When The Statues Still Had Paint On Them | The Real Power You Have

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Daily Stoic

Episode Title: When The Statues Still Had Paint On Them | The Real Power You Have
Host: Ryan Holiday
Date: November 4, 2025

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Main Theme

This episode explores the power of Stoic philosophy to ground us in the present, reminding listeners that every era—ancient or modern—is a living, uncertain moment filled with opportunity and agency. Drawing on vivid imagery of ancient statues that once were colorful and lifelike, Ryan Holiday connects how daily life for Stoic thinkers like Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus was as dynamic as ours. The heart of the episode centers on the difference between fleeting external power (e.g., status, wealth) and the lasting, internal power of self-mastery and virtue.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Revisiting the Ancient World’s Vibrancy

(00:20 – 02:40)

• Ryan opens with a reflection on how we misconceive history as static and ancient. Statues we see today as white and marble were once painted in bright, awe-inspiring colors, signaling the vibrancy of the ancient world.
• He emphasizes that philosophers like Marcus Aurelius were not living among ruins but in grand, bustling societies with their own present-day uncertainties.
• Quote:

  “It’s easy to forget that they did not live in classical Athens or ancient Rome. The ancients did not live in the past at all. They lived, obviously, in the present… No, an imposing coliseum roared with enormous crowds. The harbors bristled with masts of an empire’s worth of ships… the statues still had paint on them. Bright reds, deep blues, gold accents… They were bold, almost lifelike, meant to awe and inspire…”
  — Ryan Holiday, 00:20

2. Living in the Present & Shaping History

(02:41 – 03:19)

• Every era—including ours—is an “unfolding present.” Holiday encourages embracing uncertainty, as all people who came before us did.

• The present moment offers agency; we all live and make history through our choices.

• Quote:

  “History isn’t something that other people lived through and we get to read about. We all live through history, and we can all make it if we choose. And the only way to do that is to embrace this moment…”
  — Ryan Holiday, 02:56

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3. Fleeting vs. Real Power

(04:31 – 09:15)

• Ryan defines “fleeting power” as external factors: wealth, fame, status—elements that can be lost or taken.

• “Real power,” per the Stoics, is internal: the capacity to reason, make judgments, and act with virtue.

• He cites several Stoic thinkers to reinforce this point:

  • Chrysippus:
    Virtue is harmony between the individual spirit and the will of the universe.

  • Epictetus (Discourses 3:26):
    True freedom resides in our judgments about what is and isn’t within our control.

    “Don’t trust in your reputation, your money or position, but in the strength that is yours, namely your judgments about the things that you control and don’t control. For this alone is what makes us free and unfettered, that picks us up by the neck from the depths and lifts us eye to eye with the rich and the powerful.”
    — Ryan Holiday quoting Epictetus, 05:54

  • Marcus Aurelius (Meditations 12:19):

    “Understand at last that you have something in you more powerful and divine that causes the bodily passions and pulls you like a mere puppet. What thoughts now occupy my mind? Is it not fear, suspicion, desire, or something like that?”
    — Ryan Holiday quoting Marcus Aurelius, 06:39

• Holiday contrasts worldly power (Nero’s slaves, wealthy courtiers) with the inner freedom and contentment of someone like Epictetus, who, though a literal slave, was unenslaved by his desires.

• He brings up Seneca’s critique of “voluntary slavery”—where powerful Romans became servile to fame, pleasure, or wealth.

  “Nothing is more shameful than these people who are addicted to a mistress, to their estates, to being, you know, the most famous or popular person in Rome.”
  — Ryan Holiday paraphrasing Seneca, 08:07

• The episode highlights that the most influential Stoics (e.g., Cleanthes, a manual laborer) were not necessarily the most powerful by status, but by internal virtue and self-mastery.

• Memorable Analogy:

  “Marcus Aurelius was not the greatest conqueror of the Roman emperors, but he is one of the most impressive because he conquered himself, right? He possessed the throne, the throne did not possess him.”
  — Ryan Holiday, 08:39

• Ryan relays an anecdote from Steven Pressfield: Alexander the Great boasts to a philosopher, “I have conquered the world.” The philosopher replies, “I have conquered the need to conquer the world.” This, Holiday notes, cuts to the core of Stoicism—power over your desires is true greatness.

4. Reflective Questions for Listeners

(09:45 – 09:58)

• Holiday ends the core section with provocative questions for self-examination:

  “What kind of power are you chasing? What are you pursuing? Are you really as powerful as you think you are? Or does power have power over you?”
  — Ryan Holiday, 09:54

5. Closing Thoughts and Community Gratitude

(10:00 – 10:25)

• Ryan thanks his audience for their ongoing support, expressing amazement at the reach and impact of the show.
  (No ad or selling—grateful tone.)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “The statues still had paint on them… meant to awe and inspire, not sit quietly behind glass.”
  — Ryan Holiday, 00:35

• “History isn’t something that other people lived through… we can all make it if we choose.”
  — Ryan Holiday, 02:56

• “Don’t trust in your reputation… but in the strength that is yours, namely your judgments about the things you control and don’t control.”
  — Ryan Holiday quoting Epictetus, 05:54

• “He possessed the throne, the throne did not possess him.”
  — Ryan Holiday, 08:39

• Alexander the Great: “I have conquered the world.” Philosopher: “I have conquered the need to conquer the world.”
  — Ryan Holiday via Steven Pressfield, 09:20

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Segment Timestamps

• 00:00 – 03:19: Setting the scene—ancient history was present, vibrant, and unpredictable; modern parallels.
• 04:31 – 09:15: Meditation on real vs. fleeting power; Stoic quotations, anecdotes, and lessons.
• 09:45 – 10:25: Reflection prompts and closing gratitude.

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Tone and Language

Ryan’s delivery is reflective, direct, and warm, using accessible analogies and historical storytelling to bridge Stoic concepts with modern life. He maintains a conversational, inspiring tone, challenging listeners to reflect honestly on their values and the nature of power in their own lives.

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Summary Takeaway

Ancient Stoics lived in a vivid present, making choices with enduring impact—just as we do today. The episode urges us to recognize and pursue “real power”: mastery over ourselves, our judgments, and our desires. This internal strength, not external status, lifts us “eye to eye with the rich and the powerful.” Holiday leaves listeners with a clear mission: Examine what power you chase, and seek freedom rooted in virtue and self-command.

Transcript

[Ryan Holiday]

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.

[Daily Stoic Team Member]

Each one of these episodes is Based.

[Ryan Holiday]

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 when the statues still had paint on them, it's easy to forget that they did not live in classical Athens or ancient Rome. The ancients did not live in the past at all. They lived, obviously in the present. Greece was not a quaint and quiet place where people wore cute togas. It was the center of the world, a bustling cultural and economic capital where cutting edge ideas were debated and welcomed by society. The Rome of Marcus Aurelius was majestic and mighty. He did not walk through ruins. No, an imposing coliseum roared with enormous crowds. The harbors bristled with masts of an empire's worth of ships. He didn't look up at white marble statues missing noses and hands in some antiseptic museum. No, as we discussed recently on an episode of the Daily Stoic podcast with John Avalon, the statues still had paint on them. Bright reds, deep blues, gold accents sense. They were bold, almost lifelike, meant to awe and inspire, not sit quietly behind glass. This is how it is for every moment in time, every era. We all live in an unfolding present where things are uncertain, where they could go in any direction. No one lives in a painting or a photograph or a book. We live in the messy world, an indifferent world. But for all this, we also live in a world where we have agency, where we, like our ancestors, get to make decisions that shape the future for coming generations. History isn't something that other people lived through and we get to read about. We all live through history, and we can all make it if we choose. And the only way to do that is to embrace this moment that is in front of us, to focus on what we can control and respond to obstacles and difficult people with virtue. That's what Marcus Aurelius did. That's what Epictetus did. That's what Cato did. And that's what you and we all must do right now in this fleeting, vivid present that will one day be remembered as history. I'm recording this on a Monday, and Monday is our grocery store day in our family. I usually pick my kids up from.

[Daily Stoic Team Member]

School and we go over to Whole Foods and get all our groceries for the week. Although here very shortly we're going to go over there to get our Thanksgiving.

[Ryan Holiday]

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[Daily Stoic Team Member]

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[Ryan Holiday]

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[Ryan Holiday]

But.

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[Toyota Owner/Testimonial Speaker]

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[Daily Stoic Team Member]

The real power you have.

[Ryan Holiday]

That's what we're journaling about in the Daily Stoic Journal.

[Daily Stoic Team Member]

That's where this little meditation comes from. There is fleeting power and there is real power. Fleeting power can be taken away while real power is in our minds and our bones. The former tends to be along the lines of wealth, fame, high position, and the leverage that all those things give us over others. The Stoics thought that this kind of power was inferior to the real power that each person possesses, the power of our minds to reason and make judgments and choices based on the real worth of things. You can have both kinds of power too, but only if you keep the first kind of power subject, the kind of power that the Stoics actually cared about. So Chrysippus, who I talk about in Lives of the Stoics as well, he says, this is the very thing which makes up the virtue of the happy person in a well flowing life. When the affairs of life are in every way tuned to the harmony between the individual divine spirit and the will of the Director of the universe, Then Epictetus says, don't trust in your reputation, your money or position, but in the strength that is yours, namely your judgments about the things that you control and don't control. For this alone is what makes us free and unfettered, that picks us up by the neck from the depths and lifts us eye to eye with the rich and the powerful. That's Discourses 3:26 and then Marcus Aurelius in Meditations 12:19 says, Understand at last that you have something in you more powerful and divine that causes the bodily passions and pulls you like a mere puppet. What thoughts now occupy my mind? Is it not fear, suspicion, desire, or something like that? I think the fact that we can talk about Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus as peers, even though one was utterly powerless and the other possessed all the worldly power there was, is an amazing illustration of what Epictetus is saying when he says, for this alone is what makes us free and unfettered, that picks us up by the neck from the depths and lifts us eye to eye with the rich and the powerful. And in fact, you know, Epictetus works in Nero's court. He is a slave of one of Nero's high ranking officials or secretaries. And in Epictetus's writing, we get a sense, we get him really realizing and trying to communicate later to his students that, like, he realized that as a slave he had a better life than many of these people, that he was freer. He watches at one point, somebody sucking up to Nero's cobbler, like the guy that makes Nero's shoes, is getting flattery because the person wants to get closer to the emperor. And Epictetus realizes that that person who's doing that is of course freer and richer and more privileged than Epictetus in essentially every way, but is then voluntarily debasing themselves is a slave to their need for power or recognition or money or whatever it is, that person is willingly a slave. And Seneca in that same court talks about this. He says, you know, nothing is more shameful than this sort of form of voluntary slavery. Nothing is more shameful than these people who are addicted to a mistress, to their estates, to being, you know, the most famous or popular person in Rome. And so I just. I think it is a powerful statement that amongst the Stoics, some of the most powerful and influential and inspiring were the least powerful and recognized. Cleanthes is a manual laborer, but he's considered a peer of Hercules because of his ability to endure things, because of his judgments, because of his incorruptibility. Marcus Aurelius was not the greatest conqueror of the Roman emperors, but he is one of the most impressive because he conquered himself, right? He possessed the throne, the throne did not possess him. And so this idea of being free, of chasing the real power, which is power over one's wants, power over one's opinions, power over one's actions, power over, you know, those impulses that might drive you to do this or that, that's real power. There's a line in one of Steven Pressfield's books where Alexander the Great is taunting this philosopher and he says, what have you done? I've conquered the world. The philosopher says, I have conquered the need to conquer the world. And I think Pressfield is saying the same thing the Stoics are saying, the same thing that Epictetus is saying. He's probably drawing on Diogenes the Cynic, but that there is a level of power above the level of raw power that people chase and debase themselves with. So that's your question, your thing to think about today. What kind of power are you chasing? What are you pursuing? Are you really as powerful as you think you are? Or does power have power over you? 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.

[Toyota Commercial Voice]

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[Ryan Holiday]

But.

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