If Trouble Knocks, Let It Find You Home

"Cato did not want a civil war. Julius Caesar probably thought that if he marched on Rome, Cato’s opposition would evaporate. He was mistaken. James Garfield didn’t want a civil war either. As the South ratcheted up their aggression in the 1860s, Southern fire-eaters assumed that the North would compromise, as they had time and time again. They weren’t counting on resistance like the kind they found in men like Garfield and Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. 'Of course I deprecate war,' Garfield famously said later in life, 'but if it is brought to my door, the bringer will find me home.' In a way, this perfectly captures the Stoic approach, not just to war but to life."Ryan describes how a Stoic treats the obstacles and problems that they encounter on today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better. Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: http://DailyStoic.com/signupFollow @DailyStoic:Twitter: https://twitter.com/dailystoicInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoic/Facebook: http://facebook.com/dailystoicYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dailystoicSee 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. If trouble knocks, let it find you home. Cato did not want a civil war. Julius Caesar probably thought that if he marched on Rome, Cato's opposition would evaporate. He was mistaken. James Garfield didn't want a civil war either. As the South ratcheted up their

• 0:46Ryan Holiday?

  aggression in the 1850s, Southern fire eaters assumed that the North would compromise, as they had time and time again. They weren't counting on resistance like the kind they found in men like Garfield and Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. "Of course I deprecate war," Garfield famously said later in life, "but if it is brought to my door, the bringer will find me home." In this way, it perfectly captures the Stoic approach not just to war, but to life. Marcus Aurelius had no interest in spending his reign fighting battles, but when they came, he was ready. James Stockdale had no interest in being a prisoner of war, but when fate knocked on his door, he answered. Seneca clearly would have preferred to die

• 1:28Ryan Holiday?

  naturally of old age, like every other person, but when Nero's goons came with their death sentence, he did not run away. He rose to the occasion and gave the performance of his life. Who wants to be cheated on? Who wants to get cheated by a business partner? Who wants their town to be poorly run? Who wants a fight to break out while they're eating dinner with their family? Nobody wants these things, but that doesn't stop this trouble from showing up. The question is not whether you like these things or whether you want them to happen. The question is, when they do happen, how will they find you? Cowering in the back room with the lights off? Or dressed and ready to go, reluctant or ready, angry or amor fati? Your answer determines who you are.

• 2:12Ryan Holiday?

  It may also determine the course of history.

• 2:16Speaker 01

  Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app. And if you don't get the Daily Stoic email, go to dailystoic.com/email.