What Do You Live By?
The Daily Stoic26 Kesä 2019

What Do You Live By?

William Alexander Percy, the uncle of the great writer Walker Percy, and one of the last Southern Stoics, was a famous host. His mansion in Greenville, Mississippi welcomed many guests, including Robert Wright, Langston Hughes, and William Faulkner. He traveled widely, too, visiting Greece, Samoa, and Paris, and spent time in Belgium fighting in WWI. Will Percy loved to playfully and honestly interrogate the people he met with deep but shapeless questions that forced their recipients to really think. Questions like “What do you love?” or “What do you live by?”

This was Will’s way of searching—to understand other people, to understand the world around him and, one can assume, to understand himself. These questions made a very deep impression on his young nephew, Walker, particularly when Will adopted him and his younger brothers after their mother’s death. Indeed, in Walker’s famous novel The Moviegoer, he has the wisest character of the book—based on Will—ask:

What do you love?

What do you live by?

What do you think is the purpose of life?

In a way, answers to these three questions are the essential quest of Stoicism too. It’s what Zeno began asking when he washed up in Athens after his shipwreck. It’s what Epictetus was prodding his students to think about and trying to answer with his responses. It’s what Marcus Aurelius was journaling about over and over again from every angle.

And it’s what we should be thinking about and asking today. To other people sure, but mostly to ourselves. Because no one is going to magically explain these things to us. They can only show us the world, and help us see it. The rest we have to figure out on our own.



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

Jaksot(2860)

Bert Kreischer's Reading List (From Ryan Holiday)

Bert Kreischer's Reading List (From Ryan Holiday)

After recording their episode, Ryan and Bert Kreischer stopped by The Painted Porch, where Ryan shared some must-read books with Bert.Watch this episode on Ryan Holiday's YouTube Channel: https://www....

8 Helmi 13min

The Philosopher Who Didn’t Care What Anyone Thought

The Philosopher Who Didn’t Care What Anyone Thought

The most fearless philosopher in the ancient world didn’t rule an empire or write books. He lived on the street and begged for food. And yet, he was bold enough to challenge Alexander the Great to his...

7 Helmi 23min

This Is A Good Surprise | The Stoic Edge Behind Peak Performance

This Is A Good Surprise | The Stoic Edge Behind Peak Performance

You’re tough. You’re firm. You don’t get bothered by things. You keep yourself under control. Good. But you’re missing something else just as important and perhaps more impressive.📚 Books Mentioned: ...

6 Helmi 25min

This is The One Thing You Don’t Accept

This is The One Thing You Don’t Accept

From corruption to tyranny, the Stoics refused to sit on the sidelines. They tried to change things.👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unloc...

5 Helmi 2min

BONUS | No One Is Coming to Give You Permission

BONUS | No One Is Coming to Give You Permission

If your New Year motivation didn’t make it to February, this episode is for you. Ryan and his business partner and longtime friend, Brent Underwood, talk about how waiting for permission, perfect cond...

5 Helmi 39min

It’s Always Going To Be One-Sided

It’s Always Going To Be One-Sided

It’s always been a dilemma: Why should I be honest when no one else seems to be? Why should I play by the rules when others are so visibly breaking them? Why should I be respectful or kind or fair whe...

4 Helmi 2min

Chuck Klosterman: The NFL Explains More About America Than You Think

Chuck Klosterman: The NFL Explains More About America Than You Think

Few writers understand American culture like Chuck Klosterman, which is why he joins Ryan ahead of the Super Bowl to talk about how football reshaped American culture.In this episode, Chuck and Ryan d...

4 Helmi 1h 16min

Do You Have Double What It Takes? | The Source Of Your Anxiety

Do You Have Double What It Takes? | The Source Of Your Anxiety

Obstacles, adversaries, pitfalls, and bad luck. It’s going to be there. It’s going to happen. 📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store...

3 Helmi 7min

Suosittua kategoriassa Liike-elämä ja talous

sijotuskasti
psykopodiaa-podcast
mimmit-sijoittaa
rss-rahapodi
rss-rahamania
rss-lahtijat
ostan-asuntoja-podcast
rahapuhetta
rss-neuvottelija-sami-miettinen
rss-h-asselmoilanen
rss-laakispodi
inderespodi
rss-porssipuhetta
rss-startup-ministerio
rss-bisnesta-bebeja
sijoituspodi
rss-strategian-seurassa
asuntoasiaa-paivakirjat
rss-merja-mahkan-rahat
rss-paasipodi