Philosophy is not something most aspire to study now. It is, of course, not an area of study that will earn you millions or make you the next technology czar. Whether you make it your major or not, lessons in philosophy are perhaps the most important one that will shape you no matter what your study. Even after centuries, most of the principles and advice from different schools of philosphy remain evergreen and timeless. In The Daily Stoic, Holiday and Hanselman distill the best from Emperor Marcus Aurelius to the current implementer like none other than Steve Jobs. Stoicism is a way of life that shows you how you can control your thoughts and emotions to lead a happy life.
Ryan Holiday is the bestselling author of multiple books, including The Obstacle Is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy. His books have been translated in twenty languages and his writing has appeared everywhere from the Columbia Journalism Review to Entrepreneur and Fast Company.
Stephen Hanselman is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, where he received a master’s degree while also studying extensively in Harvard’s philosophy department.
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
Author: Ryan Holiday, Stephen Hanselman
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Portfolio (October 18, 2016)
ISBN: 0735211736, 978-0735211735
The Daily Stoic Summary
The world that we live in is the same for everyone – more or less. Some may experience more violence and hardships than others, but the major part of what me make of the world around us in based on our perception. The objective of the Stoics was to give its followers a set of principles they can use to lead a life of content.
The authors help their readers see their current lives through these centuries old principles which are based on Human values and rooted in ethics and logic. They arrange these principles for happy living divided in months starting January. Each month is dedicated to one principle. For example, the first part, which spans from January to April, the authors turn their focus to perceptions and its inherent flaws. If January talks about how to keep Clarity in what we see and experience, April guides the readers on keeping their thoughts unbiased.
But stoicism is much more than clarity of thought. It gives equal stress to how you behave and believes all saintly thoughts are useless, until they manifest in your behavior. Part 2 of the book on these practical aspects of living a life of a stoic. Human health and mortality are one of the weaknesses that can affect anyone. In The Discipline of Will, the authors discuss the source of strength to stay stoic. They discuss the Stoics’ views about Kindness and Virtue and their views on mortality.
The Daily Stoic is the perfect book to to begin the new year. A kind of book that you will want to keep at your bedside, read the pages of the day and meditate on what the words mean. After all, as Epictetus says in Discourses, 2.1.21-23a,
“What is the fruit of these teachings? Only the most beautiful and proper harvest of the truly educated – tranquility, fearlessness, and freedom. We should not trust the masses who say only the free an be educated, but rather the lovers of wisdom who say that only the educated are free.”
The Daily Stoic Reviews
The book has hundred plus readers who have rated the book as a good one to learn about stoicism and the way of stoic life. There are some who feel the book has more commentary and that the actual text is quoted in snippets that are too short. However, reading these philosophical treatises are often difficult to understand and some commentary is always helpful.
“he (Ryan Holiday) offers a ready foothold for those readers who might want to venture further” ~ James Romm, The Wall Street Journal
Stoicism – Additional Reading
Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus