Ryan speaks with Jake Seliger about how his cancer diagnosis and having his tongue removed have changed his perspective on life, why he is prioritizing people much more highly than work now, how he is making every single minute count, what he is trying to communicate with his recent outpouring of creativity, accepting death, and more. Jake Seliger is a writer, editor, and researcher. He has written two novels: The Hook and Asking Anna , as well as many essays covering a wide range of social and ...
Sep 23, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 1836
During the American Revolution—as in any war—the British quite rightly targeted the estates and the landholdings of the leadership on the American side. Because to them, these men weren’t founders—they were instigators. At one point in the war, George Washington’s estate was threatened by advancing troops. Thinking he might be able to save his boss’s property, one of Washington’s overseers rushed out to try to convince the enemy to spare them. When Washington heard about this, he was not pleased...
Sep 22, 2023•8 min•Ep. 1839
It’s impossible not to read Marcus Aurelius or Seneca and sense that they were always working. Not that they were literally always at the office–as we said, they believed in a kind of work life balance –but on themselves. They were studying. They were reflecting. They were asking questions. Late at night after his wife went to sleep, Seneca would pull out his journals and evaluate the day , going over what he’d done well, where he didn’t live up to his standards. Marcus, most famously, was seen ...
Sep 21, 2023•11 min•Ep. 1844
The Emperor Hadrian’s life sometimes felt, as it does for all leaders, like an endless demand for favors. Letters came from across the empire asking for this and that. The Senate, the courts, his own family–everybody always seemed to need something. Naturally, he struggled under this burden. Naturally, he tried to create barriers and boundaries so he could do his job…and maintain some level of sanity amidst all the requests. 💪 Visit store.dailystoic.com/pages/leadership to sign up for in the Da...
Sep 20, 2023•3 min•Ep. 1838
Ryan speaks with Sid Stockdale about his who his new memoir A World Apart: Growing Up Stockdale During Vietnam speaks to, how his family survived his father’s seven-year imprisonment, the valuable lessons that his father taught him about Stoicism upon his return home, the untold story of his mother’s strength, and more. Sid Stockdale is a speaker, author, teacher, and the second of four sons of the late Navy Admiral James Stockdale, who survived captivity as a prisoner of War in Hanoi during the...
Sep 20, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 1829
Everything seems fine. Everything seems better than fine. Your life is going great. You’re happy. You’re in love. Your finances are great . But will it last? Or will Fortune, as Seneca said she is wont to do, surprise you with a reversal? --- And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan shares why running is an excellent activity to use to practice Stoic, from its mental and physical endurance benefits, to its strengthening of resilience. ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoi...
Sep 19, 2023•12 min•Ep. 1837
After a long line of incompetence, after a long chain of excuses, after a series of failures, the Union cause finally turned around when General Ulysses S. Grant took command. Other generals had focused on pomp and circumstance, they had been anxious and defensive, they claimed they didn’t have the resources or troops they needed. As the great historian Bruce Catton wrote in The Hallowed Ground , “when Grant showed up things began to happen.” It didn’t matter if he was in charge of a small army ...
Sep 18, 2023•9 min•Ep. 1834
Agrippinus marched to the beat of his own drum. Today, Ryan reads from his book Lives Of The Stoics to explain just what that meant for one of the most eccentric and interesting Stoic philosophers, Paconius Agrippinus, who was heralded by Epictetus as a pillar of Stoicism, and who was willing to die to be himself. ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail 🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more. 📱 Follow us: Instagram ...
Sep 17, 2023•13 min•Ep. 1826
Ryan speaks with James Outman on why he believes that baseball and Stoicism both promote the same practices, why baseball players are uniquely prepared to deal with failure, how practicing the Stoic mindset helps him survive “the yips”, why Lou Gehrig’s story is the perfect example of Memento Mori, and more. James Outman is a professional baseball player who plays centerfield for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since being called up to the Majors in July of 2022, James has amassed a batting average of ...
Sep 16, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 1824
With the proliferation of dashcams and the spread of social media, we see these clips everywhere. It’s basically its own genre of video at this point. A driver is frustrated with someone going too slow in front of them, so they honk. Then they swerve, step on the gas to pass them–often waving a middle finger or honking a horn or shouting out a rolled down window as they do so–only to almost immediately get pulled over. Or violently crash. A vivid, painful demonstration of poetic justice a few mi...
Sep 15, 2023•6 min•Ep. 1830
No one knows what the future holds, but if it’s anything like the present or the past, it will not be easy. Things will not go our way. Tragedies will happen. Injustices will be inflicted upon us. Institutions will crumble. People will behave abominably. Mistakes will be made. Disasters will strike. When, where, why? No one can say. But in a sense, the answers to those questions don’t really matter. --- And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions from employees at a talent acquisition...
Sep 14, 2023•18 min•Ep. 1832
We don’t think of the ancient Romans as living just like us, but in many ways they did. A recent archaeological dig in Bulgaria found a Roman estate with a collection of household mirrors. In the 1st century AD, Pliny the Elder wrote in his Natural History about the invention of glass mirrors, which means that Marcus Aurelius may have looked himself in the mirror in the morning just like you did. What did he see? ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail 🏛 Check ou...
Sep 13, 2023•3 min•Ep. 1828
Ryan speaks with Adrian Grenier in the second of a two-part episode about what it’s really like to be famous, why and how he quit acting, how Adrian’s lifestyle was shaped for the worse by his role on Entourage , how is living a better life now for his family, and more. Adrian Grenier is an actor, director, producer, podcaster, entrepreneur, and musician. He is best known for his role as Vincent Chase on the show Entourage and his roles in The Devil Wears Prada and Clickbait , as well as his dir...
Sep 13, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 1823
General Victor Krulak was an exacting Marine. He drove his troops hard. He cared about the tiniest details. He expected perfection. So you might think he would be upset–or at least disappointed–when a major leading review of troops inadvertently knocked off his own hat…which was then trampled by every Marine who followed. --- And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan shares his top ten rules that the Stoics promoted in order to help ensure that they stayed on the right path and didn't let t...
Sep 12, 2023•8 min•Ep. 1827
On this day 22 years ago, Brian Sweeney was a passenger trapped on hijacked United Airlines Flight 175. He knew something was wrong, but he could not have fully understood that he and so many others were about to be murdered in one of the most hateful and deranged acts of terrorism in history. But in those final few short minutes of his life, he managed to leave a beautiful message on his wife’s voicemail. --- And in today's reading from the Daily Stoic Journal, Ryan explains why the Stoics valu...
Sep 11, 2023•8 min•Ep. 1831
Today, Ryan presents a talk he gave to a group of coaches at the Tennessee Athletics Department about the core concepts of Stoicism and how they can apply them to their coaching practices in order to make their players, teams, and themselves better. In this first half of the talk, Ryan explains how the wisdom that Marcus Aurelius gained during his tragic life can be translated into success on and off the playing field, and why Epictetus considered Socrates to be the ultimate ball player. ✉️ Sign...
Sep 10, 2023•24 min•Ep. 1822
Ryan speaks with Adrian Grenier in the first of a two-part episode about their parallel career and life trajectories, what it’s really like to be famous, the rock-bottom moment that led to Adrian taking control of his life, why he is striving to be a better father than his own, why farming is the only profession for a philosopher, and more. Adrian Grenier is an actor, director, producer, podcaster, entrepreneur, and musician. He is best known for his role as Vincent Chase on the show Entourage a...
Sep 09, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 1819
Tom Brady has always been relentless about trying to get better. Trying to get his passes out quicker. Trying to get his spirals a little tighter. Trying to optimize his diet. Trying to recover from games faster. While almost none of us are like Tom Brady on the practice field, we’re all like him in the sense that we spend a lot of time and energy focusing on improving ourselves at work, at our chosen craft or profession. But when it comes to personal improvement? --- And in today's reading and ...
Sep 08, 2023•9 min•Ep. 1821
A leader is a doer…but that doesn’t mean they’re always doing . In fact, if a leader is always doing, chances are they’ll end up doing the wrong thing. Because they haven’t taken enough time to think and study, question and prepare. --- And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions from US Marines after a talk he gave at the 29 Palms Marine Corps Air/Ground Combat Center. The topics that they touch on include how to practice Stoicism with your closest family members, balancing the ego t...
Sep 07, 2023•18 min•Ep. 1825
The Stoics were towering figures of their own time. Marcus Aurelius was cheered in the streets. Cato was widely admired. Musonius Rufus was called the Roman Socrates. Their reputations preceded them, as it should with anyone who takes their commitment to the virtues of courage and discipline and justice and wisdom seriously. But how do we square these reputations, which the men obviously cultivated and worked hard not to betray, with the idea that a Stoic isn’t supposed to care about what others...
Sep 06, 2023•3 min•Ep. 1820
Ryan speaks with Brad Stulberg about his new book Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You , the scientific basis for humanity’s need for change, why all ancient wisdom traditions agree that the most effective way to deal with change is through skillful action, the Case For Tragic Optimism, why it is healthy to think of death, and more. Brad Stulberg is a writer, success coach, speaker, and entrepreneur whose work focuses on exploring the principles of mental he...
Sep 06, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 1813
You lead a large team. You are the head of a household. You have millions of followers or thousands of subscribers. And you often wonder, Am I being a good leader? Am I doing right by my kids, my followers, my employees? Am I being a good steward? It can be hard to know. But from the Stoics, we get a fast and easy test for whether we’re doing a good job. It’s this: Do you make people better ? --- And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan shares the wisdom that Marcus Aurelius learned from h...
Sep 05, 2023•11 min•Ep. 1818
Labor Day was first proposed by Matthew Maguire, a labor union secretary in 1882 in New York. It is a “tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country” and the idea that they deserved a rest for that work. The Stoics were hard driving, no-excuses, disciplined folks but they would have supported that idea wholeheartedly. “The mind must be given relaxation—it will rise improved and sharper after a good break,” Seneca wrote . He used the ana...
Sep 04, 2023•8 min•Ep. 1817
When Ryan was asked to give a talk to the leaders of one of the most foundational companies in American history, the United States Steel Corporation, he drew inspiration from Marcus Aurelius’ examinations of fire - how it melts whatever material is thrown into it in order to create fuel and heat - to put together a speech that illustrates how the Stoic virtue of Courage can be converted into success at the highest levels of industry. ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/d...
Sep 03, 2023•35 min•Ep. 1810
Ryan speaks with Rainn Wilson in this second of a two-part conversation about the best entry points for the average person into philosophy and spirituality, why the serenity prayer applies to everyone, how the struggles he experienced in his early acting career led to him landing the role of Dwight Schrute, why he wishes that he enjoyed his time on The Office more, his take on the state of the writers’ strike, and more. Rainn Wilson is an actor, comedian, author, podcaster, writer, and director....
Sep 02, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 1808
A couple minutes of traffic on the way to work. The tone that the person was talking to you with. The scratch in your brand new painted wall. The lost pair of AirPods–the cost of replacing them. The speed of the promised promotion, word that a colleague is making a smidge more. The culture war issue of the moment. The tenor of the media coverage for your new project…or the lack thereof. The insult from someone you thought was a friend. All these things seemed like they mattered. But there will c...
Sep 01, 2023•8 min•Ep. 1816
Cato, one of the most vaunted and towering Stoics, built a reputation and a career out of his refusal to give an inch in the face of pressure. He fought to keep Rome as it was, as it always had been. He refused political compromise in every form. Cato was Cato. He could never be anything but rigid, upright, and strong. But Cato’s inflexibility did not always best serve the public good. --- And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions during the Q&A session of the Daily Stoic Stoici...
Aug 31, 2023•12 min•Ep. 1815
It’s easy to nod along with a book (or even this email) when you’re reading it. Or to double-tap the like button when you see an inspiring Instagram post . But how long does this stay with you? How quickly will its message flutter away? It’s a critical problem for all of us out there who are trying to get better. Who are trying to actually live the principles of philosophy, and to rely on it in life’s stressful moments, as well as life’s ordinary hours. Inspired by the French painter Philippe de...
Aug 30, 2023•5 min•Ep. 1814
Ryan speaks with Rainn Wilson about his new book Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution , why the guy who played Dwight Schrute wrote a book on spirituality, how anyone can find a thread to the transcendent anywhere any time, how Stoicism is helping cure the crisis that young men are in today, what the Stoics would have said about climate change, and more. Rainn Wilson is an actor, comedian, author, podcaster, writer, and director. He is most known for his role as Dwight Schrute on the NB...
Aug 30, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 1806
Marcus Aurelius must have wondered what he did to deserve all this. First, he lost his father at age three. Then he was pulled from his first love, philosophy, and pushed into politics. When he finally became emperor, roughly 200 years of peace exploded into 19 years of border wars and civil strife. There was a plague. There were floods. He had crippling health problems. At some point, as he buried another one of his children, as he wept over the ceaseless toll from disease and pestilence, he mu...
Aug 29, 2023•11 min•Ep. 1812
