Ryan Holiday - A Stoic Life & Death
5/31/20261 hr 14 min
We can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond. At least, that’s what the Stoic’s say.
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Today we are joined (deep breath Hugh) by Stoic philosopher Ryan Holiday.
Using the wisdom of the past to appreciate the present, Ryan’s work is dedicated to communicating how the practicalities of stoic philosophy can help us lead more present, mindful and resilient lives today.
In this incredible chat, Hugh, Josh and Ryan (our Ryan), each present Ryan Holiday with something they have been struggling with in their own lives. Through the lens of Stoic philosophers Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus, Ryan Holiday talks to how stoicism can really help us to live into our values, prioritise presence, and deal with existential dread.
We discuss with Ryan the importance of understanding what will actually make you happy (spoiler: it’s not a billion dollars), and how to reframe death as a reminder that we must appreciate every moment (or not waste anymore with shame and guilt).
This episode, and its practical take-aways (which you can find listed in our newsletter), has been a long time coming.
Ryan, what an absolute honour.
0:00 – What is Stoicism?
13:26 – For the Josh’s of the world
17:07 – Time and Energy of Worrying
27:01 – The illusion of freedom
33:50 – Am I a bad friend?
38:58 – Practicing what you preach ft. presence
45:42 – If today was your last day
50:22 – 5 quotes for a Stoic life
If you’d like to watch this full episode on YouTube, follow this link -
🫖 Imperfects episodes mentioned in this episode
- Pat Cummins - Love, Loss & Life - https://bit.ly/4dHKR2F
- Maria Ruberto - Sleep Your Way To Your Top - https://bit.ly/4dHKPYB
📖 Things to read
- Letter’s from a Stoic by Seneca - https://bit.ly/49WVNqB
- ALL of Ryan’s books - https://bit.ly/43uHsxZ
✍️Journals to journal
- The Daily Stoic - https://bit.ly/49qJ6Em
- My Imperfect Life - https://bit.ly/4tZ8qJ6
🎟️ Things to get tickets to
- Daily Stoic Live with Ryan Holiday - https://bit.ly/4uK72Lt
💻Things to check out
- Ryan’s website - https://bit.ly/4v3Vh24
- The Resilience Project - https://bit.ly/3Q4LOc4
🩷To host your own Vulnerabilitea House, purchase here - http://bit.ly/4lyuuWz
🩵To purchase our journal (or your novel) My Imperfect Life, click here - http://bit.ly/4lyuuW
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The Imperfects is not a licensed mental health service and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice, treatment or assessment. The advice given in this episode is general in nature, but if you’re struggling, please see a healthcare professional, or call lifeline on 13 11 14.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRyan Holiday· Guest0:00
Stoicism is this idea that we don't control what happens, we control how we respond to what happens.
Hugh van Cuylenburg· Host0:04
Mm.
Ryan Holiday· Guest0:05
The idea for the Stoics is that, you know, we should always try to respond with virtue.
Hugh van Cuylenburg· Host0:09
In 2014, Ryan published The Obstacle Is the Way, his first exploration into Stoic philosophy. Since then, Ryan has published more books on Stoicism. Ryan has spent his life searching for wisdom in the words of others, and in doing so, has quietly helped millions of people feel less lost on their own.
Ryan Holiday· Guest0:25
When you're dealing with a jerk, that's an opportunity, right? Like, they don't only cause problems. They are also presenting you a chance, you know, to be patient, to be considerate, to be creative. That's kind of the mentality of the Stoics. Again, you don't control so much of the interactions that we have in life. Those are the kinds of things the Stoics want us to focus on. It's wrong to think of death as something that happens at the end of your life. Death is behind us. Every minute that passes is dead to you. How do you spend your time accordingly? If you know, "Hey, I'm paying for this with a day of my life" Often the things that we chase that we think are gonna make us happy have the exact opposite effect. This is something we see happening in the US right now, where you have these, like, tech billionaires who have to stay on the administration's good side. You would like to think like, "Hey, if I ever had $100 billion, no one could tell me what to do." No, actually, I'd have to go to the fucking Melania premiere.
Ryan Shelton· Host1:27
[laughs] [laughs] No spoilers, please, Ryan. I