📚 20 Books mentioned in "Brigid Delaney’s Life Changing Year of Living Like a Stoic" of The Daily Stoic

I mean, there are different accounts of how culpable Seneca was. I love the James Romm book 'Dying Every Day', it's extraordinary. What I love about Seneca is his humanness; he had this ideal that he tried to reach, and the reality was working for Nero.

The guest expresses their admiration for the book 'Dying Every Day' by James Romm while exploring the complexities of Seneca's character and the tension between his philosophies and his affiliation with Nero. This book examines and interprets Stoicism in the context of Seneca's life.

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I was writing, ironically, what would become 'Ego is the Enemy.' But so I didn't take the lack of success that personally because I was busy doing the thing. And then some random lucky things happened, like Amazon discounted it and it stayed discounted, audiobooks started to take off, some sports teams started to talk about it, and then it really started to sell.

The host reflects on his journey of writing 'Ego is the Enemy,' indicating that he didn't take the initial lack of success of his previous book, 'The Obstacle is the Way,' personally. Instead, he was focused on his writing process and how unexpected events, like discounts on Amazon and increasing interest from audiobooks and sports teams, eventually contributed to its success.

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I've read them and different interpretations of them. If you want to understand 'Meditations', that's a really great place to start. Well, I just thought about the timelessness: you have the same job as them.

The host highlights that if you wish to grasp the essence of 'Meditations,' exploring the letters to Fronto would be an excellent starting point. 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius are crucial writings that underpin the principles discussed in the Daily Stoic podcast.

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Then I jumped over to Stoicism, and you know, it's very similar. I mean, Marcus Aurelius's book is called 'Meditations'. It's a different form of meditation, but the idea of sitting and observing your thoughts, whether it's like this or like that, is fundamentally the same practice.

During the discussion, the guest brings up Marcus Aurelius's book 'Meditations' while exploring the connections between eastern meditation practices and Stoicism.

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Take all the spiritual and philosophical parts out of 'Meditations', and it's just a brilliant work of art and thought. Here you have this man writing private thoughts to himself that he wasn't intending to publish; it shouldn't be so good. It's so good!

The guest emphasizes that even when stripped of its philosophical content, 'Meditations' remains an exceptional work of art and thought. This reflects on the enduring value of Marcus Aurelius' writings, highlighting 'Meditations' as a cornerstone in the exploration of stoicism discussed in the podcast.

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It's like watching the greatest musician give the performance of their life in private and nobody ever knows about it. That's what 'Meditations' is. It feels like even if you just read it for the writing itself, for the prose, there's poetry in pretty much every line.

The guest expresses that reading 'Meditations' feels akin to witnessing an incredible musician perform privately, emphasizing its literary excellence and poetic qualities. This work is frequently referenced by both hosts and guests in the discussions, demonstrating its significance in the podcast.

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He notes that this is a bit of nature's inadvertence; the baker isn't intending for that to happen, but it does. I've come to understand that that's what 'Meditations' is. Marcus Aurelius is performing this private inward act of reminding himself what he believes, what's important, what he should be doing, what he needs to get better at.

In the discussion, the guest explains that 'Meditations' represents an introspective effort by Marcus Aurelius to remind himself of his beliefs and values. They draw a comparison to nature's inadvertent occurrences, highlighting the significance of the book in the context of Stoic philosophy.

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The accidental byproduct of that is this book, 'Meditations', which you and I are reading 2,000 years later. He said that posthumous fame was impossible and worthless, and he's accidentally seeking it—not because of his accomplishments on the battlefield or his policies as emperor, but because of this private and singular act.

The guest reflects on 'Meditations' as a significant byproduct of Marcus Aurelius's inner work, emphasizing its accidental creation and lasting impact. This book serves as a fundamental inspiration for the themes discussed in the podcast.

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I think it's important to figure out how to read 'Meditations' because it does get misread. I was listening to a podcast recently where Mary Beard, the great classicist, talked about how she does not like Marcus and doesn't like 'Meditations'. She said it's almost like Instagram quotes or memes.

The guest emphasizes the significance of understanding 'Meditations' accurately, noting that it is often misinterpreted. They reference a critique made by another podcaster regarding the work, highlighting its relevance in the discussion about stoicism.

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A lot of the lines and words in 'Meditations' are not Marcus's own, they're something he heard from a philosophy teacher or read in a book. It's important that we see it as what it was; it's kind of a commonplace book. But I get to do that part in public, and then my journaling is much more personal and specific.

The host explains that some lines in 'Meditations' are derived from other sources, emphasizing that it should be regarded as a commonplace book. This perspective is significant for the podcast as it explores Stoic philosophies and highlights 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius as a foundational text.

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'Letters to Lucilius' is a good example; that's addressed to someone, but you can see him working out death and grief in that work. Same with 'On the Shortness of Life'; it's an intellectual exercise and a spiritual exercise. They didn't have a pre-fitted philosophy or theology that they could live by; they had to come up with it themselves, and you can see them doing that in the work.

The guest discusses 'Letters to Lucilius,' highlighting its significance in understanding the development of Stoic philosophy. This work by Seneca delves into themes of death and grief, showcasing the intellectual and spiritual exercises of the Stoics.

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'Letters to Lucilius' is a good example; that's addressed to someone, but you can see him working out death and grief in that work. Same with 'On the Shortness of Life'; it's an intellectual exercise and a spiritual exercise. They didn't have a pre-fitted philosophy or theology that they could live by; they had to come up with it themselves, and you can see them doing that in the work.

The guest discusses 'On the Shortness of Life' in relation to Seneca's intellectual and spiritual journey, emphasizing its significance as a vital text in Stoicism.

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The first time I hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list, I remember I was in Los Angeles, I was on book tour for 'Stillness is the Key.' And so I was a different time zone, and so I started getting lots of texts and emails. And my thing is I get up early and I don't get sucked into my phone, so I could feel like I could feel the energy that something was happening.

The host recalls being on tour for his book, 'Stillness is the Key,' when he learned it had reached number one on the New York Times Best Seller list. He reflects on how this moment impacted him, emphasizing the importance of not being attached to external success.

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I thought I'd start in the nerdiest place possible: have you read Marcus's letters to Fronto? You know who Fronto is? The love letters?

The podcast host initiates the discussion by asking the guest whether they have read the letters written by Marcus Aurelius to Fronto, which he amusingly labels as a nerdy conversation starter. This refers to a correspondence that captures personal insights between the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his mentor, Marcus Cornelius Fronto.

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Well, I have the luxury of getting to do a good chunk of my Stoic journaling in public. I wrote this book, 'The Daily Stoic', which was one page a day, and then I just kept going. So every day for eight years, I've published a Stoic meditation.

In this segment, the host discusses his experience with Stoic journaling in public and mentions his book 'The Daily Stoic', which consists of daily meditations he has published over the past eight years, inspired by Stoic philosophy.

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Yeah, I just have a kind of blank journal that I do, and then I did this book called 'The Daily Journal', which has a Stoic prompt every day, and I like the prompts. So I do those from time to time also. For me, it's kind of a grab bag of different things to think about, but it's usually like prepping for, 'Okay, I'm flying the next day.

The host mentions his book 'The Daily Journal', which contains a Stoic prompt each day that he sometimes uses. This reference highlights his own work related to Stoicism.

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No, I I also try to remind myself of what, because I remember I was, I finished the manuscript for The Obstacle Is The Way on a flight from Sydney to Perth. Oh wow, uh, and three off fly, I just, I just finished it, I sent it in and I had zero idea that it would do as well that it would like, if I tell myself in retrospect that I predicted all this that I knew, it says something about me as a person.

The host reflects on finishing his book, 'The Obstacle Is The Way,' while on a flight from Sydney to Perth. He expresses surprise at its success and candidly shares that he had no expectations of how well it would perform.

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Yeah, you know, because I think 'Obstacle is the Way.' I also think ego is an obstacle—your own. It's the biggest obstacle, your own sort of sense of your entitlements, you know, where you should be in life.

During the discussion, the host directly references his book 'The Obstacle is the Way,' drawing a connection between the concepts of ego and stoicism. He emphasizes that ego serves as a major obstacle in one’s life, highlighting the relevance of his work to the conversation.

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I think she's possibly Princeton or Yale, um, but she wrote a wonderful book called The Therapy of Desire, which looks, you know, there's a, a case study, a kind of fictional case study of a young woman in Stoic times who, um, is learning Stoicism. And you know there's this great, you know, um, Nussbaum is a brilliant writer, so she writes about, and a translator also, yeah, she's extraordinary, but she writes about, um, this woman want,

The guest references 'The Therapy of Desire' by Martha Nussbaum, which features a fictional case study of a young woman exploring Stoicism. The book serves as a philosophical analysis of Stoicism and discusses how these ideas are accessible to women and marginalized groups.

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Um, one of my books, Well Mania was turned into a Netflix show. And, um, it's, it did a great first season. It did really well around the world.

The guest discusses her book 'Well Mania', which has been adapted into a Netflix show and has achieved significant success globally. The mention occurs while exploring themes of stoicism and coping with life's unpredictabilities.

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