Bitcoin Audible – Read_929: Bitcoin, Stoicism, and Our Relationship With Time

Host: Guy Swann
Date: January 27, 2026
Guest Read: Piece by Connor Dolan

Episode Overview

This episode of Bitcoin Audible explores the profound relationship between Bitcoin, Stoicism, and our approach to time and personal growth. Guy Swann reads an essay by Connor Dolan that traces his personal journey from a high-time preference lifestyle—marked by youthful indulgence and mainstream financial habits—toward a more disciplined, low-time preference mindset inspired by Bitcoin and Stoic philosophy. The episode dives into how sound money and the practice of Stoicism mutually reinforce each other, sharpening self-mastery and enabling a life lived with intention and sovereignty.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Marshmallow Experiment & Fiat Incentives

[00:00-03:00]

• The episode opens with a twist on the classic Stanford marshmallow experiment:
  • In reverse, children watch their treat shrink if they wait—mirroring today's fiat money, where value erodes over time due to inflation.
  • This system incentivizes immediacy and high time preference—spending now out of common sense, not impatience.
• Quote:

  “That’s exactly how our money works today. The longer you hold onto it, the less it’s worth. In this way, fiat systems incentivize a high-time preference lifestyle.” – Connor Dolan ([00:01:20])

2. Personal Story: Time, Habits, and Money

[03:01–12:30]

• Connor Dolan shares his personal history:

  • His youth spent on video games, and his mother urging him to consider, "Is this how you want to be spending your time?"
  • An early introduction to the value of saving, thanks to his father’s kitchen-counter coin game.
  • Early jobs and finance career (Capital Group, BlackRock), but realizing only later that he never understood the real foundations of money.

• First Bitcoin purchase in 2017 was motivated by FOMO, not understanding. The subsequent crash was an emotional and financial blow.

• Discovery of The Bitcoin Standard and the powerful concept of time preference:

  • Austrian economics and the marshmallow experiment as metaphors for delayed gratification.
  • Realization that modern fiat disincentivizes saving:

    “Saving feels pointless. It’s not impulsivity, it’s survival logic in a system that penalizes patience.” ([Connor Dolan, 00:10:45])

3. Bitcoin’s Impact: Shifting Mindsets and Life Choices

[12:31–22:00]

• The promise of Bitcoin as sound money anchors hope and long-term thinking.

  • Vision of a life not chained to the 9-to-5, but one of freedom and intentionality.
  • Adopts a lower consumption lifestyle—calculating every purchase in “sats” (satoshis), the smallest unit of Bitcoin.

• Changes in daily habits:

  • Saying “no” to expensive brunches, returning to creative pursuits, prioritizing reading and self-education over fleeting pleasures.
  • Quote:

    “Saying no didn’t feel like deprivation. It felt like practicing voluntary restraint, trading fleeting indulgence for something sturdier.” – Connor Dolan ([00:19:05])

4. Bitcoin as a Mirror for Our Relationship with Time

[22:01–27:30]

• Bitcoin’s absolute scarcity mirrors the scarcity of time.
• Forces a “zoom out” view: thinking not just in weeks but decades, planning for generational impact, legacy, and financial sovereignty.
• Rekindles belief that the future is worth investing in and building toward.

  “If I value bitcoin because it is perfectly scarce, why wouldn’t I treat my hours with the same reverence?” ([00:24:20])

5. Stoicism: Inner Discipline Meets Financial Sovereignty

[27:31–37:30]

• Introduction to Stoicism via a colleague:

  • Focus on what you can control (your thoughts/actions), acceptance of what you cannot, echoed in key Stoic thinkers (Epictetus, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius).
  • Stoicism prevalent among Bitcoiners, perhaps because both address the scarcity and value of time.

• Daily practices inspired by the Daily Stoic podcast, integration of Stoic principles into everyday decision-making.

  • Emphasis on staying present, investing attention in today, not being owned by regrets or anxieties about the future.

• Notable Quotes:

  “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus, quoted by Connor Dolan ([00:30:30])
  “The whole future lies in uncertainty. Live immediately.” – Seneca ([00:33:00])
  “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” – Marcus Aurelius ([00:35:40])

6. Synergy: Bitcoin and Stoicism as Complementary Tools

[37:31–41:00]

• Bitcoin encourages thinking decades ahead (“the map”), while Stoicism encourages presence and right action today (“the compass”).

  • Together, they form a system for navigating life with purpose—anchored both in the moment and oriented toward the future.
  • Both disciplines prompt the recurring question: “How am I spending my time?”

• Quote:

  “Bitcoin and Stoicism form a rare kind of synergy, a way of living that honors both today and tomorrow.” – Connor Dolan ([00:39:35])

• Bitcoin as a daily training ground for Stoic virtues: patience, discipline, emotional control. No more obsessing over price swings.

  “Bitcoin and Stoicism don’t just complement each other, they sharpen each other. And together, they have pushed me further than I could have gone with just one or the other.” – Connor Dolan ([00:41:00])

7. Practical Takeaways: For the Listener

[41:01–44:30]

• You don’t need to be a philosopher or technologist to start with either Bitcoin or Stoicism.
• Both demand questioning the default and having the courage to explore a different path.
• Actionable suggestion:

  “If you’re into Bitcoin but haven’t explored Stoicism, there’s a lot waiting for you there... If you’re into Stoicism but haven’t explored Bitcoin, you might find it’s not just about money. It’s about sovereignty, discipline, and aligning your time with your values.” ([00:43:10])

• Start simple: buy $10 of bitcoin or a copy of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.

Guy Swann’s Reflections and Commentary

8. Gaming, Time, and Bitcoin Audible’s Origin

[44:31–57:00]

• Guy shares his own parallel journey:

  • Hours lost to games like League of Legends—fueled by game mechanics that incentivize daily play (“first win of the day”).
  • Realization of the preciousness of time, experience of frustration after lost gaming nights that “could have been the night I started the show.”
  • Decision to uninstall games and reinvest that energy into creating Bitcoin Audible.

• Quote:

  “How many nights do I have like this? Really? How many do I have left? And how many will be wasted… instead of actually starting to build something?” – Guy Swann ([00:53:10])

9. Bitcoin as a System for Action and Agency

[57:01–69:30]

• Bitcoin changes not just money habits, but the entire mindset around time, cost, and value.

  • Less about pure frugality, more about maximizing the value of time and investments, especially for family and personal growth.
  • Pre-Bitcoin, the future was vague and handwavy; post-Bitcoin it becomes concrete, actionable, a matter of stacking small blocks every day.

• Sound money allows “breaking down the future into actionable small steps,” making big goals—like financial independence—feel attainable.

• Comparison with fiat: inflation breeds vagueness, debt, and dependency (“strings attached”), making autonomy and sovereignty intangible.

  “Fiat is a lie to completely divorce what appears to be financial success from the reality … If there is anything that success ought to be, it’s choice. It’s that you are the one in control.” – Guy Swann ([01:05:20])

10. Family, Long-Term Thinking, and Changing Values

[69:31–80:00]

• Having children drastically changed Guy’s sense of time, trade-offs, and what he values.

  • Activities once viewed as fun (gaming, going out) now seen as costly in time and opportunity.
  • The desire for a concrete long-term plan for family and legacy, rather than vague wishful thinking.

• Longer time horizons lead to clearer, actionable steps for financial sovereignty.

• Quote:

  “The idea of my future was never concrete before Bitcoin. It was always this kind of handwavy, ‘oh, everything’s gonna work out…’ Now, suddenly ten years out is a very short time, with some very key and explicit opportunities I need to take action on today.” – Guy Swann ([01:13:10])

11. Bitcoin as Agency, Autonomy, and Legacy

[80:01–87:00]

• Bitcoin and personal agency: Concrete, small, accumulative actions build up to long-term goals—no more dependence on others’ strings (e.g., debt, employers, political systems).

  • Fiat incentivizes debt, dependency, and uncertainty.
  • Bitcoin enables real sovereignty: “no strings,” only your choices and deliberate actions.

  “Bitcoin presents the image... enables the simplicity of seeing—by stacking one sat at a time, working toward that future.” – Guy Swann ([01:19:45])

• Debt is always a trade-off, one that in fiat is especially toxic since those who issue it often “didn’t even earn the money.”

  • Conversely, stacking sats is concrete, actionable, and empowering.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “That’s exactly how our money works today. The longer you hold onto it, the less it’s worth. In this way, fiat systems incentivize a high-time preference lifestyle.” – Connor Dolan [00:01:20]
• “Saving feels pointless. It’s not impulsivity, it’s survival logic in a system that penalizes patience.” – Connor Dolan [00:10:45]
• “Saying no didn’t feel like deprivation. It felt like practicing voluntary restraint, trading fleeting indulgence for something sturdier.” – Connor Dolan [00:19:05]
• “If I value bitcoin because it is perfectly scarce, why wouldn’t I treat my hours with the same reverence?” – Connor Dolan [00:24:20]
• “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus (quoted) [00:30:30]
• “The whole future lies in uncertainty. Live immediately.” – Seneca (quoted) [00:33:00]
• “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” – Marcus Aurelius (quoted) [00:35:40]
• “Bitcoin and Stoicism form a rare kind of synergy, a way of living that honors both today and tomorrow.” – Connor Dolan [00:39:35]
• “Bitcoin and Stoicism don’t just complement each other, they sharpen each other…” – Connor Dolan [00:41:00]
• “How many nights do I have like this? Really? How many do I have left? And how many will be wasted… instead of actually starting to build something?” – Guy Swann [00:53:10]
• “Fiat is a lie to completely divorce what appears to be financial success from the reality … If there is anything that success ought to be, it’s choice. It’s that you are the one in control.” – Guy Swann [01:05:20]
• “The idea of my future was never concrete before Bitcoin... Now, suddenly ten years out is a very short time, with some very key and explicit opportunities I need to take action on today.” – Guy Swann [01:13:10]
• “Bitcoin presents the image... enables the simplicity of seeing—by stacking one sat at a time, working toward that future.” – Guy Swann [01:19:45]

Thematic Summary

• Bitcoin exposes the flaws of fiat currency: constant debasement punishes saving and long-term thinking.
• Bitcoin and Stoicism together: offer a framework for both macro (future) and micro (present) decision-making.
• Personal transformation: Both practices lead to improved habits, clearer values, and greater alignment between intention and action.
• Agency and purpose: By thinking in decades and acting consciously each day, individuals reassert control over their financial future and their use of time.
• Actionable philosophy: Start small; practice Stoic principles, accumulate Bitcoin, and continually re-examine how you spend your most scarce resource—time.

This episode is a highly recommended listen for anyone interested in how Bitcoin’s hard-coded scarcity and Stoic philosophy can sharpen both personal finance and inner discipline, reorienting your life toward what matters most: purposeful use of time and the pursuit of freedom.