Remember that People Avoid the Truth

Time and time again, we hear the Stoics tell us to say what is right, to do what is right, to be comfortable swimming upstream or rejecting the choices of the mob. Marcus Aurelius said this. Seneca said it. Cato said it. Nassim Taleb says it still today. What usually goes unsaid alongside these inspiring calls—whether it’s “If you see fraud, say fraud” or “If it’s not right do not do it, if it’s not true do not say it”—is anything about the consequences. Because while history admires whistleblowers and men and women of principles, their contemporaries often have the opposite reaction. Because speaking the truth and standing up for what’s right is an implicit rebuke of the status quo. It challenges people’s identities. It indicts them for not doing the sameThis is important to know and to constantly remind oneself of. It’s almost like you need to do a premeditatio malorum for what happens when you commit to being a good and honest and courageous person. Because it’s not going to be easy. People are not going to throw you a parade. They’re much more likely to throw brickbats. Or insults. But you have to do what you think is right, and, as Marcus Aurelius said, treat the rest like it doesn’t matter. Who cares if they unsubscribe from your emails? Who cares if they report you? Or try to take away your sponsors? Try to run against you in a primary election? Or leave nasty comments? Or try to bully you? Because the truth is that none of these things matter. Or at least, they don’t matter more than your duty. 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. Remember that people avoid the truth. Time and time again, we hear the Stoics tell us to say what is right, to do what is right, to be comfortable swimming upstream or rejecting the choices of the mob. Marcus Aurelius said this, Seneca said it, Cato said it, Nassim Taleb says it still today. What usually goes unsaid alongside these inspiring calls,

• 0:50Ryan Holiday?

  whether it's "if you see fraud, say fraud," or "if it's not right, do not do it; if it's not true, do not say it," is anything about the consequences. Because while history admires whistleblowers and men and women of principles, their contemporaries often have the opposite reaction. Because speaking the truth and standing up for what's right is an implicit rebuke of the status quo. It challenges people's identities. It indicts them for not doing the same. This is important to know and constantly remind oneself of. It's almost like you need to do a premeditatio malorum for what happens when you commit to being a good and honest and courageous person. Because it's not easy. People are

• 1:33Ryan Holiday?

  not going to throw you a parade. They're much more likely to throw brickbats or insults. But you have to do what you think is right. And as Marcus Aurelius said, "Treat the rest like it doesn't matter." Who cares if they unsubscribe from your emails? Who cares if they report you, or try to take away your sponsors, or try to run against you in a primary election, or leave nasty comments, or try to bully you? The truth is that none of these things matter, or at least, they don't matter more than your duty. If you're liking this podcast, we would love for you to subscribe. Please leave us a review on iTunes or any of your favorite podcast listening apps. It really helps. And tell a friend.