Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman, The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living. Portfolio, 20216. ISBN: 9780735211735.
This is a devotional style book that presents a daily quote from a Stoic philosopher. You get 366 days, which covers leap years. The book includes quotes from Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius, plus a few others. The book authors strive to present Stoicism as a tool for wisdom, perseverance, and good living.
The book is arranged as follows:
- Introduction. Stoicism is defined, and we get a short historical overview. Introduction presents the three Stoic disciplines. The book is then arranged based on the three disciplines.
- Part I: Discipline of Perception. This covers January to April. Each month has a theme too: January (Clarity), February (Passions and emotions), March (Awareness), and April (Unbiased thought).
- Part II: Discipline of Action. Covers May (Right Action), June (Problem solving), July (Duty), and August (Pragmatism).
- Part III: Discipline of Will. Covers September (Fortitude and resilience), October (Virtue and kindness), November (Acceptance), and December (Meditation on mortality).
- Staying Stoic. Book authors' short promotion of their Stoic website.
- A model of late Stoic practice and a glossary of key terms and passages.
- A word on the translations, references, and sources.
- Suggestions for further reading. A small list of books to read and learn more. They also recommend reading from the Loeb Classics series.
Each daily entry includes: date, a headline/title, Stoic quote, and interpretation and lesson from the book authors about the quote. The interpretation is 2-3 paragraphs of text. The entries overall are all in one page. The explanation and interpretation explains the quote, provides some modern context, and can provide some reflection questions too.
If you want to have a daily message on how to live life better and some advice, this book is a good option. It can also be a good option for readers who want a short daily read that is also secular. Messages are good and practical. For me, I am sure for some other readers, it is interesting to see the Stoics faced some of the same issues we face today. Much of their advice is very relevant in the Hard Times we live in.
The book overall is a good read. You can read it as a daily reader. I think the book works better when you pick it up and just browse to find something inspiring at the moment. It is not all positive and sunshine. Some quotes can be challenging, so is life. Still, it can provide some good practical advice. I liked it.
3 out of 5 stars.
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Additional reading notes. Here are some quotes from the book I'd like to remember with a bit of my commentary.
On the power of being able to say "I don't know" or at times better yet say "I don't care."
"If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous matters-- don't wish to seem knowledgeable. And if some regard you as important--distrust yourself" --Epictetus, Enchiridion, 13a (38).
You don't have to follow or keep up with everything. Aside from being informed at a basic level, there is a lot you can let go and not worry about. Declutter your mind. Now key here is appearing to be clueless; it does not mean you are actually clueless or stupid. You just let others think whatever they wish, and you go along. I can be informed and knowledgeable without the need to show it off. Plus there are things you can choose not to know nor keep up, and you'll do fine. As the book authors ask in the entry:
"How much more time, energy, and pure brainpower would you have available if you drastically cut your media consumption? How more more rested and present would you feel if you were no longer excited and outraged by every scandal, breaking story, and potential crisis (many of which never come to pass anyway)?" (38).
In recent years, for me cutting back on media consumption, especially news and current events is a work in progress. It's why I have a media and reading moratorium on politics, social issues, and activist material. Doing what I can to keep sane and calm. As much as possible let others waste energy on outrage. It does not mean I am totally uninformed. It means I severely limit exposure and keep quiet, try to focus on the positive. As I said, a work in progress for me.
Along with the above, here is a reminder you don't have to have an opinion. You can allow some things to be irrelevant and/or nonexistent to you:
"We have the power to hold no opinion about a thing and to not let it upset our state of mind-- for things have no natural power to shape our judgments" --Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.52 (49).
A reminder it is OK to ask for help:
"Don't be ashamed of needing help. You have a duty to fulfill just like a soldier on the wall of battle. So what if you are injured and can't climb up without another soldier's help" --Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.7 (182).
A reminder to give thanks and be grateful:
"In all things we should try to make ourselves be as grateful as possible. For gratitude is a good thing for ourselves, in a manner in which justice, commonly held to belong to others, is not. Gratitude pays itself back in large measure" --Seneca, Moral Letters, 81.19 (385).
Note: Book is subject to my boycott of publishers against Internet Archive. I read it prior to March 27, 2023. Portfolio is part of PRH group. It will not be promoted further on social media.
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