The Daily Stoic

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 transl...

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 p...

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/...

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...

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 si...

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.dail...

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:...

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...

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.you...

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...

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 Th...

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...

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. Rya...

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 & Spoti...

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, Du...

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 Reflecti...

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://dail...

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...

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.d...

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...

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...

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 challenges Get The Wealthy Stoic: A Daily Stoic Guide to Being Rich, Happ...

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...

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...

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...