Always Be Humble and Kind

"We hear in Meditations Marcus Aurelius speak of “epithets for the self,” watchwords for his life. From Zeno to Marcus, the works of nearly every Stoic feature the repetition of four words, four virtues that go to the course of the philosophy: Courage. Justice. Moderation. Wisdom. These are mantras. These are reminders. A kind of living oral and written tradition for how to live and what kind of person to be."Ryan discusses how one songwriter created a mantra of her own 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.

• 0:06Speaker 00

  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?

  Always be humble and kind. We hear in Meditations Marcus Aurelius speak of the epithets for the self, watchwords for his life. From Zeno to Marcus, the works of nearly every Stoic features the repetition of four words, four virtues that go to the core of the philosophy: courage, justice, moderation, wisdom. These are the mantras, these are the reminders, a kind of living oral and written tradition for how to live and what kind of person to be. And as beautiful and as in some cases, perfect as these expressions are, we should remember that it is a living tradition, one that can be added to and improved. Marcus

• 1:11Ryan Holiday?

  Aurelius writes about how if anyone ever finds a better list of those four virtues, it must be an extraordinary thing indeed. In 2016, the songwriter Laurie McKenna took a stab at it. In a song that was written for her five young children and has since become a hit for Tim McGraw, as well as a children's book, she puts together a pretty good list of rules, and in the chorus, she captures them all in a wonderful epigram for living. "Visit grandpa every chance that you can," she sings. "It won't be a waste of time. Always stay humble and kind. Hold the door, say please, say thank you. Don't steal, don't cheat, and don't lie. I know you've got mountains to climb, but always

• 1:56Ryan Holiday?

  stay humble and kind. When the dreams you are dreaming come to you, when the work you put in is realized, let yourself feel the pride, but always stay humble and kind." Don't expect a free ride From no one, don't hold a grudge or a chip. And here's why bitterness keeps you from flying. Always stay humble and kind. Know the difference between sleeping with someone and sleeping with someone you love. I love you ain't no pickup line. So always stay humble and kind. Don't take for granted the love this life gives you. When you get where you're going, don't forget to turn back around. Help the next one in line. Always stay humble and kind. Not bad.

• 2:41Ryan Holiday?

  Courage, justice, moderation, wisdom. It's all there. Stay humble and kind out there. And of course, if you want those four virtues as a reminder, check out our Four Virtues coin in the Daily Stoic store, dailystoic.com/virtues.