The Daily Stoic

By Daily Stoic

What's The Daily Stoic about?

The audio companion to DailyStoic.com's daily email meditations, read by Ryan Holiday.

Each daily reading will help you cultivate strength, insight and wisdom necessary for living the good life. Every word is based on the two-thousand plus year old philosophy that has guided some of history’s greatest men and women.

Learn more at: dailystoic.com

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Admiral James Stavridis on ...

04.17.2021

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,...

The Daily Stoic episodes:

04.17.2021 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,...
04.16.2021 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 ...
04.15.2021 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 ...
04.14.2021 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 ...
04.13.2021 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 ...
04.12.2021 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 ...
04.11.2021 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 ...
04.10.2021 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,...
04.09.2021 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 ...
04.08.2021 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 ...
04.07.2021 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....
04.06.2021 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 ...
04.05.2021 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 ...
04.04.2021 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 ...
04.03.2021 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...
04.02.2021 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...
04.01.2021 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...
03.31.2021 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...
03.31.2021 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. ...
03.30.2021 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...
03.29.2021 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 ...
03.28.2021 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 ...
03.27.2021 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...
03.26.2021 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. ...
03.25.2021 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 ...
03.24.2021 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...
03.24.2021 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 ...
03.23.2021 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 ...
03.22.2021 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 ...
03.21.2021 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 ...
03.20.2021 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...
03.19.2021 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 ...
03.18.2021 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. ...
03.17.2021 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 ...
03.17.2021 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 ...
03.16.2021 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 ...
03.15.2021 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 ...
03.14.2021 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...
03.13.2021 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 ...
03.12.2021 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...
03.11.2021 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 ...
03.10.2021 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 ...
03.10.2021 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 ...
03.09.2021 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 ...
03.08.2021 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 ...
03.07.2021 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 ...
03.06.2021 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 ...
03.05.2021 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 ...
03.04.2021 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 ...
03.03.2021 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 ...

Older episodes

The Daily Stoic

What's The Daily Stoic about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Daily Stoic episodes:

Admiral James Stavridis on James Stockdale and the Voyage of Character

It All Turns on Concentration

You Are Not Alone | Pay Your Taxes

Author Bonnie Tsui on the Wonders of Water | Pressure, Like Power, Reveals

Not Who’s Right, What’s Right

You Can—No, You Should—Forget About This. | Test Your Impressions

Cicero on How to Tell a Joke

Charles & Chase Koch on the Power of Principles

Remember: Little Things Are Not Small

But What Will We Do IF? | The Cost of Accepting Counterfeits

Arthur Brooks on Stoicism vs. Epicureanism | You Don’t Know What’s Going On With People

Who Are You Studying Under?

Better Days Will Shine Through | What Can Go Wrong… Might

Today is a Day of Rebirth | A Day in the Life of a Stoic

Lt. General H.R. McMaster on Strategic Empathy and Seneca’s Contradiction

If You’re Not Feeling This, You’re Doing It Wrong

Just Keep Hammering Away | The Color of Your Thoughts

Author Robert Wright on Buddhism vs Stoicism

A Book Isn’t A Mirror. It’s A Door!

You Can’t Buy Fearlessness

What Would Less Look Like? | Say No to the Need to Impress

These Simple Words Will Help You Through Life's Most Difficult Situations

Agnes Callard on Socrates and Wisdom

You Can Do This. You Can Do This.

There Will Always Be These Kinds of People | Wealth and Freedom are Free

Volleyball Legend Gabrielle Reece on Relationships and Finding Enough

You Are Blessed

Power Doesn’t Corrupt, It Reveals

We Can’t Let This Go On | The Portable Retreat

7 Ways Marcus Aurelius Will Help You Journal Like A Pro

Dr. Jonathan Fader on Peak Performance

It’s Possible To Tune These Things Out

This is the Secret to Real Wealth | Impossible Without Your Consent

Guitarist Nita Strauss on Music and Philosophy

Start Strong, Finish Strong. That Is The Way.

So, How Did You Do?

Always Consider the Unconsidered Consequences | Think About It from the Other Person’s Perspective

Plutarch on How To Be A Leader Part 2

Steven Pressfield on Battling Resistance and Winning With Love

What Can You Give Up To Help Others?

You’ll Never Get Your Pound of Flesh | Living Without Restriction

Illustrator Victor Juhasz on Marcus Aurelius and The Boy Who Would Be King

Put The Weight Right On Me

If You Want To Be Great...

You Will Fight This Battle All Alone | What Expensive Things Cost

How to Beat Procrastination With Stoicism

Allie Esiri On the Power of Poetry and Daily Reads

Success Can Make People Better... Or Worse

Respect the Man Who Stands Alone | Awareness Is Freedom

Author Ron Lieber on Money and Values

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