Episode · The Daily Stoic · 2026-07-15
Books mentioned on 12 Stoic Lessons from The Odyssey
With Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey hitting theaters this week, now is the perfect time to hear the Stoic lessons hidden within this ancient story. In this episode, Ryan travels through Greece and Ithaca to share 12 lessons about ego, perseverance, discipline, temptation, and what it really means to make it home.
Ryan Holiday discussed The Odyssey, The Sirens' Call by Chris Hayes, and Meditations by Aurelius Marcus.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Odyssey
The Odyssey by Homer is an epic ancient Greek poem that follows Odysseus on his long, perilous journey home after the Trojan War, remaining one of history's most influential foundational narratives.
Discussed“I'm talking, of course, about the Odyssey, and it's a favorite of many people, but most of all, the Stoics. There is no work that the Stoics reference more than the Odyssey.”
Where to get it
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The Sirens' Call
The Sirens' Call by Chris Hayes examines the modern battle for human attention and how constant digital stimulation has turned focus into an endangered resource.
Discussed“Beware the sirens on the rocks. The Sirens Call. Chris Hayes just wrote a book with that exact title, The Sirens Call.”
Where to get it
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Meditations
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is a profound collection of personal reflections and Stoic philosophy written by the Roman emperor.
Discussed“This is one of the things Marcus talks about in meditations about how you want to really get inside people's minds and see things from their perspective.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“I'm Ryan Holidayiday, the author of The Daily Stoic, and I traveled thousands of miles, not just to ancient Greece, where of course the Odyssey is set, but to Ithaca itself”