Use It. That’s What It’s There For.

"There’s no question that the Stoics accustomed themselves to hard living. For many people, this is the image we have of them: Cato walking bareheaded and barefooted. Marcus sleeping on a hard mattress. Seneca practicing poverty and cold plunges. Yet less well known but equally true is that the Stoics knew the good life: Cato had a family fortune. Marcus lived in an imperial palace. Seneca threw epic parties. Is this a contradiction? No." Ryan explains how the Stoics found fulfillment despite their own personal fortunes 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/dailystoicInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoic/Facebook: http://facebook.com/dailystoicYouTube: 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?

  Use it. That's what it's there for. There's no question that the Stoics accustomed themselves to hard living. For many people, this is the image they have of them: Cato walking bareheaded and barefooted, Marcus sleeping on a hard mattress, Seneca practicing poverty and cold plunges. Yet, less well-known but equally true is that the Stoics knew the good life. Cato had a family fortune, Marcus lived in an imperial palace, Seneca through epic parties. Is this a contradiction? No. What Seneca tells us via Cleanthes is that while the wise man doesn't need luxuries—that's why we practice deprivation from time to time—they can still enjoy them. The Stoics' attitude was something like, "smoke 'em if

• 1:14Ryan Holiday?

  you got 'em," or "use it. That's what it's there for." If fortune has blessed you, you don't have to feel guilty. Wealth, success, the ability to make money or build things, this is a tool. What matters is what you do with this tool. What matters is how you use it. There were Romans far richer than Cato, and these Romans were invariably made weaker by their money. They were not drawn to public service. They were not incorruptible. Marcus, during the Antonine Plague, sold off many of the palace furnishings to help pay down Rome's debts. Seneca was ready to give all his money back when it came clear that Nero was a monster, but it was too late. A Stoic doesn't need money, but then, they also don't mind it. And if they have it, they know how to use it. If you like the

• 1:59Ryan Holiday?

  podcast that we do here, and you want to get it via email every morning, you can sign up at dailystoic.com/email.