Do Your Duty, Every Day, Everywhere
The Daily Stoic2 Mai 2019

Do Your Duty, Every Day, Everywhere

The French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy was recently interviewed by the New York Times about his grueling travel schedule, which will include 22 cities this year.

This passage of the interview is worth highlighting:

Q: When you travel, do you read, write, sleep, or watch movies?

A: I do not live very differently when I travel and when I don’t, which means I do my duty. My duty is to read, to write, and to fight. These are the three things that are my duty. Traveling and not traveling, this is what I do.”

Although Lévy’s brand of philosophy is distinctly not Stoic—he’s the founder of the New Philosophers school—his answer does sound eerily similar to something Marcus Aurelius wrote in Meditations 2,000 years ago:

“No matter what anyone says or does, my task is to be good. Like gold or emerald or purple repeating to itself, ‘No matter what anyone says or does, my task is to be emerald, my color undiminished.’”

This is all worth pointing out because of the disturbing habit we humans have of making excuses for not doing our duty or not being good. “It’s not cheating if it’s on vacation.” “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” “They hit me first.” “I’m on the road, who cares about my diet (or my sobriety)?” “I was tired. I couldn’t take it anymore.”

No. Duty is duty. Good is good. We must do it every day, everywhere.



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

Episoder(2885)

Why Thinking About Your Death Will Save Your Life

Why Thinking About Your Death Will Save Your Life

Meditating on death isn’t depressing, it’s clarifying. In this episode, Ryan explains how the Stoic practice of Memento Mori will sharpen your priorities, push you to stop wasting time, and remind you...

1 Mar 17min

The Discipline That Made Marcus Aurelius

The Discipline That Made Marcus Aurelius

The greatness of Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius was not perfection but progress. They were imperfect men committed to self-discipline and self-correction. Today's episode explores how Antoninus shaped ...

28 Feb 30min

Who Would Ever Want to Be King? | Stop Letting Yourself Off the Hook

Who Would Ever Want to Be King? | Stop Letting Yourself Off the Hook

Power doesn’t wait for the perfect person to raise their hand. Someone will wield it. Someone always does.📚 Looking for stories to teach your kids about Stoicism? Check out Ryan Holiday’s books: The ...

27 Feb 8min

BONUS | 3 Practices to Improve Your Life In a Week

BONUS | 3 Practices to Improve Your Life In a Week

What if it only took five minutes each morning to feel more in control of your life? In this conversation, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee shares the three daily questions he uses to stay grounded in alignment,...

26 Feb 10min

It Picks You Up. It Puts You Down. A Hundred Times A Day. | Cultivate Indifference

It Picks You Up. It Puts You Down. A Hundred Times A Day. | Cultivate Indifference

Is this what we’re here for? To be the passions’ slave? To be the plaything of emotions and impulses? It can’t be!📓 Pick up a copy of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on Th...

26 Feb 7min

You Can’t Join Them

You Can’t Join Them

People are the way they are. They will always be this way. We don’t control that. 👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listenin...

25 Feb 1min

Lincoln’s Secret Weapon (It Wasn’t Power)

Lincoln’s Secret Weapon (It Wasn’t Power)

How do you hold a country together when it’s tearing itself apart? In this episode, Ryan sits down with Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to talk about Abraham Lincoln’s self-educa...

25 Feb 47min

This is The Math That Losers Do | What Virtue Is This Moment Asking of You?

This is The Math That Losers Do | What Virtue Is This Moment Asking of You?

The past is gone, and no amount of calculation will bring it back or make it fair. What we do have is agency right now.🎥 Watch the video of today's episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1zgK...

24 Feb 10min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
dine-penger-pengeradet
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
pengepodden-2
finansredaksjonen
pengesnakk
utbytte
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
rss-sunn-okonomi
okonomiamatorene
lederpodden
liberal-halvtime
rss-markedspuls-2
rss-investering-gjort-enkelt
rss-impressions-2