The Daily Stoic27 Maalis 2019

Know It Inside And Out

Admiral Hyman Rickover, the father of the nuclear navy in the United States and an unsung hero in the history of the world, was once asked by a Congressman if he was prepared for the upcoming hearing in which Hyman needed to speak about a number of complex, important issues. "Yes," Rickover replied, "I shaved and put on a clean shirt."

Rickover didn’t need to prepare because he was prepared. He wasn’t some figurehead who had to be briefed before answering questions. He knew his science and his department inside out. Because he lived and breathed his work—famously interviewing something like 14,000 college grads himself for various positions over the years. He also personally tested every nuclear submarine during its initial sea trial after construction.

His joke about preparing by getting dressed calls to mind an analogy by Marcus Aurelius, who said that a true philosopher is a fighter not a fencer. A fencer has to put on armor and pick up a weapon. A fighter just has to close their fist.

That should be our model too. We shouldn’t be cramming the night before a test, or frantically looking for advice once a crisis has arrived. We need to be prepared. We need to be so on top of our work—and the knowledge required—that everything we need is right there, already in our hands and in our heads. If you’re rushing, you’re already too late. If you’re looking for your weapons, you’re already beaten.

You gotta know your stuff inside and out. You have to live it and breathe it. You gotta be ready.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(3107)

How to Be Freer Than a King

We often imagine that freedom means having more power, more money, or fewer people telling us what to do. But none of that makes us free if we cannot control ourselves.💡 We designed our How To Read E...

25 Elo 3min

Can Journalism Survive the Collapse of Trust?

When everyone else seems to be abandoning their standards, what keeps you from abandoning yours? Ryan talks with USA TODAY national correspondent Rick Jervis, author of The Devil Behind The Badge, abo...

25 Elo 19min

Can You Do This Even Here? | It's In Your Self-Interest

With enough practice, Seneca said, he found he could think anywhere. He could find stillness and peace anywhere.📚 Stillness Is The Key by Ryan Holiday 🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE | Ryan Holiday is coming to...

24 Elo 7min

7 Stoic Strategies for Managing Your Time

Most people think about time as something they have plenty of until they suddenly don’t. But Seneca’s warning raises a more unsettling question: how much of your life are you giving away without even ...

23 Elo 15min

The Marcus Aurelius Quote Steven Pressfield Couldn’t Ignore

In today's episode, Ryan and Steven Pressfield discuss one of Marcus Aurelius’ most striking lines: “Life is warfare and a journey far from home.” What begins with the epigraph to Steven’s new novel T...

22 Elo 26min

BONUS | 5 Rapid-Fire Stoic Rules for Thinking More Clearly

Before you trust your first reaction, assumption, or opinion, the Stoics would tell you to do a few things first. In this bonus episode, Ryan breaks down five rules for thinking more clearly.🎟️ DAILY...

21 Elo 2min

It’s Your Job To See This Coming | Corralling The Unnecessary

These things happen to people…therefore they could happen to you. 📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic....

21 Elo 5min

This Is Your Ticket to Freedom | What Ryan Holiday Told Shawn Ryan to Read Next

We may not control what happens to us, what other people decide, or what circumstances take away. But we can still choose what we believe, how we respond, and who we become.💡 We designed our How To R...

20 Elo 13min