Don’t Be a Fool

There are lots of ways to spot a foolish person. They say dumb things. They make unforced errors. They make the same unforced error over and over again. You tend to recognize one when you see one. Seneca, quoting Epicurus, had a good test: “The fool, with all his other faults, has this also—he is always getting ready to live.” Indeed, just about the most foolish thing you can hear—coming from someone else or coming out of your own mouth—are the words: “Some day, I’ll…” “When I’m older I hope to…” “I’m not ready right now but…” “If I ever finish this, then I’ll...”What makes you think you have that luxury? What makes you think you’ll have the time? Forget about issues of self-worth and status and dues-paying for a moment. From a practical perspective, you can’t get ready for something that’s already here. And that’s what life is. It’s right now. Right this second. Don’t be a fool. Live today. Be the best you can be now. 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.

• 0:29Ryan Holiday?

  Don't be a fool. There are lots of ways to spot a foolish person. They say dumb things, they make unforced errors, they make the same unforced error over and over again. You tend to recognize a fool when you see one. Seneca, quoting Epicurus, had a good test. "The fool," he said, "with all his other faults, has this also: He is always getting ready to live." Indeed, just about the most foolish thing you can hear, coming from someone else, coming right out of your own mouth, are the words, "Someday, when I'm older, I hope to..." Not ready right now, but if I ever finish this, then I'll...

• 1:10Ryan Holiday?

  What makes you think you have that luxury? What makes you think you have the time? Forget about issues of self-worth and status and dues-paying for a moment. From a practical perspective, you can't get ready for something that's already here. And that's what life is. It's right now, right this second. Don't be a fool. Live today. Be the best you can be now.

• 1:36Ryan Holiday?

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