The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living

“The single most important practice in Stoic philosophy is differentiating between what we can change and what we can’t. What we have influence over and what we do not.”

Holiday explains that Stoicism teaches people to consider what is truly within their circle of control. This quotation also underlines the importance of prohairesis, or reasoned choice, since it is dependent on people having a realistic understanding of what they can and cannot change in their lives.

“The little compulsions and drives we have not only chip away at our sovereignty, they cloud our clarity. We think we’re in control, but are we really? As one addict put it, addiction is when ‘we’ve lost the freedom to abstain.’ Let us reclaim that freedom.”

Stoicism centers its followers on identifying inner desires and patterns that inhibit their ability to live a disciplined and virtuous life. Holiday endorses this approach by encouraging readers to reflect on their daily habits or “compulsions” to ensure that their reasoning mind, rather than rote habits, has “sovereignty” over their actions.

“Find what you do out of rote memory or routine. Ask yourself: Is this really the best way to do it? Know why you do what you do—do it for the right reasons.”

Holiday urges readers to engage in critical self-reflection through thinking and journaling. He argues that by examining their lives, readers can identify which habits they would like to conquer and which they should develop. This quotation connects to Holiday’s theme about focusing on situations within one’s circle of control, as he promises that changing small daily actions can add up to significant changes in one’s life.

“Strength is the ability to maintain a hold of oneself. It’s being the person who never gets mad, who cannot be rattled, because they are in control of their passions—rather than controlled by their passions.”

Echoing Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus, Holiday equates strength with being calm and in control. This Stoic approach to conflict helps deescalate negative situations while retaining one’s dignity. Holiday shows readers that emoting anger is not a sign of strength by presenting people who lose their temper as weak-willed and emotionally feeble.

“In other words, it is possible to hold no opinion about a negative thing. You just need to cultivate that power instead of wielding it accidentally. Especially when having an opinion is likely to make us aggravated. Practice the ability of having absolutely no thoughts about something—act as if you had no idea it ever occurred. Or that you’ve never heard of it before. Let it become irrelevant or nonexistent to you. It’ll be a lot less powerful that way.”

Holiday builds his theme about reframing conflict or negative events through cultivating neutrality. This mental exercise is intended to help people avoid becoming upset and ruminating about events that they cannot control to keep their mental clarity and power.

“To want nothing makes one invincible—because nothing lies outside your control […] When it comes to your goals and the things you strive for, ask yourself: Am I in control of them, or they in control of me?”

Holiday points out that having desires can lead to compulsive and unthinking behavior. He agrees with the Stoics that even seemingly constructive goals can derail people’s mental discipline by creating unhealthy attachments and emotional turmoil. This quotation reiterates the crucial role that self-reflection plays for people who want to enact Stoic philosophy in everyday life.

“Indifference is solid middle ground. It’s not about avoidance or shunning, but rather not giving any possible outcome more power or preference than is appropriate. This is not easy to do, certainly, but if you could manage, how much more relaxed would you be?”

Holiday extols the benefits of feeling indifferent to events outside of one’s circle of control. Calling this lack of emotion “solid middle ground” emphasizes the stability that people can feel by not having an emotional reaction to events. This quotation supports Holiday’s theme about reframing conflict through emotional indifference.

“They know that the world can control our bodies—we can be thrown in jail or be tossed about by the weather. But the mind? That’s ours. We must protect it. Maintain control over your mind and perceptions, they’d say. It’s your most prized possession.”

Holiday highlights the inherent vulnerability of the body to persuade readers that their mind and choices are the only things that they can fully control. This quotation connects to the Stoic focus on prohairesis as the key to a stable and virtuous life based on mental sovereignty.

“Someone can’t frustrate you, work can’t overwhelm you—these are external objects, and they have no access to your mind. Those emotions you feel, as real as they are, come from the inside, not the outside.”

Holiday challenges the notion that anything can make people feel a certain way, noting that emotional reactions are within our control, even if it does not always feel like it. This quote challenges readers to see themselves as personally responsible for their reactions and to not blame other people or events for their inner ups and downs.

“Freedom isn’t secured by filling up on your heart’s desire, but by removing your desire.”

Holiday quotes Epictetus’s Discourses to refocus readers’ attention: Rather than fighting to achieve or acquire certain external things, we should learn to not need those things anymore. Like Epictetus, Holiday believes that this lack of want gives people “freedom.”

“How much harder is it to do the right thing when you’re surrounded by people with low standards? [...] We’ll inevitably be exposed to these influences at some point, no matter how much we try to avoid them. But when we are, there is nothing that says we have to allow these influences to penetrate our minds.”

Stoicism does not advocate for removing oneself from society to avoid poor influences, but instead encourages people to build up enough discipline to resist bad behavior and model good behavior through their actions. Holiday supports this approach, noting that although realistically people can’t help being “exposed to these influences,” they should resist being persuaded by them.

“Sure, it’s tempting to throw discipline and order to the wind and go with what feels right—but if our many youthful regrets are any indication, what feels right right now doesn’t always stand up well over time. Hold your senses suspect. Again, trust, but always verify.”

Holiday encourages readers to develop their rationality and use it to challenge their senses. He persuades readers to be suspicious of their gut feelings and rely on reason to “verify” the truth of a situation. This quotation connects to Stoicism’s emphasis on rational thinking and strict emotional management.

“He’s asking you to become an observer of your own thoughts and the actions those thoughts provoke. Where do they come from? What biases do they contain? Are they constructive or destructive? Do they cause you to make mistakes or engage in behavior you later regret? Look for patterns; find where cause meets effect.”

Holiday refers to a Marcus Aurelius quote and offers several questions for readers to use in their own self-reflections. This quote reiterates the importance of channeling constructive criticism inwards to one’s own thoughts and behavior, rather than outward towards other people.

“Most rudeness, meanness, and cruelty are a mask for deep seated weakness. Kindness in these situations is only possible for people of great strength. You have that strength. Use it.”

The author emphasizes the altruistic aspects of Stoic philosophy as he equates kindness with strength. This quotation helps readers understand that Stoic virtue is meant to create a foundation that supports kindness and generosity towards others.

“Instead of seeing philosophy as an end to which one aspires, see it as something one applies. Not occasionally, but over the course of a life—making incremental progress along the way. Sustained execution, not shapeless epiphanies.”

The author rejects the notion that philosophy should be interpreted as an ideal destination and encourages readers to understand Stoicism as a practical guide for their lives. For Holiday the “sustained execution” of these exercises and values is the most important part of studying Stoic thought.

“Marcus’s meditations are filled with self-criticism and so are the writings of other Stoics. It’s important to remember, however, that’s that as far as it goes. There was no self-flagellation, no paying penance, no self-esteem issues from guilt or self-loathing […] Their self-criticism is constructive.”

While Stoicism certainly emphasizes strict discipline and high standards, Holiday points out that this philosophy is not ascetic or self-hating. Stoic thinkers do not dwell on feelings of shame or engage in harsh penance; instead their reflections are intended to make their present and future actions more virtuous. Holiday encourages readers to employ the same approach in their relationship with themselves.

“You’re welcome to take all the words of the great philosophers and use them to your own liking […] The way to prove that you truly understand what you speak and write, that you truly are original, is to put them into practice. Speak them with your actions more than anything else.”

The author rejects philosophical knowledge in the form of book smarts and elevates people who apply their knowledge in their actions. This quotation helps him solidify his theme of living out one’s values and leading by example, rather than preaching—which is of course somewhat belied by the fact that he has written many books doing exactly the kind of preaching he dismisses here.

“The time you were rude because you hadn’t slept in two days. The time you acted on bad information. The time you got carried away, forgot, didn’t understand. The list goes on and on. This is why it is so important not to write people off or brand them as enemies. Be as forgiving of them as you are of yourself.”

Holiday encourages readers to cultivate a tolerant attitude by remembering their own shortcomings and mistakes. He connects this reflection with resisting quick judgments of other people, emphasizing that people should challenge themselves to be kinder and more forgiving.

“At any moment we may be toppled from our perch and made to do with less—less money, less recognition, less access, less resources. Even the ‘less-es’ that come with age: less mobility, less energy, less freedom […] One way to protect yourself from the swings of fate—and from the emotional vertigo that can result—is by living within your means now.”

Holiday explains that living large can create instability in one’s life, as people fear losing what they have and feel distressed when they do. A Stoic approach is to live frugally and feel content with less in order to avoid the “emotional vertigo” that can come with misfortune. This quote demonstrates how much the Stoics value stability.

“The Stoic does two things when encountering hatred or ill opinion in others. They ask: Is this opinion inside my control? If there is a chance for influence or change, they take it. But if there isn’t, they accept this person as they are (and never hate a hater).”

Holiday revisits the concept of the circle of control while advising readers on how to deal with negativity from others. Stoics resist hatred and other negative feelings, seeing them as a draining force which does not help the situation.

“Think about which behaviors you’d like to default to if you could. How many of them have you practiced only once? Let today be twice.”

Holiday challenges readers to put one behavior into practice today. This passage reminds readers that the point of each daily devotional is to shift their behavior in a positive way.

“You were born good […] You were born with an attraction to virtue and self-mastery. If you’ve gotten far from that, it’s not out of some inborn corruption but from a nurturing of the wrong things and the wrong ideas.”

Holiday synthesizes the Stoics’ view of human nature, which rejects the notion of “inborn corruption.” This quotation helps deepen readers’ understanding of Stoicism, encouraging readers to not root their practice in feelings of shame, but to recognize their many inherent positive qualities and instincts.

“Every person is born with a death sentence. Every second that passes by is one you’ll never get back. Once you realize this, it will have a profound impact on what you say, do, and think.”

The author creates a sense of urgency by observing that everyone has a “death sentence” and an ever-decreasing amount of time to live, spurring readers to consider how they can better use their time to live a richer life.