Don’t Worry What They Tell Themselves When You’re Away | There is Philosophy in Everything

0:00It's time for Cyber Monday, Dell Technologies biggest sale of the year. That's right, you'll find the lowest prices of the year on select Dell PCs like the Dell 16 Plus with Intel Core Ultra processors. And with built-in advanced AI features, it's the PC that helps you do more faster. From smarter multitasking to extended battery life, these PCs get the busy work done so you can focus on what matters most to you. Plus, you can earn Dell rewards and join many other benefits like free shipping, expert support, price match guarantee, and flexible financing options. They also have the biggest deals on accessories that pair perfectly with your Dell PC, improving the way you work, play, and connect.

0:38Whether you just got started holiday shopping or you're finishing up, these PCs and accessories make perfect gifts for everyone on your list. Shop now at dell.com slash deals and don't miss out on the best prices of the year. That's dell.com slash deals.

0:54I'm picking my kids up from school today and then doing our weekly routine, which is I take them over to Whole Foods. and we get all our groceries for the week. Then we have dinner. It's one of their favorite things to do. It's one of my favorite things to do. And then my wife loves it because she doesn't have to take care of it. This holiday season, whether you're a guest or hosting the big dinner Whole Foods Market has what you need to delight everyone at your table. They even have heat and eat sides from the prepared foods department. You can make Whole Foods your one-stop shop. Everything follows Whole Foods Market's strict ingredients standards so you know it'll be delicious and good for you.

1:28You can also order online for pickup and even delivery in select zip codes to skip the crowds. Shop everything you need at Whole Foods Market, your holiday headquarters.

1:41Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast. On Friday, we do double duty, not just reading our daily meditation, but also reading a passage from the Daily Stoic, my book, 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living, which I wrote with my wonderful collaborator, translator, and literary agent, Stephen Hanselman. So today, we'll give you a quick meditation from the Stoics with some analysis from me, and then we'll send you out into the world to turn these words into works.

2:21Don't worry what they say when you're away. It would be wonderful if people were admired for doing the right thing, if we respected people of character and honor, if we appreciated differences and uniqueness and people who marched to their own beat. But of course we don't, at least usually not in their own lifetimes. Cato, it's worth remembering, was hated in his own time. Diogenes, we can't forget, was an exile. Socrates is beloved and celebrated now, but what did Athens think of all his questioning and his peculiarities? They sentenced him to death for it. Cato knew that he was walking along a lonely road.

2:57He prepared for it, practiced making himself indifferent to other people's opinions, famously walking barefoot and bareheaded just to get used to drawing judgmental eyes. From meditations, it's clear that Marcus Aurelius struggled with the fact that his job came with criticism and doubts and even angry mobs. Yet that's what he was using meditations for, to steel himself against these jeers and attacks, reminding himself that what mattered is whether he thought something was right, whether he was being true to himself. We can't trouble ourselves with what other people say about us when we're away, as the song goes.

3:33We can't expect or even hope to be universally loved or understood. In fact, we should be prepared for the opposite, because no one who ever did anything new or difficult did it without criticism or doubters. We have to cultivate our own strong sense of values and virtues. We have to honor this sense and follow it. We have to be who we are, not what they want us to be. Whether the crowd appreciates us for this at the time or later is not our concern.

4:10Hey, it's Ryan Holiday. Welcome to another episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast. There is philosophy in everything. This is the March 24th entry in the Daily Stoic, 366 meditations on wisdom, perseverance, and the art of living. Holding the hardcover here. Maybe you like audiobooks, you want to listen to the audiobook. You can grab the Leatherband edition in the Daily Stoics store. You can grab an ebook version if you want. But today's quote is from Epictetus' Discourses. We had our streak of many Marx Reelist entries in a row, and now I think we're on an equally long Epictetus streak. Epictetus says, eat like a human being, drink like a human being, dress up, marry, have children, get politically active, suffer abuse, bear with a headstrong brother, father, son, neighbor, or companions.

5:04Show us these things so that we can see that you truly have learned from the philosophers. That's Epictetus's Discourses 321. Plutarch, a Roman biographer as well as an admirer of the Stoics, although not always he had his disagreements, he didn't begin his study of the greats of Roman literature until late in life, but as he recounts in his biography of Demosthenes, he was surprised at how quickly it all came at him. He wrote, it wasn't so much the words that brought me into a full understanding of events as that somehow I had a personal experience of the events that allowed me to follow closely the meaning of the words.

5:42This is what Epictetus means about the study of philosophy. Study, yes, but go live your life as well. It's the only way that you'll actually understand what any of it means. More importantly, it's only from your actions and choices over time that it will be possible to see whether you took any of the teachings to heart. Be aware of that today when you're going to work, going on a date, deciding whom to vote for, calling your parents in the evening, waving to your neighbor as you walked your door, tipping the delivery man, saying goodnight to someone you love. All of that is philosophy. All of it is experience that brings meaning to the words.

6:17You know, there's another quote from Plutarch. He was talking about Socrates and he said, you know, Socrates didn't teach as he sat down at his desk and lectured his students. He taught and how he lived his life, how he served in the army, how he walked through the marketplace, how he talked to his wife, how he talked to his children. He taught his students, he said, as he drank the hemlock and died. Socrates wasn't talking about his philosophy. He was, as Epictetus said, embodying his philosophy. They didn't talk about it. He was about it, right? Don't talk about it, be about it. But what I like from this, what I think is important that we realized with the Stoics is that the philosophers weren't these kind of abstract, theoretical people.

7:07The Stoics were living their lives. They were engaged in the world. They were philosophers not in the classroom, not on the rostrum. They weren't philosophers writing their works. They were philosophers in how they raised their kids, how they dealt with being tired from a long, dusty day of travel. They were philosophers in disputes, philosophers when they were sick, philosophers visiting their family over the holidays, right? Philosophy was something you applied to life, but not in the big, magnificent, heroic moments, but the regular, the ordinary, the simply human moments. And that this is what really tests us.

7:57This is what really challenges us. But this is also the opportunity. You know, when Mark Sherely says the obstacle is the way, he isn't actually talking about major crises. He's talking about obnoxious people who are getting in our way. There's another great quote. I'm forgetting who said it, but I know I just put it in the new edition of The Obstacle's Way. I've been working on it. She said something like, anyone can be great in a crisis. It takes power and strength and fortitude to be resilient and philosophical in the ordinary everydayness of life. That's the challenge. That's why I call it the daily stoic.

8:35Something you apply every day in big situations and little ones alike. like ordinary and extraordinary as a family member, as a friend, as a spouse, as a parent, as an academic, as a mechanic, as emperor, as a slave. That's what stoicism is really about. And I think it's a worthy reminder. And I just, I think it's such a wonderful, cool thing to think of that idea from Epictetus, making its way to Marcus Aurelius and then him having to put it in practice. How different all their lives were. Anyways, that's my stoic message for today. I'll leave you there and talk to you all very soon.

9:35My family owns a 2023 Toyota 4Runner and honestly, it's my favorite vehicle that I've ever owned. Around town, it's smooth and reliable, but where it really shines is on our trips into the backcountry. We've taken it on backpacking adventures to Colorado and New Mexico, loaded it up with gear, and never had to think twice about whether it could handle the terrain. That's what Toyota trucks are built for. Off-road confidence, rugged durability, and the freedom to explore. Toyota has a long history with the outdoor community, and they're committed to helping more people get out there and experience what nature has to offer.

10:04From remote trails to scenic byways, Toyota Trucks empowers you to take the detour, roam freely, and discover places that still feel wild and untouched. And they're not just making great trucks. They're working to expand access to adventure so more people can connect with the outdoors and pass that passion on to the next generation. Discover your uncharted territory. Learn more at toyota.com slash trucks slash adventure dash detours. That's toyota.com slash trucks slash adventure dash detours. The world is full of tours. But you don't choose a Toyota truck to follow the beaten path. You choose it to find the places in between.

10:44The detours, where each adventure pulls you toward the next. And wrong turns turn out right. So why would you ever take a tour when you could take a detour? Toyota Trucks.