9 Stoic Rules For A Better Life (From Marcus Aurelius)

Summary

The video "9 Stoic Rules For A Better Life" dives into the teachings of Marcus Aurelius, a Roman Emperor known for his embodiment of Stoic philosophy. His actions during crisis, such as selling imperial possessions for public benefit, exemplify virtue and leadership. The transcript discusses the adaptability, self-discipline, and focus on essential actions that define Stoicism. It emphasizes embracing challenges, controlling responses over external situations, and living with intention, guided by the principles of Amor Fati, focus on community, and Memento Mori.

Highlights

• Marcus Aurelius taught that life should be lived as if each moment were our last, highlighting the importance of actions over words. ⏳
• Despite the temptation of power, Aurelius shared his rule equally with his brother, living a life of virtue as seen in the Meditations. 🤝
• During the Antonine Plague, he sold imperial treasures to prioritize the public's well-being, leading by example. 💎
• Obstacles are merely paths to better opportunities. In the face of adversity, Aurelius' teachings remind us to keep moving. 🚀
• Daily actions, rather than mere intentions, are crucial. As emphasized by Aurelius, 'well begun is half done.' 🔍
• Aurelius' morning regimen involved waking early, even when inconvenient, to focus and set priorities for the day. 🌞
• Frustrations with others are normal, yet they offer a chance to practice the very principles of Stoicism—patience and resilience. 😣
• True discipline means self-improvement without imposing on others. It's about mastering oneself and one’s reactions. 🔄
• The stoic principle of asking 'Is this essential?' helps eliminate unnecessary tasks, hence improving efficiency and focus. 🎯

Key Takeaways

• Life is short, so live it as if each action were your last. Seize the moment, and live with intention! ⏳
• Marcus Aurelius demonstrated that true leadership is about serving others, even in times of crisis, like during the Antonine Plague. 💪
• Stoic philosophy encourages us to embrace obstacles as opportunities for growth and transformation. 🌱
• You can never be truly stuck; when one door closes, another opens, providing a new path for virtue and excellence. 🚪
• The discipline of action is paramount. Knowing what to do isn't enough—you must act to achieve greatness. 🏃
• Morning routines set the tone for the day. Begin with clear intentions and focus on what truly matters. 🌅
• Self-discipline is personal—be tolerant with others but strict with yourself. 🧘‍♂️
• The frustrations with people are universal, but they can be used to practice patience and fortitude. 🙃
• Always ask yourself, 'Is this essential?' to ensure that you're concentrating on what truly matters in life. 🎯

Overview

Marcus Aurelius, often titled the philosopher king, stands out for his exceptional adherence to the principles of Stoicism even amid extreme adversities like the Antonine Plague. Known for sharing power equally with his brother upon ascending to the throne, Aurelius prioritized ethical ruling over personal gain, a testament to his character and leadership. His practice of selling imperial jewels to support Rome's economy during the plague exemplifies a kind of leadership rare in history.

The stoic wisdom he embodied revolves around the concept of perceived obstacles becoming opportunities. By understanding that control lies in our responses, Aurelius teaches that what blocks our path is actually guiding us towards alternative virtues. Whether facing societal pressures or personal endeavors, adapting and finding new ways is embedded in the Stoic way of life, a timeless lesson for modern day challenges.

Daily practices, like rise-and-stride morning routines or maintaining rigorous self-discipline, bring Aurelius’ philosophical insights into practice. His advice isn’t about achieving perfection but about embracing a process of continuous self-improvement. By questioning the essential nature of our tasks and pursuing purposeful actions, we not only simplify life but also enhance our effectiveness and peace of mind, staying true to Stoic philosophies.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Power of Marcus Aurelius The chapter titled 'Introduction and Power of Marcus Aurelius' explores the life philosophy and character of Marcus Aurelius. It opens with a quote from Marcus urging one to live life as if each action or thought could be their last, highlighting the transient nature of life. Despite his position of power, Marcus is portrayed as a unique historical figure, challenging the notion that absolute power leads to corruption. Unlike many rulers who inherit their status, Marcus was chosen and prepared for leadership from a young age, setting him apart from his contemporaries, such as Nero.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Marcus's Rule of Sharing Power Ryan Holiday discusses Marcus Aurelius's approach to sharing power, emphasizing how Marcus shared power with his brother. Holiday has been deeply influenced by Marcus's Meditations, as have millions over the past 2000 years. He shares his experiences from writing 12 books and talking about Marcus to a wide range of audiences from the NBA and NFL to special forces, senators, and CEOs. In this chapter, he presents some of his favorite lessons from Marcus Aurelius.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Lessons from the Philosopher King The chapter focuses on Marcus Aurelius, known as the "philosopher king." It highlights his principles and ideas, emphasizing his leadership during challenging times, such as the Antonine Plague—a devastating pandemic that severely affected Rome's economy and left people despondent about the future.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Marcus's Actions During the Antonine Plague During the Antonine Plague, Marcus Aurelius demonstrates leadership and empathy by selling imperial possessions. For two months, he holds sales on the emperor's palace lawn, auctioning jewels, robes, and luxurious furniture. His actions send a message of selflessness, prioritizing the people's needs over personal luxury, akin to a CEO taking a pay cut in tough times or an athlete renegotiating a contract to benefit the team.
• 02:00 - 03:00: The Obstacle is the Way This chapter explores the concept that true leadership and greatness come from self-sacrifice and prioritizing the needs of others over personal comfort, exemplified by Marcus Aurelius. The essence of Stoicism is highlighted, emphasizing the perspective that obstacles are not just barriers but opportunities for progress. The Stoics believe that if one path is blocked, another one is always available, and the very impediments we face can guide us forward. The chapter encapsulates the Stoic belief that challenges can become our pathway to success, aligning with Marcus Aurelius's philosophy that circumstances don't necessarily stop us but lead us towards new actions and solutions.
• 03:00 - 04:00: The Importance of Action The chapter titled 'The Importance of Action' discusses the concept of resilience and adaptability in the face of obstacles. It emphasizes that even if one path is blocked, there are always other opportunities available. The essence of the Stoic philosophy is highlighted, focusing on the idea that while we cannot control what happens to us, we can control our response. Being virtuous, practicing excellence, and maintaining patience in the face of adversity are key themes.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Understanding Anxiety The chapter 'Understanding Anxiety' delves into the concept of change and adaptation in the face of obstacles. It highlights the Stoic philosophy that challenges and impediments in life are not permanent roadblocks but opportunities for growth and learning. The core message is that we have the power to choose our response to difficulties, to accommodate and integrate them into our lives, and to create new paths for ourselves. This perspective emphasizes the idea that no one can prevent us from evolving and transforming our direction, underscoring the belief that the obstacle is the way forward, making it impossible to truly be stuck.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Marcus's Morning Routine The chapter highlights the common struggle between knowing what needs to be done and actually doing it. Marcus emphasizes the tendency to procrastinate, putting off tasks like dieting, writing a novel, or cleaning for tomorrow instead of today. The essence is that if merely having information was enough, everyone would achieve their goals easily.
• 06:00 - 07:00: Self-discipline The chapter discusses the theme of self-discipline and highlights the importance of taking action to achieve goals. It draws on Stoic philosophy, emphasizing that it's not just about knowing what to do, but actually doing it. Marcus Aurelius is cited to reinforce the idea that no one can prevent you from taking the first step. The focus is on overcoming internal barriers and cultivating self-awareness to persistently take step-by-step actions towards completion.
• 07:00 - 08:30: Dealing with Difficult People The chapter titled 'Dealing with Difficult People' delves into the nuances of managing difficult relationships and situations. It reflects on the personal experience of feeling discomfort and anxiety, particularly highlighted during the pandemic. The speaker observes that even when traditional stressors like travel or hectic schedules reduce, anxiety may still persist, leading to an unexpected realization that challenges and discomfort can exist even in seemingly calm circumstances. This highlights the complexity of emotional responses and stress management.
• 08:30 - 09:30: Assessing Essential Actions In the chapter 'Assessing Essential Actions,' the narrator reflects on the concept of anxiety as discussed by Marcus Aurelius in his work 'Meditations.' Aurelius mentions that he escaped anxiety not because of external circumstances but because he chose to discard it from within. This perspective highlights a personal breakthrough for the narrator, realizing that stress and anxiety are often perceived as reactions to external factors such as work or family issues. However, the narrator acknowledges that these emotions can persist even when those external pressures are reduced, suggesting that the root of anxiety is internal.
• 09:30 - 10:30: Key Stoic Lessons: Amor Fati, Common Good, Memento Mori This chapter highlights key Stoic lessons from Marcus Aurelius, focusing on the concepts of 'Amor Fati' (love of fate), the common good, and 'Memento Mori' (remembering death). The transcript begins with a depiction of how even Marcus Aurelius had to push himself out of bed in the morning, emphasizing the Stoic principle of doing what is necessary rather than what is comfortable. The narrative suggests that Marcus maintained a disciplined routine, which included writing in a journal, a practice which has allowed his meditations and thoughts to be passed down through history. Such habits exemplify Stoic teachings on self-discipline, purpose, and reflection.

9 Stoic Rules For A Better Life (From Marcus Aurelius) Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 you could leave life right now as mark surely says let that determine what you do and say and think life is short do everything as if it was the thought or action of a dying person marcus says [Music] i think marcus aurelius is maybe the most fascinating person who ever lived you know we have this idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely but marcus is the exception to this rule he's not born to a royal family he's chosen as a young man actually at the same age as nero and groomed for power and what is the first
• 00:30 - 01:00 thing he does with the power he shares it with his brother so i've been on this journey studying marcus aurelius since i first read meditations and it changed my life and it's changed the life of millions of people in the 2000 year since he lived i'm ryan holliday i've written out 12 books i've been writing about marcus aurelius for more than a decade i've been lucky enough to talk about mark surelys to the nba and the nfl special forces to sitting senators to ceos and everyone in between and in today's episode i wanted to give you some of my favorite lessons from the one
• 01:00 - 01:30 and only marcus aurelius the philosopher king if you want to learn about the great principles and ideas that this man live by i think this video is for you my favorite story about marcus realist comes at the depths of the antonine plague which is a horrible pandemic that kills millions of people rome's economy has been devastated people are dying in the streets and everyone feels like it can't possibly get better and what does
• 01:30 - 02:00 marcus aurelius do he walks through the imperial palace and begins to mark things for sale for two months he sells on the lawn of the great emperor's palace the jewels and robes and couches the finery owned by the emperor he's sending a message he says i'm not gonna put myself first i don't need these fancy things not when people are struggling he says i'm gonna do the little things that make a difference to me this is like the ceo who takes a pay cut in a bad economy this is the athlete who renegotiates their contract so the team can bring on new people this is the
• 02:00 - 02:30 leader who sacrifices and struggles who puts the people first not their own comfort and needs that's what greatness is like and that's why i love this story for marcus aurelius [Music] you're not stuck i know you think you are but what the stoics wanted you to know is that yes one path might be closed but another remains open right the impediment to action advances action what stands in the way becomes the way marcus realist isn't saying that nothing can ever stop you he's saying that when
• 02:30 - 03:00 you're stopped in one capacity there remains other capacities open to you you always have the opportunity to practice virtue practice excellence to change in some form or another based on what's happening we don't control what happened we control how we respond that's what stoke philosophy is about so yes one path can be closed a door can be shut but the window remains open you know someone gets in your way someone blocks you someone prevents you sure that happens but they can't stop you from being patient they can't stop you from
• 03:00 - 03:30 practicing forgiveness they can't stop you from going in a different direction from changing your mind trying something new growing because of this learning because of it the stoics say no one prevents us from accommodating adapting changing integrating the experiences the obstacles that are in our path and turning them into new paths that's what the obstacle is the way it is it's impossible to get stuck because we always retain our ability to choose and change [Music]
• 03:30 - 04:00 we know what it is we need to do right we have the information the problem is doing it marcus really says you could be good today instead you choose tomorrow we put it off we say i'm going to get started on the diet i'm going to get started on the novel i'm going to get started cleaning the house i'm not going to do it today i'm going to do it tomorrow if it was about information no one would be overweight no one would be unhealthy everyone would have six pack abs every project would get completed we
• 04:00 - 04:30 know how to do it the problem is that we don't do it we don't take the steps that's why the stoics have the discipline of action at the end of the day it's all about the action it's not what you say it's not what you think it's what you do what action are you going to take what step are you going to take and really that's how you finish stuff step by step just just take the first step marcus really says no one can stop you from that it takes an immense amount of self-awareness to go like i'm feeling
• 04:30 - 05:00 discomforted because of x or i'm feeling uh anxious because of x you know i think that was something for me that i found during the pandemic where suddenly i wasn't doing anything so i wasn't having to get to this plane i wasn't stuck in traffic here i wasn't having to prepare for this or that and so you'd think that my anxiety would go way down that suddenly you'd have a lot less to worry about and then actually that's not true and then you realize oh the anxiety has
• 05:00 - 05:30 nothing to do with any of the things it's actually mark sherlos talks about this in meditations he says i escaped anxiety and then he goes no actually i discarded it and he wrote he writes this during a plague no less but he goes i discarded it because it was within me that was a breakthrough i sort of had i was like oh i thought i was stressed and anxious and worried because of all of these very reasonable things that cause those things in your life work family stuff and then when all that gets pared down you
• 05:30 - 06:00 realize it's like oh no it's me [Music] marcus aurelius has a better morning routine than you i promise so he gets up early even though he doesn't want to get up early even though he doesn't have to get up early he makes himself get up early he says what were you made to sit here under the covers and keep warm were you meant to go do the work of a human being so he gets up early and he goes and he does his work and what is the first thing he do i think that he sits down with his journal meditation survives to us because it's the private
• 06:00 - 06:30 thoughts of the most powerful man in the world he wrote down these thoughts because they made him better and then what did he do he got to work on his most important task of the day he says concentrate like a roman he says do this as if it's the last thing you're doing in your life that's what marcus aurelius did his morning routine set him up for success he didn't approach the day at random he knew that well begun is half done and so should you start your day with a morning routine that lets you own the day from the beginning [Music]
• 06:30 - 07:00 it's called self-discipline nobody else signed up for it you signed up for it so you're you're learning and your study and your self-improvement you have to be sure that you're applying this only to yourself marcus really says tolerant with others strict with yourself the purpose of all this is to make you a better master of yourself it's not to make you condescending or patronizing or controlling of other people it's called
• 07:00 - 07:30 self-discipline for a reason it's your discipline over yourself you'll leave everyone else and their mistakes and their way of doing things to them [Music] marx really didn't like people i mean you can't read meditations and not see this he opens meditations with a meditation on how frustrating and obnoxious other people are and even this idea this idea of the obstacle is the way that quote is him talking about
• 07:30 - 08:00 other people about how people get in our way how people present obstacles but he says that in that obstacle there's an opportunity to actually practice this philosophy that you say you believe to be good in spite of other people to be just in the face of injustice to be temperate in the face of intemperance that's being rewarded to be courageous when everyone else is being cowardly and being rewarded for it so for for the stoics people are frustrating people are an
• 08:00 - 08:30 obstacle but like all obstacles they're also the way that's a challenge we can rise to meet we can be better for wrestling with other people's difficulties so don't resent people use them to become better you're busy i'm busy but how much of what we're busy with actually matters marcus really says ask yourself with everything you do and say is this essential because most of what we do and say is not essential and she's so right
• 08:30 - 09:00 most of what we do is because people asked us to do it or people told us to do it or that's how we've always done it do we actually need to do it if we found out we were dying tomorrow would we keep doing it would we do it the way we're doing it absolutely not so he says when you ask yourself is this essential you eliminate so much of what you don't need to be doing and then he says you get the double benefit of now doing fewer things better that's why you ask yourself this question is this essential do i actually need to be doing it am i doing it the way that it needs to be
• 09:00 - 09:30 done and you ask this of everything you do and say and think number one amor fati it didn't happen to you it happened for you fate chose this for you accept it embrace it bear it make something of it that's the idea of a more fatty marks really says a fire turns everything into fuel and brightness that's a more fatty number two it's about what you do for other people marcus really says the fruit of
• 09:30 - 10:00 this life is good character and acts for the common good right the stoics weren't trying to study this philosophy to be better sociopaths to be able to make more money for their own sake to be more famous it was about what they do for other people do you contribute to your community to your country are you moving the ball forward for humanity number three this puts the other two in perspective memento morit you could leave life right now as mark surely says let that determine what you do and say and think life is short do everything as if it was the thought or action of a
• 10:00 - 10:30 dying person marcus says life is fragile the pandemic has reminded us of this live while you can seize the day those are three great lessons from stone philosophy you can apply right now if you want to learn more about stoic philosophy totally for free you can sign up for our daily stoic email it's one free email every morning the best of stoic wisdom dailystoke.com email
• 10:30 - 11:00 you