The Daily Stoic

Why Would It Go Differently For You? | 9 Life-Changing Books

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When people show us who they are, we need to believe them.👉 Find all of the books mentioned in today's episode here: https://www.thepaintedporch.co...

There Is Hope Within Despair | Ask Daily Stoic

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Despair is so easy, even reasonable in moments like this. The Stoics knew that feeling well. 📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic ...

BONUS | Matthew McConaughey’s Advice on Handling Difficult People

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When Marcus Aurelius wrote 'the obstacle is the way,' he was talking about difficult people. Tune in to hear Matthew McConaughey’s advice on how to ...

This Is How To Direct Your Life

30 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What good is courage if not in pursuit of justice? And how can we know what is just and right without wisdom? And without temperance and self-discipli...

Feelings Are Valid, Reacting To Them Is Not | Dr. Aliza Pressman

30 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Self-regulation is the single most important skill for life. In today’s episode, developmental psychologist and parenting expert Dr. Aliza Pressman ...

Can You Subject Yourself To This? | A Week Without Complaining

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You have to interrogate the thoughts, views, and understanding of the facts. You do this not to prove you're right, but to ensure you’re not wrong—...

No One Can Give You This | Check Your Privilege

28 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“Why do you wait?” Seneca asks us. “Wisdom comes haphazard to no man.”📚 The Four Stoic Virtues: Justice, Temperance, Wisdom, Courage, are t...

100 (Stoic) Lessons From Marcus Aurelius

27 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Marcus Aurelius didn't read a book once and think that he got it. He read it over and over and over again. In today's video, Ryan shares 100 lessons t...

Live from the Birthplace of Stoicism (PT. 2) | Ryan Holiday and Donald Robertson (in Greece)

26 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s Part 2 episode, Ryan visits the birthplace of Stoicism in Athens and sits down for lunch with writer and cognitive-behavioral psychothera...

BONUS | Jefferson Fisher's Reading List (From Ryan Holiday)

26 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After their conversation for The Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan gives communication expert and The Next Conversation author Jefferson Fisher book recommend...

This Is How To Change Your Life | 25 Brutally Honest Stoic Reminders From Marcus Aurelius

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can we make a great fortune out of misfortune? Reverse our circumstances, as Epictetus did?💡 We designed our How To Read Epictetus (A Daily Sto...

This Doesn’t Make You Weak | Ask Daily Stoic

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics were human. Most great men and women were. If they were made of stone, what would there be to admire?📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan H...

Don’t Deprive Yourself This Fortune

23 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If enslavement—the horrible torture that Epictetus experienced, the lifelong disability that followed it—didn’t touch his power over himself, wh...

Live from the Birthplace of Stoicism | Ryan Holiday and Donald Robertson (in Greece)

23 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Follow along as Ryan visits the birthplace of Stoicism in Athens—where Zeno once taught beneath the legendary Stoa Poikile. Joined by writer and cog...

This Is The Most Valuable Real Estate In The World | Keeping "The News" In Check

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We study philosophy to learn how to protect this real estate between our ears—and you could argue there's no better teacher than Epictetus.💡 We d...

Are Your Excuses Any Better? | Made For Working Together

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Let’s call out the cowards and the corrupt—but let’s also hold up the mirror. 📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Dai...

The Stoic Formula For Timeless Success | Ryan Holiday

20 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What separates the work that fades from the work that endures? In this episode, Ryan explores the Stoic wisdom behind lasting success and how to turn ...

This Conversation Will Make You Rethink Everything You Create | James Altucher (PT. 2)

19 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

James Altucher and Ryan return for Part 2 to talk about creativity, aging, and why most ideas don’t last. Ryan explains why he avoids personal stori...

Are You Bringing The Words To Life? | This Is Why You're Anxious.

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Epictetus didn't just theorize about resilience—he lived it. It’s why his powerful lessons have endured for nearly two millennia as perhaps the mo...

We Can Be Hurt…Or We Can Do This Instead | Ask Daily Stoic

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

People will betray us in life. They will take from us. We can be hurt and broken and angry about this, or we can use it as Epictetus did—as a remind...

This Conversation Will Make You Rethink Everything You Create | James Altucher (PT. 1)

16 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The greatest work isn’t what goes viral, it’s what endures. Podcaster, writer, and venture capitalist James Altucher joins Ryan to talk about why ...

Will You See What Everyone Else Missed?

16 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's unfortunate Epictetus isn't more widely read—because when he is, he changes lives.💡 We designed our How To Read Epictetus (A Daily Stoic Gui...

Do You Have This Too? | Practice Gentleness Instead of Anger

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There was gruffness to the Stoics. A wariness of getting too close or too attached, lest your heart be broken by fortune. But does that mean the Stoic...

Only The Wise Are Free | A Little Knowledge Is Dangerous

14 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Most people are enslaved and controlled and directed by their ignorance. Their impulses. Their temper. Their desires and delusions.📚 The Four Stoic...

Seneca Explains The Art of Argument

13 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this letter, Seneca critiques sophistical argumentation, highlighting how it exercises wit without purpose and distracts from the essentials of liv...

Think About Death. Science Says You’ll Be Happier. | Dr. Laurie Santos

12 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The most misunderstood Stoic practice is Memento Mori - remember you will die. Dr. Laurie Santos, an expert on the science of happiness, joins Ryan to...

Can You Play Ball Like This? | Stoic Tips For Navigating Change & Disruption

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Win or lose, what matters, the Stoics believed, was that we tried. That we did our best. 💡 We designed our How To Read Epictetus (A Daily Stoi...

Do You Know The Favorite Of Your Favorite? | Ask Daily Stoic

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s rather sad—almost sacriligeous—that more people don’t know who shaped Marcus’s philosophical worldview. 💡 We designed our How T...

It Does Make Sense

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It drives you nuts—the things some people believe and do and say. But here’s the thing: It does make sense. It makes sense to them.📖 Preorder t...

Your Worldview Is Only as Wide as Your Curiosity | Chet Garner

09 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You can’t expand your perspective if you never step out of your bubble. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with Chet Garner, host of The Daytrippe...

How The Powerless Become Powerful | Don't Look For The Third Thing

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why is self-command and self-knowledge so elusive? How can we find it? Well, Epictetus can show us the way, as he did for Marcus and Hadrian and count...

Forget Your Dreams. Do This Instead. | Our Duty To Learn

07 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The key to life, Epictetus said, was not to dream for things to be a certain way but to dream for them to be the way they were. To be grateful that yo...

The 3-Step Formula for Difficult Conversations

06 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Looking for practical strategies to deal with difficult people? In today’s episode, communication expert Jefferson Fisher shares a 3-step process fo...

You’re Not Wasting Time, You’re Wasting Your Life | Rutger Bregman (PT. 2)

05 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You’re not here to impress, you're here to make a difference. In this PT. 2 episode, historian and bestselling author Rutger Bregman sits down with ...

There Is No Freedom Without This (or Rather, Without These) | 8 Stoic Strategies To Beat Procrastination

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The American experiment—based as it was on individual liberty—was built on the necessity of virtue and honor. A people freed from the tyranny of g...

This Too Is Always Yours (And Can’t Be Taken) | Ask Daily Stoic

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There is something that can’t be taken from us by even the strongest strong man or the most unlucky of external events. 📖 Preorder the final...

This Is How The Impossible Became Possible

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What Epictetus learned in his fascinating life—beginning in slavery and culminating in a legacy as one of the most influential philosophers of all t...

You’re Not Wasting Time, You’re Wasting Your Life | Rutger Bregman (PT. 1)

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You could be doing anything with your life…so why are you choosing this? Historian and bestselling author Rutger Bregman joins Ryan to question ever...

Do You Have This? | Protect Your Own Good

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Seneca practiced poverty. Marcus Aurelius mentally rehearsed being criticized and misunderstood. Why did they put themselves in these uncomfortable po...

The One Thing In Your Life You Can Control | The Obstacle Is The Way

30 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our lives are unpredictable. We are at the mercy of so many forces. 📚 Books Mentioned:The Inner Citadel by Pierre HadotThe Obstacle Is the Way...

6 Stoic Tips to Being a Great Friend

29 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When we think of great Stoic figures like Marcus Aurelius, Cato, and Epictetus, we tend to focus solely on the individual, their perspective, their ob...

AI Isn't Stealing Creativity, It's Supercharging It | Rick Rubin (PT. 2)

28 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is AI the end of creativity, or the beginning of a new artistic era? Rick Rubin returns for PT. 2 of his conversation with Ryan about how AI is reshap...

Look Around, How Lucky We Are To Be Alive Right Now | 10 Quotes To Improve Your Life

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For all the stupidity, for all the disasters, for all the noise and uncertainty, this is actually one of the least bad moments to ever exist.📖 Preo...

This Also Cannot Be Taken (Only Given Up) | Ask Daily Stoic

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why should a Stoic let the awfulness of the world make them feel awful? Why would we let someone else’s darkness cast a shadow on our own life?📕 ...

Stop Turning Challenges Into Catastrophes

25 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stress, anxiety, and concern don’t exist outside us but within us—which means we have the power to do something about it, too. 🪙 We are th...

AI Isn't Stealing Creativity, It's Supercharging It | Rick Rubin (PT. 1)

25 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if AI isn’t replacing creativity, but expanding it in ways we’ve never seen before? Rick Rubin joins Ryan to discuss the mysterious nature of...

Who Can Tell You You’re Wrong? | What's In Your Way Is The Way

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The thing about power is not so much that it changes you but that it changes the people around you. It changes what they’re willing to say to y...

Letting Go Is Not Giving Up | The Long Way Around

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Coming to terms with pain and setbacks and unfairness is critical to moving forward, to affecting change, to being a leader, to basic happiness. 📔 ...

The Virtue That Makes All The Others Worth Having

22 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” - Mark TwainIn this powerful talk, Ryan explains why justice is the true m...

The UNTOLD Emotional Struggles of History’s Most Powerful Men | Ron Chernow (PT. 2)

21 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Twain didn’t just write American classics, he lived one of the most powerful personal transformations in history. In Part 2 of this conversatio...

You Must Avoid These Stains Too | How To Make The Right Decision (Even When It Will Cost You)

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There are forces out there, just as tempting as power, that can cut us off from our values, from truth, from other people, from what matters. It takes...

You Can’t Be Afraid To Lose It | Ask Daily Stoic

19 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics remind you that the point of financial security is to feel secure. The point of plenty is to realize that you have enough. You can’t fear...

This Cannot Be Taken (Only Given)

18 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Powerful people can take from you. Yet the Stoics remind us: our character is our own.📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues...

The UNTOLD Emotional Struggles of History’s Most Powerful Men | Ron Chernow (PT. 1)

18 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brilliance without emotional control is often a recipe for destruction. In this episode, Ryan sits down with Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Che...

Forgiveness, Can You Imagine? | Take A Walk

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We will be wronged—by friends, by colleagues, by life itself. When that happens, we have a choice: to be consumed by bitterness or to rise above it....

How Astonished Would They Be? | No Shame In Needing Help

16 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It is astonishing, this world we live in. And it is a gift, this philosophical tradition we carry forward.📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed e...

You're Wasting The One Thing You Can’t Get Back

15 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if the most valuable thing you’ll ever own is already slipping through your fingers?🎥 Watch Robert and Ryan's conversation here: https://www...

How To Survive In A World Of Assholes | Melinda Wenner Moyer

14 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does it take to stay good when the world feels like it’s falling apart? And how do we prepare the next generation to do the same? Science journ...

It’s About How You Respond | 7 Habits To Have The Most Productive Week Of Your Life

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nobody likes being criticized. Nobody likes it when someone highlights your mistakes. In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius tries to remind himself that he ...

We Can’t Let Them Stop Us | Ask Daily Stoic

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We cannot let them sully us—although we have to accept that they are going to do their best.📚 Books mentioned: Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holi...

It Asks This Of You

11 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

No one ever became excellent by chance, the Stoics said…so if you want to be courageous and disciplined and ethical, you gotta do the work.📖 Preo...

The Deadly Cost of Honor in The Wild West | Bryan Burrough

11 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Wild West is full of myths, but behind the gunfights and honor codes is a deeper story about virtue and civilization. In today’s episode, bestse...

Put The Suitcase Away | Try The Other Handle

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We travel for work. We travel to see family. We travel to learn. As always, re-entry into our regular life, sleeping in our own bed, can require some ...

We Must Battle These Two Vices | Solve Problems Early

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We have these desires and aversions, these habits we indulge, these things we let ourselves get away with.💡 We designed The Daily Stoic Leadership ...

One Day Can Be A Whole Life | Ryan Holiday

08 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes the best days don’t start out that way. In this episode, Ryan Holiday shares a personal story about how a seemingly ordinary, maybe even c...

If They Control Your Attention, They Control YOU | Chris Hayes (PT. 2)

07 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In a world obsessed with attention, are we rewarding the worst in us? In today’s PT. 2 episode, Chris Hayes and Ryan dive deep into how virtue signa...

Why Are You Surprised? | 12 Stoic Strategies on How To Stop Caring What People Think

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We have to be prepared for what people will do. That isn’t to say we need to become cynical, but it is to say that we have stop fooling ourselves.&n...

Do Not Let This Miracle Go To Waste | Ask Daily Stoic

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The whole future is uncertain, Seneca reminds us. Live virtuously, of course, but also live immediately.🪙 We have a collection of items in the Dail...

This Is Why We Do It

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cleanthes and Socrates exposed themselves to cold. Marcus Aurelius slept on a hard mattress. Seneca practiced poverty on a regular basis. Why did they...

If They Control Your Attention, They Control YOU | Chris Hayes (PT. 1)

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if the real problem isn’t politics, the economy, or technology, but where you’re directing your attention? Emmy-winning journalist Chris Haye...

Who Was The Tough One? | Role Models

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There is no mention of what became of the Stoics' wives. We don’t talk about the slights and the condescension they would have put up with as the ‘...

This Is How You Become Well-Read | Plato's View

02 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Marcus would say, we can't be satisfied with merely "getting the gist" of what we read. "Read attentively," he advised. Read deeply. Aim for qualit...

When Everything Feels Unpredictable, Hold Onto This

01 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In moments of chaos, let Stoicism be your guide. In today’s episode, Ryan dives into how to tackle both small and big obstacles by harnessing your i...

The Stoic’s Playbook For INSTANT Charisma | Vanessa Van Edwards (PT. 2)

31 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics knew something we often forget: influence starts before you speak. It's in your energy, your posture, your presence. In today’s PT. 2 epi...

It’s Not Something You’ve Done. It’s Something You’re Doing. | 9 Stoic Keys To Building Character That Lasts

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The world is constantly changing. We are constantly changing. Therefore what we get out of these books changes, too. 📓 The Daily Stoic eBook is $1....

No Amount of This Will Make You Not Small | Ask Daily Stoic

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s pathetic, isn’t it? What some people do with power—what it reveals about them.🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://...

It Calls For Thee

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Think about the principles we are standing on. Think of what we are willing to risk for them.🏛 Preorder the Limited Edition Stoic Virtues Series: h...

The Stoic’s Playbook For INSTANT Charisma | Vanessa Van Edwards (PT. 1)

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics didn’t just preach wisdom, they commanded attention. They knew how to lead with presence, not just ideas. In this episode, body language ...

This Is Real Time Travel | The View From Above

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The ancients did not just leave us words on papyrus—they left us a gift that keeps on giving through the ages.💡 To be a great reader, as we say i...

This Is The Highest Form Of Courage | Stop Caring What People Think

26 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Memorial Day, it is worth reflecting on this very beautiful and almost baffling bit of human greatness.📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed e...

These Are All The Ways Ryan Holiday Feels Poorer Than He Is

25 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s episode, Ryan opens up about how despite his career success and net worth, he still struggles with anxiety and stress, not so much about ...

Your Personality Is Not Fixed | Olga Khazan

24 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can people actually change or are we just stuck with who we are? In this episode, author and journalist Olga Khazan joins Ryan to unpack the age-old d...

You Must Seek Out Hard Truths | Marcus Aurelius’ Advice For Life (5 Incredible Stories)

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As leaders, we cannot allow people to tell us what we want to hear. We have to cultivate honesty, both in ourselves and in those around us.💡 We des...

We Must Create Order From Chaos | Ask Daily Stoic

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The world is crazy. Plus, we have our own crazy lives to worry about—that pile of work, the kid who might be coming down with a cold, the house proj...

This Is What Comes Next

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Seneca wrote: “Associate with people who are likely to improve you. The process is a mutual one: men learn as they teach.”💡 Modern Stoics ar...

You Need to Know What Happened in 1963 | Dr. Peniel Joseph

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

1963 was a transformational year in American history—JFK's assassination, Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech, the Birmingham Campa...

This Is Your Job Right Now | Practice True Joy

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are not emperors. We are not senators. But we are human beings, connected to all other human beings. 📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Dail...

This Is What It Gave You | Learn, Practice, Train

19 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Stoics remind us that everything has its compensation…if we choose to see it, if we choose to welcome it.🎙️ Listen to Ryan Holiday's other ...

5 Stoic Tips for Handling Rude People

18 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is a world without rude people possible? Perhaps. Likely? Not in our lifetimes. So the question is…how do we deal with them without compromising our...

Why You Don't Want To Win The Argument | Jefferson Fisher (PT. 2)

17 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if you could learn a few simple, powerful tricks to handle arguments and conflict more effectively without losing your cool? In today’s Part 2 ...

It’s Impossible For Them Not To Do So | How To Focus Like A Stoic Philosopher

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

They are who they are. Stop expecting them to be anything else.🎥 In a recent YouTube video, we explored why narcissistic leaders like Nero always ...

It’s All About Community | Ask Daily Stoic

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Stoicism is more popular than ever. But too many of us are on this path alone.💡 “Keep company only with people who uplift you,” Epictetu...

When Have You Been That?

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

That person you just can’t stand. That person in traffic who won’t get out of the way. Don’t they realize how annoying they are? Probably n...

Why You Don't Want To Win The Argument | Jefferson Fisher (PT. 1)

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You might prove a point in an argument, but what will you lose in the process? In today’s episode, Jefferson Fisher and Ryan talk about the art of h...

Let Them Be Flexible. You Stand On This. | Count Your Blessings

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The world needs unbending, courageous people. It needs people who day to day do what’s right, not what’s expedient.📚 Books mentioned:Lives of t...

This Will Save You In Crazy Times | Kindness Is Always The Right Response

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The best way to get out of your head, to get outside yourself…is to step outside yourself. Literally. Step outside. Let nature do its quiet, steady ...

Wisdom in the Face of Censorship | Sharon McMahon and Ryan Holiday

11 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sharon McMahon, aka "America's Government Teacher", hosted Ryan on an Instagram Live to discuss his recent experience at the U.S. Naval Academy. Invit...

Can a Billionaire Be a Stoic? | Robert Rosenkranz (PT. 2)

10 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the Stoics, riches weren’t evil but attachment to them was. In Part 2 of their conversation, self-made billionaire Robert Rosenkranz and Ryan di...

What Marcus Learned From His Mother | 6 Stoic Lessons In Stillness

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Happy Mother's Day this weekend to everyone!🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast🎥 Watch...

Sometimes This Is The Only Way To Grow | Ask Daily Stoic

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It would be nice if we always had smooth sailing. But we don’t.📚 Books mentioned:Ghost Rider by Neil PeartOn Character by General Stanley McChrys...