The Daily Stoic - If You Want It To Take Hold In Your Mind…

Episode Date: January 3, 2024

Marcus Aurelius read Epictetus…a lot. We know this because Meditations is proof of it. Almost every page has some direct quote or allusion to Epictetus. We also find, upon deeper inspection, references to the works of Panaetius, Chrysippus, the plays of Euripides, Zeno and countless other philosophers.How does someone develop recall like that? How did he become so wise, not just on the page but in life? Through repetition and practice. Marcus Aurelius never refers to Seneca, but it’s clear that he internalized a piece of advice from that Stoic, too. “You must linger among a limited number of master-thinkers, and digest their works,” Seneca wrote, “if you would derive ideas which shall win firm hold in your mind.”✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, where each day we bring you a passage of ancient wisdom designed to help you find strength, insight, and wisdom every day life. Each one of these passages is based on the 2000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us dailystowup.com. If you want this to take hold in your mind, Marcus really has read Epic Titus a lot. And we know this because Meditations is proof of it. Almost every page has some direct quote or illusions to Epic Titus. We can also find upon deeper inspection references to the works of Pannatias, Crecipis, the plays of

Euripides, Xeno, and countless other philosophers. How does someone develop recall like that? How do you become so wise not just on the page, but in life, by repetition and practice? Although Marx really never refers to Seneca, it's clear that he had absorbed a piece of advice from that stoic too. You must linger on a limited number of master thinkers and digest their works." Seneca wrote, if you would derive ideas which shall win firmhold in your mind. Over and over again, the stoics poured over the same texts, so the ideas could take firmhold so that they could be absorbed, so that it could

become muscle memory infused into their DNA. Once? No, that's not enough. It's about the reading and the rereading, writing, and journaling, and discussing, and reflecting, and experience, and experiencing. As Epic Titus commanded, every day and night keep thoughts like this at hand, write them, and read them aloud, talk to yourself and others about them. When I published the Daily Stoic back in 2016, by the way, it's for sale for $1.99 on Amazon as an ebook right now, that's pretty cool.

I had no idea it would sell millions of copies and spend hundreds of cumulative weeks on the best subtlest, but that's because it happened to tap into that now timeless stoic practice of reading and rereading, never stepping in the same river twice. Marcus would write about how the philosopher is one with their weapon, like a boxer more than a swordsman. A boxer just clenches their fists, a fence rest to go pick something up. And that's what we're trying to do as we study. We're trying to create a practice. Get the reps that fuses us with our philosophy that makes us one with it,

that inserts it into our DNA so that we are forever changed by it. And if you want these ideas, these stoic ideas to take hold, firm hold in your mind this year, then you have to do more than skim. It's not about reading a book and finishing it. It's not about getting the gist of it as Marcus derided. It's about making it a part of your life and your mind. It's about lingering and digesting it until it takes firm hold never to be dislodged. And like I said, the Daily Stoke is 199 as an ebook right now. So if there's someone you want to give it to, I said, gift, if you want to get it in another format, you can grab that on Amazon or anywhere you get your ebooks.

I'll link to it in today's show notes. And then also, you know, now that the book's been out for eight years now, I've seen some people's copies there. They're a little worse for wear, like my copy of meditations, for instance, the front cover is taped back on because I've put so many miles on it. Anyways, if you want a premium edition, one that should stand the test of time, hopefully, forever, you can grab the leather edition of the Daily Stoke. Also, that's in the Daily Stoke store.

I'll link to that too. Happy New Year, everyone. Hey, Prime Members! You can listen to the Daily Stoic early and ad-free on Amazon Music, download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen early and ad-free with Wondery Plus in Apple podcasts. Amazon Music app today, or you can listen early and add free with Wondery Plus in Apple podcasts.