No One Escapes This Law

This is not another note about memento mori. It’s about a different immutable, inescapable law of human existence that comes to us from the Stoics through Heraclitus (one of Marcus Aurelius’ favorites): Character is fate. After death and taxes, this is a timeless adage that the Stoics believed will determine our destiny whether we like it or not. And just a quick glimpse around the world and across history confirms it: Liars and cheats eventually destroy themselves. The corrupt overreach. The ignorant make fatal, self-inflicted mistakes. The egotistical ignore the data that challenges them and the warnings that could save them. The selfish end up isolated and alone, even if they’re surrounded by fame and fortune. The "robbers, perverts, killers and tyrants" Marcus Aurelius wrote about always end up in a hell of their own making. It’s a law as true as gravity. Bad character might drive someone into a position of leadership—because of their ambition, their ruthlessness, their shamelessness—but eventually, inevitably, this supposed “strength” becomes an Achilles’ heel when it comes time to actually do the job. Who trusts them? Who actually wants to work with them? What kind of culture develops around them? How can they learn? How can they know where the landmines are? If you want to know why things are the way they are right now—on Wall Street, in politics, in Silicon Valley, on college campuses, everywhere—it’s because character is fate. And for too long we have ignored the predictive—no, prophetic—power of character. When you make excuses for liars and cheats and egomaniacs because they agree with you, or they might benefit your business or help your cause in the short term, not only do you do so at your own long term peril, but you are exhibiting bad character yourself. And that is what will come back to bite you. That is what is biting us right now, on every continent, in every corner of culture, at nearly every turn. Because character is fate. Always has been. Always will be. See 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.

• 0:06Ryan Holiday?

  Welcome to The Daily Stoic, where each day we read a short passage designed to help you cultivate the strength, insight, wisdom necessary for living the good 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.

• 0:29Ryan Holiday?

  No one escapes this law. Is this another note about memento mori? No, it's not. In addition to that old adage about death and taxes, the Stoics believed that there was one other fact of existence that no one could escape from. It comes to us from Herakles, one of Marcus Aurelius's favorites, and it's an immutable reality of life and leadership. Character is fate determines our destiny. Just a quick glimpse around the world, and history confirms this is true. Liars and cheats eventually destroy themselves, the corrupt overreach, the ignorant make fatal self-inflicted mistakes, the egotistical

• 1:11Ryan Holiday?

  ignore the warnings that could save them and data that challenges them, the selfish end up isolated and alone, even if they're surrounded by riches and fame. The robbers, perverts, killers, and tyrants that Marcus Aurelius wrote about always end up in a hell of their own making. It's a law as true as gravity. Bad character might drive someone into a position of leadership because of their ambition, because of their ruthlessness or their shamelessness, but eventually, inevitably, this supposed strength is an Achilles' heel when it comes to actually doing the job. Who trusts them? Who actually wants to work

• 1:52Ryan Holiday?

  with them? What kind of culture develops around them? How can they learn? How can they know where the landmines are? If you want to know why things are the way they are right now in business, in politics, everywhere, it's because character is fate. And for too long, we have ignored the predictive, no prophetic, power of character.

• 2:14Ryan Holiday?

  When you make excuses for liars and cheats and egomaniacs because they agree with you, because they might benefit your business, or your cause, or your stock position, or your political party in the short term, not only do you do so at your own long-term peril, but you are exhibiting bad character yourself. And that is what will come back to bite you. That is what is biting us right now on all corners of the planet. Character is fate, always has been, always will be. Hey, everyone. Thanks again for listening to today's Daily Stoic Podcast. My first book on Stoicism, The Obstacle is the Way, is still on sale for $1.99 on Amazon,

• 2:55Ryan Holiday?

  but the promo ends on March 29th, so you don't have much time left to pick up your copy. This is the first book I wrote about Stoicism. It hit number one on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller List as countless fans in politics and sports, the military, media, and more. Don't miss your chance to get it for $1.99 as an ebook in the US. Follow the link in the store bio. Thanks.