

BONUS | Is Taylor Swift a Stoic?
101 snips Oct 5, 2025
Discover the unexpected Stoic lessons in Taylor Swift's music and career. Explore how she turned professional hurdles into opportunities and used her re-recordings to amplify her influence. Ryan draws parallels between Swift and Marcus Aurelius’s resilience. Delve into the importance of personal responsibility and the Stoic practice of channeling negativity into creativity. Learn how responding to adversity shapes our outcomes and why character outweighs reputation. This insightful discussion blends modern music with timeless philosophy.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
How Music Fuels Daily Stoic Writing
- Ryan Holiday describes how lyrics from songs (including Taylor Swift) seed his Daily Stoic emails and talks.
- He listens repeatedly and turns lines into emails, articles, or podcast material.
Taylor Swift’s Re-Recording Turning Point
- Ryan recounts Taylor Swift's response after her masters were sold and how she re-recorded her albums.
- That choice turned an injustice into a career-defining springboard and massive cultural momentum.
You Choose Your Story’s Ending
- Ryan argues that what we do after an unfair event determines its meaning for us.
- We can decide the end of the story and potentially turn setbacks into advantages.