The Daily Stoic

The Daily Stoic

For centuries, all sorts of people—generals and politicians, athletes and coaches, writers and leaders—have looked to the teachings of Stoicism to help guide their lives. Each day, author and speaker Ryan Holiday brings you a new lesson about life, inspired by the thoughts and writings of great Stoic thinkers like Marcus Aurelius and Seneca the Younger. Daily Stoic Podcast also features Q+As with listeners and interviews with notable figures from sports, academia, politics, and more. Learn more at DailyStoic.com. Support the podcast and go deeper with Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content (coming soon): dailystoic.com/premium

Episodes

October 25, 2025 48 mins

What happens when brilliance goes unchecked? In today's episode, Ryan and his research assistant Billy Oppenheimer dig into the cautionary side of genius, from Elon Musk’s unraveling to why so many smart people end up making dumb decisions. They talk about how success can warp reality, why intelligence without wisdom becomes dangerous, and how even the brightest minds can lose their way when they stop listening, stop learn...

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What watching the news these days does to you is indisputable. It disrupts your focus. It disturbs your sanity. It changes your mood. But what does it change in the real world?


📖 Wisdom Takes Work by Ryan Holiday is out NOW! Grab a copy here: https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work


👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, ea...

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Elon Musk is smart. Yet would anyone describe Elon Musk as happy?


📖 Wisdom Takes Work by Ryan Holiday is out NOW! Grab a copy here: https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work


🎟️ Come see Ryan Holiday LIVE: https://www.dailystoiclive.com/


👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoi...

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What does six years of studying and writing about the Stoic virtues really teach you? In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with longtime research assistant Billy Oppenheimer to look back on how the Stoic Virtues Series came together, from the first hike where the idea was born to the final chapter of Wisdom Takes Work. They talk about what it means to grow up alongside your own work, how each book became the lesson Ryan need...

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October 22, 2025 3 mins

The bad guys might get away with it. But that’s not going to stop us from doing what we’re supposed to do, from being who we are supposed to be. 


📖 Wisdom Takes Work by Ryan Holiday is out NOW! Grab your copy here: https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work


👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus c...

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No one will be able to do this for you. You can't outsource it. You can't fake it. There are no hacks. 


📖 Wisdom Takes Work is out TODAY! Grab your copy here: https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work


👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/


🎙️ Follow...

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Wisdom Takes Work, the final book in the Stoic Virtues Series, is out TODAY! To celebrate, Ryan’s sharing a special preview: a full chapter from the audiobook.


📖 If you haven't picked up Wisdom Takes Work yet, you can grab your copy here: https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work


👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early...

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Being smart is knowing facts. Being intelligent is having a mind that can solve hard problems or do complex things. Being creative is the ability to generate new and beautiful art. This is all wonderful and important, but we know it is not the same thing as wisdom.


📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work


👉 Suppo...

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October 19, 2025 28 mins

Why do smart people fall for dumb ideas? In this episode, Ryan explains how ego and overconfidence can trip up even the smartest minds and how Stoicism can help you avoid the same trap.


📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work


🎥 Watch this episode on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyS...

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The difference between panic and power comes down to a few simple rules. In today’s episode, Ryan dives into Les Snead’s philosophy on “panic rules” and why it’s stuck with him ever since they first talked. Ryan and Les discuss how these rules help leaders stay calm under pressure, make hard decisions, and mentor the next generation. Then, they wrap up the conversation at The Painted Porch, where Ryan shares some book reco...

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Whether we're a slave or an emperor, wisdom helps us rise above our limitations. It gives us clarity, it gives us perspective.


📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work


👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus con...

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If you’ve ever thought, “What if I had just gone for it?” today's bonus episode is for you.


🎥 Watch the full episode with Daniel Pink here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUdNi9HT1Tk


📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work


👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Pr...

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October 16, 2025 16 mins

We come into existence—by some impossible, unbelievable set of circumstances—and then come out of it. Why? How? No one can say for certain.


🎙️ Listen to Ryan's episode on the Soul Boom Podcast on Apple Podcast & Spotify


🎥 Watch Ryan’s episode on the Soul Boom Podcast with Rainn Wilson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stnG5IGZc4k


🎙️ Listen to Rainn Wilson's episode on The Daily Stoic Pod...

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As a leader, what do you do when your team is falling apart? Or when success comes faster than you expected? In this episode, Ryan sits down with Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead, the man who helped build a Super Bowl–winning team. They talk about what Les calls his “panic rules,” the principles he leans on when things get chaotic, and how he and coach Sean McVay have learned to play to win instead of not to lose...

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October 15, 2025 2 mins

This Stoicism thing—you’ve been practicing it for a while, but how do you know it’s working?


📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work


👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening and early access: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/


🎙️ Fol...

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Those that don’t, or those that think they can go it alone, almost always fail.


📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work


👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/


📓 P...

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They knew the costs of ego. They knew that happiness was never about externals. Yet they did chase it, didn’t they?


📕 Books Mentioned:

The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday: https://store.dailystoic.com/

Conspiracy by Ryan Holiday: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/


Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work


👉 Support the p...

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After recording their episode for The Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan took Pete Holmes on the usual post-interview tour of The Painted Porch. Let’s just say Pete had some thoughts about a few of Ryan’s book picks...


Here is the FULL list of books Ryan recommended to Pete: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/collections/pete-holmes


🎥 Prefer video? You can watch this on Ryan’s YouTube channelhttps://www.youtube...

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Comedian Pete Holmes is back for Part 2 and in full philosopher mode. He and Ryan dive into success, psychedelics, and why it’s not egotistical to say you’re “one of the greats.” They talk about how to find peace when life feels out of control, why laughter might be the highest form of enlightenment, and what it really means to “make it.”


Pete Holmes is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and podcaster. He fi...

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When we react emotionally, we rarely make things better. When we get angry? We always make things worse—for ourselves and others.


📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work


🪙 Carry The Daily Stoic Pause & Reflect Medallion as a reminder to pause. A pause creates space. A pause creates clarity. A pause can change...

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