The Daily Stoic

These Are The Three Most Important Words of Wisdom

30 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Almost 50 years ago, the Beatles whispered to us some words of wisdom: Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.One of the most relatable passages i...

Daily Stoic Sundays: Should I Watch The News

29 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan discusses the merits of watching the news, and how to tune out distractions, with Steven Pressfield.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priva...

Alive Time or Dead Time. What Will It Be?

28 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Here you are, stuck indoors, stuck somewhere you don’t want to be. Maybe also you’re stuck because you’re 17 going on 30. Maybe also you’re st...

Ask Daily Stoic - How Do I Use Stoicism To Fend Off Negativity?

28 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan talks about the Edmund Morrison biography of Thomas Edison, reads a passage from The Obstacle is the Way (on sale for a few more days), and field...

When Things Are Tough, Remember This

27 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Most languages have some expression to the effect of “When it rains, it pours.” For instance, in Latin malis mala succedunt means troubles are fol...

No One Escapes This Law

26 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This is not another note about memento mori.It’s about a different immutable, inescapable law of human existence that comes to us from the Stoics th...

We All Have Flaws… What Matters is What We Do With Them

25 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jeannie Gaffigan is a control freak. She takes charge. She cares about the little things and getting those things right. She always has. It’s hard t...

You Can Seize This Moment

24 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This is an email we weren’t expecting to send, but sometimes sudden events call for sudden responses. Right now you, and much of the world, are loc...

The World Is Trying To Teach You

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This was all pretty sudden, wasn’t it? The economy was chugging along. Life was going well. We had travel plans. We had work plans. We had things we...

Daily Stoic Sundays: You Don’t Control What Happens, You Control How You Respond

22 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode, Ryan reads his piece from March 12, "Remember: You Don’t Control What Happens, You Control How You Respond." He d...

Ask Daily Stoic: Keeping Calm About Coronavirus

21 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's Saturday episode, Ryan discusses the coronavirus pandemic and how to deal with it like a Stoic.See Privacy Policy at https://art19...

You Should Always Find Something to Learn

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We all have our way of doing things. We have what we were directly taught. We have the values that our culture gives us. We have the lessons we picked...

This Is One Thing You Must Not Do

19 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s possible, Marcus Aurelius said, to not have an opinion. You don’t have to turn this into something, he reminds himself. You don’t have to l...

When the System Breaks Down, Leaders Stand Up

18 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It began in the East. At least, that’s what the experts think. Maybe it came from animals. Maybe it was the Chinese. Maybe it was a curse from the g...

Your Obstacles Are Trying To Teach You Something

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One way to go through life is to turn away from the things that are hard. You can close your eyes and ears to what is unpleasant. You can take the eas...

We Need You To Be Bold

16 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On the Roman calendar, March 15th was known as the Ides of March—once most notable as the year’s deadline for settling debts. That changed in 44 B...

Daily Stoic Sundays: Four Strategies for Reading Better

15 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan talks about how you can improve your reading skill and get more from the books you love.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Calif...

Ask Daily Stoic: Austin Kleon

14 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan chats with Austin Kleon, author of great books like Steal Like An Artist.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy ...

You Must Be a Good Example

13 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Think of the pressure Marcus Aurelius must have been under. Not just of the temptations and the corruptions of power, but all the eyes that were on hi...

How Prepared Are You To Start Over?

12 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Austrian writer Stefan Zweig experienced both incredible good fortune and misfortune in his life. He was born into wealth; he met some of the grea...

You Should Always Find Something To Do

11 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There was time to kill in Rome, just as there is today. A dinner started late. A meeting got cancelled. Travel delays meant being stuck in this place ...

You Might Never Be Famous — And That’s O.K.

10 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Marcus Aurelius talked a lot about fame. He called it a worthless clacking of tongues and liked to point out things like how few people remember the e...

Why Anger Might Be The Worst Vice

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There are many different vices out there. It’s long been a debate amongst priests and philosophers if some are worse than others, or if they are all...

Daily Stoic Sundays: How a Stoic Deals with Bad News

08 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan describes how a Stoic can deal with bad news—and not just move past it, but use it to fuel their success.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.co...

Ask Daily Stoic: How Does a Stoic Deal with Aggressive People?

07 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan talks about the new Daily Stoic offices, reads a selection from The Obstacle is the Way, and answers your questions.See Privacy Policy at https:/...

Wisdom is the Most Important Virtue

06 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Courage. Temperance. Justice. These are the critical virtues of life. But what situations call for courage? What is the right amount? What is the righ...

Justice: The Most Important Virtue

05 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Being brave. Finding the right balance. These are core Stoic virtues, but in their seriousness, they pale in comparison to what the Stoics worshipped ...

Temperance is the Most Important Virtue

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday we discussed the Four Virtues, and talked about the primacy of courage. Of course, life is not so simple as to say that courage is all the c...

Courage is the Most Important Virtue

03 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics believed that a life well lived was one which always countered adversity with virtue. And they believed in four aspects of virtue: courage,...

You Can Make This A Game...and Win

02 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics said it over and over: the most important thing to remember about pain and suffering is that it is inevitable. It can’t be avoided, so do...

Daily Stoic Sundays: How to Have Your Best Week Yet

01 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan uses eight Stoic lessons to teach us how to have the best week ever.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice...

Ask Daily Stoic: Guest Starring Steven Pressfield

29 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week's extra-long Saturday episode of Ask Daily Stoic features Ryan talking about, and speaking with, author Steven Pressfield, writer of cl...

You Must Wash Away This Dust

28 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Life is a dirty, dusty affair. It was that way in Rome and it’s that way today. The puddle in the street splashes us. Someone else’s nasty mood su...

You Are A God

27 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoic writings alternate between reminding us of our humility and our power. For humility, we have the concept of amor fati, for example—we shou...

Repeat These Three Words To Yourself Constantly

26 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“Facts are stubborn things,” John Adams once said, “and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictums of our passions, they canno...

You Must Read… and Re-Read

25 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s no secret that John Adams is one of history’s brilliant minds. He was widely respected as a lawyer, a politician, a president, and as a husba...

Don’t Be Zero-Sum

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Steven Pressfield, whose historically-driven novels about ancient Greece have sold millions of copies, wrote a recent post that posits that there are ...

Ask Daily Stoic: How Do You Recognize What's in Your Control?

22 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan talks about speaking to service members at Aviano Air Base in Italy. Ryan reads a passage from Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit. You can als...

Do What’s Right, Not What’s Easy

21 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It was a somber scene as the pallbearers marched down Pine Street carrying the coffin of General William Tecumseh Sherman on this day 129 years ago. I...

Who Can You Adopt?

20 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most remarkable traditions of ancient Rome—and one for which we have no real modern analog—was the tradition of wealthy, successful fam...

Why Be Angry About Something That’s Already Gone?

19 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s another mess. It’s not your fault, but you’re dealing with it. It’s another rude person— representing a company you are paying money to...

How To Be Proven Wrong

18 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine writing a book that sells millions of copies over the course of nearly a decade, and then, out of nowhere, another author comes along and chal...

Don’t Take the Money. Don’t Take the Money.

17 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cicero and Cato both refused to take bribes, despite how widespread the practice was for politicians at the time. Cato refused to be enriched by his o...

Ask Daily Stoic: Who Are Some Famous Figure Influenced By Stoicism?

15 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan talks about putting the finishing touches on his upcoming book, Lives of the Stoics. Featuring today's entry from The Daily Stoic. You can ...

This Is a Command, Not a Mere Reminder

14 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Like most solo pursuits, the artist’s life is one that ceaselessly tests one's mental fortitude. Steven Pressfield likens it to dragon slaying....

You Must Think For Yourself

13 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s never been easier to get information than it is today. You have access to Wikipedia, to podcasts, to social media, and a near infinite library ...

Can You Be Still?

12 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There is probably no piece of literature that the Stoics were more familiar with than the Odyssey. Seneca quotes it. Marcus Aurelius quotes it. Pretty...

Here’s How To Become an Informed Citizen

11 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When people hear Epictetus quoted to justify not watching the news—“If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous ...

It Takes What It Takes

10 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Watching a master do their work is always impressive. Whether it’s an orator working a crowd or an athlete contorting their body with ease and fines...

Ask Daily Stoic: Can You Be Informed Without Cable News?

08 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan talks about his upcoming talk in Italy and about James Stockdale, and answers questions from fans. Featuring today's entry from The Daily St...

You Still Have Time. You Have So Much Time.

07 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Seneca’s life is worth looking at for anyone who thinks they missed their shot, who thinks it might be “too late” for them. Because in his early...

You Must Look Beneath The Surface

06 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus, like all Romans, seemed to have loved the theatre. Seneca, in particular, had a great fascination for what “...

If Everyone Is Woke, Then No One is Awake

05 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s unquestionably a good thing that the world is waking up to the idea of social justice. For too long, marginalized groups have been precisely th...

It’s Better To Share

04 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For Julius Caesar’s grip on power to be complete, he had to eliminate his rivals. So too did Octavius, Caesar’s nephew who succeeded him. Claudius...

You Must Win The Morning!

03 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most relatable moments in Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations is the argument Marcus Aurelius has with himself in the opening of book 5. It’s...

Ask Daily Stoic: How Do I Deal With Long Term Problems?

01 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

**Now featuring twice as much content per episode**In each of the Ask Daily Stoic Q&A episodes, Ryan will answer questions from fans about Stoicis...

Shine On, You Crazy Diamond

31 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There has always been an odd streak in the Stoics. Zeno used to practice begging people for money, even though he had plenty. Cleanthes worked as a ma...

If You Don’t Read, You’re Functionally Illiterate

30 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

General James Mattis is part of a long line of tradition of Stoic warriors. Just as Frederick the Great carried the Stoics in his saddlebags as he led...

How You Look At Things Matters

29 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve ever been stuck in Los Angeles traffic at night, you know it’s miserable. But if you’ve ever seen a helicopter shot of Los Angeles at ...

You Have To Be Kind To Yourself

28 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There’s no question that much of what we talk about in this philosophy is hard. Specifically, it’s hard on the person practicing it. Stoicism asks...

Stop Freaking Out. None of This Is New.

27 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You think this hasn’t happened before? Whatever it is, whatever you’re freaking out about?A crisis at the borders. Agitators riling up the youth. ...

Ask Daily Stoic: How can I get my partner interested in Stoicism?

25 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In each of the Ask Daily Stoic Q&A episodes, Ryan will answer questions from fans about Stoicism. You can also find these videos on the Daily Stoi...

You Must Think The Thing You Cannot Think

24 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s fitting that one of the most important things you can do as a parent requires you to think about something that’s very nearly impossible for ...

You Have To Learn Something From Everyone

23 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics were learners. It’s hard to escape that conclusion when you read their writings. Marcus Aurelius begins Meditations by cataloging the les...

A Good Morning Creates A Good Life

22 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics believed in the power of ritual, particularly at the beginning and the end of the day. For them, routines and rituals were not productivity...

Do It Because It’s Right. Not So They’ll Like You

21 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve talked a lot recently about the importance of not making yourself a slave to outside approval. Because it’s not something you control. Becau...

Everything is Figureoutable

20 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We all have problems. We have an employee we can’t figure out how to motivate. We have a kid with behavioral issues. We have a job we want to leave,...

Ask Daily Stoic: The Stoic Response to Getting Your House Burgled, and more

18 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In each of the Ask Daily Stoic Q&A episodes, Ryan will answer questions from fans about Stoicism. You can also find these videos on the Daily Stoi...

When It Comes To Family, We Have To Be Kind

17 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Marcus Aurelius’s step brother Lucius Verus was hardly a great man. Unlike Marcus, he was not as driven or as a smart. He was not always so diligent...

All We Can Do Is Propose

16 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There is a great expression: Man proposes, God disposes. You don’t have to be religious to understand or agree with it. It just means: All we can do...

You Win Some, You Lose Some

15 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Politics, like all contests, involves winners and losers. Cato lost elections, such as his first run for praetorship in 55 BCE and his run for consul ...

We Are All Equal At The End

14 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

"Alexander the Great and his mule driver both died and the same thing happened to both." It is one of Marcus Aurelius’s most withering lin...

The Kind of Opportunity You Should Always Say Yes To

13 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Marcus Aurelius and Seneca both made no secret of their objection to escapism. They both spoke negatively of people who frittered their existence away...

Ask Daily Stoic: January 11, 2020

11 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In each of the Ask Daily Stoic Q&A episodes, Ryan will answer questions from fans about Stoicism. You can also find these videos on the Daily Stoi...

You Don’t Get To Not Care

10 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There are a lot of tensions in Stoicism, as we have talked about before. How do you balance acquiescing to fate and embracing your own agency? How do ...

Here’s an Important Power You Have

09 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The ask is just an ask, you know.Whether they’re asking you to pass the salt or asking you for a hundred thousand dollar loan, whether they’re ask...

Where Are They Now?

08 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a staple of entertainment shows and those clickbait-y links at the bottom of the page on news websites: Where are they now? What happened to th...

Try This Secret Roman Party Trick

07 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Greeks and the Romans were known for their parties. They threw huge ones. Seneca famously owned—not rented—three hundred ivory tables for ente...

All You Control is How You Play

06 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It would be wonderful if teams didn’t cheat and refs always got the calls right. It’d be wonderful if people in the media knew what they were talk...

Ask Daily Stoic: January 4, 2020

04 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In each of the Ask Daily Stoic Q&A episodes, Ryan will answer questions from fans about Stoicism. You can also find these videos on the Daily Stoi...

Pain Is Self Chosen

03 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

“My pain is self-chosen,” Layne Staley sings on the melancholy Mad Season hit, River of Deceit. “At least I believe it to be.” That belief, th...

You Become What You Practice

02 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics were all about routine and repetition. It wasn’t just about knowing what the right thing was, it was about doing it daily. Fueling the ha...

All We Control Is The Beginning of Things

01 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Clearly the Stoics were doers. They ran for public office. They fought in the army. They started business ventures. They created artistic works. How c...

Do Not Ignore This Warning

31 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In Greek mythology, the god Apollo curses the Trojan princess, Cassandra, with the power of accurate prophecy that will always be ignored. In Aeschylu...

You Have To Do What You Think Is Right

30 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There will come a moment in your life when you are faced with an important decision that appears to have two choices: one that feels like the status q...

Ask Daily Stoic: December 28, 2019

28 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In each of the Ask Daily Stoic Q&A episodes, Ryan will answer questions from fans about Stoicism. You can also find these videos on the Daily Stoi...

Tell Yourself: This Is All Worth It

27 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Even if you’re not a college basketball fan, you may have heard about this incredible upset in 2018, when top-ranked University of Virginia was defe...

Here is a Pleasure You Can Have Anytime

26 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics did not reject worldly pleasures. They rejected the reckless ones. The dangerous, ephemeral ones. The Stoics were not afraid of joy. They j...

Always Focus on the Response

25 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It was December 25th, 1776. One of the darkest times in the American Revolution. George Washington was planning to cross the Delaware, a desperate mov...

This is a Day About Love

24 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Here we are on Christmas Eve once again. The last couple of years, we took time during this holiday to look at the beautiful symmetry between two of t...

You Must Commit to This Task This Next Year

23 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As a new year is about to begin, many of us are thinking about how we’d like to get healthier, wealthier, and wiser over the next twelve months. Of ...

Ask Daily Stoic: Dec 21, 2019

21 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In each of the Ask Daily Stoic Q&A episodes, Ryan will answer questions from fans about Stoicism. You can also find these videos on the Daily Stoi...

Remember: You Can Lead A Horse To Water, But You Can’t Make It Drink

20 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There is a fascinating statue of Seneca and Nero done by the Spanish sculptor Eduardo Barrón in 1904. Even though it depicts a scene centuries after ...

Just Shrug It Off Pt 2

19 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Epictetus tells us the story of a Stoic philosopher named Agrippinus, who, during Nero’s reign, was delivered some awful news one morning: He was ex...

You Must Train The Coward Inside You

18 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There's a long-standing connection between philosophy and soldiering. Marcus Aurelius, Cato, Socrates, and many other philosophers were all soldi...

Blame Yourself—Or No One

17 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The causes of things are complicated, and rarely do they go how we’d like them to go. So it’s easy to point the finger—at other people, at unfai...

A New Year is a New Opportunity

16 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We are what our choices make us. Do we walk the fifteen minutes to work, or do we take an Uber? Hit the snooze button, or get up early? Do we have the...

Ask Daily Stoic

14 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The first Saturday Q&A episode. In each of these episodes, Ryan will answer questions from fans about Stoicism. You can also find these videos on ...

Why You Should Help Others

13 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In his fascinating biography, The House of Percy, Bertram Wyatt-Brown describes a beautiful scene involving William Alexander Percy, the son of a sena...

How to Raise Your Kids Like Seneca Did

12 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Although we know nearly nothing about Seneca’s family life or how his children turned out, we know at least that he gave good advice. We know that a...