Avoid Special Treatment Like The Plague

During the American Revolution—as in any war—the British quite rightly targeted the estates and the landholdings of the leadership on the American side. Because to them, these men weren’t founders—they were instigators. At one point in the war, George Washington’s estate was threatened by advancing troops. Thinking he might be able to save his boss’s property, one of Washington’s overseers rushed out to try to convince the enemy to spare them. When Washington heard about this, he was not pleased. In fact, he wrote immediately to his staff: I’d rather my home be demolished than receive special treatment. Given our selfish and corrupt modern politics, it’s a remarkable sentiment. Here was a rich, powerful person turning down a favor, not only refusing to profit from his position but actually willingly accepting a potentially massive sacrifice because of it. Why? Because it was the right thing to do. And as Marcus Aurelius said, that’s all that mattersThe Stoics, were, as far as we know, similarly inclined as leaders. When Rome’s finances were in ruins, Marcus Aurelius sold off the treasures of the imperial palace to shore them up. He could have levied high taxes, he could have invaded another country—he could have used his power so that others suffered instead of his family, but he didn’t. Because that would have been unfair. James Stockdale and John McCain turned down special treatment as prisoners of war in Vietnam. They must have ached for even the slightest relief. They were desperate to get home. But they refused to abandon their duty—they would not undermine their country or deprive their fellow prisoners. This is not to say that a Stoic must decline every perk in life. Or that you can’t be compensated for your work or your success. However, we must always consider whether these perks come at the expense of somebody else, or if our special treatment means neglect elsewhere. What if everyone took advantage of their position? How would the world work? How fair would that be? We must always do the right thing...even if it comes at great cost. 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. Avoid special treatment, like the plague. During the American Revolution, as in any war, the British quite rightly targeted the estates and the land holdings of the leadership on the American side. Because to them, these men weren't founders, they were instigators. And at one point in the war, George Washington's

• 0:47Ryan Holiday?

  estate was threatened by advancing troops. Thinking he might be able to save his boss's property, one of Washington's overseers rushed out to try to convince the enemy to spare them. When Washington heard about this, he was not pleased. In fact, he wrote immediately to his staff, "I'd rather my home be demolished than receive special treatment." Given our selfish and corrupt modern politics, it's a remarkable sentiment. Here was a rich, powerful man turning down a favor, not only refusing to profit from his position, but actually willingly accepting a potentially massive sacrifice because of it. Why? Because it

• 1:30Ryan Holiday?

  was the right thing to do. And as Marcus Aurelius said, "That's all that matters." The Stoics were, as far as we know, similarly inclined as leaders. When Rome's finances were in ruins, Marcus Aurelius sold off the treasures of the Imperial Palace to shore them up. He could have levied high taxes, he could have invaded another country, he could have used his power so that others suffered instead of his family, but he didn't. Because that would have been unfair. James Stockdale and John McCain turned down special treatment as prisoners of war in Vietnam. They must have ached for even the slightest relief. They were desperate to go home, but they refused to abandon their duty.

• 2:13Ryan Holiday?

  They would not undermine their country or deprive their fellow prisoners. This is not to say that a Stoic must decline every perk in life, or that you can't be compensated for your work or your success. However, we must always consider whether these perks come at the expense of somebody else, or if our special treatment means neglect elsewhere. What if everyone took advantage of their position? How would the world work? How fair would that be? So we must always do the right thing, even if it comes at great cost. "You can leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think." That was Marcus Aurelius's line, one of the most profound quotes in all of Stoicism.

• 2:57Ryan Holiday?

  If you want to carry this with you always, if you want to wear it on your hand, keep it always at hand, as the Stoics would say. You can now get a Memento Mori Signet ring. We sell it in the Daily Stoic store. Just go to dailystoic.com/store. I'm wearing a Memento Mori Signet ring on my right ring finger right now. I wear it everywhere I go. I can touch it throughout the day. I can touch the skull, the hourglass, the time, the fundamental ingredients of life, this fleeting, fragile existence we all have. We are all mortal. We must remember death. We could leave life right now. We should let that determine what we do and say and think. Check out the Memento Mori Signet ring at dailystoic.com/store.