Things Don’t Make The Man
The Daily Stoic27 Mai 2019

Things Don’t Make The Man

It’s very easy to associate our possessions and our positions with our identity. There’s even an expression to that effect: The clothes make the man. When we have a powerful job, we feel powerful. When the market is hot, we feel like we have a knack for investing. When we are number one in our space, in our industry, in sales, we’re very into checking and monitoring the rankings. When people are saying nice things about us, we revel in it, because of course it’s all true and deserved.

If everything stays well, it’s hard to see what the downside of this approach is (excepting the ego that can often creep in). It’s only when the screw turns that we realize how dangerous this has all been. Because when you associate your identity with externals when things are good, it’s impossible not to associate your identity when suddenly the same externals are showing you to be a loser or a fool or the object of other people’s contempt.

The Stoics would urge you to remember that things don’t make the man. Not now, not ever. Epictetus reminds us that just because someone has more money than you doesn’t make them superior. No, only their bank balance is superior. If someone is an eloquent speaker, that doesn’t make them better than you either. It just means they have better diction. “You yourself,” he says, “are neither property nor diction.”

Nope. You’re you. And you’re not measured or made by externals, or anything that is outside your control. What matter is who you are on the inside. What matters is what you do with the choices and situations that are inside your control. What matters is how you ride out the highs and the lows, and ideally are changed by neither of them.


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

Episoder(2865)

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 Feb 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 Feb 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 Feb 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 Feb 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 Feb 7min

BONUS | You Can't Let The Setbacks Win

BONUS | You Can't Let The Setbacks Win

When jarred by circumstances, Marcus Aurelius writes, we have to revert back to ourselves. We have to come back to the rhythm. We have to intervene. We can't let the challenges win.Let’s not write the...

2 Feb 2min

Sometimes You Just Lose (But That’s No Excuse) | A Proper Frame Of Mind

Sometimes You Just Lose (But That’s No Excuse) | A Proper Frame Of Mind

We have to stay at it. We have to accept the losses that come…without accepting the status quo. We should not give up. 📘 Grab the hardcover edition of The Daily Stoic here: https://store.dailystoic.c...

2 Feb 7min

This Is Why You Have To Care

This Is Why You Have To Care

Immigration is a complicated issue. Crime is complicated. But this is not complicated.👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free list...

1 Feb 11min

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
utbytte
pengesnakk
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
rss-sunn-okonomi
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
okonomiamatorene
lederpodden
rss-markedspuls-2
flypodden
rss-trygg-av-natur