talks with Megha Rajagopalan, a world correspondent for BuzzFeed News, about her reporting in China about human rights and how history informs our understanding of geopolitics.Megha Rajagopalan is a world correspondent for BuzzFeed News. She has covered major stories in Asia and the Middle East, and has been based in China, Thailand, Israel and the Palestinian territories. Megha has also written for numerous other outlets and has appeared on NPR, BBC World News, CNN, and other outlets.This
The Arc Is Long… But It Bends This Way
"When you look at a map of the world from a distance, everything seems smooth. The more you zoom in, the bumpier it gets. Suddenly, mountain ranges leap up at you. Enormous lakes emerge. Vast distances become apparent.In a sense, history is a lot like this, too."Ryan explains what becomes apparent if you take a step back from the day-to-day workings of history, on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps wi
Life Will Go On. What’s Your Plan?
"Today is a day that Americans, as well as interested observers around the world, have been anticipating for some time. One of the most important elections in American history. November 3rd. For more than a year now, we’ve collectively been referring to this Election Day just by its month and day, not unlike September 11th in the US or 7/7 in the UK, for its consequential nature and the dread it creates in us. It’s a day we’ve been holding our breath for, wondering, worrying, speculating.Now it’
We Can’t Let Anything Rattle Us/Accepting What Is
Ryan tells the story of Athenodorus versus the ghost, and reads today's weekly meditation about accepting whatever comes your way, on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.This episode is brought to you by Warby Parker, the online vision care boutique that delivers glasses right to your front door. Warby Parker has an amazing selection of the most stylish frames for your glasses. And with their free Home Try-On program, you can try out five of your favorite frames for five days before you make a purchase,
This Thing Predicts Everything
On today’s Sunday edition of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks about the one thing that predicts everything—character—and why it’s so important, no matter our goals.Read “This Thing Predicts Everything”: https://ryanholiday.net/character/This episode is brought to you by Four Sigmatic. Four Sigmatic is a maker of mushroom coffee, lattes, elixirs, and more. Their drinks all taste amazing and they've full of all sorts of all-natural compounds and immunity boosters to help you think clearly and l
Edward Ball, Southern Writer, on the Ghosts of Our Collective Past
Ryan talks with writer Edward Ball about what has animated the racism of the past and present, the distinction between responsibility and accountability for horrific deeds, and how to reckon with the darkest parts of American history.Edward Ball is an author who writes about history and race. His most recent book, Life of a Klansman: A Family History in White Supremacy, discusses Ball’s great-grandfather, a white supremacist in New Orleans during Reconstruction. Ball has written for The Village
Which Kind Will You Be?
"There are two types of people in this world: The kind whose success makes them better and the kind whose success makes them worse. Nero and Marcus Aurelius began to be groomed for power at roughly the same age. One lusted for the throne, the other cried the day he found out he was selected for it. One murdered his step-brother, the other elevated his step-brother to an equal, making him the first co-emperor. One chased frivolity and pleasure, the other took to his job with seriousness and a sen
An Honest Dollar Is an Impressive Thing
"It’s not the quantity that we should care about. Something earnestly made and sold for a fair price, whether it’s millions of units or a few dozen: that’s honorable. Something earned with real effort: that’s honorable, whether it’s earned by sweeping floors or managing a company."Ryan talks about why the effort poured into your work is in certain ways more important than the outcome of your work, on today's Daily Stoic Podcast. ***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to le
Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams On Running a Business in Moments of Crisis
Ryan speaks with Jeni Britton Bauer, founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, about finding a diet that works for you, the trials of running a growing business during the coronavirus pandemic, and, of course, how the Stoics would have felt about ice cream.Jeni Britton Bauer is the founder and chief creative officer of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Bauer dropped out of college to start selling ice cream after mixing her first special flavor, a blend of chocolate and cayenne pepper. Jeni’s Splendid Ic
There’s a Time to Make and a Time to Manage
"There are lots of things you can pay people to do for you. You can pay them to mow your lawn or do your taxes. You can pay them to drive you from one place to another and you can pay them to sell things for you. But the one thing you cannot pay people to do for you is think."Ryan explains why mental focus is so critical in this current, chaotic moment, on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a re...
Will You Do Your Duty?
"In one sense, it’s hard to argue with the statistics that any individual’s vote makes a difference. One person out of so many? When more than 50% of the population doesn’t even bother? In a country of gerrymandering and voter suppression? In the other, it’s stunning to think that the 2016 US presidential election, which saw some 135 million votes, was decided by roughly 77,000 ballots across three states. Michigan was swung by just 10,000 voters.But to this argument, the Stoic would scoff. Whet
BONUS: Ryan Talks with Robert Greene On Today's World
On this special bonus episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan speaks with Robert Greene about the irrationality that runs through our society, the increasing frequency of scams and cons and how to deal with them, and the best strategy for focusing your political participation.This episode is brought to you by Neuro. Neuro makes mints and gums that help you retain focus and clarity wherever you go. Made with a proprietary blend of caffeine, L-theanine, and other focus-building compounds, Neuro’s
Don't Lose Your Connection to the Outdoor/Build Up, Don't Tear Down
This week we launch a new feature—every Monday, Ryan sets an intention for the week based on his book The Daily Stoic Journal. In addition to the weekly intention, Ryan also reads today's email, which exhorts you to take the time to go outdoors and connect with nature.This episode is brought to you by Warby Parker, the online vision care boutique that delivers glasses right to your front door. Warby Parker has an amazing selection of the most stylish frames for your glasses. And with their free
Ryan Discusses Lives of the Stoics at 92nd Street Y
On today’s Daily Stoic Sunday podcast, Ryan gives a virtual talk at 92nd Street Y in New York City, discussing three of the most important Stoics, and takes audience questions.Get Lives of the Stoics: https://geni.us/LUN7This episode is brought to you by Four Sigmatic. Four Sigmatic is a maker of mushroom coffee, lattes, elixirs, and more. Their drinks all taste amazing and they've full of all sorts of all-natural compounds and immunity boosters to help you think clearly and live well. Four Sigm
How to Bounce Back - Coach Eric Musselman (U of A)
Ryan speaks with Eric Musselman, head coach of the University of Arkansas men’s basketball team, about building on your mistakes to get better, why you need to use every tool at hand to succeed, how Musselman built his career as a coach, and more.Coach Eric Musselman has coached basketball for over 30 years. His tenure spans multiple leagues and levels, from minor league basketball to college and the NBA. Musselman was head coach for the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, and since 2019
All That Shimmers in This World
"Nothing gold can stay. All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade. We know this. We know that glory is fleeting. That even the best and the brightest eventually burn out, that we are all born to die. So what does this mean? That nothing matters? That we shouldn’t try? Absolutely not."Ryan points out the one thing that does matter and to which we should all strive on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to...
You Control What You Hear, Not What People Say
"The political strategist and pollster Frank Luntz is fond of the expression, 'It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear.' His point is that politicians often think they come across to the public one way, but in fact are seen and heard quite differently. The same goes with issues, which might seem straightforward but in fact are interpreted with all sorts of baggage and context."Ryan explores this expression and what lessons you can learn from it on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoy
Danica Patrick - Trailblazing Pro Racer On Pushing Limits Everywhere
Ryan speaks with groundbreaking pro racer Danica Patrick about performing under pressure, life as an athlete before and after retirement, and how to take risks in the face of mortality Danica Patrick is a former professional race car driver. As a driver, she set a number of milestones for women in professional racing: first to win an IndyCar series, first to earn pole position in a NASCAR Cup Series, and one of only 14 drivers to have led both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. She c
Don’t Listen to the Complicit
"In Cato’s time, Caesar’s partisans wanted to cast his usurpation of the Republic as somebody else’s fault. The system is broken, they said. The old ways don’t work anymore. Don’t blame Caesar, it’s really Cato’s fault, they said. He is too uncompromising, too resistant to change. Why couldn’t he be more like Cicero, willing to go along? By being so difficult, they said, he forced Caesar’s hand. "Ryan explains the danger of being like these partisans, and how you can avoid resembling them today,
If You Want to Feel Better, Do This
"You’re frustrated. You’re scared. You have a million things you have to do. Happiness, hell, even just not feeling bad, seems a million miles away. What do you do? Is there some secret that can give you the peace and pleasure you crave? Yes, there is. And it’s simple: Stop thinking of yourself. Start thinking of others."Learn more about the inner serenity that being kind to others can bring on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a..
It’s About Crossing One Thing Off After Another
"One thing addicts trying to get sober quickly discover is just how resilient their addiction is. They quit booze and suddenly find themselves smoking a lot more pot. They quit pot, but now issues are popping up with eating or with sex. Or they get rid of all those bad habits, and realize for the first time that they have a temper or a procrastination issue or terrible anxiety."Ryan talks about the mindset you need to deal with your worst habits on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for Daily S
Ryan Speaks with Kevin Rose at the Commonwealth Club
Today's episode features Ryan's conversation with Digg Founder Kevin Rose at the Commonwealth Club as part of the launch tour for his newest book, Lives of the Stoics.Get Lives of the Stoics: https://geni.us/LUN7This episode is brought to you by Amazon Alexa. Amazon Alexa is the perfect system to use to set up your house with Smart Home functionality—and with the new Amazon Smart Lighting Bundle, it’s easy to get started. Just connect your Amazon Echo Dot with your first Sengled color changing l
Ferkat Jawdat - Fighting Against Chinese Repression
Ryan speaks with Uyghur activist Ferkat Jawdat about the repression carried out by the Chinese government in his home province of Xinjiang, Jawdat’s journey to the United States, and what you can do to help protect human rights in Xinjiang.Ferkat Jawdat is a Uyghur activist who raises awareness of the crackdown on the Uyghur people by the Chinese government in Xinjiang. Jawdat emigrated to the United States from Xinjiang in 2011.For more information on the situation in Xinjiang, visit the Uyghur
How Much White Space Do You Have?
"Most of us internalize the wrong lesson. We think success = busy. We think that being busy is a sign of a good leader, an important person. Of course this is not true. A full calendar is the sign of someone who agrees to a lot of things, no more, no less."Ryan describes why we must not keep ourselves overly busy, or view a lack of free time as a virtue, on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a re...
Always Be Humble and Kind
"We hear in Meditations Marcus Aurelius speak of “epithets for the self,” watchwords for his life. From Zeno to Marcus, the works of nearly every Stoic feature the repetition of four words, four virtues that go to the course of the philosophy: Courage. Justice. Moderation. Wisdom. These are mantras. These are reminders. A kind of living oral and written tradition for how to live and what kind of person to be."Ryan discusses how one songwriter created a mantra of her own on today's Daily Stoic Po
It All Depends on How You Look at It
Ryan contrasts the experiences of Seneca and Napoleon on the island of Corsica, and why perspective is so important in how we shape our experiences, on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better.Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow Daily Stoic:Twitter: http...
MLB’s Eric Byrnes - How to Keep Going When Your Body Wants to Quit
On today’s Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan speaks with Eric Byrnes, a former professional baseball player, analyst, and endurance athlete. They talk about willpower, what it takes to succeed when times get tough, and more.Eric Byrnes played in Major League Baseball for over 10 years, in a career that took him from the Oakland A’s and Arizona Diamondbacks to the Seattle Mariners. In 2019, Eric ran, swam, and biked across the United States in support of his Let Them Play Foundation. Eric also hosts a po
Don’t Let Anger Make You Mean
"Successful, talented people are often frustrated for a simple reason: The world is constantly disappointing them. They expect everyone to be like them, to work as hard as them, to care as much as them, to hold themselves to the same standards as they do. And if not that, at the very least, we expect people to show up and do their jobs. It’s the difference between these expectations and reality that makes us angry. Angry at the man behind the counter who can’t even apologize that the flight is d
How to Make Joy
"Joy is good. Who doesn’t like joy?The question is where does it come from—is it accidental or is it something you pursue? The Stoics would say that it’s neither. To Marcus Aurelius, joy was something you did. It was a process."Ryan talks about making the pursuit of joy part of your life on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the pod...
Who Is Seneca?
Ryan tells the tale of Seneca, one of the three most important Stoic philosophers who advised an emperor and authored countless works of fiction and advice.This episode is brought to you by Amazon Alexa. Amazon Alexa is the perfect system to use to set up your house with Smart Home functionality—and with the new Amazon Smart Lighting Bundle, it’s easy to get started. Just connect your Amazon Echo Dot with your first Sengled color changing light bulb and you’re on your way. Visit Amazon.com/daily
ESPN's Paul Kix - How Anyone Can Change Everything
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks with Paul Kix about the French Resistance (the topic of Kix’s first book), what we can learn from historical events and the people who made them happen, and more.Paul Kix is a writer, editor, and podcaster. Kix is a deputy editor at ESPN who both writes and edits articles. He has written for outlets such as The New Yorker, GQ, and The Wall Street Journal. Kix’s first book, The Saboteur, discusses the wartime exploits of a French aristocrat who fought against the Na
What Is Your Anxiety Costing You?
"You worry. You get stressed. You want to get there early. You want it to go well. You don’t want anything bad to happen—to your loved ones, to you, to anyone. In the tunnel vision of your anxiety, these are all the things you can think about."There's never been a more stressful year in any of our lifetimes. On today's Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan outlines the costs of that stress and anxiety, and tells us how to handle it.Sign up for Daily Stoic's Slay Your Stress
Here’s Why We Take Care of Our Own
"Marcus Aurelius reminded himself, and us, two thousand years ago that we are all made for each other. The Stoics talked repeatedly about the idea of the common good. To leave someone hanging, turning your heart to stone because there is so much pain and suffering in this world? That is to betray this philosophy."Ryan shows why it's so critical that we take care of one another on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to
Life Endures. That’s What It Does.
"Right now, this feels like an unprecedented crisis. Nearly a million people have died worldwide from a virus for which there may or may not be a vaccine depending on who you ask... Nobody really knows what’s going on. Nobody trusts anybody. Nobody knows who to believe. And both lives and livelihoods are hanging in the balance. It’s a nightmare. Will we ever survive this?"Ryan puts the world situation in perspective and tells us what we can do to cope on today's Daily Sto
Scott Barry Kaufman - How to Use Psychology to Solve Real-World Problems
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks with Scott Barry Kaufman about passion versus purpose, what psychology can tell us about our political leaders, how to foster empathy in other people, and more.Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., is an author, psychologist, professor, and podcaster. Kaufman hosts The Psychology Podcast, the number-one psychology podcast in the world. His new book, Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization, reimagines the idea of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.This episode is b
It’s Only After You’ve Lost Everything That You’re Free to Do Anything
"One day late in the fourth century BC, the Phoenician merchant Zeno set sail on the Mediterranean Sea with a cargo full of Tyrian purple dye. Prized by the wealthy and by royalty, who dressed themselves in clothes colored with it, the rare dye was painstakingly extracted by slaves from the blood of sea snails and dried in the sun until it was, as one ancient historian said, “worth its weight in silver.” This was Zeno’s family trade. They trafficked in one of the most valuable good
Patience Will Be Key to Surviving This
"Whether you thought things were about to go back to normal or you’re entering another long month of quarantine or your country is locking down due to a second wave, we are all in the same boat: We’re all getting a little stir-crazy."Ryan describes how to cope with new pandemic restrictions—or any delays that you may face in the pursuit of your goals—on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.Sign up for Daily Stoic's Alive Time Challenge: dailystoic.com/alive***If you enjoyed t