The Daily Stoic

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...

They’re Not Thinking About You At All | The Dangerous Comfort of Half Measures

18 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Day to day, it’s only our individual actions that are up to us: How we treat people, how we run our businesses, what we think about.📚 Grab the fr...

Burn this Letter | The Enemy of Happiness

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s not that you should never speak up. It’s not that you should never speak truth to power. It’s just that you should never do it while you’...

This Was Washington’s Philosophy | Power Fades. Character Leads.

16 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

All that we see must be illuminated by the calm light of mild philosophy. So we can see what it really is. So we don’t do anything we regret. 📚...

If You Only Read a Few Books This Year, Read These

15 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most people don’t read that many books, maybe a few a year at most. So if you’re only going to read a couple books this year, the decision of whic...

11 Stoic Rules For Love

14 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Love isn’t just an emotion. It’s not just a feeling that hits you out of nowhere. It’s an action, something you can practice and something you c...

This Kindles the Soul | Why You Can't Ignore What's Happening

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Marcus Aurelius said that if you ever found anything better in life than courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom—the four virtu...

Do Not Delay | Dan Harris & Ryan Holiday on The Pursuit of Wisdom

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Life has a way of stripping all our reasons bare, of humbling our plans and assumptions. We must live, as Marcus Aurelius said, as if death hangs...

Stephen Greenblatt: Why “This Time Is Different” Is Always Wrong

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Why do the same patterns keep showing up in completely different centuries? In this episode, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Stephen Greenblatt joi...

There’s a Rhythm. There’s a Rhythm.

11 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It can feel like everything is falling to pieces. It can feel like you’re lost. It can feel like there’s no hope, no way forward, nothing to do. B...

You Have to Fight for It | Is There A Dark Side To Stoicism?

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It would be wonderful if the world was naturally just, if people were automatically good, always doing the right thing. But of course, they don’...

You Are Responsible For How They Make You Feel | Watch Over Your Perceptions

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

At the core of Stoicism is the idea that our emotions are our responsibility. No one can make us frustrated. No one can offend us either, Epictetus sa...

Bert Kreischer's Reading List (From Ryan Holiday)

08 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

After recording their episode, Ryan and Bert Kreischer stopped by The Painted Porch, where Ryan shared some must-read books with Bert.Watch this episo...

The Philosopher Who Didn’t Care What Anyone Thought

07 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The most fearless philosopher in the ancient world didn’t rule an empire or write books. He lived on the street and begged for food. And yet, he was...

This Is A Good Surprise | The Stoic Edge Behind Peak Performance

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You’re tough. You’re firm. You don’t get bothered by things. You keep yourself under control. Good. But you’re missing something else just as ...

This is The One Thing You Don’t Accept

05 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From corruption to tyranny, the Stoics refused to sit on the sidelines. They tried to change things.👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoici...

BONUS | No One Is Coming to Give You Permission

05 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

If your New Year motivation didn’t make it to February, this episode is for you. Ryan and his business partner and longtime friend, Brent Underwood,...

It’s Always Going To Be One-Sided

04 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s always been a dilemma: Why should I be honest when no one else seems to be? Why should I play by the rules when others are so visibly breaking ...

Chuck Klosterman: The NFL Explains More About America Than You Think

04 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Few writers understand American culture like Chuck Klosterman, which is why he joins Ryan ahead of the Super Bowl to talk about how football reshaped ...

Do You Have Double What It Takes? | The Source Of Your Anxiety

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Obstacles, adversaries, pitfalls, and bad luck. It’s going to be there. It’s going to happen. 📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edit...

Sometimes You Just Lose (But That’s No Excuse) | A Proper Frame Of Mind

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We have to stay at it. We have to accept the losses that come…without accepting the status quo. We should not give up. 📘 Grab the hardcover ...

BONUS | You Can't Let The Setbacks Win

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When jarred by circumstances, Marcus Aurelius writes, we have to revert back to ourselves. We have to come back to the rhythm. We have to intervene. W...

This Is Why You Have To Care

01 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Immigration is a complicated issue. Crime is complicated. But this is not complicated.👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscrib...

Why Bert Kreischer Thinks He Needs a Stoic Coach

31 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Bert Kreischer and Ryan continue their conversation about the tension between discipline and indulgence, why Bert sometimes feels better hungover than...

The Age of Catos is Gone (or Is It?) | Ryan Holiday Owes Everything To This One Book

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It always feels like the traditional values are slipping away…Maybe they are. Maybe they aren’t. 📕 Pick up your own Premium Leather Editio...

This is the Day You Start | What Does Living A Virtuous Life Look Like?

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

 Sometimes life happens, but here’s your second chance. Now is the best time to start being the person you want to be. Let’s not write t...

Bert Kreischer Has a Stoicism Problem

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Bert Kreischer wants to be Stoic. It just doesn’t come naturally. In this episode, he talks with Ryan about why Stoicism feels almost impossible for...

Do You Think They Liked It?

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This is what philosophy is about, what discipline is as a virtue: Doing things you don’t want to do.Let’s not write the year off just yet. Th...

We Have to Care About the Little Guy | A Stoic Reset for Right Now

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Forget party, forget class, forget any perceived differences: We must speak loudly and with one voice against those who intimidate, those who violate,...

Discipline is Doing It Anyway | The Power of Mantra

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You’re tired. You’re busy. It would be easier to stay home...It’s the perfect excuse. Unless, of course, you are disciplined.Let’s not write t...

Feeling Scared and Overwhelmed? Start Here

25 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Pain and hardship are part of life. From ancient Greece and Rome to now, people have faced plagues, wars, illness, and loss. The question has never be...

Jaimie Alexander: “I Was Asked If I Wanted to Live or Die”

24 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve seen Jaimie Alexander as the tough, unstoppable character on screen, but what was happening off camera tells a completely different story. In...

Remember That This Moment is Not Your Life | The Six Stereotypes Of Stoicism

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

January is January. A slump is a slump. They’re not fun, but neither are they the whole world…or forever.👉 Support the podcast and go...

Be Strict with Yourself, Tolerant with Others | Ask Daily Stoic

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

It’s important to remember that Stoicism isn’t about judging other people. It’s not a moral philosophy you’re supposed to project and enforce ...

The Stoic Question David Mamet Engraved on His Watch

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

David Mamet is one of the most influential writers of the last half-century, so when he talks about craft, discipline, and courage, it’s worth liste...

Don’t Be a Broken Parable

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Be wary whom you go to work for. Moral compromises add up and eventually destroy you.👉 Check out to James Romm's episode on The Daily Stoic Podcas...

These Days You Need Double What It Takes | Reignite Your Thoughts

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We can train. We can prepare. This will not be enough. Because more will be expected of us still, more will be piled onto our plates.📔 Pick up your...

We Are Falling Short | How George Raveling Was Given the “I Have a Dream” Speech

19 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day here in America. It’s worth taking a minute today to consider one particularly brilliant and inspiring part of K...

How Many of These 7 Stoic Traits Do You Have?

18 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode, you’ll hear about 7 traits that the Stoics actually lived by, and why they shaped leaders we’re still learning from 2,000 year...

Stop Waiting To Be Chosen | Adam Skolnick

17 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From writing with David Goggins to working alongside Rich Roll, Adam Skolnick’s success didn’t make imposter syndrome disappear. In this episode, ...

No, Not Later. Now. | How To Read Like A PRO

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Now is for certain. Later is a lie. It’s only going to get harder the longer you wait.👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscr...

BONUS | Self-Awareness vs. Self-Consciousness: Do You Know the Difference?

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the difference between self-awareness and self-consciousness? In today’s bonus episode, Ryan shares an excerpt from his conversation with h...

This Is An Important Time in Your Life | How Do You Do Hard Things When Life Is Already Hard?

15 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

People probably thought Marcus Aurelius was strange. The time he spent alone in his room. The long walks he took by himself. There would be no Me...

The Lie That Keeps You Feeling Behind Every Single Day | Oliver Burkeman

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most productivity advice promises that if you just find the right system, you’ll finally catch up. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with Oliver ...

Beware Lost Footsteps

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Our feet will always move in the direction of our focus. So look where you want to go. Stay focused on the path, keep moving forward, one foot in fron...

This Is It, Isn’t It? | Circle of Control

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Focus on what you can control. Keep your cool. Do the right thing. Be brave. Because if you’re not going to do it now, when will you?📔 Pick up yo...