The Daily Stoic Podcast

Episode: You Don’t Have To Be Lucky, You Just Have To Be Good
Host: Ryan Holiday
Date: December 17, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ryan Holiday explores the Stoic perspective on luck versus moral action, arguing that greatness isn't a matter of being lucky enough to face grand events, but about being good—and courageous—in whatever time or situation you find yourself in. Drawing from history, contemporary challenges, and his own Virtue series, Holiday encourages listeners to stop waiting for fate or destiny to tap them on the shoulder and to actively seek opportunities to practice virtue, make a difference, and create their own “moral luck.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Moral Luck vs. Moral Action

• Holiday references “moral luck”—the concept that some people only become heroes because circumstances give them the opportunity (03:08).
• He challenges this mindset, noting, “The Stoics would say that there is no such thing as small events, that we all have a chance, indeed an obligation, to get involved in the issue of our time, to try to make a positive difference wherever it is in our control.” (03:25)
• Rather than waiting for grand historical moments, we should focus on being good people in all circumstances.

2. Historical Context & The Myth of “Small Events”

• Using Churchill’s description of the Earl of Rosebery—that he lived in an “age of great men and small events”—Holiday points out that even in seemingly uneventful times, major injustices (slavery, colonial oppression, poverty) persisted and were ignored by many who could have acted (02:28–03:20).
• “Millions starved, millions were abused, countless things went uninvented, unreformed and unchampioned.” (03:17)

3. Call to Modern Action

• Holiday turns the lens to the present: “The world was just rocked by a pandemic that killed millions. What did you do to help income inequality, climate change?” (03:30)
• There are always places to demonstrate courage and justice—locally and globally—in issues large and small.

4. Virtue is About Action, Not Waiting

• Stoicism isn’t passive, it’s about creating opportunities for goodness: “It doesn't matter whether the events are big or small. What matters is if you are a big or a small person, a brave and a just or a cowardly and a selfish person.” (04:00)
• The focus isn’t on luck or circumstance, but on actively choosing to do the right thing—always.

5. Bringing Stoic Principles Together

• Holiday connects these themes to his own books, Courage Is Calling and Right Thing, Right Now:
  “We don’t need to wait for these big moments to make a difference. We can get involved, we can do things. We can decide to be a great person and involved in great events, or we can be a great person making a difference in a small way.” (04:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Heroism and Opportunity:
  “Not everyone finds themselves in a position to reveal some world changing government secret. Not everyone is there when somebody falls into the water and can't swim…But the Stoics would say that there is no such thing as small events.”
  — Ryan Holiday, 03:05

• On Conscious Involvement:
  “Are you doing anything about this?...How are you helping? What are you doing? How are you acting like a stoic as opposed to just being stoic?”
  — Ryan Holiday, 03:50

• On Making Your Own Moral Luck:
  “You can make your own moral luck. In fact, you must.”
  — Ryan Holiday, 04:18

• On Everyday Bravery:
  “It doesn't matter whether the events are big or small. What matters is if you are a big or a small person, a brave and a just or a cowardly and a selfish person.”
  — Ryan Holiday, 04:00

Important Timestamps

• 00:35 — Daily Stoic Podcast episode proper begins: framing episode theme
• 02:28 — Historical context: the “small events” myth and Churchill quote
• 03:25 — Explanation of Stoic response to moral luck
• 03:50 — Direct call to action: What are you doing?
• 04:21 — Connection to the Virtue series & the imperative to act
• 05:05 — Final Stoic reflections before the episode shifts to ad content

Tone & Language

Ryan Holiday’s delivery is earnest, engaging, and motivational. He mixes rhetorical questions with historical examples and modern relevance, urging listeners away from passivity and toward active Stoic engagement with the world in both small and large acts of virtue.

Summary Takeaway

You don’t have to wait for history to call your name—by living with virtue, seeking out ways to act justly and courageously, and not waiting on luck or drama, you can make a meaningful difference. Stoicism is about action, not just attitude.