You Need To Hit The Road

It might even be easy to use some of the Stoic teachings to tell yourself that travel is exotic, or even frivolous. But it isn’t. It’s essential. 📚 The Four Virtues Boxed Set https://dailystoic.com/virtuesboxset: https://dailystoic.com/virtuesboxset 🎟️ DAILY STOIC LIVE https://www.dailystoiclive.com/| Ryan Holiday is coming to a city near you https://www.dailystoiclive.com/! Grab tickets here https://www.dailystoiclive.com/ | https://www.dailystoiclive.com/ 🎙️ AD-FREE https://dailystoic.supercast.com/| Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium https://dailystoic.supercast.com/ - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/ https://dailystoic.supercast.com/ ✉️ FREE STOIC WISDOM https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail | Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail -- Stop online threats before they become real-world attacks. Visit ironwall.com/DAILYSTOIC and request a free Risk Assessment to see exactly how exposed your executives are. -- Wealthfront’s high-yield cash account: https://www.wealthfront.com/stoic This experience may not be representative of other Wealthfront clients, and there is no guarantee of future performance or success. Experiences will vary. Ryan Holiday, who’s a client of Wealthfront, receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage for paid testimonials in his podcast, creating a conflict of interest. More details available via the referral link. The Direct Deposit Plus Investing Program from Wealthfront Advisers LLC and Wealthfront Brokerage LLC provides eligible clients a 0.25% APY increase above the base APY on eligible Cash Account balances (up to an overall boosted rate of 4.30% for a limited time when including the three month 0.75% APY boost for new clients) when you direct deposit $1,000 a month, plus open, fund, and maintain an investing account. Wealthfront may change or end the program at any time and determine eligibility at its discretion. Terms apply. Full details at wealthfront.com/promo-terms. The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of January 30, 2026, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. References to the APY for the Wealthfront Cash Account, including any APY increase, are to the APY paid by insured depository institutions that participate in our cash sweep program (the "Program Banks”). Wealthfront Brokerage does not pay interest. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY. Instant and same-day withdrawals use the Real-Time Payments (RTP) network or FedNow service. Transfers may be limited by your receiving institution, daily caps, or participating entities. New Cash Account deposits have a 2–4 day hold before transfer. Wealthfront does not charge fees for these services, but receiving institutions may impose an RTP or FedNow Fee. Processing times may vary.. Fees & Eligibility requirements may apply to certain checking features. Investment advisory services are provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Securities investments are not bank deposits, bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value. -- See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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

• 0:00Ryan Holiday?

  Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, designed to help bring those four key Stoic virtues— courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom—into the real world.

• 0:15Ryan Holiday?

  You need to hit the road. Seneca warned against escapism. Marcus Rilis reminded himself that he could retreat into his own soul as easily as he could the mountains or the beach. Epictetus said to take great care with the inside and not what's outside. Yet, for all this, the Stoics traveled widely. Marcus Rilis visited Syria and Turkey. Seneca visited southern Italy and Greece. In addition to his exile, and Corsica lived for nearly a decade in Egypt. Posidoniaus lived and worked in many places in his long life—Syria, Athens, Rome, Rhodes, traveled almost the entirety of the known world. After completing his studies under Posidoniaus,

• 1:00Ryan Holiday?

  Athenodorus traveled widely as a lecturer to Egypt and other Mediterranean cities before he became Octavian's teacher in Apollonia, which is on the coast of modern Albania. These were beautiful and critical experiences for them. It opened their eyes to a larger world, to different perspectives, to nature. "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness," Mark Twain famously wrote, "and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts." This was true of America in the 19th and 20th centuries, and it was true of Rome in the first. Marcus Rilis's passage in Meditations, which referenced being a citizen in the world, was probably shaped by the people he met in Athens,

• 1:43Ryan Holiday?

  in Tarsus, in Alexandria. It's easy to be comfortable where you are. It might even be easy to use some of the Stoic teachings to tell yourself that travel is exotic or even frivolous. But it isn't. It's essential. We need to experience cultures other than our own, environments and geography other than our own, cuisines, histories, music, and stories other than our own. This gives us perspective. It opens us up to new ideas and inspiration. It builds character. Most importantly, it provides new and meaningful ways to gain wisdom. So hit the road. By the way, I have a chapter all about Herodotus, one of the greatest travelers of all time,

• 2:26Ryan Holiday?

  in Wisdom Takes Work, which you can grab as part of the Stoic Virtue Series. We've got a new box set. I'll sign it if you want. You can grab that at stuart.dailystoic.com.