Episode · The Daily Stoic · 2024-03-02
Ryan Holiday & Robert Greene: books mentioned on The Daily Stoic (Mar 2024)
Robert Greene and Ryan Holiday on Ego and Power | LIVE in LA
This discussion between Ryan Holiday and Robert Greene took place in September of 2023 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
Ryan Holiday recommended The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman and The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday, and discussed What If... by Dale Mayer, Meditations by Aurelius Marcus, and The Odyssey. Robert Greene recommended The First Three Minutes by Steven Weinberg, and discussed The Dialogues of Plato, The Past Is a Foreign Country by David Lowenthal, The Passions of the Soul by René Descartes, and Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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What If...
Discussed“yeah there's a whole series of books out called what if and they're fascinating”
Where to get it
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Meditations
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is a collection of personal journals and philosophical notes written by the Roman emperor during his military campaigns, offering profound insights into Stoic philosophy, self-discipline, and personal endurance.
Discussed“i think one something that struck me as i'm reading meditations is Marcus really thanks his philosophy teacher rusticus”
Where to get it
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The Dialogues of Plato
The Dialogues of Plato by Plato is a foundational collection of classical Greek philosophical texts utilizing conversational formats to explore ethics, politics, and metaphysics.
Discussed“But he ends up in this, he ends up in this bookstore, and the bookseller is reading one of, uh, Plato's dialogues or, I know, I guess it would have been one of Zenon's books.”
Where to get it
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The Past Is a Foreign Country
Discussed“you know there's a book called the pastors of foreign country right and it's true”
Where to get it
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The Passions of the Soul
Discussed“you know there's a book called the pastors of foreign country right and it's true”
Where to get it
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The Odyssey
The Odyssey by Homer is an epic ancient Greek poem that follows the arduous ten-year journey of Odysseus as he attempts to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, encountering mythical creatures, divine wrath, and numerous trials along the way.
Discussed“this a slight as side but I was telling my oldest the story of odsis and”
Where to get it
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The Nineties
The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman is a cultural history that examines the distinct identity, media landscape, and pivotal moments of the final decade of the twentieth century.
Recommended“Chuck cluster wrote a great book called The 9s and he was sort of talking about how”
Where to get it
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The First Three Minutes
The First Three Minutes is a popular science book by physicist Steven Weinberg that details the current scientific understanding of the universe's formation during the first few moments after the Big Bang.
Recommended“you know like I read a book called the first three minutes which is about the first three minutes of the universe it's an Incredible Book”
Where to get it
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The Obstacle Is the Way
The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday is a popular modern guide to applying ancient Stoic philosophy to overcome adversity, drawing inspiration from historical figures who turned trials into triumphs.
Recommended“I read them all the time—Obstacle is my favorite, Ego is the Enemy, but they're all really great.”
Where to get it
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Ego Is the Enemy
Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday is a philosophical guide that warns against the destructive nature of ego and ambition while offering practical Stoic strategies for humility and perseverance.
Discussed“obstacle my favorite is ego is the enemy but they're all really great”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (14) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“I can honestly say I never intended in my life to write the 48 Laws of Power”
“I can honestly say I never intended in my life to write The 48 Laws of Power. I didn't start out at 8 years old saying, 'I'm going to write The 48 Laws of Power.'”
“Yeah, there's a whole series of books out called 'What If,' and they're fascinating; I don't know if you've ever read them.”
“Paul Graham we talked about in Mastery you know he says there's the launch”
“are you still dealing with that well not only did writing the book not solve the problem for me”
“but for a week and then you know I had to take a big step back when I sold the obstacles the way”
“I think I got lucky in the sense that, you know, I did a book when my first book came out when I was 25 and it hit a bestseller for a week, and then, you know, I had to take a big step back when I sold The Obstacle is the Way.”
“someone told me they thought it would sell 5,000 copies the obstacles away and that it would sell”
“well look he was a huge fan of the 48 Laws of Power he called it his Bible”
“Well, look, he was a huge fan of the 48 Laws of Power; he called it his Bible. Yeah, he called me El Señor, which is deeply blasphemous!”
“like uh obviously I wrote ego as the enemy as American Apparel was pulling itself to Pieces”
“Like, uh, obviously, I wrote Ego is the Enemy as American Apparel was pulling itself to pieces.”
“but then the book I did after was about Stillness was me trying to rebuild my life after out of the destruction”
“I learned that I can be a fool that I can be conned that I have a weakness that somebody the person who wrote about Conor and the 48 Laws of Power himself was conned”