Nothing Wrong With Nice Stuff

Seneca was a very rich man. He had nice stuff. Critics at the time, and ever since, have found this to be indisputable proof of his hypocrisy. How can a Stoic have expensive ivory tables? Isn’t it unphilosophical to have multiple houses? Or servants? In Seneca’s view, the answer was no. Nobody said that Stoicism meant a vow of poverty, or needless deprivation. As he wrote, “Philosophy calls for plain living, not for penance...our lives should observe a happy medium between the ways of the sage and the ways of the world at large.” Plain living is, to a certain degree, relative. A $100 steak dinner to one person is an insane luxury. To a person with a much larger salary and in a different social setting, having dinner at that same restaurant might be an unassuming and convenient choice (especially if all their friends are chasing reservations somewhere fancier and even more expensive). That Mercedes they bought with cash, that is both really safe and gets great gas mileage, might actually be plainer living than it is for the person of more modest means who is driving a brand new Nissan on a no-money-down lease (when really they ought to be taking the train). Stoicism is not, as Seneca said, a form of self-flagellation. It’s about responsibility and sobriety. It’s possible to be sober and rich, just as it’s possible to be middle class and reckless. You only live once. Money is earned to be spent. Just make sure you’re spending it smartly and philosophically. And living, as best you can, plainly. 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. Nothing Wrong With Nice Stuff. Seneca was a very rich man. He had nice stuff. Critics at the time and ever since have found this to be indisputable proof of his hypocrisy. How can a Stoic have expensive ivory tables? Isn't it unphilosophical to have multiple houses or servants? In Seneca's view, the answer was no. Nobody said that Stoicism

• 0:51Ryan Holiday?

  meant a vow of poverty or needless deprivation. As he wrote, "Philosophy calls for plain living, not for penance. Our life should observe a happy medium between the ways of the sage and the ways of the world at large." Plain living is, to a certain degree, relative. A $100 steak dinner to one person is an insane luxury. To a person with a much larger salary and in a different social set, having dinner at the same restaurant might be an unassuming convenient choice, especially if all their friends are chasing reservations at somewhere fancier and even more expensive. That Mercedes they bought in cash that's really safe and gets great gas mileage might actually be plainer living than it is for the person

• 1:35Ryan Holiday?

  driving a brand-new Nissan on a lease when really they ought to be taking the train. Stoicism is not, as Seneca said, "a form of self-flagellation." It's about responsibility and sobriety. It's possible to be sober and rich, just as it's possible to be middle-class and reckless. You only live once. Money is earned to be spent. Just make sure you're spending it smartly and philosophically and living as best you can plainly. If you like the podcast that we do here and you want to get it via email every morning, you can sign up at dailystoic.com/email.