An Important Reminder To Do The Right Thing

Our newest Daily Stoic coinSummum Bonum is an expression from Cicero, Rome’s greatest orator. In Latin, it means “the highest good.” And what is the highest good? What is it that we are supposed to be aiming for in this life? To the Stoics, the answer is virtue. If we act virtuously, they believed, everything else important could follow: Happiness, success, meaning, reputation, honor, love. The Stoics didn’t claim this path was easy, or that it would always be recognized or appreciated by those closest to us, only that it was essential. And that the alternative—taking the easy route or the shortcut even if unethical or immoral—was considered only by cowards and fools. As Marcus Aurelius writes in Meditations,“Just that you do the right thing. The rest doesn't matter. Cold or warm. Tired or well-rested. Despised or honored. Dying...or busy with other assignments.”To the ancients, if we let virtue lead the way, every step we take will be safe. In Greek mythology, Arete was the goddess of virtue. The model for us to follow—the embodiment of this idea of doing and living right. This idea is the inspiration for our newest Stoic-inspired medallion. The Summum Bonum medallion.[Buy Now]The front of the coin features an iconic rendition of Arete in Ephesus:The back shows Marcus’s simple reminder:“Just that you do the right thing. The rest doesn’t matter.”The phrase is ringed, as if by sentries protecting this essential truth, by Marcus’s reminders that virtue is the answer in all circumstances. Cold or warm. Tired or well-rested. Despised or honored. Dying or Busy. 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.

• 0:28Ryan Holiday?

  An important reminder to do the right thing. Summum bonum is an expression from Cicero, Rome's greatest orator. In Latin, it means "the highest good." And what is the highest good? What is it that we're supposed to be aiming for in this life? To the Stoics, the answer is virtue. If we act virtuously, they believed everything else important could follow: happiness, success, meaning, reputation, honor, love. The Stoics didn't claim that this path was easy, or that it would be recognized always, or appreciated always, by those closest to us, only that it was essential, and that the alternative, taking

• 1:10Ryan Holiday?

  the easy route, or the shortcut, even if unethical or immoral, was considered only by cowards and fools. As Marcus Aurelius writes in Meditations, "Just that you do the right thing; the rest doesn't matter: cold or warm, tired or well-rested, despised or honored, dying or busy with other assignments." To the ancients, "If we let virtue lead the way, every step we take will be safe." In Greek mythology, Arete was the goddess of virtue, the model for us to follow, the embodiment of this idea of doing and living right. This idea is also the inspiration of the newest Daily Stoic-inspired medallion,

• 1:52Ryan Holiday?

  and I hope you'll check it out. It's one I've been really excited to carry with me the last couple of weeks, since I got the first one. On the front, there's the... Image of Ereté, the goddess of virtue. And the back, it has Marcus's reminder, just that you do the right thing, the rest doesn't matter. And then the phrase is ringed, almost like centuries protecting this essential truth, by the reminders that virtue is the answer in all circumstances, whether it's cold, that it's warm, whether we're tired or well-rested, despised or honored, dying or busy. And our goal in creating this medallion, like all the other ones, is that you can have it in your pocket and feel the weight and remember that no matter the circumstances,

• 2:36Ryan Holiday?

  no matter how dire or negative, or straightforward or scary things seem, you know the answer. Stoicism has given you an answer, and in this case, the answer is virtue. And it's supposed to be this token that prompts us to do what we know in our hearts is right, even if every incentive or interest pulls us away from that. We live in a world that's awash in corruption and selfishness. There is cruelty and pain. We need virtue now more than ever. We need heroes. We need those who will stand up for the common good, no matter the circumstances. And I think more importantly, we need you to be one of those people. And so the coin is formed around that call to action.

• 3:18Ryan Holiday?

  It's for you to carry with you everywhere you go, so that you may never forget to answer when that call comes. I hope you check it out. You can go to the Daily Stoic store. It's our newest one, Summum Bonum. And I look forward to seeing the photos that you all take with you and your new medallion. Enjoy.