Ryan Holiday is one of the world's foremost thinkers and writers on ancient philosophy and its place in modern life. He is a sought-after speaker and strategist and the author of many bestselling books, including The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, and The Daily Stoic. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold close to three million million copies worldwide. He lives with his family outside of Austin, Texas. You can subscribe to receive his writing at RyanHoliday.net and DailyStoic.com. Ryan was also the fourth-ever guest on the podcast in the very beginning, and he has written multiple popular guest posts for my blog, which you can find at tim.blog. His latest book is Stillness Is the Key, which was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller and Wall Street Journal bestseller. This episode focuses on Stoic philosophy and how to apply it in our current uncertain times. Please enjoy! Intro [00:00] Stoicism in the the age of COVID-19 [05:12] On reminding ourselves that as bad as things get, history marches on (with or without us). [11:27] How Ryan prepared in anticipation of the pandemic, what he’s been struggling with most since then, and what I’ve been doing to cope with the same struggle [12:48] It doesn’t matter how many opportunities you miss; it matters how many opportunities you take advantage of. [16:06] There are times when I may make very fast good decisions, but I almost never make good rushed decisions. [21:08] How would the Stoics suggest processing the anger we might be feeling? [00:00] How am I thinking about fear, and what would I say to someone who’s feeling overwhelmed by fear right now? [31:48] How can you make the next three to six months something you look back upon as a sacred time that you really treasure, not just survive? Is it going to be “alive time or dead time,” as Robert Greene would say? [40:17] A few more thoughts on fear [45:05] Why I’m confident (and optimistic) that crisis will overcome incompetence in how the United States comes out of this ordeal [48:08] Stoic leadership during a crisis [51:08] On revisiting Will Bowen’s 21-day no-complaint experiment [1:02:20] Try the Daily Stoic’s Alive Time, Dead Time Challenge! [1:04:18] Using this rare window of time to foster a sense of community where it has largely broken down [1:05:15] The origin story of the expression “alive time or dead time,” how some of the most brilliant minds have expressed their greatest work during times of quarantine, and parting thoughts. [1:06:16] SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW About Tim Ferriss: Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 400 million downloads and been selected for “Best of iTunes” three years running. Connect with Tim Ferriss: Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/ Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/tferriss/ Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/ Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/