The Daily Stoic Podcast
Episode: Simple Stoic Rules That Actually Change Your Life
Host: Ryan Holiday
Date: February 22, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ryan Holiday explores timeless Stoic principles that can dramatically improve how we live, think, and act. Drawing inspiration from ancient philosophers like Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, and Zeno, the episode delivers a practical set of rules, habits, and mindsets designed to help listeners cultivate courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom in their everyday lives. Listeners are guided through actionable advice on overcoming procrastination, handling criticism, and building a day that aligns with Stoic values.

Key Stoic Rules for Daily Living

[03:00 – 05:15]

• Don’t Complain:
  “Don’t be overheard complaining, not even to yourself.”
  — Ryan Holiday paraphrasing Marcus Aurelius from Meditations

  • Recognize how often you complain.
  • Accept circumstances, or, better yet, work to change them.

• Don’t Compare Yourself to Others:
  “Epictetus says we should only enter competition where winning is up to us.”

  • Measure success by your own actions, not by outcomes outside your control.

• Don’t Tie Your Identity to Temporary Things:

  • Citing Seneca’s turbulent era, Holiday urges:
    “To attach yourself...to something that was temporary or ephemeral, or could be taken from you was to make yourself very vulnerable to the whims of the world.”

• Listen More Than You Speak:

  • “Zeno, he says, 'We have two ears and one mouth for a reason.' That ratio matters.”

• Be Strict With Yourself, Tolerant With Others:
  “Just as you mess up, other people mess up. It’s called self discipline for a reason.”

• Practice Temperance:

  • Moderation in all things is key.
    “Don’t overdo it in sleep, don’t overdo it in work. Don’t overdo it in stress...Life is about temperance. It’s about balance.”

Five Stoic Habits for Your Best Year Ever

[05:15 – 07:53]

1. Pause and Reflect

   • “This is the definition of Stoicism: put every impression to the test. Question every emotion.”
   • Don’t react immediately; think first.

2. Walk Daily

   • “Nietzsche was right when he said that only ideas had while walking have any worth.”

3. Do Something Hard

   • “Seneca said, we treat the body rigorously so that it’s not disobedient to the mind...Pick a big goal and get after it.”

4. Inject Variety

   • Practice non-routine skills (e.g., use your non-dominant hand)
   • Draws on historic and military examples for building flexibility.

5. Carry a Book

   • “The foundational story of Stoicism has Zeno being taught that wisdom comes when we have conversations with the dead...Carry a book with you.”

Stoic Mindsets On Fame, Ambition, and Control

[07:53 – 09:22]

• Fame is Worthless:
  “What is fame? People chattering about you, people clapping their hands together. Marcus Aurelius says in Meditations, what good is that?...Why do we crave to be liked by others who...we don’t respect very much?”

• Talk Less, Read More:

  • “Zeno...We have two ears and one mouth for a reason. The world would be so much better if we posted less and read more.”

• Ambition = Insanity

  • “Ambition is when we tie our happiness to what other people do or say or decide. He (Marcus Aurelius) says, sanity is when we tie it to our own actions.”

• Test Your Impressions:

  • “Just because you have an emotional reaction to something...you have to stop and go, is this actually true?”

• Premeditatio Malorum (Anticipate Adversity):

  • “Sometimes we’re anxious in the abstract...Actually getting up close and personal with those impressions, with those fears...can help you come to terms with how fundamentally irrational what you’re worried about is.”

• Journaling for Distance:
  “Journaling is such a helpful way to create some distance between you and your thoughts...Paper is more patient than people.”

Eight Stoic Tips to Beat Procrastination

[09:36 – 13:00]

1. Take It Step By Step:

   • “Zeno...well-being is realized by small steps. But it is no small things. The little things add up.”

2. Have a Routine:

   • “Life without a design is erratic...create a routine which creates less opportunity for procrastination.”

3. Eliminate the Inessential:

   • “...when we eliminate the inessential, we get the double benefit of doing the essential things better.”

4. Cultivate Urgency:

   • “The Stoics say, you are dying every minute. You are dying every day. Let this sense of urgency motivate you.”

5. Improve Your Company:

   • “Seek out better company. Seek company of people who are committed...your own procrastination diminishes.”

6. Build Momentum with Small Wins:

   • “I try to write just a couple crappy pages a day...the wins that I get help motivate me...”

7. Reject Perfectionism:

   • “As they say, perfectionism is just another way to say paralysis.”

8. Demand The Best From Yourself:

   • “Epictetus...putting things off...means you will live and die as someone quite ordinary. So stop deferring. Demand the best of and for yourself.”

Handling Criticism and Insults: 2000-Year-Old Stoic Advice

[14:30 – 18:30]

• Don’t Internalize Insults:
  “It’s not the remark that upsets us, it’s our opinion about that remark. It’s not things that upset us, it’s our opinion about those things.” — (Epictetus)

• Taking Offense is a Choice:
  “You are complicit, you have chosen to take offense.”

• Ignore Slights:

  • Story of Cato, when punched: “What? I don’t even remember being hit.”

• Respond Wisely:
  “Would you return a bite to a dog or a kick to a mule? No...People behave this way...we know not to return it back in kind.” (Seneca)

• Best Revenge is Not to Be Like Them:
  “It only harms you if it harms your character.” — (Marcus Aurelius)

• If Criticism is Correct, Accept and Learn:
  “When someone points out something that you’re not right about...you should accept that correction.”

• Be Selective with Approval:
  “You got to think about the people whose approval you want...Think about the nasty commenter...when you look at them up close, you find you won’t be straining for their approval so much.”

Five Things Fools Do (Don’t Imitate These)

[18:30 – 20:00]

1. Care About Opinions of Those They Don’t Respect
2. Always Getting Ready to Start (Procrastination)
   • “You could be good today, Marcus Aurelius says, but instead you choose tomorrow. Fools make that choice.”
3. Act Like They Have All the Time in the World
4. Suffer Unnecessarily (Anxiety, Worrying)
   • “We suffer more in imagination...than we’d have to in reality.” (Seneca)
5. Be a Know-It-All
   • “We cannot learn that which we think we already know.” — (Epictetus)

Eight Stoic Keys to a Successful Day

[20:00 – 21:40]

1. Prepare For Difficulties:

   • “Tell yourself in the morning you're going to meet frustrating people, difficult people, traffic...Don't be surprised.”

2. Take a Walk First Thing:

   • “Being active that day is a win.”

3. Do Deep Work:

   • “Don't get sucked into your email. Focus intensely.”

4. Do a Kindness:

   • “If you want to feel good, do good.” (Marcus Aurelius)

5. Read Every Day:

   • “Reading is the most wonderful thing that was ever invented.”

6. Exercise Strenuously:

   • “Push yourself every single day.”

7. Remember Mortality:

   • “Memento mori — Life is short. You could go at any moment...Seneca says, it’s not that life is short, it’s that we waste a lot of it.”

8. Reflect at Day’s End:

   • “Take a few minutes...think about what went well. Think about what you could do better...so you’re going to have an even better day because you’re going to follow all eight of these practices.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ambition:
  “Sanity is when we tie [happiness] to our own actions. Everything else… has to be seen as extra, unless I want to go insane.” (Ryan Holiday, 08:17)
• On Complaining:
  “Don’t be overheard complaining...not even to yourself.” (paraphrasing Marcus Aurelius, 03:11)
• On Procrastination:
  “If not now, when?” (paraphrasing Epictetus, 12:55)
• On Criticism:
  “It only harms you if it harms your character.” (paraphrasing Marcus Aurelius, 16:53)
• On Reading:
  “Reading is the most wonderful thing that was ever invented. It’s how we learn from other people’s painful trial and error.” (20:54)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:00 – 05:15] — Stoic Rules to Live By (What Not To Do)
• [05:15 – 07:53] — Five Stoic Habits for Your Best Year
• [07:53 – 09:22] — Fame, Ambition, and Control
• [09:36 – 13:00] — 8 Stoic Tips for Overcoming Procrastination
• [14:30 – 18:30] — Stoic Responses to Criticism and Insult
• [18:30 – 20:00] — Five Things Fools Do (According to the Stoics)
• [20:00 – 21:40] — 8 Stoic Keys for a Successful Day

Episode Tone

Ryan Holiday’s delivery is accessible, direct, and pragmatic, full of historical context and modern application, with the underlying encouragement to pause and reflect on one’s habits, reactions, and priorities.

Summary

This episode is a practical guide for anyone seeking to bring more discipline, resilience, and meaning into their day-to-day existence using ancient Stoic wisdom. If you’re new to Stoicism or looking to deepen your practice, the episode distills timeless rules into actionable, memorable takeaways you can apply immediately—perfect for both self-reflection and self-improvement.