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235 Brian Holsopple: The Daily Stoic

366 daily meditations inspired by Stoic philosophy, designed to help readers live a more virtuous and fulfilling life.

Duration: 10 hours
06 minutes
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Brian Holsopple: The Daily Stoic

Summary

The Daily Stoic offers readers a year-long journey of daily meditations inspired by Stoic philosophy. Each day, readers are presented with a new quote from the Stoics, along with a brief commentary that explores its meaning and relevance for modern life. The book is designed to help readers cultivate wisdom, resilience, and inner peace, as they navigate the challenges of daily life.

About

Title: The Daily Stoic

Author: Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman

Publishing year: 2016

Publisher: Portfolio

Length in hours: 10 hours and 6 minutes

5 main ideas

  1. Stoic philosophy emphasizes the importance of living a life of virtue, guided by reason and wisdom, rather than being driven by passions and emotions.
  2. The Stoics believed that happiness and inner peace can only be achieved by accepting the things that are beyond our control and focusing on what we can control: our own thoughts, attitudes, and actions.
  3. The Daily Stoic offers readers a set of daily meditations and reflections that draw upon the wisdom of the Stoics, providing practical guidance for living a more meaningful and fulfilling life.
  4. The book encourages readers to practice mindfulness, self-reflection, and the cultivation of virtues such as courage, justice, and wisdom.
  5. By incorporating Stoic principles into their daily lives, readers can learn to cope with adversity, overcome obstacles, and live with greater purpose and meaning.
Brian Holsopple: The Daily Stoic

5 funny quotes

  1. "Philosophy may not always make you smile, but it can certainly help you weather the storms of life with greater equanimity."
  2. "Stoicism may not be the path to instant gratification, but it can help you achieve a more lasting sense of fulfillment and inner peace."
  3. "The Stoics may have been serious thinkers, but that doesn't mean they didn't know how to have fun."
  4. "Stoic philosophy: Because life is too short to waste it on worry, fear, and anger."
  5. "The Stoics may not have invented the selfie, but they certainly knew a thing or two about self-reflection."

5 thought-provoking quotes​

  1. "It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters." - Epictetus
  2. "He who is not a good servant will not be a good master." - Seneca
  3. "Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not." - Epictetus
  4. "The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it." - Epicurus
  5. "A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials." - Seneca

5 dilemmas

  1. How do we balance the desire for wealth and success with the Stoic ideal of living a simple and virtuous life?
  2. How do we cultivate the virtues of courage and perseverance in the face of adversity and hardship?
  3. How do we practice the Stoic principle of accepting the things that are beyond our control, while also striving to make a positive impact on the world around us?
  4. How do we balance our individual needs and desires with our responsibilities to others and society as a whole?
  5. How do we cope with the inevitability of death, and find meaning and purpose in the face of our own mortality?

5 examples

  1. "Walt Whitman, the great American poet, was deeply influenced by Stoic philosophy, and his poetry is full of echoes of Stoic ideas."
  2. "Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor and philosopher, is perhaps the most famous Stoic of all time, and his Meditations is a classic of Stoic literature."
  3. "Nelson Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and statesman, was known to have studied and admired Stoic philosophy."
  4. "Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, was a great admirer of Stoic philosophy, and saw it as a source of inspiration for his work and life."
  5. "George Washington, the first President of the United States, was a devoted student of Stoic philosophy, and is said to have carried a copy of Seneca's Letters with him on his military campaigns."

Referenced books

  1. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
  2. Letters from a Stoic by Seneca
  3. The Enchiridion by Epictetus
  4. The Discourses by Epictetus
  5. On the Shortness of Life by Seneca

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"Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not."

Brian Holsopple: The Daily Stoic

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