Marcus Aurelius read Epictetus…a lot. We know this because Meditations is proof of it. Almost every page has some direct quote or allusion to Epictetus. We also find, upon deeper inspection, references to the works of Panaetius, Chrysippus, the plays of Euripides, Zeno and countless other philosophers.
How does someone develop recall like that? How did he become so wise, not just on the page but in life? Through repetition and practice. Marcus Aurelius never refers to Seneca, but it's clear that he internalized a piece of advice from that Stoic, too. "You must linger among a limited number of master-thinkers, and digest their works," Seneca wrote, "if you would derive ideas which shall win firm hold in your mind."
Again and again, the Stoics pored over the same texts. So the ideas could take firm hold. So they could be absorbed. So it could become muscle memory, infused into their DNA.
For a Stoic, once is not enough. It's about reading and re-reading. Writing, journaling, discussing, reflecting, experiencing too. As Epictetus commanded: "Every day and night keep thoughts like these at hand—write them, read them aloud, talk to yourself and others about them."
When we published The Daily Stoic in 2016 (on sale for $2.99 as an ebook right now), we had no idea it would go on to sell millions of copies and spend hundreds of cumulative weeks on the bestseller lists. But what we're most proud of is that most weeks it's one of the top 20 most read books on Amazon—meaning people are picking it up and using it each day. The book tapped into that now timeless Stoic practice of reading and re-reading, of people never stepping into the same river twice.
Marcus would later talk about how the philosopher is one with their weapon—more like a boxer than a swordsman. Because while a fencer can be caught without their sword, a boxer just clenches their fist, ready to go, anytime, anywhere. That's what we're trying to do as we study, we're trying to create a practice that fuses us with our philosophy. That makes us one with it. That inserts it into our DNA so that we are forever changed by it.
If you want these ideas to take hold in your mind this year, then you'll have to do more than skim. It's not about reading a book and finishing it. It's not about "getting the gist of it" as Marcus derided. It's about making it a part of your life and your mind. It's about lingering and digesting until it takes firm hold, never to be dislodged.
On that note, The Daily Stoic is $2.99 as an ebook right now and we have a premium leather edition of the book available if you're one of those folks who have worn their hardcover down. It's amazing to see pictures and hear notes from people who have been reading the book for 8 years! If you know someone who would like a digital copy, this is as cheap as it will get. Or if you want a signed copy or a leather edition, head over to the Daily Stoic Store.
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