Book Byte #340 "The Daily Stoic" by Ryan Holiday

366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living

📣 Curious Quotes from the Author

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

“BE RUTHLESS TO THE THINGS THAT DON’T MATTER “How many have laid waste to your life when you weren’t aware of what you were losing, how much was wasted in pointless grief, foolish joy, greedy desire, and social amusements—how little of your own was left to you. You will realize you are dying before your time!” —SENECA, ON THE BREVITY OF LIFE

“If a person gave away your body to some passerby, you’d be furious. Yet you hand over your mind to anyone who comes along, so they may abuse you, leaving it disturbed and troubled—have you no shame in that?” —EPICTETUS

“What we desire makes us vulnerable.”

“All you need are these: certainty of judgment in the present moment; action for the common good in the present moment; and an attitude of gratitude in the present moment for anything that comes your way.”

“It may take some hard work. But the more you say no to the things that don’t matter, the more you can say yes to the things that do.”

“Control your perceptions. Direct your actions properly. Willingly accept what’s outside your control.”

“We should not trust the masses who say only the free can be educated, but rather the lovers of wisdom who say that only the educated are free.”

“Most of us are afraid of dying. But sometimes this fear begs the question: To protect what exactly? For a lot of people the answer is: hours of television, gossiping, gorging, wasting potential, reporting to a boring job, and on and on and on. Except, in the strictest sense, is this actually a life? Is this worth gripping so tightly and being afraid of losing? It doesn’t sound like it.”

📚 Cognition of the Book’s Big Idea

Above all, stoicism is a pragmatic philosophy. It offers a set of guiding principles that can assist you in making better decisions in life rather than only serving as an abstract framework for introspection. Successful use of stoicism will make you believe in more than simply your own skills. You can better yourself and society at large by being resolute and self-motivated. Here's one more piece of practical guidance.

Don't look to other things for happiness.
Appreciating nice clothes or a square meal is perfectly acceptable, but the more we use outside factors to determine our level of satisfaction, the less free we become. Therefore, consider what worthwhile action you may be performing in place of chasing likes on social media or attempting to improve your mood with an expensive buy. The impacts are going to endure a lot longer.

Until Tomorrow,
Jason (Founder Club255)