Four Practical Ways to Live Like a Stoic with Ryan Holiday

Many people think Stoicism is about suppressing emotions or accepting suffering with a stiff upper lip. But it’s really about learning to live well, to find peace, courage, and happiness in a chaotic world.

In this episode of Office Hours, I sit down with my friend Ryan Holiday, bestselling author and modern Stoic who has written several books about Stoicism, including his latest, Wisdom Takes Work. Together, we explore how ancient wisdom can help us live better today and why doing the right thing, even when it’s hard, leads to greater happiness.

We talk about how to stay centered in a world that constantly tests our integrity and attention, and what it means to live with temperance and purpose. Stoicism reminds us that we can’t always control what happens, but we can control how we respond, and that choice shapes the life we build.

Where to find Ryan Holiday:

• Website: https://ryanholiday.net

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYmBIKsrzIjdHRuqs2I8nHA

• X: https://x.com/RyanHoliday

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanholiday

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryanholiday

• Podcast: https://dailystoic.com/podcast

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Referenced:

• How to Build a Life

• The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life

• Ryan Holiday’s website

•  Wisdom Takes Work: Learn. Apply. Repeat.

• Robert Greene’s website

• The Stoics: The Philosophy of Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius

• Meditations

• The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph

• Cicero: Philippics 1-6

• De Officiis

• Stoic ethics

• Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness 

• Vipassana meditation

• Seneca, Suasoria 6

• “I” and “Me”: The Self in the Context of Consciousness

• George Bernard Shaw’s quote

• George Washington and Slavery

•  Fame ruined me, but faith saved me: Office Hours meets The Office, with special guest Rainn Wilson