The Daily Stoic - This Is Why We Do It

Episode Date: November 27, 2024

When we do good, we don’t need to ask for more, because practicing virtue is its own profound return.📿 Get your own Four Virtues Pendant to wear so you can feel its weight and stick to your principles in every situation, no matter the proverbial bricks thrown your way:  https://store.dailystoic.com/✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/📱 Follow us:  Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to The Daily Stoic early and ad free right now. Just join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcast. and wisdom, everyday life. Each one of these passages is based on the 2,000 year old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us, dailystelec.com. It's no fun not to be recognized, to not get credit. We talked about this recently with regards to Marcus Aurelius. He was so unique, so self-disciplined, so unlike nearly every other ruler

who's ever had absolute power. But at that time and since, how many people fully credit him for this? No one was throwing him a parade for not being as bad as he could have been. Still, it can sting, can it? Why don't people notice how hard we're working? What an effort it is, how much easier it would be to be worse or to do less? It's like that scene in Mad Men

where Peggy is disappointed, if not justifiably angry, that her contributions aren't credited. It's Don Draper, after all, who gets the Clio when their ad campaign is recognized. Here's the scene it's worth listening to. That's the way it works. There are no credits on commercials. You got the Clio.

It's your job. I give you money, you give me ideas. You never say thank you. That's what the money is for. That's what the money is for. In reality, sometimes the money isn't there either. Certainly a school teacher or a stay-at-home parent isn't gonna feel rightly compensated

for all their sacrifice and dedication. The same goes for us, people who don't cheat to get ahead, people who try to do what's right, people who try to think about stuff that's bigger than us. Where's our reward? The Stoics would say that doing the thing is the reward. When Marcus Rulis writes about not asking for the third thing, this is what he's talking about.

And there's a bunch of that in the Justice Book. When you've done well and another has benefited by it, he writes, why, like a fool, do you look for a third thing on top, credit for the good deed or a favor in return? He's saying that the real value comes from the act, not the outcome. When we do good, we don't need to ask for more because practicing virtue is its own profound return. In every choice and every sacrifice, we are shaping who we are through this practice. And that's the reward enough.

You might have seen me, sometimes I wear a necklace that has the four virtues on the front. And on the back, it has this Latin expression, acta non verba, translates like words, not deeds. And it's a reminder that virtue is the way to a rewarding and a fulfilling life, not talking about it and not hearing words back in routine. Marx really said that there was nothing better than courage and discipline and justice and wisdom.

And that includes being recognized for those things. They are their own rewards. That's why I have the four virtues tattooed on my arm. It's why we made this really cool pendant for Daily Stoic. You should check it out. I'll link to it in today's show notes. You've seen different people wear them over the years. I think Patrick Dempsey was wearing one on the Daily Stoic podcast. It's one of the coolest things that we make and you can check that out in today's show notes. If you liked the Daily Stoic and thanks for listening, you can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts.

Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. And before you go, would you tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey on Wondery.com slash survey.