The Daily Stoic

“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 Stoi...

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 presi...

“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://D...

“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 m...

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/habits In 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...

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 M...

“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 f...

“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: pres...

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 th...

“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 le...

“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...

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 l...

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...

“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 f...

“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 b...

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 aut...

“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...

“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 th...

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 fr...

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 mor...

“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...

“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 be...

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 Ho...

“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...

“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 Obs...