Exploring the Softer Side

There is a harshness and a hardness to the Stoics. But there is also a softness and a grace, the velvet glove over the iron first. Think of Marcus talking about how we must come to our “journey’s end with a good grace, just as an olive falls when it is fully ripe, praising the earth that bore it and grateful to the tree that gave it growth.” First, it’s just beautiful language (and all the more impressive if you consider it was just a thought he jotted down to himself). Yet it is also an important example of that other side of Stoicism. The one that expresses gratitude and thanks and awe about the universe. As you toughen yourself up in this life—reading these emails, practicing these exercises—make sure you don’t lose touch with that. Make sure that you practice gratitude for what has made you in this life and the things you experience while you’re here. Make sure you practice that good grace. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. Exploring the softer side. There is a harshness and a hardness to the Stoics, but there is also a softness and a grace, the velvet glove over the iron fist. Think of Marcus talking about how we must come to our journey's end with a good grace,

• 0:46Ryan Holiday?

  just as an olive falls when it is fully ripe, praising the earth that bore it and grateful to the tree that gave it growth. First, it's just beautiful language, and all the more impressive if you consider it was just a thought he jotted down to himself. Yet, it is also an important example of that other side of Stoicism, the one that expresses gratitude and thanks and awe about the universe. As you toughen yourself up in this life, reading these emails, practicing these exercises, make sure that you don't lose touch with that. Make sure that you practice gratitude for what has made you in this life and the things you experience while you're here. Make sure you practice that good grace.