The Daily Stoic Podcast: "Let Us Fulfill Our Obligation | 10,000 Pages That Will Change Your Life"

Date: November 28, 2025
Host: Ryan Holiday (Daily Stoic)

Overview

In this episode, host Ryan Holiday delivers a two-part meditation. The first part draws on the Stoic imperative of duty and the moral obligation to help address hunger in America, especially in the aftermath of Thanksgiving. He reflects on the Stoic tradition of responding to social ills within one’s "circles of concern", and outlines ways listeners can actively participate in helping those less fortunate.
The second segment is a rapid-fire rundown of "10,000 pages that will change your life": an essential reading list drawn from history, philosophy, biography, and literature, highlighting works that exemplify Stoic principles, leadership, self-mastery, and resilience.

Main Themes and Key Discussion Points

1. Fulfilling Our Obligation: Stoicism and Social Responsibility (00:40–05:45)

• Contrast of Thanksgiving with Realities of Hunger:

  • While many bask in the warmth of holiday festivities, millions – including 14 million children in America – face hunger daily.
  • The host impresses the scale of the problem, noting recent government cuts and escalating need:

    “More than 47 million people in America face hunger, nearly 14 million children. That’s one in five. One in five. Tragic. And it’s also unacceptable and preventable.” (00:49)

• Stoic Duty to Act:

  • Draws on Stoic concepts by Marcus Aurelius and Hierocles, challenging the listener to expand their empathy outward.
  • Hierocles’ “circles of concern” defines levels of duty: self, family, community, the world. Philosophy, Holiday notes, is about “drawing this outer concern inward” – to care as deeply for distant others as for ourselves.

• Historical Example:

  • Marcus Aurelius’ greatest moment was not military conquest, but "the day he decided to sell off the palace furnishings to keep Rome going during the Antonine plague. He did it to help those in need." (01:32)

• Daily Stoic’s Charity Partnership:

  • Describes the annual fundraising drive in partnership with Feeding America, and last year’s impact:

    “...we raised close to $250,000 together, which provided 2.4 million meals. And this year, we’re trying to get to our goal of $300,000, which would provide 3 million meals for families across the country.” (03:38)

  • Encourages involvement via dailystoic.com/feeding and offers global alternatives (Action Against Hunger, or local food banks).

• Call to Action:

  • A final reminder that small acts matter:

    “We can’t alleviate everyone’s suffering or struggle, but for the people we do help, that difference—well, it makes a difference. So let’s do it. Let’s be good Stoics today and we can fulfill our obligation together.” (05:03)

2. Life-Changing Reading: "10,000 Pages That Will Change Your Life" (07:50–18:44)

Preface:
Ryan transitions into recommendations for lengthy, profound books that have shaped his worldview—stressing the value of engaging deeply with challenging works.

• Ralph Waldo Emerson – Collected Works

  • Highlights Stoic leanings in Emerson’s essays, such as “Self-Reliance” and “Compensation”.

    “Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of your principles.” (08:11, quoting Emerson)

  • Urges: "Let’s read past just Self Reliance."

• Marcus Aurelius – Meditations

  • Shortest entry, but called “the most remarkable,” being the private work of the Roman emperor. Foundational for Stoic practice.

• Ayn Rand – Atlas Shrugged

  • Recognizes strength but cautions:

    “You should read them and then you should grow the fuck up and not be an Ayn Randian. These are ideas that appeal to the ego, that appeal to the selfish part of us...Ayn Rand is someone you read and then you grow out of.” (08:39)

• Ramachandra Guha – Gandhi Before India

  • Focuses on Gandhi’s formative years and the birth of his non-violence principles.

    “This is all about Gandhi before he becomes Gandhi as we know him…an amazing book. Absolutely one of my all time favorites.” (09:04)

• Homer – The Odyssey

  • Essential for understanding Stoicism, the hero’s journey, and recurring metaphors in Western literature.

    “The Odyssey is the key to not just understanding difficulties and trials… but is also the key by which you unlock most of the metaphors…in Western literature.” (09:40)

• Steven Pressfield – Gates of Fire

  • Praised as a masterpiece on the Spartan ethic and the Battle of Thermopylae.

• Robert Caro – The Power Broker & Lyndon Johnson Series

  • On ambition, idealism, power and its corruptions:

    “It’s kind of a mirror of Breaking Bad… attracted to power, driven by principles and making a difference at the beginning, and yet something changes in him as he accumulates more and more power.” (10:22)

  • Endorses Caro as “one of the greatest biographers to ever live.”

• Doris Kearns Goodwin – Team of Rivals

  • Lincoln’s leadership lessons via his cabinet:

    “…he was able to save the country and make this unwieldy cabinet work. It’s one of the great feats of leadership of all time.” (11:23)

• Ron Chernow – Alexander Hamilton

  • Not just inspiration (basis for the musical), but a Stoic cautionary tale:

    “As brilliant and talented and inspiring as Alexander Hamilton was…his lack of emotional control…ultimately leads to his downfall.” (12:01)

• Isabel Wilkerson – The Warmth of Other Suns

  • Epic narrative of the Great Migration, challenging assumptions and illuminating American history.

• Sally Bedell Smith – Elizabeth the Queen

  • Studies Queen Elizabeth II’s extraordinary reign as a model of duty, discipline, and symbolic leadership.

• Ron Chernow – Grant

  • Compelling story of perseverance:

    “...the arc of an incredible American life...He plunges into alcoholism...ends up selling firewood...and yet within a few years, he is leading the Union cost to victory in the Civil War...” (15:00)

  • Memoirs written as he was dying—becomes a bestseller and an enduring classic.

• John Steinbeck – East of Eden

  • Lauded for its Stoic themes and grand narrative:

    “It’s a novel about human nature. It’s a novel about stoicism. It’s a novel about race. It’s a novel about American history. It’s one of my absolute favorite books...” (16:17)

• Julia Baird – Victoria: The Queen

  • Praised as an under-read biography of Queen Victoria, “an incredible life through incredible times...just a fascinating book.” (16:51)

• Robert Greene – Mastery

  • A guide to mastering any craft, by profiling history’s masters.

    “I was a research assistant on this book, which was the treat of my life. Taught me a lot.” (17:25)

  • References a supplemental 1,000-page transcript of Greene's interviews.

• Final Encouragement:

  • “Should you read all of them? Yes. Can you go wrong by picking any one or a couple of them? No. You cannot read all of these books and all 10,000 pages. Masters writing about masters—read these.” (17:51)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On obligation and empathy:

  "Those suffering humans are us and we are them. To allow harm to come to them through indifference, through callousness, through despair, is to allow harm to come to ourselves." (01:13)

• On books and growth:

  "You should read them and then you should grow the fuck up and not be an Ayn Randian." (08:40)

• On leadership:

  "Lincoln was not only able to save the country, he was able to save the country and make this unwieldy cabinet work. It's one of the great feats of leadership of all time." (11:25)

• On books as a way of life:

  "I read a lot. It’s sort of my job. You can’t write without reading. But for almost 15 years now, once a month I send out an email with my favorite book recommendations for that month. Books that I’ve been reading, books that I’ve been going through. Books that changed my life, that inspired me, that I think connect to what’s happening in the world." (18:44)

Key Timestamps

• 00:40–05:45: Stoic reflections on civic duty, empathy, and the Feeding America initiative.
• 03:38: Fundraising results and new campaign goals announced.
• 07:50–18:44: "10,000 pages" book recommendations, with critical commentary on each.
• 08:40: Strong language on growing past Ayn Rand.
• 16:17: East of Eden as a capstone novel for Stoicism and American life.
• 17:25: Reflections on assisting with Robert Greene’s "Mastery".
• 18:44: Invitation to join Ryan Holiday’s reading list.

Conclusion

This Daily Stoic episode serves as both an ethical rallying cry and an intellectual challenge. Grounded in ancient wisdom and practical action, Ryan Holiday urges listeners not only to reflect, but to serve—and to deepen their inner resources via thoughtful reading.
If you’re seeking both guidance for living and a reading list for the ages, Holiday’s recommendations and his call to obligation are clear, practical, and rooted in the living tradition of Stoicism.