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 interv

BONUS | Ezra Frech Before Dancing with the Stars

Oct 2026

0:00 / 53:36

How Much Have You Changed? | Proof That Stoicism Can Change Your Life

Oct 2026

0:00 / 16:07

This Was The Difference (and it makes ALL the difference)

Oct 2026

0:00 / 2:03

10 Stoic Lessons It Took Ryan 10 Years to Understand

Oct 2026 · 6 books

0:00 / 21:14

The Daily Stoic

Ryan Holiday

i published this book the daily stoic ▶ tap to play from here

The Obstacle Is the Way

Ryan Holiday

i'd already written the obstacles the way ▶ tap to play from here

Ego Is the Enemy

Ryan Holiday

and ego is the enemy ▶ tap to play from here

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

marcus talks about the idea of the common good something like eighty times in meditations ▶ tap to play from here

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Mark Manson

a friend of mine mark manson put out a book the subt art of not giving a fuck ▶ tap to play from here

The Daily Stoic Journal

Ryan Holiday

people with the daily stoic journal sitting down and writing about these passages ▶ tap to play from here

It Started Small (Who Would Imagine It Would Make This Far?) | Matt Choi’s Daily Stoic Practice

Oct 2026 · 1 book

0:00 / 11:45

The Daily Stoic

Ryan Holiday

in twenty fifteen when steve anselman and i were working on the daily stoic the the stoicism subreddit had only a few thousand followers ▶ tap to play from here

This is How You Die Before Your Time

Oct 2026 · 2 books

0:00 / 13:20

Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero

James Rom

in dying every day seneca at the court of nero the historian james raum tells the fascinating story of how this happened ▶ tap to play from here

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

there's a a line in meditations remarks really his philosophy teacher for teaching him not to fall for every smooth talker ▶ tap to play from here

The Top 10 Most Popular Passages From The Daily Stoic

Oct 2026 · 2 books

0:00 / 18:25

The Daily Stoic

Ryan Holiday

years ago today we published a book called the daily stuff ▶ tap to play from here

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

mark schwilis famously says in meditations they can't impede our intentions or our attitudes ▶ tap to play from here

Why Grit Isn’t Enough | Angela Duckworth

Oct 2026 · 11 books

0:00 / 71:35

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Angela Duckworth

if you read grit great it's a great book ▶ tap to play from here

Situated: The Power of Context to Shape Our Lives

Angela Duckworth

it's called situated the subtitle is find the people and places that bring out your best ▶ tap to play from here

The Power of Now

Eckhart Tolle

he was telling me about the power of now by eckhart toll ▶ tap to play from here

Memorabilia

Xenophon

he's reading on something from xenophon's story of socrates hercules at the crossroads ▶ tap to play from here

The Great Good Place

Ray Oldenburg

so i read this book called the great good place did you read this ▶ tap to play from here

The Great Influenza

John M. Barry

the guy who wrote that book the great influenza whose name i'm also forgetting wrote an incredible book about this specific founder ▶ tap to play from here

Oresteia

Aeschylus

the final technology in the play is like the they're like let's have a jury of twelve people decide you know whether he's like i killed her it was just and the the gods are like no you can't do this anyways they have this trial and this trial finds that he was in his rights to do this and this stops the cycle of violence because now he doesn't have to be killed and so again it's like oh we have this problem which is like you do this and then i have to do this and then your ▶ tap to play from here

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

there's this famous passage in mark schmutz where he talks about waking up early in the morning and he's like but it's warmer under the covers do i want to get up ▶ tap to play from here

Give People Money: How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work, and Remake the Life of the Nation

Annie Lowrey

annual lowry just wrote this book about time tax ▶ tap to play from here

The Virtue of Selfishness

Ayn Rand

ayn rand wrote this book called the virtue of selfishness ▶ tap to play from here

Essays

Seneca

i'm not a expert on montaine and he did write a lot of essays ▶ tap to play from here

Inside Ryan Holiday’s $250K Reading List

Oct 2026 · 38 books

0:00 / 13:39

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

my whole life was changed by a copy of mark spulis' meditations that i bought for nine dollars ▶ tap to play from here

Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell

Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle

here is trillion dollar coach this is written by eric schmidt ▶ tap to play from here

Losing the Million Dollars

Brendan Moynihan and George A. Knight

everyone should read what i learned losing a million dollars is about a trader on the chicago stock exchange ▶ tap to play from here

Billion Dollar Lessons: What You Can Learn from the Most Inexcusable Business Failures of the Last 25 Years

Paul B. Carroll and Chunka Mui

i would also pair it with another book about failure which we should have here somewhere ah billion dollar lessons ▶ tap to play from here

How I Built This

Guy Raz

guy ross has interviewed basically every ceo of a big or new company of the last generation or so this book how i built this is incredible ▶ tap to play from here

Good to Great

Jim Collins

jim collins good to great this one's very important ▶ tap to play from here

Unreasonable Hospitality

Will Guidara

unreasonable hospitality one of the great restaurant tours and hospitality experts this book is great ▶ tap to play from here

Zero to One

Peter A. Thiel

peter thiel who i wrote a book about zero to one ▶ tap to play from here

The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business

Josh Kaufman

and then maybe let's do personal mba since we're talking about how to get an mba ▶ tap to play from here

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing

Al Ries and Jack Trout

i'd also throw in twenty two immutable laws of marketing ▶ tap to play from here

Blue Ocean Strategy

W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne

blue ocean strategy the best businesses the most successful businesses ▶ tap to play from here

The $100 Startup

Chris Guillebeau

but i do like a hundred dollar startup ▶ tap to play from here

Thinking in Bets

Annie Duke

and it you talking about this thinking in bets shrinking the the risks that you're taking ▶ tap to play from here

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Ben Horowitz

hard thing about hard things you will have to make hard decisions in life and in leadership ▶ tap to play from here

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Greg McKeown

mcallen's essentialism also really good ▶ tap to play from here

The 48 Laws of Power

Robert Greene

i would also add in the forty eight laws of power ▶ tap to play from here

Mastery

Robert Greene

Mastery ▶ tap to play from here

The Laws of Human Nature

Robert Greene

third she j war laws of human nature ▶ tap to play from here

The Art of Seduction

Robert Greene

art of seduction ▶ tap to play from here

Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character

James Stavridis

james stavridies his book sailing true north ▶ tap to play from here

To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision

James Stavridis

and to risk it all these are about great naval leaders ▶ tap to play from here

Super Communicators

Charles Duhigg

i put charles doh higgs super communicators on this list as well ▶ tap to play from here

On Anger (De Ira)

Seneca

i would throw in seneca's how to keep your cool ▶ tap to play from here

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor

Donald Robertson

how to think like a roman emperor we had more leaders and business people who ▶ tap to play from here

The Wealth of Nations

Adam Smith

maybe in your mba you're reading adam smith wealth of nations ▶ tap to play from here

Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot

James Stockdale

what becomes not just this book thoughts of a philosophical fighter pilot ▶ tap to play from here

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.

Ron Chernow

churnous titan incredible ▶ tap to play from here

Steve Jobs

Walter Isaacson

walter isaacs's steve jobs ▶ tap to play from here

Elon Musk

Walter Isaacson

elon musk great ▶ tap to play from here

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

Walter Isaacson

his book on benjamin franklin also incredibly successful ▶ tap to play from here

The Wright Brothers

David McCullough

i liked this book on the wright brothers ▶ tap to play from here

Lincoln's Virtues: An Ethical Biography

William Lee Miller

lincoln's virtues and president lincoln again ▶ tap to play from here

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

Doris Kearns Goodwin

and then team of rivals absolute must read ▶ tap to play from here

The Fish That Ate the Whale

Rich Cohen

did this book fish that ate the whale about the samuel zimmery ▶ tap to play from here

Shoe Dog

Phil Knight

of course shoe dogmate also very incredible ▶ tap to play from here

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman

thinking fast and slow ▶ tap to play from here

Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)

Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson

mistakes were made but not by me very important highly recommend ▶ tap to play from here

Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear

Frank Luntz

i might put words that work up there with some of the ones ▶ tap to play from here

The Leaves Are On The Ground

Oct 2026 · 1 book

0:00 / 1:36

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

marcus aurelius in meditations talks about olives falling right from the tree onto the ground ▶ tap to play from here

BONUS: Toxic Masculinity, Cancel Culture & Politics

Oct 2026 · 3 books

0:00 / 10:02

The Obstacle Is the Way

Ryan Holiday

your book obstacles the way helped me finish my master's thesis ▶ tap to play from here

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

one of my favorite quotes from the stoics it's in meditations ▶ tap to play from here

Ego Is the Enemy

Ryan Holiday

i'm reading your book now ego's the enemy of obstacles the way ▶ tap to play from here

This Is a Very Important Conversation You’re A Part Of | Jaimie Alexander’s Daily Stoic Practice

Oct 2026 · 4 books

0:00 / 12:39

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

marcus aurelius took them up in his private journal quoting earlier thinkers wrestling with their ideas bringing them to bear in his own life ▶ tap to play from here

Essays

Seneca

montaigne picked up the conversation in his essays ▶ tap to play from here

Discourses

Epictetus

elizabeth carter translated epicetus into english thomas wentworth higginson brought out an edition for american readers ▶ tap to play from here

The Daily Stoic

Ryan Holiday

we collaborate on this book that became the daily stoic ▶ tap to play from here

You Don’t Get To Do One Last Thing

Oct 2026 · 1 book

0:00 / 1:59

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

you could leave life right now mark skrillis writes in meditations ▶ tap to play from here

Stoicism Requires You to Stay a Student | Codie Sanchez

Oct 2026 · 2 books

0:00 / 13:28

Main Street Millionaire

Cody Sanchez

she's also the author of main street millionaire ▶ tap to play from here

Own or Be Owned: The Guide to Building a Business That Doesn't Need You

Cody Sanchez

she has a new book that just came out on september 18th called own or be owned build a business so good it doesn't need you ▶ tap to play from here

Most Things Haven’t Changed (But This Has) | What Do the Stoics Say About Attachment?

Oct 2026 · 2 books

0:00 / 24:33

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

what we now call meditations think of everything that's happened since then empires have risen and fallen entire countries have come into existence we've invented the printing press the airplane the internet we've walked on the moon and yet you open meditations and there he is ▶ tap to play from here

The Daily Stoic

Ryan Holiday

when when we published the daily stoic it was supposed to be a passage a day something to think about something to try something to carry with you into whatever the day brings ▶ tap to play from here

This Isn’t How Anyone Wants It To Go (So This Is What We Have To Do) | Practice Love

Oct 2026 · 4 books

0:00 / 7:27

The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on the Art of Living

Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman

and this is from this week's entry in the daily stoic journal three hundred and sixty six days of writing and reflection on the art of living by yours truly and my co writer and translator steven hanselman ▶ tap to play from here

Stillness is the Key

Ryan Holiday

in the all is one chapter of stillness is the key ▶ tap to play from here

On the Happy Life

Seneca

and then in the happy life seneca says a benefit should be kept like a buried treasure only to be dug up in necessity ▶ tap to play from here

Moral Letters to Lucilius

Seneca the Younger

and then in moral letters ninety five he says nature produced us as a family since we all sprang from the same source and towards the same end ▶ tap to play from here

The Most Important Things You Need To Stop Doing

Oct 2026 · 2 books

0:00 / 16:30

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

and as mark sullivan says in meditations we have within us all the things we need at this very moment ▶ tap to play from here

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

David Epstein

they cited a lot of the studies that i cite in range but and and plus some newer ones but there were three main buckets that they divided the ▶ tap to play from here

The New Gilded Age Has an Old Problem | Nathaniel Philbrick

Oct 2026 · 5 books

0:00 / 42:50

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex

Nathaniel Philbrick

if you've read in the heart of the sea probably his magnum opus his incredible book about the whaling industry and moby dick and the real story it's based on ▶ tap to play from here

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

Herman Melville

his incredible book about the whaling industry and moby dick and the real story it's based on ▶ tap to play from here

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War

Nathaniel Philbrick

he's also got a great book on the mayflower which is a finalist for the pilitzer prize ▶ tap to play from here

Two Years Before the Mast

Richard Henry Dana

there was one sort of early account two years before the mast richard henry dana and that had come out well before the gold rush ▶ tap to play from here

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

Alfred Lansing

endurance sure um great books i think that might be the best nonfiction book ever written ▶ tap to play from here

Not Everyone Is Lucky Enough To Do This | 9 Core Stoic Beliefs

Oct 2026 · 7 books

0:00 / 25:28

De Officiis (On Duties)

Panaetius

penacius expanded zeno's rule that we should be involved in public life by writing what cicero would later call the greatest work written on duties ▶ tap to play from here

On Anger

Seneca

while in exile on the island of corsica for eight long years seneca wrote a whole book on anger that he dedicated to his brother ▶ tap to play from here

Elements of Ethics

Hierocles

he wrote a large work called onappropriate acts from which a number of fragments have been preserved ▶ tap to play from here

De Beneficiis

Seneca

seneca would write a whole book his longest on being of benefit to others ▶ tap to play from here

Moral Letters to Lucilius

Seneca the Younger

those works including his moral letters and essays have stood the test of time and helped countless people ▶ tap to play from here

Essays

Seneca

those works including his moral letters and essays have stood the test of time and helped countless people ▶ tap to play from here

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

there are more than eighty references in the meditations to the common good ▶ tap to play from here

Go Back And Pick It Up Again | Is This the Life You Worked For?

Oct 2026 · 3 books

0:00 / 10:16

Emerson: The Mind on Fire

Robert D. Richardson

in his great biography of emerson the mind on fire robert d richardson writes about a year of rereading that had a revitalizing effect on emerson ▶ tap to play from here

The Daily Stoic

Ryan Holiday

it's crazy to me but can you believe that it's been ten years since the daily stoic came out ▶ tap to play from here

Catch-22

Joseph Heller

yes he wrote catch twenty two but that's not the only book that he wrote ▶ tap to play from here

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