It is a Lonely Thing | Sweat the Small Stuff

Summary

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The Daily Stoic: "It is a Lonely Thing | Sweat the Small Stuff"

Date: May 29, 2026
Host: Ryan Holiday (A/B)

Episode Overview

This episode of The Daily Stoic explores two connected themes:

1. The lonely but necessary act of standing up for what is right (anchored in Stoic virtues of courage and justice).
2. The transformative power of small, everyday actions—the idea that “well-being is realized by small steps, but it is truly no small thing.”

Ryan uses powerful historical examples, Stoic quotes, and practical advice to illustrate how meaningful change, both personal and societal, is achieved through individual acts of bravery and repeated small decisions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Standing Up for What Is Right Is Often Lonely

(00:18–02:15)

• Historical Loneliness:
  Ryan outlines how, throughout history, those who resist injustice or dangerous power often stand alone.

  • Examples: The rise of Caesar and Octavian in Rome, and the few (like Cato, Thracia, Helvidius) who opposed tyranny.
  • Modern parallel: Thomas Wentworth Higginson, who spoke out against the Fugitive Slave Act’s injustices in America.

• Stoic Orientation:
  Rather than weighing a decision’s safety or popularity, Stoics focus on what is right:

  "They don’t ask, is this safe?... They say, that’s wrong. And they say this loudly and repeatedly, even if it’s unpopular, even if they are threatened for it, because that's what courage and justice, two of the most essential Stoic virtues, demand of us."
  — Ryan Holiday [01:19–01:34]

• Not About Immediate Success:
  The Stoic does not act for quick victory or comfort, but because virtue demands it.

  "These were lonely positions. They were not at first successful positions either. But that's not what a Stoic thinks about. They think about what is right."
  — Ryan Holiday [01:12–01:21]

• Contemporary Relevance:
  Ryan alludes to parallels with modern social and political contexts, reinforcing the ongoing need for individuals to take a stand.

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2. The Power of Small Steps

(04:50–09:08)

• Featured Quote:

  "Well-being is realized by small steps, but it is truly no small thing."
  — Attributed to Zeno (possibly via Socrates), shared by Diogenes Laertes [04:52–04:58]

• Little Things Add Up:
  Ryan argues that significant results—whether moral integrity or personal well-being—result from countless small, deliberate choices.

  • Example Practical Habits: Getting up on time, making your bed, resisting shortcuts, doing your work, investing in yourself.

• Marcus Aurelius on Habit:

  "We assemble our life action by action. The benefit of doing it this way is that when you sort of shrink it down to these individual actions, it's very unlikely that someone will get in your way."
  — Ryan Holiday referencing Marcus Aurelius [06:17–06:28]

• The Process Over Epiphany:

  • Epiphanies or sudden breakthroughs are overrated; true progress is incremental.

  "I've always said that I think epiphanies are overrated if they exist at all. … You get to that, that real well being, that smooth flow of life that the Stoics are talking about … slowly and surely in these small steps."
  — Ryan Holiday [07:32–07:54]

• Cumulative Impact:

  • He compares small steps to George Washington’s favorite saying: “Many Mick make a muckle” (small things accumulate).
  • Cites sports example with Nick Saban, emphasizing process over outcome.

  "If your goal is to win a national championship and that's all you're focused on, there's so many things that can go wrong between you and that goal...But if you focus instead on like, I'm going to kill it at practice today, I am going to throw the hell out of this ball. … However small it is, I'm going to do it extraordinarily well. That really can't be interfered with."
  — Ryan Holiday [06:47–07:19]

• Focus on What You Can Control:

  • The episode concludes with encouragement to focus on small habits, systems, and process rather than obsessing over distant, all-or-nothing goals.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Lonely Conviction:

  "They say, that’s wrong. And they say this loudly and repeatedly, even if it’s unpopular, even if they are threatened for it."
  — Ryan Holiday [01:24]

• On Building a Good Life:

  "Someone is a good person not because they say they are, but because they take good actions."
  — Ryan Holiday [05:26]

• On Personal Development:

  "Most of the big conclusions or big principles or big ideas that I now base my life around didn’t strike me like lightning. It was a slow unveiling, a slow reveal. That's how I got there. And I think that's how you'll get there too, today."
  — Ryan Holiday [08:13–08:28]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:18–02:15: Discussion of historical and modern examples of lonely moral stands.
• 04:50–09:08: In-depth segment on the importance and impact of “sweating the small stuff.”
• 05:26: Notable insight on action over self-proclaimed virtue.
• 06:47–07:19: Sports analogy underscoring the power of process over outcome.
• 08:13–08:28: Ryan's personal reflection on gradual transformation rather than sudden epiphany.

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Summary

This episode intertwines the Stoic virtues of courage and justice—particularly the challenge and necessity of taking lonely stands for what is right—with the immense power of small, persistent actions over time. Through historical examples, timeless Stoic quotes, and personal commentary, Ryan Holiday reminds listeners that meaningful change is rarely spectacular, but comes “step by step, action by action.”

In the face of adversity or uncertainty, it is the daily commitment to doing what is right—and doing the small things well—that leads to transformation, both for individuals and for societies.

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the daily Stoic Podcast, designed to help bring those four key Stoic virtues, courage, discipline, justice and wisdom, into the real world. It is a lonely thing.

[B]

Many people knew.

[A]

They knew they were flirting with danger. They knew he had designs. They knew that these were compromises that violated Rome's traditions. They knew that he would never be satisfied. But they didn't do anything. They didn't say anything or try to stop it, because they weren't sure how it was going to go down. This is the story of the rise of Caesar. It's the story of Octavian, his successor. It's the story of Rome's emperors, competent and cruel alike. It is not the story of Cato, who stood up against it. It is not the story of Thracia and Helvidius, who stood against Nero. It is not the of Thomas Wentworth Higginson, the translator of Epictetus, who was radicalized in the 1850s by the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave act, seeing clearly the lengths the slave powers would go to. These were lonely positions. They were not at first successful positions either. But that's not what a Stoic thinks about.

[B]

They think about what is right.

[A]

They don't ask, is this safe?

[B]

They say, that's wrong.

[A]

And they say this loudly and repeatedly, even if it's unpopular, even if they are threatened for it, because that's what courage and justice, two of the most essential Stoic virtues, demand of us.

[B]

That's also the theme of Right Thing

[A]

Right now, which is my third book in the Stoic Virtue series, which is all about how we do this, how we take those lonely stands, why we

[B]

take those lonely stands, what sustains us

[A]

when we take them.

[B]

And I think there are obviously some

[A]

connections to where we are historically, politically, culturally, right now.

[B]

You can grab Right Thing right now

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

Sweat the small stuff. Today's quote comes to us from Zeno. Actually, we don't get this directly from Zeno, but it's passed along to us by Diogenes Laertes. He says, well, being is realized by small steps, but it is truly no small thing. The famous biographer Diogenes Laertes attributes this quote to Zeno, but admits that it might also have been said by Socrates. The meaning that it might be a quote of a quote of a quote. But does it really matter? Truth is truth. In this case, the truth is one. We all know well that little things add up. Someone is a good person not because they say they are, but because they take good actions. One does not magically get one's act together. It is a matter of many individual choices. It's a matter of getting up at the right time, making your bed, resisting shortcuts, investing in yourself, doing your work. And make no mistake, while the individual action is small, its cumulative impact is not. Think about all the small choices that will roll themselves out in front of you today. Do you know which are the right way and which are the easy way? Choose the right way and watch as these little things add up towards transformation. I did a piece about this not long ago and it's sort of the basis of the habit challenge that we do for Daily Stoke as well. But George Washington's favorite saying was many Mick make a muckle. The idea that things add up, that things are cumulative. Marcus Aurelius says that we assemble our life action by action. And he says the benefit of doing it this way is that when you sort of shrink it down to these individual actions, it's very unlikely that someone will get in your way. Right. When Nick Saban talked about the process, if your goal is to win a national championship and that's all you're focused on, there's so many things that can go wrong between you and that goal that, that determine whether you have the success or failure you want and make it. It's so all or nothing, I guess. Right? But if you focus instead on like, I'm going to kill it at practice today, I am going to throw the hell out of this ball. I am really going to listen to my coach to this podcast episode right now. I'm going to do this thing in front of me. However small it is, I'm going to do it extraordinarily well. That's. That really can't be interfered with. And that cumulative impact has the big difference. Right? Something can get in the way of you striking it rich in some, you know, scheme or genius play or breakthrough invention or, you know, whatever you think is going to make your fortune. But very little can get in the way of you methodically, consistently saving and investing, you know, in it with a long term target in mind. Right. And that compact sounding effect is what the stoics are talking about. I think the other thing that's important to note here, I've always said that I think epiphanies are overrated if they exist at all. This idea of this big breakthrough moment that the Zen Buddhist talk of satorai, the idea of the moment that enlightenment appears, I don't think that that's it. And I think what Zeno is saying is you don't just get there in this singular breakthrough. You get to that, that real well being, that smooth flow of life that the Stoics are talking about. You get to enlightenment slowly and surely in these small steps. And although each individual's action is small, the actual place you arrive, the enlightenment that you get to, that's the big thing. Most of the big conclusions or big principles or big ideas that I now base my life around didn't strike me like lightning. It was a slow unveiling, a slow reveal. That's how I got there. And I think that's how you'll get there too, today. So focus on the little things you can do, right, Focus on habits, focus on accumulating, focus on systems, focus on breakthroughs. And I think you'll get where you want to go.

[C]

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