There’s Nothing Better Than A Simple Pleasure

"The Spartans were known for their simple, rustic ways. Unlike the citizens of Athens, who dined on the most gourmet fare, the Spartans ate almost nothing but “gruel,” a kind of broth or blood pudding. Visitors noted just how unappetizing this soup was, but to the Spartans, who were constantly training and working, it was delicious. Why? Because they said that hunger was the best flavoring."Learn more about the simple pleasures in life in today's Daily Stoic Podcast.***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: http://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?

  There's nothing better than a simple pleasure. The Spartans were known for their simple rustic ways. Unlike the citizens of Athens who dined on the most gourmet fare, the Spartans ate almost nothing but gruel, a kind of broth or blood pudding. Visitors noticed just how unappetizing this soup was, but to the Spartans, who were constantly training and working, it was delicious. Why? Because they said that hunger was the best flavoring. That's true, isn't it? When you're thirsty, a cold glass of water is about the best tasting thing in the world. When you've been locked down and quarantined for weeks, a fast-food hamburger starts to sound like an incredible delicacy. Imagine what

• 1:10Ryan Holiday?

  returning to Rome after exile must have been like for Seneca or Musonius Rufus. Imagine the first day of freedom for Epictetus, how the air must have felt, how they must have walked the streets, embraced their friends, sat at their favorite café, or visited their favorite shops. There is nothing better than a simple pleasure, except perhaps being reunited with a simple pleasure you have long been without. Marcus Aurelius reminds us how little is needed for the simple life. He shows us in the most beautiful passages of Meditations how a look out the window at some ripe grain, the mouth-watering sensation of fresh bread, or retreat into oneself after a busy hectic day can feel like a million bucks. He doesn't

• 1:53Ryan Holiday?

  just write about it, but like you, he must have loved picking blackberries or staying up late with a page-turner, or the joy of baking, or the satisfaction of doing a good turn. We don't need to become the emperor to feel good. We don't need fancy restaurants. We don't need to travel to exotic locations. We have so much available to us right now. There are so many accessible and ordinary pleasures right here, and the events of the world as of late are a powerful reminder of this. Don't ignore it.

• 2:24Ryan Holiday?

  Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app. And if you don't get the Daily Stoic email, go to dailystoic.com/email.