The Daily Stoic
Episodes
So This is the New Year? | Make 2026 Your Best Year With These 6 Simple Stoic Rules
02 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What about if, instead of fighting against the current, we fought instead “to be the person that philosophy tried to make us?”Make 2026 the year w...
You’ve Been Given a Fresh Chance | Ask Daily Stoic
01 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
2025 is dead and gone. Who we were in 2025 is dead and gone. Here we are, lucky enough to rise again in 2026. A year not guaranteed to anyone. No...
BONUS | Another Year Gone By. What Have You Done?
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve been blessed with another go, or at least the start of another go. Will we take it? Or will we go on the same as we did before and before and ...
How James Clear Would Start 2026 If He Were You
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The first few weeks of 2026 will decide far more than you think. In this episode, you’ll hear the best of James Clear’s most important advice from...
We Are Training For This
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When we develop the discipline to prepare our minds and our bodies for hardship, we have the discipline to see the hard times through to the end. ...
BONUS | 7 Simple Stoic Habits That Will Transform You In 2026
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here we are at the end of one year and the beginning of another. What do we have to show for it? Did we do what we set out to do? Did we meet those re...
You Don't Have Unlimited Time | What's Up To Us, What's Not Up To Us
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is what we do, isn’t it? We think about doing something…but we put off actually doing it until the last minute.Make 2026 the year where you f...
If You Want to Make the World Better, Do This | Give Thanks
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s focus on getting better. Let’s get serious about stuff we’ve put off. Let’s lend a helping hand. Let’s “fight to be the person philo...
The Stoic Way To Survive 2026
28 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You do not control the year ahead. You do control how you meet it. In this episode, Ryan walks through the Stoic framework for becoming better in the ...
BONUS | The Book Ryan Holiday Keeps Coming Back To
27 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan was recently a guest on Shilo Brooks’ podcast, Old School, to talk about a book that’s meant a lot to him over the years, Walker Percy’s Th...
You Could Leave Life Today. What Would You Do Differently?
27 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The end of the year has a way of reminding us that nothing lasts forever. In today’s episode, you will hear a deep dive into the Stoic practice of M...
It Doesn’t Take Long to Do This | Mark Manson's Reading List (From Ryan Holiday)
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It was a bad year. You picked up some bad habits. You let some good habits slip. You wasted time on stuff that didn’t matter. But just because that’...
These Legacies Are a Gift | Ask Daily Stoic
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Remarkably, Jesus and Seneca lived nearly parallel lives, with many sources suggesting they were born in the same year. Even more striking are the ove...
What Would a Year of This Look Like?
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To the Stoics, virtue was a way of life. Not something we are, but something we do. So what would a year look like if you actually practiced this...
Your New Stoic Role Models for a Stronger Life
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Virtue is not a theory. It is something you practice. In the moments where you could overreact. In the moments where quitting would be easier. In the ...
Why Do You Wait for This to Get Harder? | Turn Words Into Works
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Procrastination isn’t saving you…it’s only adding interest to the bill you’re going to have to pay eventually.Make 2026 the year where you fin...
BONUS | Why Your New Year’s Resolutions Always Fail (with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee)
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's bonus episode, Ryan and Dr. Rangan Chatterjee talk about why New Year’s resolutions usually fall apart and what actually works instead. T...
Everything Is Changing. Are You? | Stake Your Own Claim
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Things falling apart. Traditions crumbling. New technologies. New threats. New trends. Welcome to ancient Rome. Welcome to the past…the present…an...
Sit Down With Walter Isaacson and Ryan Holiday
21 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Ryan Holiday sits down with legendary biographer Walter Isaacson for a wide-ranging, deeply thoughtful conversation recorded live ...
These 3 Rules Will Make or Break Your 2026 | Jesse Itzler
20 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most people will enter 2026 hoping life just gets better. Jesse Itzler knows that’s not how real change happens. In today’s episode, Jesse breaks ...
It Can’t All Be Wedding Cake | The Best Books You Can Read
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Fortune doesn’t care about our plans and preferences. No, Seneca reminds us, she behaves as she pleases. 📚 Books mentioned:Plutarch’s Live...
Nobody is Coming to Save You (And That’s Good News) | Ask Daily Stoic
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
These are disorienting times. Cruel times. Dysfunctional times. And it’s natural to want someone, anyone, to step in and fix it. But they’re ...
You Don’t Have To Be Lucky, You Just Have To Be Good
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How are you helping? What are you doing? How are you acting like a Stoic as opposed to just ‘being stoic?📚 Get a signed copy of each of the...
You’ve Got to Demand Everything of Yourself | Paralympian Ezra Frech
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The pressure of being great changes when you’re carrying more than your own ambition. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with Paralympian Ezr...
Love What Your Nature Demands of You | Stake Your Claim
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The world needed Marcus Aurelius to become the person we admire and study today. This required conscious and consistent effort on his part. You’re n...
In a World Gone Shallow, In a World Gone Lean | A Simple Way To Measure Our Days
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shallowness and cruelty and stupidity may be rampant, but we must resist it—resist it without bitterness or despair—by being bright lights in a da...
How To Find Peace | 8 Stoic Lessons You Can Start Today
14 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly 2,000 years ago, the Stoics were trying to do what we’re all trying to do now: find some peace. For them, philosophy wasn’t an academic hob...
Olivia Nuzzi Knows She Messed Up
13 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s easy to defend yourself. It’s harder to tell the truth. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with journalist Olivia Nuzzi for a raw, unfilter...
Are You Keeping One? | Stoic Lessons That Will Change Your Life
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that Meditations wasn’t the only book that Marcus Aurelius wrote? 📚 Mentioned: The Notebook by Rolland AllenThe Daily Stoic Jou...
BONUS | Camila Cabello: “Stoicism Changed Everything for Me”
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How does Camila Cabello stay centered in the chaos of fame? Today’s bonus episode brings back an evergreen lesson from her Daily Stoic episode...
Tie Yourself to the Mast | Ask Daily Stoic
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’d be wonderful if we always did what we know we want or need to do. But that’s not how the world is. It is filled with temptations, distraction...
These Add Up to Greatness
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“Well-being is realized by small steps,” Zeno would say looking back on his life, “but is truly no small thing.”🗓️ The Daily Stoic Page-A...
The Fine Line Between Genius and Delusion | Helen Lewis
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Being the smartest person in the room is usually where the trouble starts. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with journalist and author Helen Lewis...
You Know It’s Time to Change | Keep The Rhythm
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’re set in our habits. We’re quick-tempered, we eat poorly, we’re easily distracted. We skip exercise, we put stuff off, we make excuses. How ...
Have You Considered This? | Don't Hide From Your Feelings
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The sooner you realize that you are not the center of the universe or the intended recipient of everything, the more understanding you can be, the les...
Why EVERY Generation Rediscovers Stoicism | Mark Manson & Ryan Holiday
07 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every crisis creates the same instinct in people: go back to the wisdom that has outlasted everything else. In today’s episode, Ryan and Mark Manson...
The Question That Haunts the World’s Most Successful People | Andrew Ross Sorkin (PT. 2)
06 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Even the giants of history couldn’t outrun insecurity, comparison, or the feeling of not having enough. In today’s episode, Ryan continues his con...
No One is Truly “Self-Made” | The Philosophy Behind High Achievers
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The myth of the self-made man is just that, a myth. There has never been such a thing.🎥 Check out the Arnold Schwarzenegger episode: https://...
This Will Make You Stupid | Ask Daily Stoic
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It doesn’t matter how smart you are. In the moment, if you can’t control your emotions, you will be stupid.🪙 Carry The Daily Stoic Pause & ...
It’s Not That Complicated
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Power is corruptive and corrosive no matter your age. To the young and inexperienced, it is even worse.📕 Book Mentioned: Wisdom Takes Work by Ryan ...
Why Andrew Ross Sorkin Spent 8 Years Chasing One Story
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you stay locked in on one project for eight years? Andrew Ross Sorkin shares what he learned while writing his bestselling book 1929: Insi...
We Can Give This to Each Other | Be Stingy With Time
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We have to illustrate those virtues of courage and justice toward and for and through others. To help people from going hungry. To alleviate someone’...
This is What’s Really Important | Pretend Today Is The End
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let us be good Stoics today and prove that we don’t just talk about this philosophy—we live it.Feeding America | We donated the first $30,000 and ...
BONUS | The #1 Way To IMMEDIATELY Feel Better
30 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s so much happening in the world, and so much of it feels terrible. There is dysfunction. There is conflict. There is outright lawlessness. Th...
The 12 Things You Need To Know About Stoicism
30 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most of what people know about Stoicism is totally wrong. They might recognize names like Marcus Aurelius or Epictetus, or they assume the whole ph...
“I Had 90 Minutes To Live” | Sebastian Junger’s Near-Death Experience (PT. 2)
29 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Facing death rewires your view of the world. Today's guest, bestselling author and legendary war reporter Sebastian Junger, can explain how. In this e...
Let Us Fulfill Our Obligation | 10,000 Pages That Will Change Your Life
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let us try to put some of our energy towards helping the less fortunate. Let's alleviate someone else's worry and fear.Feeding America | We donat...
BONUS | An Important Message About Grace & Forgiveness
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Thanksgiving! In today’s bonus episode, you will hear a powerful excerpt from Ryan’s interview with author and journalist Julia Baird about ...
Every Day Can Be A Thanksgiving | Ask Daily Stoic
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There's something wonderful about being together, family, traveling in from near and far good people enjoying good food, taking a break from the busyn...
Honesty Without Tact is Cruelty
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Stoics said what needed to be said. But they weren’t jerks. Not on purpose anyway.👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscr...
You’re Addicted To The Illusion of Control | Sebastian Junger (PT. 1)
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After you have faced death, you can’t believe what people care about online. In this episode, Ryan sits down with bestselling author and legendary w...
We’ve Always Done This | Balance The Books Of Life Daily
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is what it is to be a human. Some of it good, some of it better to resist. 📓 Check out Ryan Holiday's favorite journals:The Daily Stoic J...
We Are All Trying This | Train To Let Go Of What's Not Yours
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Seneca wasn’t perfect. He struggled, as all humans do, with inconsistencies between his philosophy and his actions. So, why should we listen to him?...
The Philosopher Who Laughed in the Face of Kings
23 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dive into the wild life of Diogenes, the philosopher who wasn’t afraid to challenge norms or even Alexander the Great. In today’s episode, discove...
The REAL Difference Between Stoics and Cynics | Cynicism Expert Inger Kuin (PT. 2)
22 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What can Diogenes teach us about the roots of Stoicism? In today’s episode, Ryan and classicist Inger Kuin break down the real gap between Stoicism ...
Do This. It's Enough. | 7 Stoic Habits To Make You Wiser
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Marcus Aurelius didn't just study philosophy when he was young. To him, philosophy was a lifelong study, a process that he committed to.🎟️ Come s...
It’s Mostly Froth And Bubble | Ask Daily Stoic
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Silly worries and petty rivalries. People arguing for no reason. People trying to accumulate more than they could ever need. This is what we do, isn’...
Do You Have One Of These?
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Whether we’re beginning some creative work or we’re trying to solve some complex problem, we should never be starting from zero.📖 Wisdom Takes ...
The Most Misunderstood Philosopher of All Time | Diogenes Expert Inger Kuin
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Diogenes wasn’t a Stoic… but without him, the Stoics don’t exist. His life was so bold, so uncompromising, and so brutally honest that it reshap...
Are You Having Trouble With These Changes? | Practice Letting Go
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Culture has changed. Technology has changed. Work has changed. Politics have changed. The environment has changed. You think these changes could have ...
It’s Nothing Without This | Judge Not, Lest...
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
People are weak. People are scared. People are afraid to go for what they want. It has always been thus.📚 Books mentioned:Courage is Calling by Rya...
Make Stoicism Your Anchor in Chaos (Ryan Holiday Live at FreedomFest)
16 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We should fight, as Marcus Aurelius says, to be the person philosophy tried to make us. In this episode, Ryan shares why deciding to live with virtue ...
Mark Manson: “I Didn’t Realize How Out of Control I Was.”
15 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the point of achieving success if you’re burned out, lonely, or exhausted? In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with Mark Manson ...
This Is The Part To Love | "I Spent 6 Years Researching The Most Elusive Trait In The World"
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It seems insensitive to even suggest that someone “love” their fate. How are you supposed to love a breakup? Love that you buried someone? Love th...
BONUS | Where Service Meets Stoicism — U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Joe Byerly & Ryan Holiday
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this bonus episode, Ryan sits down with his friend and collaborator, Joe Byerly, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, writer, and host of Fro...
There’s No One Stupider Than An Angry Person | Ask Daily Stoic
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s even a famous old saying: Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make angry.🎟️ Come see Ryan Holiday LIVE: https://ww...
Cheryl Strayed: “I Had to Lose EVERYTHING to Find Myself”
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At some point, you realize courage isn’t something you are born with, it’s something you build. In this episode, Ryan sits down with bestselling a...
Don’t Let It Trouble Your Mind
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You don’t have to accept being treated this way. You should stand up. You should speak out. But you know what you shouldn’t do?👉 Support the po...
None of Us Are Perfect | Judge Yourself, Not Others
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Was Marcus Aurelius a bad father? How did he not manage to pass his Stoicism—to say nothing of his kindness and sense of responsibility—to his son...
Failure Doesn’t Define You—Neither Does Success | Always The Same
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ulysses S. Grant knew what the Stoics knew—that outside circumstances don’t say anything about us, that it didn’t matter, as Epictetus said, wha...
The Surprising Habit Hack from Aristotle
09 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What is the "Tortoise Method" and how can it help us build habits for happiness? Look no further than this excerpt from Chapter 9 of the audiobook of ...
Persuasion Expert: "You Can TRAIN Your Mind to See the Positive" | Jay Heinrichs (PT. 2)
08 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It takes a trained mind to see wonder and awe in the middle of everyday struggles. In today’s PT. 2 episode, Ryan and persuasion expert Jay Heinrich...
This Is The Point of Philosophy | You're Wasting Your Life
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the point? What is philosophy for?🏛 The 2025 LIVE session of Stoicism 101: Ancient Philosophy For Your Actual Life starts Novemb...
BONUS | Ryan Holiday Curates a Reading List for Nick Thompson
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After their interview, Ryan and Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and author of The Running Ground, headed into The Painted Porch to talk about their...
Take This Seriously | Ask Daily Stoic
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is what Stoicism has done throughout history. It’s made people the best they could be.🏛 The 2025 LIVE session of Stoicism 101: Ancient Philo...
Persuasion Expert: "You Can Manipulate Yourself Into Doing Hard Things" | Jay Heinrichs (PT. 1)
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You’re not lazy, you’re just losing the debate in your own head. In today’s episode, Ryan talks with Jay Heinrichs, bestselling author of&n...
This Is Not What We Fight For
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Stoics were not passive. They did impressive things. They were impressive people. They were fighters. But you know what? They, like the rest of us...
When The Statues Still Had Paint On Them | The Real Power You Have
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
History isn’t something that other people lived through and we get to read about. We all live through history and we all can make it if we choose.🏛...
This is How To Be Smart (Or At Least Not Dumb) | Following The Doctor's Orders
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We can avoid being swept up in the newest fad or the oldest con. We can stop reliving the same mistake. 📖 Wisdom Takes Work by Ryan Holiday is...
Everything (And I Really Mean Everything) Is A Chance To Do This
02 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Will you be brave or afraid? Selfish or selfless? Strong or weak? Wise or stupid? Will you ...
What Did The Stoics Get WRONG? | Nick Thompson (CEO of The Atlantic)
01 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Running isn’t just good exercise, it’s Stoicism in motion. In part two of Ryan’s conversation with Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, they...
This is the Deads Day | Harsh Truths From The Stoics
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today is Halloween here in America, a holiday of fun and mischief for children—masks, candy, and staying up late. But tomorrow, in Mexico, begins Dí...
BONUS | Seeking External Validation is RUINING Your Life - Dr. Rangan Chatterjee
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every time you chase approval, you trade a piece of who you really are. Today's bonus episode is a clip from Dr. Rangan Chatterjee's episode on The Da...
Do You Have That Dog In You? | Ask Daily Stoic
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a world of hypocrites, status worship, and fools masquerading as wise men, we need the clarity and courage the Stoics embodied. 🏛 The 2025 ...
The Habit That Changes EVERYTHING | Nick Thompson
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Thompson couldn’t change his father’s story, but he found a habit that helped him make sense of his own. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down...
It’s A Thinking Person’s Game
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Life is hard. Life is complicated. Will you make the most of this time you have here?📖 Wisdom Takes Work by Ryan Holiday is out NOW! Grab a copy he...
It Can Make You Great | Accepting What Is
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What made Marcus Aurelius different? What were his secrets to success, resiliency, and productivity? How did he master his emotions and maintain such ...
You Get To Choose This (So Don’t) | We Reap What We Sow
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Things will go wrong. Fortune will turn on you. You will make mistakes. Plans will be disrupted. Dreams will be dashed. This is life.🎥 Watch Dr. La...
BONUS: The Man Behind The Daily Stoic (Not Ryan Holiday)
26 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been six years since Ryan and his longtime editor and collaborator, Stephen Hanselman, first dreamed up the Stoic Virtues Series. In this bonus...
7 Stoic Lessons on How To Keep Going
26 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do we persevere well? How do we persevere happily? Thankfully, we can look to the Stoics. The Stoics not only wrote about how to persevere, t...
Not Seeking Wisdom DESTROYS Great Minds | Ryan Holiday & Billy Oppenheimer
25 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when brilliance goes unchecked? In today's episode, Ryan and his research assistant Billy Oppenheimer dig into the cautionary side of gen...
What Does It Change? | How To Stay Unbothered In Chaotic Times
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What watching the news these days does to you is indisputable. It disrupts your focus. It disturbs your sanity. It changes your mood. But what does it...
Happiness Is Wisdom. Wisdom Is Happiness. | Ask Daily Stoic
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Elon Musk is smart. Yet would anyone describe Elon Musk as happy?📖 Wisdom Takes Work by Ryan Holiday is out NOW! Grab a copy here: https://store.da...
Advance, Forlorn Hope
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The bad guys might get away with it. But that’s not going to stop us from doing what we’re supposed to do, from being who we are supposed to be.&n...
How The Stoic Virtues Became Ryan’s Greatest Test | Billy Oppenheimer & Ryan Holiday
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does six years of studying and writing about the Stoic virtues really teach you? In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with longtime research assi...
Wisdom Takes Work CHAPTER UNLOCKED: Hear It Before Anyone Else
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wisdom Takes Work, the final book in the Stoic Virtues Series, is out TODAY! To celebrate, Ryan’s sharing a special preview: a full chapter from the...
The Moment When This is More Precious Than Gold | Build Up, Don't Tear Down
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
No one will be able to do this for you. You can't outsource it. You can't fake it. There are no hacks. 📖 Wisdom Takes Work is out TODAY! Grab...
This Is What You Must Be Chasing | Marks Of The Good Life
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Being smart is knowing facts. Being intelligent is having a mind that can solve hard problems or do complex things. Being creative is the ability to g...
How Smart People Become Stupid
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why do smart people fall for dumb ideas? In this episode, Ryan explains how ego and overconfidence can trip up even the smartest minds and how Stoicis...
Every Great Leader Has THIS Secret Weapon | Les Snead (Los Angeles Rams GM)
18 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The difference between panic and power comes down to a few simple rules. In today’s episode, Ryan dives into Les Snead’s philosophy on “panic ru...