The Dual Nature of Courage and Risk in Historical Context

Ryan Holiday’s best-selling trilogy - The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego is the Enemy, and Stillness is the Key - captivated professional athletes, CEOs, politicians, and entrepreneurs and helped bring Stoicism to millions of readers. Now, in the first book of an exciting new series on the cardinal virtues of ancient philosophy, Holiday explores the most foundational virtue of all: Courage.

Almost every religion, spiritual practice, philosophy, and person grapples with fear. The most repeated phrase in the Bible is “Be not afraid.” The ancient Greeks spoke of Phobos, panic and terror. It is natural to feel fear, the Stoics believed, but it cannot rule you. Courage, then, is the ability to rise above fear, to do what’s right, to do what’s needed, to do what is true. And so it rests at the heart of the works of Marcus Aurelius, Aristotle, and CS Lewis, alongside temperance, justice, and wisdom.

In Courage Is Calling, Ryan Holiday breaks down the elements of fear, an expression of cowardice, the elements of courage, an expression of bravery, and lastly, the elements of heroism, an expression of valor. Through engaging stories about historic and contemporary leaders, including Charles De Gaulle,

You’ll also delve deep into the moral dilemmas and courageous acts of lesser-known, but equally as important, figures from ancient and modern history, such as Helvidius Priscus, a Roman Senator who stood his ground against emperor Vespasian, even in the face of death.

We discussed his own personal journey to developing courage, from dropping out of UC Riverside to his decision to quit working in a toxic environment, to starting businesses, and touring the world...all while being an actrive, involved father of two and husband to one!

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• 00:02:12 The story of the book title and cover.
• 00:06:27 Why is courage the best virtue?
• 00:20:39 Caourage and belief in God.
• 00:24:01 How would the classical stoics respond to what's happening now?
• 00:28:11 Why did you drop out of University? Ryan's start at American Apparrel story
• 00:42:03 Do we need to be reminded of death to live?
• 00:46:44 Comments on the state of social media platforms and their controls.
• 00:52:24 Who would you take courage away from if you could?
• 00:55:12 Who would you take courage away from if you could?

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