The Daily Stoic - It Takes Much Longer Than You Think (Or Want)

Episode Date: March 26, 2026

Almost everything worthwhile—like wisdom, leadership, mastery, opportunity—takes far more time than we expect, than we want. 🎙️ AD-FREE | Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/🎥 VIDEO EPISODES| Watch the video episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos✉️ FREE STOIC WISDOM | Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemailSee 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, designed to help bring those four key stoic virtues, courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom into the real world. It takes much longer than you think or want. Nobody likes waiting. Nobody likes it when somebody else's turn takes longer than you feel it should. But you know what? That's just how it goes. The 40s and 50s were rough for a young,

James Stockdale, as they were for many young military officers. Due to the rapid expansion and contraction of the armed forces after World War II, there was an enormous glut of senior officers that became known as the hump. It took years for these people to retire and make advancement possible for these younger officers. This was frustrating and demoralizing. It was difficult, too, especially for people like Stockdale who were ambitious, ready to lead, ready for their turn.

But again, that's life. It's Marcus Aurelius having to wait 20 years for Antoninus to pass the throne to him. It's the professors and executives who are hanging on to their jobs longer and longer, making it hard for new graduates to get those opportunities. It takes longer than you think or want. It just does. And as we've said, this will require you to learn the virtue of patience. First, to resist the temptation to rush ahead or force things.

and second, to learn while you are waiting. Stockdale didn't know what the waiting was preparing him for. Marcus Aurelius didn't either. Neither do you. But almost everything worthwhile, like wisdom and leadership and mastery and opportunity, take more time than we expect than we want. The timeline is longer. The apprenticeship is longer.

The climb is longer. It won't be easy. But nobody said it would be.