Who Can Teach Us More? | Stick With Just The Facts
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Why does Epictetus teach us more than Marcus Aurelius?
Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, designed to help bring those four key stoic virtues, courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom into the real world. Who can teach us more? He had to rule over millions of people, he had to oversee millions of square miles, he had to command an army, he dealt with critics and sycophants. There were the downsides of fame, the burden of wealth, and Marcus Aurelius had problems, big problems, but they were mostly problems of power. They were the problems of privilege. Epictetus also had problems. He had a terrible boss, he was exploited, he was exiled, he was kicked around, he was disabled, he was robbed. Epictetus' problems were the problems of powerlessness. He had real life problems.
Epictetus can perhaps speak to us more than because he didn't live in a palace. He wasn't born into privilege or money. He fought misfortune and adversity, not other armies. He triumphed despite the cruelness of fate, and therefore his lessons are far more relatable, even more urgent than Marcus Aurelius's. Real freedom in life, real power, Epictetus tells us, does not come from money or a throne, comes from within. It's about mastering yourself, it's about resilience and determination, and also about acceptance and self-knowledge. We don't control the role we were assigned by circumstance, but we do control how we play that role and Both Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus said this, but Epictetus made the most of a far more difficult as well as more realistic fate.
And that's why his teachings have survived and endured. That's why Stockdale drew on him in prison, and ordinary people have turned to him in the ordinary moments of frustration and stress in life. It's also why this month, our Daily Stoic, we're doing a deep dive into Epictetus, his life, his philosophy, his practical lessons for living with more resilience and less anxiety about the things we don't control in life. It would be wonderful if Epictetus was as popular as Marx Realists, but he simply is not. And he's intimidating to people and therefore a little bit more obscure. Well, we wanted to solve that. And that's what we're doing with our How to Read Epictetus, a Daily Stoic Digital Guide. We're diving all into it, and we're gonna be doing a live QA call about it with thousands of other stoics all over the world.
I'd love to see you in there on August 27th, but that means you gotta sign up by the 26th. You can get a copy. Of Discourses for 50% off. As I said, his work changed my life.
How can Epictetus’ life of powerlessness guide modern resilience?
I think it'll change your life. I can't wait to see you in there. Just go to dailystoic.com slash epictetis to find out more. And uh we'll get into it. Talk soon.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
Why does Epictetus teach us more than Marcus Aurelius?
0:00–2:56
2
How can Epictetus’ life of powerlessness guide modern resilience?
2:56–6:12
3
What is the ‘How to Read Epictetus’ guide and how do I join the live Q&A?
6:12–8:24
4
Why is the Quince clothing brand being highlighted in this episode?
8:24–10:29
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The Daily Stoic
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