Legacy Is Not For You

Ryan discusses what actually matters in life, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast. Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/emailFollow 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. 📢 Share | ⚙️ Manage Subscription

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:05Ryan Holiday?

  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 in 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 at DailyStoic.com.

• 0:26Ryan Holiday?

  Legacy is not for you. Marcus Aurelius's works in memory lives on. So do Seneca's. So do many great artists and inventors. That's great, right? For us, it doesn't do them much good. Does it really mean anything to Alexander the Great that Alexandria still bears his name? Do you think George Washington is able to feel pride that DC remains? Of course not. When we had Camila Cabello on the Daily Stoic Podcast, one of the most popular musicians in the world, she recounted some advice that she'd gotten from her mentor. Legacy is not for you, she learned. Legacy is for everyone else. And this makes sense. Marcus Aurelius noted that he wouldn't be around

• 1:12Ryan Holiday?

  to enjoy posthumous fame. Nobody will be. Legacy, then, should be seen only as the incidental byproduct of a great life. If your art, your work, your organizations endure, if one of Camila's songs still holds up 100 years from now, great, but that's extra. And it's not for you at that point. It'll be everyone else's blessing. Or in the case of bad legacy, their curse. Only right now matters. The life you're living, that's the only monument that counts. Who you are in this moment, how you treat people, how you treat yourself, that is the real legacy. And it's passing you by as you read this. Do check out the interview. She was awesome.

• 1:58Ryan Holiday?

  It was so cool to hear about her interest in Stoicism. You can check that out. We also have it up on YouTube. Go to youtube.com/DailyStoic. And of course, check out her music and enjoy.