The Daily Stoic22 Okt 2018

We Take The Bitter To Get To The Sweets

“The hunter worthy of the name always willingly takes the bitter if by so doing he can get the sweet, and gladly balances failure and success, spurning the poorer souls who know neither.”

Theodore Roosevelt was talking about the philosophy of hunting when he said this, but he was also describing his philosophy of life. This is how the Stoic looks at things as well.

So much of life is outside of our control, and indeed much of that is bitter. We set out to do something and we are quickly beset by challenges, by loss, by other people’s frustrating tendency to think about themselves over our needs. Yet we continue to put up with this. Not just because we have to, but because we know what’s on the other side is wonderful: friendships, success, excellence, life-changing experiences.

It is said that Marcus Aurelius was dour, but his Meditations is full of odes to the many sweets of life. Seneca’s writing, too, captures life’s great balancing act--he speaks of how unpredictable and unfair fate can be just as eloquently as he speaks of joy and flourishing.

If today ends up being another one of those days for you, try to remember what Roosevelt was talking about. Try saying to yourself, ‘I am taking the bitter to get to the sweet.’ Say, ‘It all balances out and I am lucky to have both when so many have neither.’ In this way you will not only grow stronger and more able to endure any misfortune that comes your way, but you will also be more grateful for and appreciative of the gifts you are given as well.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(3165)

BONUS | A Selfish Reason To Be Good

“The person who does wrong, does wrong to themselves. The unjust person is unjust to themselves—making themselves evil.”—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 9.4The new 10th Anniversary Edition of The Daily ...

7 Okt 2min

How to Get the Most Out of Reading (A Stoic Guide)

To be a great reader, it's not enough that you read. It's how you read. In this episode, Ryan shares time-tested reading habits of the ancient Stoics (Seneca, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and more) tha...

7 Okt 12min

You Gave Them This For Free?

“Let no one rob me of a single day,” Seneca said, “who is not going to make me an adequate return for such a loss."🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE | Ryan Holiday is coming to a city near you! Grab tickets here |...

7 Okt 1min

What a Decade of Stoicism Teaches You About Life

Ten years ago, Ryan’s longtime literary agent and coauthor Steve Hanselman suggested a book that Ryan wasn’t sure he wanted to write. To mark the anniversary of The Daily Stoic, Ryan and Steve revisit...

6 Okt 52min

So Much Has Changed. So Little Has Changed.

It’s been 522 weeks. Some 3,652 days. Over 87,000 hours. More than 5,241,600 minutes.The new 10th Anniversary Edition of The Daily Stoic is out TODAY! 👉 Grab your copy here: https://store.dailystoic....

6 Okt 4min

When Everything Falls Apart, This Remains | Practice Silence

As bad as things seem today, it should console and inspire you that Stoicism is still here. 🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE | Ryan Holiday is coming to a city near you! Grab tickets here | https://www.dailystoic...

5 Okt 6min

BONUS | A Reality Check From Ryan

Before you convince yourself the world is falling apart, Ryan has a reminder you need to hear.🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE | Ryan Holiday is coming to a city near you! Grab tickets here | https://www.dailysto...

5 Okt 1min

7 Stoic Strategies To Deal With Jerks

Difficult people have been testing our patience for thousands of years. But the Stoics understood why these encounters can cost us far more than a few minutes of frustration.Watch this episode on YouT...

4 Okt 15min