The Daily Stoic

The truth is, nothing can undo what we do out of anger. We can’t take back what we’ve said. We can’t turn back the clock on harm we’ve inflicted or mistakes we have made. 

What the Stoics meant when they said there was an opportunity in every obstacle is that in every obstacle lies the opportunity to practice virtue. “The Obstacle is The Way” is a way to win at life, but the ultimate victory isn’t achieved over the world or others, it’s gained by overcoming yourself, by choosing virtue when you have every reason not to, by doing, as Marcus wrote, only what your nature demands of you.

We do what’s right because it’s right. We don’t do what’s wrong because it’s wrong.

In today's episode, Ryan talks with the University of Kentucky football team about how Stoicism can help them overcome adversity, the importance of discipline, and philosophical ideas they can turn to that will help them eliminate the noise and stay focused in season. 

In his first ever podcast interview, Francis Ford Coppola joins Ryan to talk about how Marcus Aurelius, Stoicism, and Epicureanism have impacted his life, both personally and professionally. Francis reflects on his legacy and why it was so important to complete his latest movie, Megalopolis (out September 27), after he began developing it in the early 1980’s. Francis almost abandoned it multiple times and ultimately ended up self-financing the project. Megalopolis is a sci-fi drama Roman Epic fable based on Cicero and the Catiline Conspiracy set in an imagined Modern America that stars Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Grace VanderWaal, Nathalie Emmanuel, Chloe Fineman, Jon Voight, Shia LaBeouf, and more. As Francis says, “You can't go to New York without realizing it is covered with Roman buildings. So, my intent was to write a Roman epic set in a contemporary New York that copied Ancient Rome." Francis Ford Coppola is one of the greatest movie directors of all time. His movies include The Godfather, The

Just like the great philosophers (and patient siblings and children and parents) throughout history, we can find wisdom in our difficult relationships. They bring both obstacles and opportunities, challenging us to grow and refine our character.

They can love you or hate you. But really, the only thing that matters is who you are to yourself. What matters is whether you are living up to your standards, whether you’re following those virtues of courage and discipline and justice and wisdom.Ask DS:What did the Stoics say about balancing between personal and community trials?What is Ryan’s Stoic advice for a new entrepreneur?Why has philosophy from ancient Athens and Rome stuck and not philosophy from the Germanic tribes?

Nate Silver is an American statistician, poker player, and New York Times bestselling author of The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail -- but Some Don't . Nate’s latest book is On The Edge: The Art of Risking Everything, where he dives into the worlds of Doyle Brunson, Peter Thiel, Sam Bankman-Fried, Sam Altman, and more. These professional high risk-takers fall into the group that Nate describes as “The River”, a community of people that have increasing amounts of wealth and power in our society.Nate came to the Daily Stoic studio to talk with Ryan about incentives in large media corporations with independent media, ethical challenges of audience capture, financial motives in journalism, conflicts between truth-seeking and profitability, the dynamics of tech versus traditional media, effective altruism, and much more. Nate is the founder of FiveThirtyEight and the New York Times bestselling author of The Signal and The Noise. 

Today, on the 23rd anniversary of 9/11, let us be full of love. Let us tell those we love that we absolutely and totally love them.✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail

Go read up on the candidates. Check them for the virtues necessary in a leader. Understand no one will check every box, but pick the one you can best trust with the responsibilities of power and the common good.

Life is too short to be bitter, too short for feuds, too short to be driven to madness by someone else’s bad deeds.

Not everything that’s hard is good of course, but almost everything good (and worth it) is hard.

Why did Robert Greene advise Ryan to turn down his first book offer? How does Ryan balance writing about his personal interests and what his audience is expecting? Billy Oppenheimer, Ryan's research assistant, is asking Ryan these questions and many more in today's episode. Ryan talks about what people get wrong about mentorship, the evolution of his writing style, how the writings of the Stoics have influenced him, what his favorite part of the creative process is, and more. Billy Oppenheimer is Ryan Holiday’s research assistant and the writer behind the newsletter, Six at 6 on Sunday. To read more of his work, check out his website billyoppenheimer.com.

While it may seem like a “waste of time” today, you’re paying that debt for a better version of your future self tomorrow.

Stoicism was ancient to the ancients too. It’d been old for a long time. Ask DS: What are the Stoics teachings about “know thyself”? What are the main principles of Stoicism that people can apply when they struggle to achieve work life balance?Does Stoicism have the potential to be a social or political movement?+ More!

Commonly known as the most famous atheist in the world, Richard Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist, zoologist, and author of The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion. Today, Ryan asks Richard why he describes himself as a "cultural Christian", what the biggest misunderstandings of his work are, why individuals teeter between faith and reason, and his concept of humans as 'books of the dead,' a metaphor for the evolutionary history encoded in our genes. Pre-order Richard's latest book The Genetic Book of the Dead - out September 17, 2024. Richard is heading out on his last tour! Grab tickets here: https://richarddawkinstour.com/You can check out Richard’s work and tour dates on his website richarddawkins.com or you can follow him on X @RichardDawkins ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail

Wisdom tells us that things are as they always have been…and always will be. So don’t take it all so personally.

When we say Amor Fati, when we say The Obstacle is the Way, we’re not talking about just sitting there, being provided with fuel. We’re talking about surging forward, pulling ourselves towards the oxygen–going towards the fuel, towards the next thing, never stopping, using all of it.

Take your much deserved break today. We are human beings after all, not human doings. So go out and live today. Rest from your labor. Come back better for it. Come back improved and sharper for it.

Get an inside look at the relationship between Marcus Aurelius and his rhetoric teacher, Fronto, through this narration of their letters. Fronto was focused on preparing him for political life and public speaking and through these letters you will learn the deep impact he had on Marcus. These letters were first edited and translated into English by C. R. Haines.