This Is What Echoes in Eternity

"It’s ironic that today we celebrate the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, because the entire conceit of Lincoln’s short, 271-word address was that people would little note nor remember what he was saying. What counted to Lincoln was what the soldiers had done. The full measure of their sacrifice, for freedom, to preserve the Union, was beyond anyone’s ability to add or subtract. The Stoics would have agreed with that sentiment. It’s a waste of time to talk about what a good man is like, Marcus Aurelius said, we just have to be one. So what, he asked, if people remember things you said while you were alive? "Ryan explains the hidden majesty of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address 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 Daily Stoic: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. This is what echoes in eternity. It's ironic that today we celebrate the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, because the entire conceit of Lincoln's short 271-word address was that people would little note nor remember what he was saying. What counted to Lincoln

• 0:47Ryan Holiday?

  was what the soldiers, living and dead, had done. The full measure of their sacrifice for freedom to preserve the Union was beyond anyone's ability to add or subtract, and the Stoics would have agreed with that sentiment. "It's a waste of time to talk about what a good man is like." Marcus Aurelius said, "We have to be one. So what?" he asked, "If people remember the things you said while you were alive?" Yet, yet, yet, we do remember what Lincoln said at Gettysburg, because what he did in that short address was lay out, perhaps better than any other person, the kinds of ideals we are trying to live up to and serve. He defined and celebrated heroism for us with such beauty

• 1:28Ryan Holiday?

  that you can't help but memorize it. We forget the 13,000 words, the two hours that the speaker before him spent bloviating. What we remember is Lincoln's boiled-down poetry, because that poetry was calling us to something higher. The Gettysburg Address is a call to pick up the unfinished work of those noble soldiers who died so that other men could be free, so that all men someday, eventually, could be treated equal. It was a consecration of those virtues of courage and moderation and justice and wisdom. Marcus Aurelius believed there was nothing more inspiring than to see virtue embodied in the people around us. On this day 157 years ago, Lincoln managed to, in a few short

• 2:13Ryan Holiday?

  minutes, enshrine virtue in a speech that echoes in eternity. Does it matter more than the true sacrifices of the soldiers buried in the field where he spoke? No, but it was a fitting tribute that we can continue to ring out today. Thanks for listening to the Daily Stoic Podcast. If you could leave us a review in iTunes, it helps a great deal. And of course, if you know anyone who would benefit from these messages, please spread the word. Thanks.