The Daily Stoic

“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...

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...

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 Atlanti...

“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/signup Follow us: Instagram , Twitter , YouTube , TikTok , and Facebook See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/pr...

“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 ema...

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 ha...

“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/signup Follow us: Instagram , Twitter , YouTube , TikTok , and...

“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 Stillne...

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=47s Blink...

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 unanimo...

“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 e...

“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 explai...

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...

“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/signup F...

“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 fift...

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 Sh...

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...

“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/signup Follow us: Instagram ,...

“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...

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 hum...

“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.” Rya...

“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,...

“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...

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. He...

“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....