Book Commentary: Lives Of The Stoics by Ryan Holiday
The Stoics were more adamant than most other schools that philosophy is not merely a “critique of words by means of other words,” as Nietzsche put it, but instead was a means for living a good life. This idea is more relevant today than it’s ever been. These days, most people’s touchpoints with philosophy are schools and universities, which employ this “critique of words by means of other words” approach to philosophy. Thus, many see philosophy as something to be studied and debated within the confines of classroom walls. But that’s not what most people want. Most people are looking for guidance, which is why Stoicism has seen such a resurgence in popularity. It is a practical framework that anyone can actually use to live a better life.
The utility and accessibility of Stoicism is but one outstanding theme from Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday. The book is a compilation of mini biographies, presenting Stoics chronologically from Zeno of Citium, the school’s founder, to Marcus Aurelius, arguably the most famous Stoic. The book is rich in character. It introduced me to Stoics I had never heard of, some of whom challenge Epictetus’ spot as my favorite Stoic.
There’s Cleanthes, who is known to have carried water at night for a living, deliberately opting for this back-breaking profession because it was a part of his philosophical practice. A king once asked Cleanthes why he still drew water at night, even after having established himself as a great philosopher. Cleanthes replied:
“Is drawing water all that I do?
What? Do I not dig? What?
Do I not water the garden? Or
Undertake any other labor for the love of philosophy?
Related article: Philoponia: A Love Of Work
There’s Agrippinus, who was one of many Stoics in the Roman era who had to test their philosophy against tyrannical strongmen in power while themselves trying to participate in politics. He dared to be different and stand up for what he believed to be right and paid the price with his freedom—being sent into exile. But he did not complain nor waver from his commitments, we know, from the glowing recounts that come to us from Epictetus: “His character was such that when any hardship befell him he would compose a eulogy upon it.”
We see a similar story, but taken to the extreme in the case of Musonius Rufus. Known to be a major influence for Epictetus, Musonius was exiled not once, not twice, but perhaps a total of four times he was stripped of his freedom. For what? For embodying good with unwavering commitment under the reigns of several cowardly emperors. When asked how he could go on with everything having been taken from him repeatedly, he rejected the premise, saying they could take away his home but not his “ability to endure exile.”
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Commentary on Lives of the Stoic by Ryan Holiday
These are my reflections on Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday (paid link). I’ll not retell the stories of each of the Stoics featured in the book. That would defeat the purpose of reading it for yourself. Instead, I’d like to extract what I feel are the most salient lessons about Stoicism that arise from the book.
What is Stoicism?
There are many ways to define Stoicism. We could say it’s about acting in accordance with nature. We might say, as I often do, that it’s about making the world a better place. We could describe the four Stoic virtues: Courage, Temperance, Wisdom, and Justice. However, these definitions are somewhat vague. Instead, as I learned from this book, we might do well to speak about Stoicism in ways that speak to us as people—as humans. If we did this we might say that Stoicism is all about cultivating tranquility, purpose, self-control, and happiness.
Tranquility can be found through mindfulness. We can take breaks from our endeavors and develop the skill of present-moment awareness. This is the foundation upon which all good actions are built.
Purpose, as the Stoics taught, is not a selfish game. Our purpose should be to leave things better than how we found them.
Self-control is a Stoic pursuit because living well is hard. Living a life of mindfulness requires dedication. Doing the right thing often means resisting the easy thing, or the delicious thing, or the pleasurable thing.
Happiness is the most difficult one to describe. Search for the meaning of happiness and you’ll find a thousand different answers. All I can do is offer mine. For me, happiness is a two-pronged fork. One side is gratitude. The other is agency—our ability to move freely through our environment, without excessive resistance, failure, or idleness.
What is a good Stoic?
A good Stoic is someone who makes choices that support higher values. A good Stoic serves good causes. A good Stoic does not waver from their higher values nor their commitment to good causes when life becomes difficult.
“A Stoic is someone who transforms fear into prudence, pain into transformation, mistakes into initiation, and desire into undertaking.” – Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Stoicism and death
The Stoics taught a lot about how one should approach death. They realized that death is not something we face in a brief flash at the very end. Death is happening right now. Death is always present, it just occupies more space as more time goes by. The Stoics saw acceptance of death as fundamental in their philosophy because fear is a major impediment of moral behavior. If we can get over the ultimate fear that is death, then we develop a healthier relationship with fear itself, thus making ourselves more capable of living virtuously. Finally, the pervasiveness of death, to the Stoics, meant that we cannot waste a precious second of this beautiful, finite thing we call life. Therefore, death is an impetus for living with gratitude today.
“It is not possible to live well today unless one thinks of it as his last.” – Musonius Rufus
Personal transformation
If you’re like me, you were introduced to Stoicism late in life. Again, if you’re like me, you lived for decades with anxieties and self-doubt without any guidance or help. I learned from this book that it’s never too late to undergo personal transformation. Personal philosophies derived from wisdom traditions like Stoicism or Buddhism are an immense help, but ultimately self-transformation requires a lot of courage. Lives of the Stoics also showed that we need mentors and teachers to show us the way.
Daimon: the universal guiding spirit
According to Stoicism’s founder, Zeno, we must strive to find a “smooth flow of life,” in everything we do to promote “harmonious accord with each man’s guiding spirit and the will of the one who governs the universe.” This is strikingly similar to Taoism and Zen Buddhism—the idea that our true nature is harmony with nature, not resistance or aggression towards it. The Greeks called it daimon, which they believed was an inner guiding spirit that connects all of us to nature. To some, this might sound a bit too esoteric. To others, like myself, it’s reassuring. It tells me that I have everything I need to live a purposeful, tranquil, and happy life. These things are in my nature. Anything else is an external influence.
A Stoic life is lived one step at a time
Reading about the ancient Stoics, we may get the impression that they had something that we lack today. Perhaps they were able to live with virtue more easily than us for whatever reason, be it less access to information, not being connected to social networks 24/7. The stories you’ll read in Lives of the Stoics may seem lofty or unrelated at times. But when you look closely, you see these were just ordinary men and women of their times. They were not born enlightened. There was nothing special about their era that made it easier for them to live virtuously. When you read closely, you see that none of them became great Stoics remembered by history overnight. Their lives, the ones we’re reading and writing about today, are nothing more than a series of small choices, decisions, and actions made well.
“Well-being is realized by small steps, but is truly no small thing.” – Zeno
Final thoughts
This might be one of the most important books on Stoicism I’ve read. Instead of telling me what Stoicism is, it showed me. It showed me through the lives of men and women who, not unlike me, decided that average is not good enough. Average leads to acceptance of the status quo, which inevitably descends into chaos. The world needs individuals to resist this form of passive mediocrity and take it upon themselves to live lives of virtue and reason. But how? By learning from those who did it before us. That’s why this book is important. It shows us how to be a Stoic—how to be a force for good in this world.
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