Podcast Summary: The Daily Stoic – "It Can Make You Great | Accepting What Is"

Date: October 28, 2025
Host: Ryan Holiday

Overview

In this reflective episode, Ryan Holiday explores the ancient Stoic principles that helped history’s greatest leaders achieve self-mastery and contentment. The central theme revolves around the power of acceptance, drawing on classic Stoic texts and integrating the nuanced idea of “accepting what is”—not with resignation, but with an active embrace. Ryan questions, applies, and even critiques the teachings of Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, encouraging listeners to thoughtfully adapt Stoicism for their own modern challenges.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Enduring Power of Stoicism (00:00–03:50)

Stoicism has guided generals, politicians, athletes, and leaders for centuries.
Marcus Aurelius is highlighted as a model of virtue and discipline despite possessing absolute power.
- “He was the most powerful man in the world. And yet still he worked hard, sought peace, remained compassionate. He didn’t indulge himself in pleasures…” (01:20)
Ryan invites listeners to imagine the transformational potential of Stoicism: “If you could be disciplined even amidst incredible success as well as difficulty, how much more could you accomplish?” (02:13)

Applying Ancient Wisdom to Modern Life (03:51–07:40)

Ryan discusses practical approaches to Stoic teachings, expanding on his Stoicism 101 course and experiences teaching Stoicism to diverse audiences (NFL, Fortune 500, TED, etc.).
Stoicism is presented as an “essential tool in the pursuit of self-mastery, perseverance and wisdom. A way to live the good life.” (03:10)

Accepting What Is: The Serenity Prayer & Stoic Parallels (13:50–18:30)

The episode’s central meditation draws inspiration from Reinhold Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer:
- “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…”
Ryan draws connections between classic Stoic acceptance and the prayer’s wisdom.
Notable quote: “The Stoics wanted to push past simply accepting what is. They wanted us to be grateful and happy with what is.” (14:19)
Exploration of Epictetus’ teachings:
- “We get a well-flowing life when we wish for what is going to happen, not for what we want to happen.” (14:37)
Marcus Aurelius is quoted:
- “All you need are certainty of judgment in the present moment, action for the common good... and an attitude of gratitude in the present moment for anything that comes your way.” (16:00)

Notable Quotes & Key Passages

Epictetus (Enchiridion 8):
“Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will and then your life will flow well.” (15:23)
Epictetus (Discourses 1:12):
“To be truly educated means this: learning to wish that each thing happens exactly as it does.” (15:35)
Marcus Aurelius (Meditations 9:6):
“All you need are 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.” (16:00)

A Critical Look at Acceptance (18:30–23:10)

Ryan explores the origins and surprisingly recent history of the Serenity Prayer, noting its ageless feeling.
- “It honestly sounds like something that could come from the Stoics.” (17:25)
He questions Epictetus’ unwavering acceptance of his harsh life, pointing out:
- “Nowhere in Epictetus’ writings does he really question whether any of it was right or fair, whether anything could be done about it.” (19:40)
Ryan encourages modern listeners to balance acceptance with constructive action:
- “We live in a world now where people have more agency… because people were willing to fight for it and change.” (20:10)

Memorable Reflection

“I just don’t want Epictetus to be misinterpreted as some sort of rationalization or acceptance of profound injustices… Progress depends on the unreasonable man.” (21:45)
Listeners are invited to debate and push back on Stoic teachings:
- “They weren’t perfect. They were products of their time… And we can challenge and debate and argue with them as long as we think we’re getting them closer to what the wisdom of the Stoics actually mean.” (22:40)

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

On Stoic Acceptance:
“Not ‘I wish this was different and I’ll tolerate it,’ but ‘I’m glad it happened this way. It’s for the best.’” (14:28)
On Personal Agency:
“Obviously the Stoics are mostly right that so much of what happens in this world is outside of our control. We should accept it. Resenting it, crying over it, whining about it, simply wishing it was otherwise does not do anything.” (20:45)
On Healthy Skepticism:
“I want you to be okay pushing back and questioning things from the Stoics as well. They weren’t perfect… And we can challenge and debate and argue with them.” (22:38)

Important Timestamps

00:00–03:50 – Setting the stage: Marcus Aurelius, the transformative potential of Stoicism
03:51–07:40 – Stoicism 101 and practical applications
13:50–18:30 – Core meditation: accepting what is, with Stoic and Serenity Prayer comparisons
18:30–23:10 – Critical examination of acceptance, agency, and challenging Stoicism

Tone & Conclusion

Ryan Holiday delivers his meditations in a thoughtful, conversational tone, weaving philosophical rigor with gentle skepticism and encouragement for growth. The episode’s core message is that while accepting what is can lead to tranquility, it’s just as important to recognize when action is required. Listeners are empowered not only to learn from the Stoics—but also to thoughtfully, critically engage with their teachings and adapt them for a just, fulfilling modern life.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Foreign welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast where each day we bring you a Stoic inspired meditation designed to help you find strength and insight and wisdom into everyday life. Each one of these episodes is Based on the 2000 year old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. Help you learn from them, to follow in their example, and to start your day off with a little dose of courage and discipline and justice and wisdom. For more visit Dailystoic.com it can make you great. Just so you know, the 2025 live session of Stoicism 101 Ancient Philosophy for your actual life is starting in just a few weeks. It's going to start on the 10th. Don't miss your chance to join us to do a deep dive into Stoicism and I'd love to have you in there. It's one of my favorite things that we do every year. We're told that absolute power corrupts absolutely. And yet it didn't with Marcus Aurelius. As Emperor of Rome, he was the most powerful man in the world. And yet still he worked hard, sought peace, remained compassionate. He didn't indulge himself in pleasures. In the depths of Rome's financial crisis, he even sold off his own possessions to raise money for the country. He was especially good and decent compared to his predecessors and many other powerful leaders throughout history, and you might say even leaders in contemporary times. So what made Marcus Aurelius different? What were his secrets to success, resiliency and productivity? And how did he master his emotions and maintain such self control? How might you apply these lessons to your own life? Imagine if you had the tools to be less angry, less distracted, less impulsive. If you could be disciplined even amidst incredible success as well as difficulty, how much more time would you have? How much more could you accomplish? How much greater could you be? Would it make you a better leader? A better partner, a better friend? How would it feel if you were more content with yourself, less anxious of what others thought of you? How much more time would you have to achieve your goals and focus on the things that really matter in life? Well, that's what Stoicism is about. That's what it can do for you. Because this is a philosophy designed for the real world. To solve real problems is a essential tool, I say, in the pursuit of self mastery, perseverance and wisdom. A way to live the good life. So if you want to learn how to apply Stoicism to your actual everyday life, I'd love to have you join us in Stoicism. 101 Ancient philosophy for your actual life. It's the best practices and routines of Stoicism all delivered in 14 days. As we've said here before, Stoicism is like the secret weapon of so many great men and women of history. And that's what we dig into in stoicism 1. I've taught stoicism everywhere from NFL locker rooms to Fortune 500 boardrooms, in front of TED audiences and millions of people all over the world. And I'll be your personal teacher as we dive into the 101 of stoicism. It's 14 days, two live Q&As with me. There's gonna be a private discussion board, all the previously recorded office hours from the other times we've run stoicism 101 along with a bunch of other awesome stuff. And to join us you have to sign up by Monday, November 10th. That's when it start. I'll link to that in today's show notes or you can just go to dailystoic.com 101 to join us. This podcast is sponsored by Zbiotics and their game changing product Pre Alcohol. By taking Zbiotics Pre Alcohol, drinking alcohol no longer means you have to make the choice between a great night or a great next day. You can enjoy a night out and still feel ready to have a productive day the next morning. 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Would your family be prepared financially if something were to happen to you? If something did happen, do you want them to be worried about how they're going to pay the bills or how they're going to pay for your funeral or anything like that? No with life insurance from Ethos, your family is protected. Ethos is an online platform that makes getting life insurance fast and easy to protect your family's future in minutes, not months. It's not a complicated process and it's 100% online. No medical exam required. You answer a few health questions and you can get a quote in as little as 10 minutes and you can get same day coverage without ever leaving your house. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get your free quote@ethos.com stoic that's e t h o s.com stoic today's entry accepting what is Reinhold Niber's serenity prayer is a mantra for many. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. It reads Courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. The Stoics wanted to push past simply accepting what is. They wanted us to be grateful and happy with what is. Epictetus taught that we get a well flowing life when we wish for what is going to happen, not for what we want to happen. And Marcus Aurelius adds that we should meet anything that comes our way with gratitude. Not I wish this was different and I'll tolerate it, but I'm glad it happened this way. It's for the best. So let us try that on for size this week. And we have two quotes from Epictetus and one from Marcus Aurelius. Don't seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will and then your life will flow. Well, that's Epictetus in Corinthian 8. And then from the discourses 1:12 he says, to be truly educated means this learning to wish that each thing happens exactly as it does. Marcus Aurelius Meditation 96 all you need are 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. One thing I wanted to point out because I was fascinated to learn this is the Serenity Prayer. 1 It sounds like some sort of real hymn or prayer that must go back thousands of years. It honestly it sounds like something that could come from the Stoics. And then obviously a lot of people associate it with recovery movement, which it has become a big part of, but it really dates to like the 30s and 40s. They think that he composed the prayer somewhere around the time of 1932, 1933, which, for some context, is, you know, in the midst of the Great Depression. But again, one of the benefits of wisdom is that it is both timely and timeless at the same time. So this idea of the prayer, father, give us courage to change what must be altered, serenity to accept what cannot be helped, and the insight to know one from another. Also, I think the difference between that as he first writes it and then what it sort of commonly gets rendered at is also a sign of, as Twain says, the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. Like, just the perfect wording of it, the perfect encapsulation of the wisdom. It feels as soon as you see it, even though, you know it's as old as some people's grandparents who are listening to this, or perhaps some people who are listening to this themselves. They may be well older than that short little prayer, but it feels as current and fresh and also as ageless and timeless. It's just about anything but. Anyways, let's not nerd out too much on the history of the prayer. What I thought I would focus on today, because we've been talking about acceptance quite a lot here on the podcast. I tend to disagree a little bit with Epictetus. I find that Epictetus's life was so tragic and painful. His name literally means, like, enslaved. We know almost nothing about his family. We know nothing about his existence except that he's born a slave, he has a cruel master who tortures him. He walks for a limp the rest of his life. And then after 30 years of slavery and, you know, eventually getting his freedom, Epictetus is exiled by a cruel emperor. So it is a hard life. But I find it striking that nowhere in Epictetus writings does he really question whether any of it was right or fair, whether anything could be done about it. Now, you might say this is him reaching this sort of sage, like, level of wisdom. And I think there's truth to that. I mean, who am I to question, obviously, such a great and brave and enduring spirit. But I guess, obviously we live in a world now where people have more agency. And why do we have that agency? Because people were willing to fight for it and change. So obviously the Stoics are mostly right that so much of what happens in this world is outside of our control. We should accept it. Resenting it, crying over it, whining about it, simply wishing it was otherwise does not do anything. Look, you were born 5 foot 3 instead of 6 foot 3. That's just a reality. You're going to have to accept it, right? People in your family go bald, you're going to have to accept it, right? Your spouse turned out to be a jerk. They ran away with all your money left. You broke your heart. It happened, right? That is true. But I just don't want Epictetus to be misinterpreted as some sort of rationalization or acceptance of profound injustices, including the injustices that Epictetus seemed to relatively okay accepting, right? As they say, progress depends on the unreasonable man. I talk about this a little bit in the Courage book. We have to be accepting. We have to face unflinchingly the reality of our situation. But even as I read this paragraph that I have written, I would push back on it a little bit. And I do think it's important that we focus on what we're going to do about the situations that we find ourselves in. I feel like Epictetus could have done that a bit more himself. Still, obviously a great man. Better man than I. Certainly I could not have endured what he endured. But it's just a thought today, and I want you to be okay pushing back and questioning things from the Stoics as well. They weren't perfect. They were products of their time. They were products of their own experiences. And we can challenge and debate and argue with them as long as we think we're getting them closer to what they actually mean, what the wisdom of the Stoics actually mean. And that's today's message. Hey, it's Ryan. Thank you for listening to the Daily Stoic podcast. I just wanted to say we so appreciate it. We love serving you. It's amazing to us that over 30 million people have downloaded these episodes in the couple years we've been doing it. It's an honor. Please spread the word, tell people about it. And this isn't to sell anything. I just wanted to say thank you. Look, ads are annoying. They are to be avoided if at all possible. I understand as a content creator why they need to exist. That's why I don't begrudge them when they appear on the shows that I listen to. But again, as a person who has to pay a podcast producer and has to pay for equipment and for the studio and the building that the studio is in, it's a lot to keep something like the Daily Stoic going. So if you want to support a show but not listen to ads, well, we have partnered with Supercast to bring you a ad free version of Daily Stoic calling it Daily Stoic Premium. And with Premium, you can listen to every episode of the Daily Stoic podcast completely ad free. No interruptions. 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