The Daily Stoic

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Matthew McConaughey On His Greenlights Philosophy, His Roadtrip Course And Feeling Gratitude For Life Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

Ryan speaks with Matthew McConaughey in the first of a two-part interview about the philosophy behind his bestselling memoir Greenlights, how he aims to help teach people unique ways improve their lives with his new course: Roadtrip – the Highway to More, what he learned from his recent terrifying flight experience, why being truly selfish is actually selfless, how he strikes a balance between living an exciting life and spending quality time with family, and more.

Matthew McConaughey has been working in Hollywood for over 25 years, appearing in acclaimed films, including Interstellar, A Time to Kill, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Dallas Buyers Club. His work in the latter film won him the 2013 Academy Award for Best Actor. McConaughey also works as a producer and spokesperson, and recently released his first book, the bestselling memoir Greenlights. He also founded and runs the Just Keep Livin Foundation to help kids lead active and healthy lifestyles. You can follow his work on Twitter @McConaughey, Instagram @officiallymcconaughey, and YouTube at Matthew Mcconaughey, and you can find his Roadtrip course at artoflivinevent.com/roadtrip.

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It’s Not Your Fault, But It Is Your Responsibility Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

So much happens in life. There is so much happening. Forget macro events—there are dogs that get sick in the middle of the night. There are trips that need to be made to the store. There are unpleasant conversations to have. Bills that somebody has to pay. Dishes to be done. Hard decisions to make.

Most people’s reaction—especially when those macro events are stressing them out on top of everything—is to shirk.

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You Must Stay Outside of Time | 24 Life Changing Quotes From Epictetus Jun 13, 2023

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Technology is advancing rapidly. While every generation has felt like it was impossible to keep up, today it really is mindblowing to try to understand everything that’s happening on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum computing, biotechnology, the blockchain, virtual and augmented reality, and on and on.

World events and trends continue to accelerate too.

Perhaps this is why the wisest people try to do the opposite of keeping up with it all.

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And in today's Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan shares 24 of his favorite and most life-changing quotes from the ancient Roman slave turned student turned hugely influential Stoic, Epictetus. You can watch the video on YouTube.

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This is Your Kingdom. Will You Rule It? | Try The Other Handle Jun 12, 2023

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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.

Yet what philosophy helped Epictetus come to understand was that it was actually Nero and the other ‘powerful’ men and women of the time who were the slaves. They were the ones who had been acquired–by ambition, by desire, by aversions, by insecurities, by money, by fame.

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And with today's Daily Stoic Journal excerpt reading, Ryan discusses the importance of working to see the two courses of thought and action that you can take in any given situation, and striving to pick the right one.

📚 If you purchase The Girl Who Would Be Free, we are giving you 75% OFF of The Boy Who Would Be King! We have signed and personalized copies available at the Daily Stoic Store and The Painted Porch, so don’t miss out on this fantastic deal!

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The Life Of Zeno The Prophet Jun 11, 2023

Show notes

In today's audiobook reading, Ryan narrates a section of his own New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling book Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius, which he wrote with Stephen Hanselman. With this section, Ryan starts from the very beginning by profiling the founder of Stoicism, Zeno of Citium.

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Troy Baker On How Stoicism Helps Him Be A Better Actor And Father Jun 10, 2023

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Ryan speaks with Troy Baker about how practicing Stoicism enriches the life of the artist and the parent, why gratitude is so much more beneficial than comparison, why one of the biggest goals of life is to be okay with death, how a bad breakup and a Comic Con led him to Stoicism, why he cried reading Meditations for the first time, and more.

Troy Baker is a voice actor and musician. Since starting his voice acting career in 1994, he has become known for a wide variety of roles in video games, film, and television, including Joel Miller in The Last of Us, Batman and Joker in various media, and English dubs of Bleach and Fullmetal Alchemist. He currently holds the record for the most acting nominations at the BAFTA Games Awards, with 5. Troy’s work can be found at dpntalent.com/talent/troy-baker and on Twitter @TroyBakerVA.

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Just Keep Going | Solve Problems Early Jun 09, 2023

Show notes

The Stoics accepted that life could be cruel and random. They knew people were stupid and annoying. They did not deny that death was ever present.

You might think the result of these beliefs was a dark and dour worldview. Certainly, many critics of the Stoics have registered that–or potential fans of the Stoics have turned away after a few passages of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations or Epictetus’ writings.

Regardless of how realistic they might have been in their assessment of the world, the Stoics were, on the whole, not despondent.

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And in today's Daily Stoic excerpt reading, Ryan discusses why it is so important for us to solve problems when they arise, rather than waiting for them to grow to an unmanageable size.

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Did You Get Your Bonus? | Ask DS Jun 08, 2023

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Here’s a way to feel good every single day, no matter what happens. A way to appreciate even a day stuck in the airport or putting out fires.

It’s an exercise from Seneca.

A person who wraps up each day as if it were the end of their life, who meditates on their mortality in the evening, Seneca believed, has a super power when they wake up.

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And in today's Ask Daily Stoic, Ryan answers questions during a Q&A sessions after his Stoicism 101 lecture. Topics covered include how Marcus could overlook Commodus's derangement, why the Stoics were ahead on some social issues but behind on others, and how the Stoics quantify the progress of their work.

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Peter Singer On Being Part Of The Solution Jun 07, 2023

Show notes

Ryan speaks with Peter Singer about the tenth anniversary edition of his book The Life You Can Save, why he finds freedom in resisting attachment to material objects, the power of monetary donation to aid people and animals around the world, practical ways that we can help others, and more.

Peter is an Australian professor of moral philosophy who specializes in applied ethics. He is the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, and the founder of the Centre for Human Bioethics at Monash University. He is the author of numerous books and essays focusing on ethics, bioethics, global poverty, and animal rights, including The Most Good You Can Do, "Famine, Affluence, and Morality," and Animal Liberation. Peter is most known for developing and promoting Effective Altruism, the argument that effective giving involves balancing empathy with reason. In 2021, he won the esteemed Berggruen Prize for his work in the field of philosophy, and was awarded one million dollars, all of which he donated to charity.

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Late Is Better Than Never | Robert Greene's Favorite Stoic Lessons Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

What new information could there have possibly been for Seneca, in 62 AD, when he finally broke with Nero? Nero had been deranged for years (as detailed in James Romm’s excellent book Dying Every Day). He had been blood thirsty for years, unfit for leadership since almost the beginning. Seneca knew better from the beginning–the man was a philosopher and historian and could not have been deceived for long.

We can sit here and judge. We can shake our heads in bafflement. But we really shouldn’t.

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And in todays Daily Stoic video excerpt, Ryan shares some of his favorite Stoic lessons passed on by his mentor, Robert Greene. You can watch the full video at youtube.com/watch?v=uhKrwkTp8as.

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