What Limits You?

0:00I'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.

0:33You 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. Look, if you're listening to this podcast, you've probably heard of HelloFresh, right? They're the number one meal kit in America. They make home cooking easier with chef-crafted recipes and fresh ingredients delivered straight to your door. This fall, they're serving up even more to love. It's not the HelloFresh you remember. It's even better. HelloFresh is bigger. They've doubled their menu. You can choose up to 100 options each week.

1:06It's healthier. You can choose from 15 plus high protein recipes, and they now help you eat greener with veggie packed recipes that have two or more veggies per week. And it's tastier. You can get steak and seafood recipes delivered every week for no extra cost. They have three times the seafood options. They also have hearty fall recipes like classic beef chili or honey glazed pork tenderloin. we just got home from a week away we're trying to think about what we're going to eat this week it was such a relief to see that hello fresh box sitting on our doorstep when we got home they've got everything you need for the recipe that they pick out there's no last minute trips to the store plus the meals are delicious and easy to make the best way to cook just got better go to hellofresh.com slash stoic 10 fm to get 10 free meals plus free breakfast for life one box with active subscription.

1:57Free meals applied as a discount on the first box. New subscribers only varies by plan. That's HelloFresh.com Stoic 10 FM to get 10 free meals plus free breakfast for life.

2:11Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, where each day we bring you a passage of ancient wisdom designed to help you find strength, insight, and wisdom in everyday life. Each one of these passages is based on the 2 ,000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at dailysteic.com.

2:39What limits you? There wasn't anyone who could tell Marcus Aurelius what to do, and yet he was still quite circumscribed. Again, not by Roman law, but by something much more voluntary. Marcus Aurelius subordinated himself to philosophy. He fought, as he said, to be the person that philosophy tried to make him. When he was betrayed by Avidius Cassius in 175 AD, he had immense power and latitude to deal with the problem. Blood could have run in the streets. His enemies could have been eliminated one by one, as previous emperors had done when threatened. Instead, Marcus Aurelius not only tried to deal with the problem peacefully, but he instructed the Senate that he would not accept reprisals on his behalf either.

3:21As we talked about before, as a Roman male in a time of slavery and again as emperor, Marcus Rius had incredible power over human beings in his household too. Yet he writes with pride in Meditations, which was written to himself, about how he never laid a hand on anyone. It's not too much to say that Marcus Rius was a slave himself, a slave to philosophy. He was supremely powerful, and yet he was also not free, because he had chosen to live according to the Stoics, and they had given him a clear set of directions and rules about what he was allowed to do and not allowed to do. D. H. Lawrence once wrote sneeringly that Benjamin Franklin's view of virtue was that of a horse in a paddock, fenced in on all sides.

4:03But that's precisely what Marcus Aurelius loved about virtue. Instead of chafing at these constraints, he saw them for what they were, Boundaries, protections. They were protections against himself. Protections against being Caesarified and stained purple by his corrupting position. That kept him good in a job and a world that had created so many bad people. And what about you? You're not emperor, but you've still been blessed with incredible privileges, freedoms, and opportunities. Perhaps you have no small amount of power and authority too. This is great. But what limits do you impose on yourself?

4:39What protects you from yourself? What keeps you in line? What keeps you good?

4:58My 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.

5:28From 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. You hear that? That's not just a Toyota truck. That's the sound of no crowds. No alerts. No distractions.

6:10And no telling what you'll find next. You know, like a detour. So why would you ever take a tour when you could take a detour? Toyota Trucks.