The Daily Stoic

“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 wisdo...

“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 wisdo...

“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...

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 hist...

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...

“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 wee...

“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 Sto...

“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...

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 Time...

“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....

“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 Holi...

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...

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...

“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 c...

“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 th...

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...

“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...

“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...

“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 medita...

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...

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 philos...

“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,...

“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 i...

“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 Appl...

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...