Freedom Isn't Free

The fact that America exists is the ultimate argument that Stoicism is not apathy and that philosophy is not mere theory. Because without Stoicism, it’s possible there would have been no revolution, no Constitution, no Bill of Rights and no Fourth of July. Thomas Jefferson kept a copy of Seneca on his nightstand. George Washington staged a reproduction of a play about Cato at Valley Forge in the winter of ‘77/’78 to inspire the troops (having first read the Stoics as a teenager). Patrick Henry cribbed lines from that same play which we now credit to him: “Give me Liberty or give me death!” John Adams, Ben Franklin—almost all the founders were well-versed in the works of the Stoics. It’s partly what gave them the courage to found a new nation against such incredible odds, and it’s partly what set up the principles that formed that nation and changed the world. At the core of the American experiment was liberty. At the core of Stoicism we have not only a love of freedom, but the counterbalancing virtues to that freedom: Justice. Duty. Self-Control. Honor. Selflessness. These are the traits that were required not only in those dark days of revolution, as bloody footprints from starving soldiers marked the snows in New Jersey and New York, but also the traits needed equally now in moments of prosperity and plenty, division and distraction. So today, while you’re grilling and relaxing with friends, remember that the comfort you enjoy now grew out of a philosophy that was made to embrace discomfort and to do the right thing, whatever the costs. Remember that the American victory over the British came first because a group of American Stoics first found victory over themselves. Because for all their Stoic resignation, these men and women also deeply believed in their own agency and their own power. Seneca said, “Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.” The Founding Fathers built a country on that very foundation. They employed the Stoic virtues like a hammer and chisel, like saw and nail, to master their passions, divisions, tempers, interests and strive to be something better—something more—than they were remotely capable of being in the years of their colonial youth. That wasn’t easy. It wasn’t free. But they embraced the challenge and challenge us, today, to do the same. 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. Freedom isn't free. The fact that America exists is the ultimate argument that Stoicism is not apathy and that philosophy is not mere theory. Because without Stoicism, it's possible there would be no revolution, no constitution, no Bill of Rights, and no Fourth of July. Thomas Jefferson kept a copy of Seneca on his nightstand. George Washington

• 0:51Ryan Holiday?

  staged a reproduction of a play about Cato at Valley Forge in the winter of 77 and 78 to inspire the troops, having first read the Stoics himself as a teenager. Patrick Henry cribbed lines from that same play that we now credit to him. "Give me liberty or give me death," he said. John Adams, Ben Franklin, all the founders were well-versed in the works of the Stoics. It's partly what gave them the courage to found a new nation against such incredible odds. It's partly what set up the principles that formed that nation and changed the world. At the core of the American experiment was liberty. At the core

• 1:33Ryan Holiday?

  of Stoicism, we have not only a love of freedom, but the counterbalancing virtues to that freedom: justice, duty, self-control, honor, selflessness. These are the traits that are required not only in those dark days of revolution, as bloody footprints from starving soldiers marked the snows in New Jersey and New York, but also the traits needed equally now in moments of prosperity and plenty, division and distraction. So today, while you're grilling and relaxing with friends, remember that the comfort you enjoy now grew out of a philosophy that was made to embrace Discomfort and to do the right thing, whatever the cost.

• 2:14Ryan Holiday?

  Remember that the American victory over the British came first because a group of American Stoics first found victory over themselves. Because for all their Stoic resignation, these men and women also deeply believed in their own agency and their own power. Seneca said, "Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power." The founding fathers built a country on that very foundation. They employed the Stoic virtues like a hammer and a chisel, like a saw and a nail, to master their passions, divisions, tempers, interests, and strive to be something better, something more than they were remotely capable of being in the years of their colonial youth.

• 2:56Ryan Holiday?

  That wasn't easy, it wasn't free, but they embraced the challenge and challenge us today to do the same. Also, there are only a few more days to join the Daily Stoic Freedom Challenge we are running. Right now, it's going to start on July 8th. You have to sign up by July 7th, 11:59 PM. You can do it at dailystoic.com/challenge. It's going to be awesome. It's 21 days that at the end of you will be better, you will be more free, hopefully you'll be more virtuous. I think it's going to be awesome. I really encourage you to check it out. Go to dailystoic.com/challenge.