The Daily Stoic

Rock Bottom, Recovery, and Starting Over at 40 | Jon Gustin

09 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Jon Gustin got sober at the beginning of 2023, but as he explains in today’s episode, getting sober was not the end of the struggle. It was the begi...

The Stoic All the Stoics Admired

08 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Cato’s life was his philosophy, and the Stoics never stopped looking to his example. In today’s episode, Ryan explores why Cato the Younger became...

It Can’t Think About You | How to Be a Better Friend, According to the Stoics

07 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

These are impersonal forces. This is fortune and fate. It’s not targeting you. It’s not favoring or picking on you. 🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE ...

BONUS | 6 Stoic Rules of Arete (Excellence)

07 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Arete. To the Greeks, it meant excellence. It was the ultimate expression of human greatness—moral, physical, spiritual. It’s what the Stoics were...

You Think You Want Autonomy. You Don’t. | David Epstein

06 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You think you want more freedom, but too much of it can work against you. In this episode, Ryan talks with David Epstein about why constraints can act...

They’re Not Thinking About You At All

06 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

They’re awful. They’re frustrating. They need to be stopped. These are the people who take up so much space in our head.🎙️ AD-FREE | Support ...

This is the Part To Love | How a Stoic Deals with Obnoxious People

05 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The terrible diagnosis. The betrayal. The broken heart. Are they Stoics really saying you should love that? Is that what it means to “amor fati”—...

When Your Passion Is Master of Your Reason… | We Are a Product of Our Habits

04 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Recognizing your anger in the moment, feeling it rising before it takes over, means you’ve already started mastering it.🪙 Carry The Daily Stoic P...

40 Hidden Lessons From Marcus Aurelius' Meditations

03 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You think you’ve read Meditations, but the deeper truths in Marcus Aurelius’ private writings often reveal themselves only after years of revisiti...

What Comes After Surviving the Unthinkable | Kyle Carpenter

02 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What happens after you survive something that should have killed you? After being critically injured in Afghanistan, Kyle Carpenter faced years of sur...

BONUS | Ryan Holiday's Response to Ivanka Trump

01 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Watch Ryan's response on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1OfTQusvYM🎙️ AD-FREE | Support the podcast and go...

What You Need is a Small Crisis | Show, Not Tell, What You Know

01 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When we stop resisting and start learning, the obstacle becomes the way.📕 Grab the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holi...

The Choice That Kept Dr. Edith Eger Alive In Auschwitz

30 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Edith Eger faced the worst humanity can do, survived Auschwitz, and went on to build a 98-year life rooted in resilience, forgiveness, and meaning...

Why Are You Surprised?

30 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The surprising thing about all this is that you were surprised. How could you not have seen this coming?Reading Marcus Aurelius can change your life, ...

Marcus Aurelius's Rules for Living a Better Life

29 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

To wrap up Meditations Month, today Ryan explores Marcus’s best rules for using the precious time in your life.Reading Marcus Aurelius can change yo...

Kyle Carpenter on Courage, Survival, and What Comes After

29 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Medal of Honor is the highest military award in the United States, given for extraordinary courage in the face of danger. In this episode, Ryan si...

It’s Right There. Take It. | Stoic Lessons Hidden in Bruce Springsteen Songs

28 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You can’t learn history that you don’t take the time to look at, that you think you already understand.📚 BOOKS:Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Mak...

Nothing Is As Encouraging As This | The Freedom of Contempt

27 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It was a dark world…and Marcus Aurelius desperately needed some light.LAST CHANCE | Your ticket to the live Q&A with Ryan Holiday 👉 https:/...

The Most Powerful Lines From Marcus Aurelius

26 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How can a 2,000-year-old book still change the way you think today? In this episode, Ryan Holiday shares passages from Meditations that he’s returne...

Why “Meditations” Needs a New Name—According to William O. Stephens

25 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most people read Marcus Aurelius the wrong way. In this episode, Ryan sits down with philosopher William Stephens to discuss why the title "Meditation...

It’s Never an Accident | Ask Daily Stoic

24 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Our true character comes out under pressure. So we must train that character, we must develop our bodies, we have to put in the work. Your ticket...

Empower Yourself with This | Why You Need to Get In the Arena

23 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We all have those days where we’d rather just not. Days where we’d rather not deal with that annoying co-worker or petty family member. ...

Everything Is Connected. We Just Forgot.

22 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s strange that we need a day to remind us we’re part of the planet we live on. In this Earth Day episode, Ryan explores the Stoic idea of sympa...

You Have Access to a Miracle of History

22 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics weren’t just leaders and philosophers. They were parents, spouses, and friends, who experienced joy, who fell in love, who cherished the ...

You Are On The Right Timeline | Don't Let Your Attention Slide

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This isn’t the timeline I’m supposed to be on, you think. This isn’t how it was supposed to go. But what if it is?Reading Marcus Aurelius can ch...

Time is Racing Toward Us | Pete Holmes on The Real Point of Philosophy

20 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We think that it’s off in the distance. We think that it’s far away. But this is wrong. Fundamentally wrong.Reading Marcus Aurelius can change you...

31 Life-Changing Lessons from Marcus Aurelius

19 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For nearly 2,000 years, Meditations has guided presidents, generals, and leaders, from Theodore Roosevelt to Frederick the Great to Arnold Schwarzeneg...

How Does Stoicism Help You Overcome Guilt and Shame?

18 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode, Ryan answers questions from a live audience in Sydney, Australia. Some of these questions include: How do we keep our ego in check...

The Decades Disappear Like Sinking Ships | Impulse Control

17 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This is happening and it’s happening in one direction. We have to pay attention.📚 The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflectio...

The 5-Step Stoic Routine for Clear Thinking | Maria Semple

16 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The difference between reacting and thinking clearly starts with how you begin your day. In this episode, Ryan sits down with bestselling author Maria...

You Don’t Have to Do It Alone

16 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

“Mastery of reading and writing requires a master,” Marcus Aurelius writes. He knew this from experience. Reading Marcus Aurelius can change ...

Prison Took His Freedom. Stoicism Gave It Back.

15 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when everything is taken from you and the only thing left is how you think? In this episode, Lamb of God’s lead singer Randy Blythe sha...

This is How You Have To See (and Respond To) Things | Becoming An Expert In What Matters

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Start living your life with more courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom by deepening your understanding of one of the most enduring books on life ev...

Heal Yourself With This | The Cure for a Reading Slump

13 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics urged us to read, study, and journal, not as abstract philosophy, but to help us recover from the stuff life throws at us. 📚 Sign u...

You Think You Have Time. You Don’t.

12 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a tragedy. Too many people, Seneca says, reach the end of life with nothing to show for it but a number.🎥 VIDEO EPISODE | Wat...

What To Do When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned | Jim Collins

11 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What if the hardest moments in your life aren’t detours but the very things that put you on the right path? In Part 2, bestselling author Jim Collin...

Nothing Can Get In The Way of the Mission | Test Your Impressions

10 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Roles shift. Titles change. But the mission never does.Reading Marcus Aurelius can change your life, but only if you know how to read his work 👉 He...

This Can Change the Course of Your Life

09 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The right book at the right time is a powerful thing. In fact, it can change the whole course of your life.Reading Marcus Aurelius can change your lif...

If You’re Lost, You’re Asking the Wrong Question | Jim Collins (PT.1)

09 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What if the reason you feel lost has nothing to do with direction and everything to do with the question you’re asking? Ryan sits down with bestsell...

You Must Learn to See | The Stoic Lesson of Marcus Aurelius' Crumbling Statue

08 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We must change our aperture and perspective so that amidst the muddle and puddles of life, we can see what the artist and the philosopher sees.Reading...

You Can Skip This Part of the Nightmare | Stoicism, Across the World

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You may well be in the middle of—or in for—a nightmare. But you can skip part of it, the last part…if you choose. Ryan Holiday is coming to a ci...

It’s Not Only Always Been Like This, It’s Always Been Worse | Trust But Verify

06 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You live in a time of abundance, medicine, knowledge, and opportunity—things the Stoics could not have imagined in their wildest dreams.🎙️ AD-F...

Real People. Real Tests. Real Stoicism.

05 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What does Stoicism look like in the moments that matter most? In this episode, Ryan shares listener stories about how this philosophy showed up in the...

It’s Not a Principle If It Doesn’t Cost You

04 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most people think they’d never sell out. Until there’s a number attached. In this episode, Ryan explores real-world examples that reveal what happ...

Do This to Capture the Magic for Yourself | What Can Go Wrong...Might

03 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It should be the easiest book in the world to read. And yet…Reading Marcus Aurelius can change your life, but only if you know how to read his work ...

This is the Main Thing | Ask Daily Stoic

02 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics appreciated success, but it wasn’t something they coveted. It may have impressed others, but it wasn’t how they defined themselves.Ryan...

BONUS | Books You Can Finish In One Sitting (And Actually Remember)

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most people don’t finish what they start, especially when it comes to books. In this episode, Ryan shares a curated list of books you can read in a ...

How Can This Improve Your Life? | The Color of Your Thoughts

01 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Why has Meditations by Marcus Aurelius endured and influenced across so many centuries? And what makes its ancient wisdom still relevant to the modern...

Live Now, While You Still Can

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We only get one life. Once time ticks by, it never comes back.🎙️ AD-FREE | Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The ...

The Perspective Shift I Had in Australia (A Stoic Lesson)

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Why does everything feel so much worse when it’s happening close to you? In this episode, Ryan shares a simple shift he noticed while traveling in A...

Don’t Let It Do This To You | Stoicism Meets Major League Baseball

30 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Deserved or not, preventable or not, you’re at the mercy of fate, of the market, of a mob.📚 Book Mentioned: Ask the Dust by John Fante🎥 Watch...

12 Stoic Remedies for When Life Feels Heavy

29 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics knew life could be heavy, that loneliness, frustration, and heartbreak were part of the deal. They also knew something most people miss: if...

Arthur Brooks’ Ultimate Philosophy Masterclass (PT. 2)

28 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What did Epicurus, Buddha, and Viktor Frankl understand about meaning that most people never question? In Part 2 of this masterclass, bestselling auth...

Are You Willing To Be Cut Off? | Say No To The Need To Impress

27 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Where is our bravery? Where will we draw the line? What will we put on the line?📕 If today's episode resonates with you, check out Courage is Calli...

Arthur Brooks’ Ultimate Philosophy Masterclass (PT. 1)

26 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What are you missing by only seeing the world through one philosophy? In this masterclass, Arthur Brooks and Ryan walk through the biggest schools of ...

It Takes Much Longer Than You Think (Or Want)

26 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Almost everything worthwhile—like wisdom, leadership, mastery, opportunity—takes far more time than we expect, than we want. 🎙️ AD-FREE | Sup...

There Will Always Be People Who Don’t Get It | Hasan Minhaj Tests Ryan Holiday’s Stoic Knowledge

25 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

People are misinformed. People have skewed priorities and conflicts of interest. They’re not always going to understand.🎥 Watch Ryan’s episode ...

It’s Not Supposed To Go Down Easy | This 10 Minute Habit Will Change Your Life

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Amor Fati is a challenge. That’s the whole point.🎥 VIDEO EPISODE | Watch this episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DCub4GIbZw🎙️ AD...

This Is The Only Thing You Get to Choose | There Is Philosophy In Everything

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Fortune behaves as she pleases, the Stoics said.  📘 Grab a copy of The Daily Stoic here: https://store.dailystoic.com/🎙️ AD-FREE | Suppor...

BONUS | Charles Duhigg's Reading List (From Ryan Holiday)

22 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From the archives, Ryan takes Supercommunicators author Charles Duhigg to The Painted Porch after the podcast and shares a stack of book recommendati...

You’re Not as Powerful as You Think (Seneca)

22 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We like to think we’re free and other people aren’t. Seneca flips that idea completely. The people in control may be the most trapped of all.Today...

The Stoic Secrets Great Leaders Use | Daniel Coyle

21 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The more you control, the worse you lead. In this conversation, Ryan talks with leadership expert Daniel Coyle about why the best teams aren’t run l...

You Can Choose Right Now | The Portable Retreat

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Someone has to take control. That someone is you. LAST CHANCE 👉 The Spring Forward Challenge starts TODAY! Go to dailystoic.com/spring and enter c...

Break Through While You Still Can | Ask Ryan Holiday

19 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Just as seedlings must break through soil, we must break through our comfortable patterns. Nature doesn’t stay dormant forever—and neither should ...

This Is How We Get Death Wrong

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You’ll never get to live what has been lived again. So why are you rushing? 2 DAYS LEFT 👉 Go to dailystoic.com/spring and enter code DSPOD2...

Why You Can’t Focus (And How to Fix It in 25 Minutes)

18 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You’re tired. You’re frustrated. You can’t focus. You’re busy all the time, but somehow it feels like nothing’s actually getting done. And t...

Stoop and Build ’Em Up | Stronger Stoics Together

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Failure. That's life. Then what?👉 EXCLUSIVE DEAL FOR PODCAST LISTENERS | Go to dailystoic.com/spring and enter code DSPOD20 at checkout to get 20% ...

You Can Get Rid of It | The Present Is All We Possess

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Let go of beliefs…let go of worries. Shed what’s unnecessary. Clear away what’s holding us down.👉 SPECIAL OFFER | Go to dailystoic.com/spring...

Stoic Advice for the Problems We All Face

15 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How should a Stoic deal with bullies? What do you do when someone you love drives you crazy? And how do you stick to your principles when it costs you...

BONUS | How to Reset Your Life (According to the Stoics)

15 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Ready to write off 2026 already because it didn’t start perfectly? In this episode, Ryan talks about why the Stoics would say that impulse is not ju...

A Stoic Test I Didn’t Expect

14 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In the span of three days, Ryan found himself in a series of situations that were exciting, surreal, and a little terrifying. The kind of moments wher...

Here’s How You Take Back Your Time | Become Dangerously Persuasive With These Books

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Think of how you spent the last week. Were those seven days as efficient or productive as they could be? 🎥 VIDEO EPISODE | Watch this episode ...

It’s Scary…But In A Good Way

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Without change, we stagnate. Our minds grow complacent, ignorant to new ideas. Our bodies grow weak from disuse. We remain stuck.👉 SPECIAL OFFER FO...

What Can You Notice?

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

There is beauty and peace in noticing. The world is filled with things to see and hear.📚 Books Mentioned: Stillness Is The Key by Ryan Holiday...

The Day Control Was Taken From Us

11 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most people remember exactly where they were the week of March 11, 2020. Life suddenly stopped. The world went quiet. And for a brief moment, everythi...

Have You Lost The Beat, Tune, or Rhythm? | Think About It From The Other Person's Perspective

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You will get knocked off course. You will fall off the wagon. You will get out of sorts. That's unavoidable. What matters is how quickly you return.SP...

They Should Have What They Want

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We should think about where we have made our happiness conditional on this or that achievement, on this or that identity which lies outside our contro...

Jordan Klepper's Reading List (From Ryan Holiday)

08 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After their conversation for The Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan gave Jordan Klepper, comedian, writer, and correspondent on The Daily Show, a few book reco...

The Complete Stoic Playbook To MASTER Your Emotions

07 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Do your emotions ever get the best of you? Someone says one thing and it ruins your whole day. A small frustration turns into a big deal. Travel anxie...

Will You Face This Truth?

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Even though we can’t control time or slow it down, even though we can’t control external forces and external events—we can control ourselves, so...

Jordan Klepper: How Mob Thinking Takes Over | PT. 2

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When does belonging start to matter more than being right? In Part 2 of Ryan’s conversation with Jordan Klepper, they dive into how mob thinking tak...

Use This As Practice | 3 Stoic Exercises For Your Best Month Yet

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Get your reps in…because none of us have any idea what life has in store for us in the future.SPECIAL OFFER exclusively for podcast listeners 👉 G...

Jordan Klepper: How to Talk to People You Disagree With (Without Losing It) | PT. 1

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do when someone says something you completely disagree with or something that sounds totally detached from reality? Jordan Klepper, corres...

Now Is The Time

04 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a long winter. But now? Now you can feel something is in the air. 💡 Go to dailystoic.com/spring and enter code DSPOD20 at checkout to g...

You Can’t Forget What You Don’t Put Off | (Dis)integration

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We plan to do it. We mean to do it. We just tell ourselves that we’ll do it tomorrow. The problem, as the Stoics remind us, is that we don’t contr...

They’re Not Wrong (They’re Just Cut Off From Truth) | What Expensive Things Cost

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Haven’t you been wrong before? Haven’t you done stuff that in retrospect seems dumb or weird? Of course you have.📚 Books Mentioned: Great ...

Why Thinking About Your Death Will Save Your Life

01 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Meditating on death isn’t depressing, it’s clarifying. In this episode, Ryan explains how the Stoic practice of Memento Mori will sharpen your pri...

The Discipline That Made Marcus Aurelius

28 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The greatness of Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius was not perfection but progress. They were imperfect men committed to self-discipline and self-correcti...

Who Would Ever Want to Be King? | Stop Letting Yourself Off the Hook

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Power doesn’t wait for the perfect person to raise their hand. Someone will wield it. Someone always does.📚 Looking for stories to teach your kid...

BONUS | 3 Practices to Improve Your Life In a Week

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What if it only took five minutes each morning to feel more in control of your life? In this conversation, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee shares the three dail...

It Picks You Up. It Puts You Down. A Hundred Times A Day. | Cultivate Indifference

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Is this what we’re here for? To be the passions’ slave? To be the plaything of emotions and impulses? It can’t be!📓 Pick up a copy of The Dai...

You Can’t Join Them

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

People are the way they are. They will always be this way. We don’t control that. 👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subsc...

Lincoln’s Secret Weapon (It Wasn’t Power)

25 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How do you hold a country together when it’s tearing itself apart? In this episode, Ryan sits down with Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Doris Kea...

This is The Math That Losers Do | What Virtue Is This Moment Asking of You?

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The past is gone, and no amount of calculation will bring it back or make it fair. What we do have is agency right now.🎥 Watch the video of today's...

This is How You Win the Day | Circumstances Have No Care For Our Feelings

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We have a duty. Our nature—justice—demands something from us. It demands that we get up, get after it, and wear ourselves down doing it.📘 Grab ...

Simple Stoic Rules That Actually Change Your Life

22 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Life is a lot. It moves fast. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by what to do, what not to do, and whether you’re even focusing on the right things. I...

The Case for History (Before It Repeats Itself) | Kenny Curtis

21 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

If you think history is boring, irrelevant, or just not your "thing", this episode is for you. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with Kenny Curtis,...

You’ve Gotta Make Them Work For It | The Presidential Biographies You Can’t Afford to Skip

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s discouraging. It’s distracting. All the stuff that’s happening in the world. But you know what you can’t do? You can’t give up your wor...

What A Wonderful Thing to Measure | Stoic Strategies for Becoming More Resilient

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We should pride ourselves on our ability to put up with these people, to be able to be nice to people who are not nice, to be able to turn the other c...

BONUS | This Stoic Idea Will Reset Your Week

18 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics knew that wanting less increases gratitude, just as wanting more obliterates it. "Freedom isn't secured by filling up on your heart's desir...