You Don't Want To See This | The Stoic Guide To Freedom And Power (From Epictetus)
The Daily Stoic12 Mar 2024

You Don't Want To See This | The Stoic Guide To Freedom And Power (From Epictetus)

That obnoxious person. That contractor who ripped you off. That slow driver. That overly enthusiastic exercise instructor. That brusk receptionist. That clingy parent. That friend holding a grudge. That loud neighbor.

They’re not exactly your favorite. They don’t exactly make your life easier. But you know what you need to remember? You need to remember that they are just doing their jobs. “Is a world without shameless people possible?” Marcus Aurelius asks in Meditations. No, it isn’t, he reminds himself. So why am I surprised to find one he says? Somebody has to be that person and this person is it.

---

In the first century AD, few would have argued that Epictetus was the most powerful person in Rome. Few would have argued that this lowly slave possessed any power at all–in fact, the name said it all: Epictetus means acquired one.

Most of us are born into this world closer in status to Epictetus than Marcus Aurelius. We are more lowly than we are exalted. Yet each of us, as Seneca said, has access to the greatest empire, ruling over ourselves. Will we seize this kingdom? Or will we trade it away for superficial, shiny things? We free ourselves through our freedom of choice, or will we hand that freedom over to the mob, to our urges, to our fears?


Grab a signed copy of Lives of the Stoics and Courage is Calling from the Daily Stoic Store.


✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail

🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.

📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook

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

Episoder(2907)

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

This is How You Win the Day | Circumstances Have No Care For Our Feelings

This is How You Win the Day | Circumstances Have No Care For Our Feelings

We have a duty. Our nature—justice—demands something from us. It demands that we get up, get after it, and wear ourselves down doing it.📘 Grab a copy of The Daily Stoic here: https://store.dailystoic...

23 Feb 8min

Simple Stoic Rules That Actually Change Your Life

Simple Stoic Rules That Actually Change Your Life

Life is a lot. It moves fast. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by what to do, what not to do, and whether you’re even focusing on the right things. In today’s episode, Ryan shares simple Stoic rules to l...

22 Feb 18min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
e24-podden
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
pengepodden-2
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
pengesnakk
utbytte
rss-sunn-okonomi
finansredaksjonen
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
lederpodden
rss-markedspuls-2
lederskap-nhhs-podkast-om-ledelse
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
liberal-halvtime
arcticpodden