The Daily Stoic: "This Is How You Become Well-Read | Plato's View"

Host: Ryan Holiday
Date: June 2, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Ryan Holiday explores what it truly means to be "well-read" from both an ancient and modern perspective, using the Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius as a prime example. He then transitions into discussing “Plato’s View”—the value of perspective and seeing life from a "bird’s eye view"—using lessons from Marcus, Plato, Lucian, and astronaut Edgar Mitchell. The episode is a meditation on deep reading, lasting wisdom, and how taking a broader perspective can humble us and connect us more deeply to humanity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What It Means to Be Well-Read (00:05–05:52)

• Ancient vs. Modern Understanding:

  • The modern idea of being "well-read" is about quantity—having consumed many books.
  • The ancients valued depth; to be truly well-read meant to deeply understand and internalize a select set of important texts.

  “What [Marcus Aurelius] was doing is drawing purely from memory because he'd read those authors so many times, they'd become a part of him.” (00:38)

• Mortimer Adler & Thomas Hobbes on Reading:

  • Mortimer Adler: Reading widely but not well is pitiable, not praiseworthy.
  • Hobbes: “If I read as many books as other men do, I would be as dull witted as they are.” (01:28)
  • It’s not about reading everything, but about deeply absorbing a curated selection.

• The Stoic Approach to Reading:

  • Depth and repetition are key—rereading is vital.
  • Marcus Aurelius: “We can't be satisfied with merely getting the gist of [Stoic texts]. We have to read attentively, read deeply, read repeatedly. Aim for quality, not quantity.” (03:07)
  • The Daily Stoic Book: Designed as a tool for this kind of daily, deep engagement.

2. Plato’s View: The Value of Perspective (05:53–11:24)

• Marcus Aurelius on Perspective:

  • Quoting Marcus: “Whenever you want to talk about people, it's best to take a bird's eye view and see everything all at once.” (06:05)
  • Marcus is channeling Plato's notion of looking at life from above to realize the triviality and interconnectedness of human affairs.

  “Plato has it right. If you want to talk about people, you need to look down on earth from above… all mixed together. A harmony of opposites.” (06:25)

• Lucian’s Dialogue:

  • The narrator flies above the world and sees the pettiness of status and human "importance."
  • Everything people fight over—estates, armies, empires—appear small and insignificant from above.

• Modern Echoes: Edgar Mitchell’s Space Perspective:

  • Astronaut Mitchell on viewing Earth from space:

    “In outer space, you develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles away and say, look at that, you son of a bitch.” (07:40)

• Personal Anecdotes on Gaining Perspective:

  • Ryan discusses seeing his own ranch and his city from a plane or a drone—how things that seem huge up close look small from a distance.
  • Describes the US-Mexico border in Big Bend:

    “Someone born over here gets this kind of life. Someone born on this side gets this kind of life… You realize that all these things we take very seriously are not that serious.” (09:17)

• Zooming Out to Gain Wisdom:

  • The core Stoic exercise is about humbling oneself, gaining perspective, and remembering our connection to other people.
  • Using time lapses, high vantage points, or just looking at the stars as ways to step outside our own insular view.
  • Quotes Annie Duke:

    “They were trying, as Annie Duke says, to get to the outside of their problems, outside of the insularness of their viewpoint and their urges and their desires and their emotional reactions.” (10:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Reading:
  “The wise read well. If you want to live better, if you want to go beyond the gist of things, I hope you go past just skimming the surface.” (04:21)

• On Perspective:
  “Everything seems very small, but everything also seems very connected, right? And so wars and international boundaries, these all seem so insignificant, such artificial and petty distinctions.” (08:37)

• On Our Obligations:
  “What matters, I think Marcus is saying, when you take Plato's view, is our connection to other people, our obligations as human beings, being good, being decent.” (09:31)

• On Using New Tools for Old Lessons:
  “Drone shots… have expanded my perspective. They've allowed me to see things, even myself, right? From different angles. I never saw what I looked like running from 30 meters above me.” (10:06)

• Key Takeaway:
  “The Stoics were trying to humble themselves. They were trying to get perspective. They were trying to remember our obligations and connections to other people.” (10:19)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:05–05:52 – What it means to be well-read: Ancient vs. modern, the importance of depth, Marcus Aurelius as a model, and Stoic reading habits
• 05:53–11:24 – Exploring “Plato’s view”: Reading Marcus Aurelius, Plato and Lucian, the astronaut’s epiphany, personal stories, the power of perspective, and Stoic exercises
• 06:05 – Recounting Marcus Aurelius’ and Plato’s advice to take a bird’s eye view
• 07:40 – Edgar Mitchell’s quote on how space changed his sense of the world
• 08:37–09:31 – Real-life application of perspective: seeing large problems as small, international boundaries as arbitrary, and the humility of true perspective
• 10:19–10:50 – Summary of the Stoic goal: humility, perspective, and human connection

Conclusion

Ryan Holiday’s meditation links the disciplined, immersive approach to reading prized by the ancients with the equally ancient call for broad, humble, and humane perspective—the “Plato’s View.” Both practices are prescriptions for a wiser, more compassionate, and more meaningful life. The daily act of thoughtful reading and the periodic act of zooming out from our problems are both part of the Stoic toolkit for living well.

Episode Flow

1. Being Well-Read:
   Don’t just read widely—read well. Make what matters part of your mind and habits.

2. Perspective (“Plato’s View”):
   Step back, look at the big picture, and realize both the smallness and the connectedness of our lives and concerns.

3. Practical Applications:
   Use daily meditations, high vantage points, or even tools like drones to practice perspective.
   Remember, humility and connection are at the heart of wisdom and Stoicism.

Recommended: Revisit Stoic texts, read deeply, and take time to see life from above—just as Marcus, Plato, and even astronauts have done.