Stoicism (ft. Ryan Holiday), Solved
10/15/20253 hr
What does it actually mean to live like a Stoic? In this wide-ranging conversation with bestselling author and modern Stoicism evangelist Ryan Holiday, we unpack the origins of Stoic philosophy, why it exploded during turbulent times in ancient Greece and Rome, and how its principles—like courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom—still apply in a world filled with chaos, anxiety, and uncertainty. From shipwrecked merchants to emperors journaling their fears, this episode explores why some of the most powerful figures in history turned to Stoicism not just for answers—but for survival.
We also dig into how Stoici...
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Mark Manson· Host0:30
Welcome back, everybody, to the Solve podcast. I am your host, Mark Manson, number one New York Times bestselling author. I'm here with my producer, lead researcher, intrepid failed acrobat- [laughs] ... Drew Birnie. Intellectual, failed intellectual acrobat. [laughs] I don't even know what that means.
Ryan Holiday· Guest0:46
Exactly.
Mark Manson· Host0:48
And we are recording a very special episode this week. It's the first time that we've brought in a guest expert to, uh, tolerate this madness. [laughs] I am here with my friend Ryan Holiday, uh, stoicism expert. I know you are a, a big endurance athlete. You do a lot of long distance running. Have you ever done long distance podcasting?
Ryan Holiday· Guest1:11
[laughs] [laughs] Well, you know, when, when... I don't know about you, but, like, when I started doing books, they'd be like, "Can you come on this show and do a five-minute interview?" Or, "Can you come to this 15-minute radio spot?" And then it was like, "No, no, there's this thing called podcasting." And then those were an hour, and then those became two hours, and now there's whatever this is.
Mark Manson· Host1:28
Well, n- now you're stuck.
Ryan Holiday· Guest1:29
Yeah.