The fact that Marcus Aurelius, the most powerful man in the world could write a book that the most common Roman citizen could relate to speaks volume to his character
I mean any leader who writes about their own personal psyche will be relatable to the average Joe since everyone has a similar psyche? Is it really that surprising
@@Nospoon53189 I mean ya write about the stuff you go through and problems you face and I guarantee you millions of people will be able to relate. The fact that a common citizen can relate to the most powerful person in the world isn’t surprising at all they’re both human and humans have a lot of similarities psychologically due to being the same species
@@eh7602 Friend, seriously? You think that everyone is familiar with Stoicism or his book? The reading of quotes often leads to the reading of books. All the best!
@@Belief_Before_Glory I'm sorry friend, I guess I was a bit cranky when I wrote that comment. You are absolutely right, I was just trying to say that there are so many worthwhile quotes in Meditations that I wouldn't know which one made me the most impact.
@@eh7602 No problem, friend; I understand. I've had my fair share of days where I was cranky 😊 And you're right about his book, it's a veritable treasure trove of wisdom. It's good to see that there's a revival of Stoicism lately. All the best!✨
He who has a vehement desire for posthumous fame does not consider that every one of those who remember him will themselves also die very soon; then again also they who have succeeded them, until the whole remembrance shall have been extinguished as it is transmitted through men who foolishly admire and perish.
There's so many examples of bad interviewing techniques on RU-vid where they speak over and finish the sentence of the person they are talking to. Joe just let's them nerd out which is great for us.
@@British-Dragon-Simulations Yes I agree. I heckle on Timcast for BeanieMan to let his GUESTS talk. That is why i tune in: the guests shape the show. Joe knows this! Johnny Carson knew this.
@@British-Dragon-Simulations Oh i dont know if it's up to "narcissisism" and other psychological factors. I wont go that far when i can say.. it's a difference of style about "my house my show my rules" philosophy. It is a Power Play to try to finish other's sentences. Joe's Power is having looooong running podcast, doing things that achieve it. Joe entertains me. His guests entertain and engage my mind. Tim is firm-in-Boss role. I dont think it's a permanent condition and he can learn and get better.
Imagine having having all the power one could ever want, literally anything at a the tip of your finger and he chose self control, patience and personal growth. Marcus Aurelius is truly one of a kind.
Yes, I learned from him as well. Michael Sugrue was not the only one to believe Marcus Aurelius was the only true good emperor. Remember, there are more sources that RU-vid. @@JosephusAurelius
Which is what makes a man so great of course or being a former slave like Epictetus yeah loving and telling people how to live their life yeah blows me away
It’s a sad state of affairs that a student at 19 in a western country was not taught about Marcus Aurelius and stumbled upon one of the greatest heritage of the western civilization.
Favourite quote of Marcus Aurelius for this generation....and oh how we need it.... ‘let men see, let them know, a real man, who lives as he was meant to live.’
I started reading stoicism in high school to help me cope with anxiety. It was the first step that led me to curing myself almost completely. It changed my mindset to the point where I hardly recognize my past self.
Same. I read Stocism a long time ago, but I've internalized alot of the ideas during the Pandemic. It's a really simple set of ideas, but you need to internalize them. The ideas about 'minding your thoughts' are especially important. Much of our suffering as a species is just anxiety over the future and melancholy about the past. Just letting those things go emotionally is liberating at a level that many people really don't appreciate. That doesn't mean you ignore the future, or the past. You need to plan for the future and you need to learn from the past. But you can do that without the emotional baggage. You don't need to ruminate. I simply choose not to ruminate. That alone has done wonders for my well being.
“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” - Marcus Aurelius. I strongly recommend reading the whole book!
Ryan's excitement of his discovery of Marcus is more inspiring than Marcus himself. When we discover a way to be enlightened to spur us on in this life is wonderful and I'm glad I see that in Ryan.
my favorite messaging of the book was him describing himself sitting in his chair, watching the business go by in the palace, where there were non-stop ass kissers, adulterers, sexual deviants all out for themselves wasting their lives away while theres this colorful and rich nature happening outside and nobody ever stops to listen to it. He was literally the smartest man in the room most of the time.
Marcus Aurelius had to turn to his philosophy due too the tumultuous events of his time, two wars (Parthia and Germania) a brutal plague, and betrayal by his wife Fastina and general Avudious Cassius. Marcus is the last of five so-called good emperor of Rome.
Sexuality is natural. Its like saying you are not happy because you dont share my exact same View. And claiming you cannot see the Beauty of Nature around you. ""all out for themselves wasting their lives away"" People can say and claim the same think about anyone, even Marcus. Your logic is flawed.
I have had 'The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius' in my library for many,many years. Found it at my public library at age 17 and took the bus into town each time I had to renew my taking it out. He was the perfect example of a man, strong and deeply spiritual. A true treasure to us all. It was years before I found another in Viktor Frankle. He too, took my heart and mind to places I never new existed. All teens should have these two men's books in their summer reading program.
Being modern doesn’t make it better. This is relevant today because it’s Truth. I’m he ancient Roman’s were once “modern” people. 1,000 years from now, we will be ancient people.
Read every philosopher from Ancient Greece, The psilosopher that created the Stoic school of thought is Epictitus. Its so sad that very phew people besides the Greeks , speak or understand greek because there are so many thing lost in translation.This applys to everything that is translated from its mother language to another.
100% concur. 🪁 Psychology equals philosophy. If you can understand the concepts of the greats and what was in their depths of their soul, I believe ALL psychologist would be out of business. 🤡. Teach your children with compassion.🪁 Compassion… Passion..Passionate.. powerful words 🪁 Teach them very young I’m talking between the ages of one and four, to be kind first and then be clever.🪁
Maybe if they made time to be better fathers they wouldn't have had to of been so busy in the first place. A child isn't just something that you make and then you're done with it. A child is your legacy, not your "work". It's why Gandhi and Churchill are remembered as being of their time, while Trump's name has been living on throughout over a century, and will continue to with Trump Jr.
Agreed. For me, Elon Musk immediately came to mind. If Musk works even half as much as he claims, I don't see how he has time for fathering his many children with multiple women. I guess we'll see how they turn out.
When I worked a 12 hr graveyard shift in a factory doing equipment maintenance id listen to meditations audiobook. I would listen to it twice each night.
“Why are most great men not great fathers?” The greatest men among us are the greatest fathers. Men, forget about all of the things this world wants you to chase and instead teach your children to work-hard, respect others, love their family, and serve their communities. That’s the greatest thing we can do as dads.
I fully agree. Fathers have a bigger impact that people do not seem to understand. Without a father, the way you are, behavior, respect, gratitude, and showing matters is very different. When your father passes away, you will fully realize how important they were in your life. Respect your father, and thank god everyday that your father is there with you.
We must be willing to admit those truths we deny ourselves in order to become those fathers we want for our children. The person we lie to the most is usually ourselves. We know what we need to do. I’m glad more people are waking up to being humble and honest with themselves and the people around them, no matter how society is trying to shape them.
Marcus Aurelius does sound modern. His ideas are modern. He was definitely a guy that was very present and understood reality on a different level than a lot of people. Can’t recommend reading meditations enough. “Don’t argue over what it means to be a good man. Just be one”
They were modern, we use their civil law till today. They had slaves yeah, but we have everything pretty much the same. Contracts, obligations, divorce. The list go on and on.
sorry, saying his ideas are modern is trash. the world of people in his age was nothing like ours or of the modern age. there was no industrialization, there was no idea of authenticity or individualism, there were no social media. no electricity etc. his life was completely different to ours.
@@olfrud What? My man, people 2000 years ago were not _that_ different than people of today. Technology and industrialization changed a lot about society but not in the way you're describing. It hasn't been long enough. It seems to me your sense of time, from the standpoint of history and culture, is off.
I named my son Marcus after Marcus Aurelius. I could've gone with a Spanish/Portuguese name had I consulted our heritage and roots. Yet I was so inspired by Marcus' literary work that I felt it would permeate my sons thinking once he grew up to also read his work. My son is 17 and I couldn't be any prouder of his stoic approach to life.
Marcus' Aurelius ancestry originally came from Spain (paternal grandfather was a Senator from a Spanish province - marrying into Roman nobility) so there is that link.
@@CourageousMind247 Marcus is quite common in Spain in some provinces who are not into the Castillan variant Marcos, so it will look nice Marcus Padilla, btw yes, Marcus as some others emperors were from noble families from Iberia, actually Iberia was one of the most important and influential regions of the Empire.
I'm Italian and they made me read and translate (parts of) Meditations in high school (classical studies kind of school). Well, back then I didn't find it as great as I was told it would be. But I picked it up again later in life and I was amazed. So I realized that you have to be kinda ready, well disposed to the depth of thought you're going to be through. In other words, there's a time in your life where you're more inclined to it. I was not ready at 17 while I was instead at 35. Because in the time between the two readings a lot had happened in my life that had vastly broadened my comprehension of the world and the layers and nuances that make it up.
Hi, I can really relate to that. You have vastly different ability to understand things like this when you have life experiences behind you. I have to read this now. Ciao!
One bad thing about literature in school is not reading the whole book from cover to cover and then beginning to write essays about the book. In my school the students were told to read a chapter and then we'd have to write about it and stuff. Luckily I already read the book like a year before so I digested it the way the writer wanted. Books are meant to be read from cover to cover first in my opinion (especially with fiction) and that seems to be what didn't happen with you, you read and translated parts of it but not reading it first. Luckily you went back to it and read it how it should be read.
@@dabtican4953 I'll give you some context. In my kind of school, when they made us translate Marcus Aurelius the intent was just linguistic: it was a technical translation exercise from classical Greek into Italian. Since a great part of original, available sources in Greek are philosophers, it often happened to deal with Aristotle, Plato and so on. Same thing with historians: I had to translate a great deal of Xenophon or Plutarch (way easier to translate than philosophers). They very seldom gave us poets or tragedians like Aeschylus or Sophocles (too hard to translate for unexperienced students). So the purpose was just to see the grammar we were taught about put into practice. At the same time though, we had philosophy and history lessons that gave us the philosophical context of those excerpts, the general thought landscape and actual historical events that made up the environment the texts we were translating were written into. Still, when you're a teenager you find it hard to really appreciate what you're reading sometimes, you simply don't have the tools to really understand some human dynamics only life and time can give you. In other words: are there 17-year-old students who really understand and appreciate Dostoevskij, for example? Very few 😀😉
@@GiampietroDiSanto Ah I did my Spanish speaking test about Crime and Punishment, my Spanish teacher also read it and liked it, probably why Spanish is the only subject I got an A* in. That's the only Dostoyevsky book I've read though. And that's good at least the philosophy and history lessons gave an insight
"My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the TRUE emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."
Marcus Aurelius Meditations ended my depression that lasted for years. Since that day I recommend it to all my loved ones who are going through bad times.
I was going through a shitty time. Both events and mental stuff. I picked up Meditations, a good translation, and read. I cannot describe how much it changed my life, for the better. It built in me an inner fortress, and handed me the keys, telling me nothing could breach it unless I let someone or something do it. I can not recommend it more. Thanks Marcus. I will carry your words with me as long as I live.
@@cody9419 I came to it with not many expectations except knowing it was regarded as a "classic", and that I might have to put effort into reading it since it might be written in an old type of style. But once I started reading it, it just felt so fresh and modern, I kinda got sucked in. Parts of it were difficult and challenging. Some parts are slightly abstract ancient philosophy, but I worked my way around it by pondering them and searching meaning as metaphors. But the most difficult was when it meditates on how short life is and how soon everyone will be forgotten, and how tiny we all are. But in the end I came out with such a will to live for each second, and more than that: to live and carry myself with *virtue*. To just be a good person, do my part, and then let whatever come my way. It also gave me such a power to free myself of other people's opinions, and painful thoughts. One thing, that he got from Epictetus, always stays with me: "It is not things that upset us, but our judgements about those things". Can you imagine more empowering words to make bad memories f--- off? These hurtful memories have no more power over you than you give them. Sorry for the long text, I'm sure it was a bit more than you asked for.
@@DigitalPistonOfficial I actually read a translation that wasn't English, but fortunately one that was very skilled AND not pretentiously "archaic/poetic" (Like "art thou" type stuff with unusual syntax). It was just straight forward and natural, which let me come so up close and personal with Marcus and his mind... I bought several of Holiday's books though, and loved them, like "Lives of the Stoics" and Daily Stoic, and saw his recommendation of Hays, so I got that for my English version :)
I am also a college student, 19, who read Meditations for the first time in my apartment! I hope to follow in Ryan’s footsteps and spread this beautiful philosophy as best I can.
Woooooow I wasn't expecting this podcast, Ryan have been one of my favorite persons I like to listen to since he knows how to explain the philosophy that has a big impact on my life, and I always wanted him to do it on bigger platforms, being a guest on the biggest and most powerful podcast in the world really makes happy, Keep going Ryan 👏🏽👏🏽.
1 Gabriel Augusto Fuk what you saying it here 😠 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8zrfSK6pnpQ.html Felicidades, es un buen ejemplo. 😠 5:25 Se deja ver que hay muy buenos resultados 😠😠 Saludos desde la Cd.. de world 🌹😉💖 los mortales abian apreciado tan hermosa mujer
@@akjohnny5997 I wouldn't look at it that way. I think he's passionate, and that comes off as "I believe it, so you should too". I feel like his major goal is letting people know about this philosophy so it can carry on into the future and last another 2,000 years.
Yes! Ryan Holiday's "The Obstacle is The Way" changed my mindset. Three years ago, everything changed for me in my 40s. My life has improved 1000x. I went from a nihilistic slacker to a proactive entrepreneur; from an unemployed drunk to a successful business owner. It is all about changing your perception and applying it to your life.
@@arturonavarropovedano2396 One thing that helped me was to see everything as a challenge to me to do my best. Simple, I know, but I realized that if I broke things down in increments and challenged myself to do those things, it started getting better. For example, the day I decided to take action I had a pile of dishes in the sink. I dreaded doing them. My dishwasher was broken and I was lazy. So, that day I decided to do it. I separated the plates, bowls, cups, and silverware into groups. I filled the sinks and I started challenging myself to get the bowls as clean as possible and then move on. Just that tiny accomplishment started everything. Silly as it might sound.
@@dbolt007 The community newspaper in the town I live in now went defunct and the community wanted it again due to the fact that we are a tourist attraction, so I started a new one. I have years of experience in that area and had just been working a normal job until this happened. I think my choices put me in the right place at the right time.
I see why ppl get into Rogan.. I came across this episode researching Roman history and in specific Marcus Aurelius and stumbled upon this vid. Love the array of interesting topics and historical figures and event you talk about on the show. Awesome shit man!
I can randomly click on a JRE clip and - accidentally - it is almost invariably more interesting, valuable, captivating than ANYTHING I have watched on purpose in corporate media. Will never stop watching. Thank you JR.
Another theory could be that since his first 7 children died, he most likely over protected and spoiled the only one that actually had survived. In his mind he probably thought he would not make it either, so why not give him the best time alive before he goes away like the others. Truly heartbreaking
I thought you meant heartbreaking because Joaquin Phoenix ended up killing him, then I remembered that part of the film wasn't true at all, he died of measles probably.
@@Wyzzkyd and when Marcus died he was not sad. He was relieved. For nineteen years he was Emperor, and he could do any evil he wanted but he never gave into temptation. When he died, he died happy knowing he does not have to resist temptation anymore and he can finally rest.
@@markguyver1211 That was so considerate of you to be sure the other person doesn’t think you’re being critical. It’s so small but can really affect people. I’m going to do the same, thank you for the reminder to be aware! I’m kind of a jerk but I’m working on it, so thanks again!
Very awesome interview. Thank you. I have yet to read this work but definitely adding it to my list. It's mind-boggling that something writtem nearly 2000 years ago can still be understood and enlightening with the proper translation.
As someone who studies history I find it absolutely mind blowing that we, in the 21st century, can read the inner thoughts of a man who was Roman Emperor. I really think this makes 'Meditations' one of the most important and fascinating documents in history. That it gives an insight into the mind of the most powerful man in one of history's most powerful empires, in a time so distant, is truly amazing.
I agree as a history major, it’s insane how we are lucky to me living in a time with so much access to things around the world which happened throughout centuries and civilizations
I love that. I read the book 3 times. Its just so amazing that we can see a situation thats 2000 years ago by a great mind. Its soo far apart. Almost feels like teleportation to their realm. I wish there more of these types of books and notes
You can thank the Arab kings, Turkish sultans and the moors for translating Latin and Greek to the modern tongue of the day when they ruled over most of North Africa, europe was and all the way to turkey, they had access to all the ancient Greek text in the the great Alexandria library especially great works like the illiad and the odyssey, Aristotle and platos works etc imagine if those got lost to time.. alot did though when the great Alexandria library was burned down.. We lost alot of human knowledge like how the pyramids were officially built in those text that burned and are lost to time now
Human after all. Marcus, Joe and Ryan share a kindred spirit of wonder. Respect to anyone who keeps the conversation of life going. Freedom to speak (right or wrong) is an invaluable asset.
@@Endgame707 ...He was Emperor of Rome. Second Century AD. One of the 5 "good" Emperors. Picked for the role not born to it. Still, he was Roman, not from Spain.
That was a truly enthralling conversation ... I live in northern Italy, love Rome and Roman history, but knew very little of this ... I am now inspired to look for a translation of Marcus Aurelius's work
@@mworkman3375 @M Workman33 That's a good possibility. Their philosophy is so similar though their backgrounds are from completely opposite side to each other. Like Michael Sugrue so well put it, " Even though Epictetus was a slave and Marcus Aurelius was an emperor, if they would've met they would've had a mutual respect to each other because they both understood that key to life is to have an orderly soul ".
Lol, I don’t think Joe is normally as dumb as he was in that moment. It seems like he really thought he was reading the words exactly as written by Marcus Aurelius.
Thanks for a thought provoking presentation. "Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking." - Marcus Aurelius
Well done joe. Not just this episode, but all that you do on your show. You question the norm and stand firm in your convictions. Thank you for putting yourself in jeopardy and in question to open a channel of free thinking for the general public. Let me know if I may help in any way. I am not publicly known, yet I would be a valuable friend if you choose to see me
I was 19 when i read meditations as well… It was surreal this was the most powerful man to exist at the time and i get to relate to his inner thoughts. The jailhouse that is the human conscious has not evolved, but only grown to light over time.
My day starts out with my daily stoic by Ryan. It is one of my life long regrets that stoicism wasn't taught in my schooling. This should change for the education of today.
‘Nothing happens to any man which he is not formed by nature to bear’ my favourite from meditations, any time I think things feel like they are getting too difficult to overcome that passage enters my head, and my energy is renewed.
What a great guest and interview. I love that this guy is obsessed with the subject that he's become an authority and shares his knowledge with us all. I've gotta go watch this whole thing. Thanks JRE.
Such a great point and I totally agree. And he’s a great conversationalist too, clearly, which is a nice change up from the typical mouthy podcaster these days, addicted to hearing themselves talk.
1 Metal-Thrashing-Mad Fuk what you saying it here 😠 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8zrfSK6pnpQ.html Felicidades, es un buen ejemplo. 😠 5:25 Se deja ver que hay muy buenos resultados 😠😠 Saludos desde la Cd.. de world 🌹😉💖 los mortales abian apreciado tan hermosa mujer
To further illustrate this, one of the greatest playwrights in history Aeschylus on his death, his epitaph commemorates his participation in the Greek victory at Marathon while making no mention of his success as a playwright. These guys were warriors and athletes first.
Can't wait to listen to this whole pod. What a great man Marcus Aurelius was, his teachings along with other great leaders have improved my life exponentially. It's incredible how valuable his lessons are, even now.
11:14 I think this is why joe is such a good interviewer, he lets people be themselves when they’re on his podcast they don’t have to fake in front of him because he won’t judge
Really like Ryan’s work - just wanted to correct a few historical inaccuracies: firstly rich people definitely did have toilets in Ancient Rome. Secondly, Ryan refers to ‘the five good emperors’ stating that they were the only good emperors in Roman history. Whilst these Emperors are undoubtedly amongst the best, the undisputed ‘best’ was Augustus, the first Emperor, with others such as Diocletian or Aurelian having a look in as well. Finally, when Ryan states that co-emperors hadn’t happened before or since, this is just plain wrong, Diocletian introduced the Tetrachy, a system where there were 4 Emperors all ruling at the same time, and there are multiples examples, especially in later Roman history, of multiple emperors ruling at the same time. The senior Emperor would be take the title Augustus whilst the junior partner would take the title of Caesar. Really appreciate Ryan’s work and I’m sure he mostly misspoke on these points but wanted to clarify regardless. For anyone interested, Mike Duncan’s History of Rome Podcast is an awesome overview of Roman history.
Stoicism Rules! -Amor Fati = Love of Faith -Momento Mori = Remember you have to die -Premeditatio Malorum = Negative Visualization -Power of Logic vs Emotions! "It's not what happens to you but how you react to it that matters"
Oh, Imagine your diary being published 2000 years later and it's used in teaching. "I tried to hold a fart in the store today, rushed out of the automatic doors; cheeks clenched... but disasters befell me, sweet diary... it was no fart that left me."
Marcus Aurelius was such a baller. I mean philosophers from acient rome were so much ahead of time. Take for example civil law, we basically use it with few difference till today, it is crazy. I just had huge exam from roman civil law and I was just amazed.
All there ideas are rediscovered ideas from civilisations that were destroyed and forgotten. We have been more advanced than we are now, this is something people are not willing to accept yet.
I dont know if they were ahead of their time so much as what they wrote is timeless. Universally human. They just wrote eloquently about the human condition. Are brains dont evolve enough in 2000 years to be that different. Our external environment may be different but the synapses fire the same way.
Why bread breaks at the top - The outer crust of the bread hardens before the inner dough is finished expanding, so the crust cracks open from the internal pressure.
I agree. The spam bots are preying on innocent people who trust. I am grateful white hats exist; otherwise, I would say we should hire serial killers to go after these pieces of shit scammers.
When I was a young boy an uncle gave me the nickname Marcus Aurelius. Little did I know the impact his writings would have on me 4 decades (and some change) later in life. Now I need to find a copy of the earlier translations so I can experience his philosophy all over again. Stoicism is the antidote for self deprecating nihilism, and victim ideology.
Honestly I would recommend "Meditations: A New Translation" by Robin Waterfield. It's the most modern, and most researched translation of Marcus's writing to date.
@@Bollibompa it reaally is useful, honestly. A big component of stoicism is facing the world with the most realistic view possible. Sometimes that involves the need for you to crush your enemy totally. Otherwise they will crush you.
Read "Meditations" a few years ago... The quotes keep coming to me every once in a while, and I am drawn back to it to read the lines I underscored... Fascinating read for anyone who feels pressure from peers/others...
It's true. My dad is someone that I and most people that know him consider him to be a great man. An excellent business man, a man of knowledge, excellent communicator, hardest worker in the room and a go getter. But he never made the same effort with his kids. He always chose work and still does at 60+ I've always resented him for that because I made alot of mistakes in life that could have been avoided if maybe he were more present and available. But as I grew up I understood that it's just the way that he is. He is also human at the end of the day and was brought up a certain way. My dad has taught me how NOT to be with my children when it comes to this. But he has also taught me so many other things that will help me on my path to greatness
