The Daily Stoic

A chaotic few days on the road gave Ryan plenty of opportunities to practice what the Stoics taught. Between disrupted travel plans and visits to museums honoring Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, and Rosa Parks, he reflects on integrity, courage, and how to handle whatever happens.

If you are a slave to your desires, if you are a slave to your fears, if you are a slave to things that were outside of your control, then you are not powerful at all. LIVE Q&A TODAY | If you get our How To Read Epictetus (A Daily Stoic Guide) you'll receive a private invitation to an exclusive LIVE Q&A with Ryan Holiday, happening today! Head to dailystoic.com/epictetuscourse to learn more and get your book, guide, and bundle today!

Wisdom doesn't come from first impressions and it does not come easy. It's hard work…and the only way to speed up the process is with the help of a great teacher.

We often imagine that freedom means having more power, more money, or fewer people telling us what to do. But none of that makes us free if we cannot control ourselves.

When everyone else seems to be abandoning their standards, what keeps you from abandoning yours? Ryan talks with USA TODAY national correspondent Rick Jervis, author of The Devil Behind The Badge, about objectivity, integrity, and how professional ethics provide stability in the middle of chaos. Listen to more of Ryan and Rick's conversation

With enough practice, Seneca said, he found he could think anywhere. He could find stillness and peace anywhere.

Most people think about time as something they have plenty of until they suddenly don't. But Seneca's warning raises a more unsettling question: how much of your life are you giving away without even realizing it?

In today's episode, Ryan and Steven Pressfield discuss one of Marcus Aurelius' most striking lines: “Life is warfare and a journey far from home.” What begins with the epigraph to Steven's new novel The Arcadian turns into a conversation about the hero's journey, the ideas we carry with us for decades, and reincarnation.

Before you trust your first reaction, assumption, or opinion, the Stoics would tell you to do a few things first. In this bonus episode, Ryan breaks down five rules for thinking more clearly.

These things happen to people…therefore they could happen to you.

We may not control what happens to us, what other people decide, or what circumstances take away. But we can still choose what we believe, how we respond, and who we become.

To enter into another person's mind, even for a moment, we first need to get out of our own head.

Why is that self-command and self-knowledge so elusive? How can we find it?

Keith thought he knew what his purpose was. Then his daughter got sick, his life took an unexpected turn, and Stoicism was put to a test he never expected.If Keith's story has inspired you to share your journey with Stoicism, please email an audio recording to podcast@dailystoic.com for the chance to be featured on a future episode!

Which of these do you struggle with the most?

We are prickly about our freedom…as we willingly submit to all sorts of addictions.

Most philosophers wrote about struggle, freedom, and resilience from a place of privilege. But one Stoic's story raises a fascinating question: what can a life shaped by hardship teach us about what it really means to be free?

Ryan sits down with comedian and actor David Cross for a conversation that goes just about everywhere. They talk about Stoicism, comedy, politics, free speech, parenting, privilege, entitlement, and more.David Cross is a comedian, actor, writer, and producer best known for co-creating and starring in HBO's Mr. Show, playing Tobias Fünke on Arrested Development, and his decades-long stand-up career.David's latest comedy special, The End of the Beginning of The End, is available to watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfqMkJwVgmoHe also recently teamed up with longtime friend Bob Odenkirk for Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu, a documentary about their 2024 trip on the Inca Trail. David won a Primetime Emmy for his writing on The Ben Stiller Show and has received multiple Emmy and Grammy nominations for his television and comedy work.Follow David | @DavidCrossOfficial

What can happen to anyone could happen to you. It's your job to be ready.

Whatever controls what we desire or dislike, Epictetus warned, becomes our master. Whatever we obey, we serve.

In this episode, podcaster, author, and endurance athlete Rich Roll invites Ryan onto The Rich Roll Podcast to discuss the biggest moral questions at the heart of The Odyssey. Together, they wrestle with the same questions The Odyssey has posed for thousands of years: What makes a good leader? When is deception justified? And what happens when ego takes over?Listen to the rest of their conversation on The Rich Roll Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch the video on YouTube.

It was out of the blue. It caught you off guard. It hurt you. But that's not to say you're blameless here. In fact, you had plenty of warning.

If there is a point to the criticism, let's learn from it. If it's off base, then what do we care? -- Codie Sanchez is an entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Contrarian Thinking, where she teaches people how to build wealth through business ownership. After starting her career in journalism and later working in finance at firms like Goldman Sachs and Vanguard, Codie went on to buy, build, and invest in Main Street businesses. Listen to the full episode with Codie Sanchez: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch on YouTubeFollow Codie Sanchez on Instagram @codiesanchez, on TikTok @Codie_Sanchez, and on YouTube @CodieSanchezCTGrab signed copies of Main Street Millionaire by Codie Sanchez at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/Check out Ryan's episode on BigDeal by Codie Sanchez: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube

We don't control the role we are assigned by circumstance…but we control how we play that role.

Marcus Aurelius' life looked nothing like ours, but the habits that kept him grounded still work today. In this episode, Ryan breaks down the daily practices Marcus used to stay focused, disciplined, humble, and present, and how you can apply them to your own life.

What can a 3,000-year-old story about gods, monsters, and shipwrecks teach us today? Almost everything. In this episode, Ryan breaks down some of the most powerful lessons from The Odyssey and the ancient wisdom it still offers for living a better life.

It is easy to judge people from a distance. It is much harder to reduce them to a stereotype once you have sat with them, listened to their story, and tried to understand how they see the world. In this episode, Ryan talks with filmmaker, traveler, and author Peter Santenello about what he has learned from meeting people across America. They discuss how our bubbles distort the way we see others and why curiosity is more useful than judgment. Peter also explains how traveling to 85 countries changed the way he sees the United States, why America is more hopeful than the headlines suggest, and what happens when we stop talking about people and start talking to them.Peter Santenello is an independent journalist and filmmaker with over four million subscribers on YouTube. He's traveled to eighty-five countries and lived in five, building a global audience by letting people tell their stories in their own words. These days, Peter's lens is focused squarely on the United States, where he explores the diverse, complex, and often misrepresented communities that make up the fabric of America.

All you want is some quiet. All you want is some space. All you want is some calm. More than want it, you need it. You need it for your sanity. For your survival.

Epictetus's work changed Marcus' life. Both of them have changed Ryan's life. Both of them will change your life—if you let them.--Kyle Carpenter is a medically retired United States Marine who received the United States' highest military honor, the Medal of Honor in 2010. Kyle is the youngest living Medal of Honor recipient. Full episode with Medal of Honor Recipient Kyle Carpenter | Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube

One sentence from Marcus Aurelius made Tom Junod circle it three times, star it, and dog-ear the page. In this episode, Ryan talks with the acclaimed writer about reading Meditations for the first time, why Marcus still feels so modern, and the line he can't stop thinking about.Tom Junod is senior writer for ESPN, where his work has won an Emmy and the Dan Jenkins Medal for Excellence in Sportswriting. He is a two-time winner of the National Magazine Award for Feature Writing, and a winner of the James Beard Award for essay writing. Previously he was a staff writer at GQ and Esquire. The film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood was based on his article in Esquire. Grab signed copies of In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man by Tom Junod at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/Follow Tom on Instagram | @tom_junod

As Epictetus, the slave-turned-philosopher who inspired Marcus, reminds us, ”Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”

Got a banned book at home? Send it our way — we need a lot more

This is what it is to be a human. Some of it good, some of it better to resist. But it's the rhythm of life, the bleeding of eras, one into the other.

Marcus Aurelius was not satisfied just getting the gist of Epictetus' powerful teachings and you shouldn't be, either.

Corruption is everywhere, from politics and business to sports and universities. But as modern as it all feels, the Stoics saw the same thing happening thousands of years ago. So how did they resist it without becoming part of it themselves?

Some of the greatest American heroes are people most of us have never heard of. In today's episode, Ryan talks with retired Brigadier General and military historian Ty Seidule about five remarkable Americans whose stories embody courage, sacrifice, service, and leadership. They also talk about why the people we choose to honor matter, what the renaming of military bases reveals about American history, and why telling the truth about the past does not mean giving up on greatness.Ty Seidule served in the U.S. Army for more than three decades, retiring as a brigadier general in 2020. He is a professor emeritus of history at West Point and served as vice chair of the Congressional Naming Commission, which was tasked with renaming Department of Defense assets that honored Confederates.Ty Seidule is the author of A Promise Delivered: Ten American Heroes and the Battle to Rename Our Nation's Military Bases and Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause.

We live in busy, stressful, unnerving times. We can't let that rattle or rush us.

We have an impulse. We have a provocation…and before we act, we should consider it. How is this really going to go?

Marcus Aurelius lacked a freedom that we so readily take for granted...

When false information spreads faster than the truth, knowing how to think matters more than knowing what to think. In this episode, Ryan talks with David Pakman, host of The David Pakman Show, about how to think for yourself in a world shaped by spin, outrage, algorithms, and misinformation. They discuss how to separate news from commentary, recognize when you are being manipulated, question your first reaction, and get closer to the truth.David Pakman is a political commentator, author, and host of The David Pakman Show. David has built one of the largest independent political media platforms in the country, reaching millions across radio, podcasting, and YouTube. He is the author of The Echo Machine: How Right-Wing Extremism Created a Post-Truth America and Pay Attention: How the Algorithms and Media Wars Are Suppressing Truth and Rewiring Your Brain.

Money isn't evil. It can do real good. But it is a tool, not a measure of life. It can tell you what something costs, but not what it is worth.

Some people have everything they thought they wanted and still feel like they're losing. In this bonus episode, hear an excerpt from Ryan's conversation with Sahil Bloom, author of The 5 Types of Wealth. Together, they talk about the strange way success can distort your sense of what is enough, why the easiest things to measure often matter the least, and how quickly the life you once dreamed about can start to feel like it still isn't enough.Check out the full episode with Sahil Bloom | Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTubeSahil Bloom is the owner of SRB Holdings, the managing partner of SRB Ventures, and author of The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life.Follow Sahil on Instagram and X @SahilBloom

People have been doing the same things for as long as there have been people.

One of Stoicism's most famous ideas does not sit right with bestselling author Kate Bowler. In this episode, Ryan and Kate discuss the pressure this idea can place on people facing illness, grief, and impossible circumstances, the limits of personal agency, and how to find meaningful action without pretending we are in control of everything.Kate Bowler is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, award-winning podcast host, and professor of religious history at Duke University. She is the host of the podcast Everything Happens, where she has honest conversations about grief, joy, faith, love, and the realities of being human. Grab signed copies of Kate's books Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved, No Cure For Being Human (And Other Truths I Needed To Hear), and her latest book Joyful, Anyway at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/Follow Kate Bowler: Instagram, YouTube

Virtue is like any other skill. It's not something you either have or you don't. It's something you practice, and the more you practice it, the better you become. This was Aristotle's fundamental insight: excellence is not innate. It is a habit.

According to the Stoics, we humans have a higher obligation—not to the gods but to each other.

You're the king now. The Republic is in your hands. Can you keep it?-- Featured guests in order of appearance: Kenny Curtis | Full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTubeStephen Greenblatt | Full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify Chris Hayes | Full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTubeRobert Greene & Ryan Holiday Live | Daily Stoic Live Tickets

If we want people to change, we have to give them a way to see the truth for themselves.

A master does not actually master anything. The Stoics understood this.

One of history's most powerful rulers was shaped by a teacher he never met. In this episode, Ryan talks with Professor William O. Stephens about how Marcus Aurelius discovered Epictetus, why the former slave's teachings hit him so deeply, and how those ideas about freedom, power, and self-mastery helped shape the philosopher king.William O. Stephens is a philosopher specializing in Stoicism, ethics, and ancient philosophy. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and spent over 30 years teaching at Creighton University, where he is now Professor Emeritus. His work spans topics like friendship, ecology, and human nature, with a focus on Stoic thought. His latest book is Marcus Aurelius: Philosopher-King (2025), and he is also the author of Marcus Aurelius: A Guide for the Perplexed, Epictetus's Encheiridion: A New Translation and Guide to Stoic Ethics, and Stoic Ethics: Epictetus and Happiness as Freedom. Check out more of William Stephens' work at https://WilliamOStephens.com/

Change is hard but it doesn't mean you have to be hard on yourself.