The Daily Stoic

When Marcus Aurelius addresses “you”—reminding you that your thoughts shape the quality of your mind, or advising you to choose not to be harmed so that you won’t feel harmed—he is speaking to himself. This exercise in self-improvement is so sincere and earnest, sometimes painfully so, that it unintentionally speaks directly to us, helping us with our modern problems. In today's episode, Ryan Holiday shares the profound shift these lessons had on his life since discovering Meditations at 19.

Last week, Rory McIlroy won the 2025 Masters Tournament, securing his first Green Jacket and completing the career Grand Slam. Nearly five years earlier, The Golf Channel profiled Ryan in a feature on Rory McIlroy, showing how 'The Obstacle Is The Way' helped Rory reset his mindset and fuel what would become one of the most remarkable comebacks in golf history.

What do an A-list actor, a four-star Navy admiral, and a world-famous magician have in common? Meditations by Marcus Aurelius has profoundly shaped each of their lives—proof that a Roman emperor’s private reflections still resonate 2,000 years later.In today’s episode, Ryan speaks with actor Patrick Dempsey, director Francis Ford Coppola, Professor Jennifer Baker, magician Derren Brown, bestselling author Donald Robertson, Admiral William McRaven, and voice actor/musician Troy Baker about their personal connections to Meditations.

The Stoics weren’t just leaders and philosophers, they were also parents, spouses, and friends who experienced joy, who fell in love, who cherished the beauty of the world around them.

True fortune is not what happens to us, but how we choose to meet it.

In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius says, “Today I escaped from anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions—not outside.” Today, bestselling author Chris Guillebeau joins Ryan to talk about the overwhelming anxiety that many experience when it comes to modern decision-making, time management, and ambition. They talk about the pressure of choosing the “right” next move, time blindness vs. time anxiety, strategies for managing calendar clutter, how Memento mori can be a tool for finding clarity and purpose, and more. Chris Guillebeau is the New York Times bestselling author of The $100 Startup, Side Hustle, and The Happiness of Pursuit, which have sold over one million copies worldwide. During a lifetime of self-employment that included a four-year commitment as a volunteer executive in West Africa, he visited every country in the world (193 in total) before his thirty-fifth birthday. In his latest book, Time Anxiety: The Illusion of Urgency and a Better Way to Live, Ch

There is almost no situation that hatred improves, but love enhances nearly everything.

It should be the easiest book in the world to read. And yet…

When people show us who they are, we ought to believe them. They are the way they are—they have to be that way.

Saying no isn’t selfish; it is a powerful act of self-respect. Listen to the audiobook of Stillness Is The Key narrated by Ryan Holiday on Audible: https://www.audible.com/

In today’s Part 2 episode, award-winning author Daniel Pink joins Ryan to explore how fear of regret, awkwardness, and failure hold us back—and how embracing a 'shots on goal' mindset can be life-changing. Dan opens up about how he reframed a personal regret to shape his future choices, while Ryan shares what he sees as his own version of the infamous 'No Ragrets' tattoo.Daniel Pink is an award-winning author of five New York Times bestsellers, including his latest, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward. His other books include the New York Times bestsellers When and A Whole New Mind — as well as the #1 New York Times bestsellers Drive and To Sell is Human. Follow Daniel on Instagram and X @DanielPinkSign up for Daniel’s newsletter The Pink Report: https://www.danpink.com/

We must all see the pursuit of philosophy as both a mental and physical exercise. Mens sana in corpore sano—a strong mind in a strong body. 

If it happened, then it was meant to happen.The great German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche would describe his formula for human greatness as amor fati—a love of fate. “That one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backwards, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it….but love it.”

The way to understand and comprehend anything important is by doing the work. By going to the source. By returning over and over again, bringing new experiences, new questions, new contexts. 

We all experience regret, but what if we could turn it into an advantage? Best-selling author Daniel Pink joins Ryan to reveal how regret isn’t just a painful emotion—it’s a powerful tool for growth, better decision-making, and a more fulfilling life. They talk about the challenge of juggling work and family, the surprising most common regrets people have, and the eye-opening data on how regret shapes our future.Daniel Pink is an award-winning author of five New York Times bestsellers, including his latest, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward. His other books include the New York Times bestsellers When and A Whole New Mind — as well as the #1 New York Times bestsellers Drive and To Sell is Human. 

We must stand firm, unyielding in our refusal to compromise on what we know is right.

It’s a book that was never meant to be read. So why has Meditations by Marcus Aurelius endured and influenced across so many centuries? And what makes its ancient wisdom still relevant to the modern problems we face today?

The White Lotus season finale aired Sunday, titled "Amor Fati"—and without giving away any spoilers, it served as a powerful reminder of a timeless philosophy: to love one’s fate.

Good exists everywhere—we need only look for it. Beauty surrounds us, waiting to be noticed. 

In a note to himself in the early days of the pandemic, Ryan Holiday wrote, “2020 is a test: will it make you a better person or a worse person?” That was the test that he reminded myself of over and over again: will this make you a better person or a worse person?Check out the blog post of this episode: https://ryanholiday.net/