The stoicism secret: how Ryan Holiday became a Silicon Valley guru
He has sold 5m books about this ancient Greek approach to life – and been feted by sports teams and CEOs. What makes this former PR man so popular?
What is it that made the former PR man turned lay philosopher Ryan Holiday a giant of the bestseller lists? That his writing on stoic philosophy is beloved by everyone from professional athletes, politicians and tech CEOs will have helped. Investor-entrepreneur Tim Ferriss calls stoicism the “ideal operating system”, while entrepreneur-fraudster Elizabeth Holmes constantly cited Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations, before her imprisonment. Sports stars from James McGee (Irish tennis pro) to Garrett Gilkey (NFL lineman) can quote from Holiday’s The Obstacle Is the Way, while celebs from Arnold Schwarzenegger to LL Cool J hat-tip Holiday in interviews.
The ancient philosophy of stoicism centres on four virtues: courage, temperance, justice and wisdom. Marshalling these will give you complete self-control, enabling you to react with equanimity to all outside stimuli, and not whine about stuff (giving us our modern, shorthand definition of stoicism, “uncomplaining”). Material wealth should mean nothing to the stoic, which makes it ironic that some of the richest people on Earth claim to live by stoicism.
Continue reading...-
How to Not Die in Silicon Valley
Tech - Wired - November 14 -
How ‘Factorio’ seduced Silicon Valley — and me
Business - Financial Times - October 25 -
How should Europe build its own Silicon Valley?
World - Financial Times - November 7 -
Is Silicon Valley Actually Libertarian?
Tech - Wired - 2 hours ago -
How Silicon Valley Swapped Its 2016 Anti-Trump Scorn for Warm Applause in 2024
Business - Inc. - November 12 -
Silicon Valley’s General Catalyst raises $8bn in global push
Business - Financial Times - October 24 -
Mark Cuban: Trump's Silicon Valley backers believe they can 'manipulate' him
Politics - The Hill - October 29 -
Silicon Valley super-spenders leave too much in the cloud
Business - Financial Times - November 1
More from The Guardian
-
ICC issues arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged Gaza war crimes
World - The Guardian - 28 minutes ago -
Ukraine claims Russia fired intercontinental ballistic missile at Dnipro
World - The Guardian - 3 hours ago -
Police report details sexual assault allegations against Pete Hegseth
World - The Guardian - 2 hours ago -
First close-up image of a star outside Milky Way shows supergiant in ‘cocoon’
World - The Guardian - 28 minutes ago -
Transgender woman wins record payout in China after electroshock treatment
World - The Guardian - 5 hours ago