In the End, It’s Nothing

"From the outside, it can all seem very impressive. Think of Marcus Aurelius, marching into Rome in triumph. Think of him looking down at the crowds in the coliseum. Think of him looking up, as they erect a 39 meter marble column to his accomplishments. But those who have had these things, they know."Find out what they know in the rest of today's podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Thrive Market, an online marketplace where you can get over 6000 products, whether it's pantry staples, food, wine, and other groceries, or cleaning products, vitamins, or even bath and body products. They have products for any diet or value system, whether it's vegan, non-GMO, paleo, keto, kosher, halal, non-FODMAP, and more. Visit https://thrivemarket.com/stoic to get 25% off your order today.***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: DailyStoic.com/signupFollow @DailyStoic:Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanholidayInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanholiday/Facebook: http://facebook.com/ryanholidayYouTube: 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.

• 0:06Ryan 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?

  In the end, it is nothing. From the outside, it can all seem very impressive. Think of Marcus Aurelius marching into Rome in triumph. Think of him looking down at the crowds of the Colosseum. See him looking up as they erected a 39-meter marble column of his accomplishments. But those who have had these things, they know. They know what Lyndon Johnson, a man who chased power harder and more desperately than just about anyone, knew when he described a life filled with trips, chauffeurs, men saluting, people clapping. "In the end," he said, "it is nothing." "In the end, it is nothing. Money, power, fame,

• 1:11Ryan Holiday?

  it doesn't mean anything, and it does not last." That's what Marcus Aurelius reminded himself of constantly. "Who cares now of Alexander the Great's victories?" he said. "Who remembers Vespasian? Who will care how fancy my house is? Who will be impressed at how many servants I had, or how much the crowds cheered for me?" The only thing that mattered to the Stoics was good character, good intentions, and good actions. The only thing that should matter to us right now is whether we're acting rightly, whether we're striving for that summum bonum towards and for virtue. "Just do the right thing," Marcus Aurelius said. "The rest doesn't matter." And everything else, in the end, is nothing.