{"id":601,"date":"2017-02-24T16:04:58","date_gmt":"2017-02-24T16:04:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/?p=601"},"modified":"2017-11-25T19:29:00","modified_gmt":"2017-11-25T19:29:00","slug":"stoicism-pop-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailystoic.com\/stoicism-pop-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"The Definitive List of Stoicism in History & Pop Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Stoicism has seen <\/span>a cultural resurgence<\/span><\/a> we wanted to compile a list of the people who have embraced or admired the philosophy and in the process explain why many of them have embraced it and found within it <\/span>a tool in the pursuit of self-mastery, perseverance, and wisdom<\/span><\/a>: something one uses to live a great life, rather than some esoteric field of academic inquiry. While scholars and academics often see Stoicism as an antiquated methodology of minor interest, it has been the <\/span>doers<\/span><\/i> of the world who found that it provides much needed strength and stamina for their challenging lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, Stoicism has found a new and diverse audience, ranging from the coaching staffs of the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks to rapper LL Cool J and broadcaster Michele Tafoya as well as many professional athletes, CEOs, hedge fund managers, artists, executives, and public men and women.<\/span><\/p>\n

But this is not a modern phenomenon. Many of history\u2019s great minds such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Ralph Waldo Emerson and many others read, studied, quoted, or admired the Stoics. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is not surprising. The ancient Stoics themselves were no slouches. The names of the three best known Stoics\u2014<\/span>Marcus Aurelius<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Epictetus<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Seneca<\/span><\/a>\u2014belonged to, respectively, a Roman emperor, a former slave who triumphed to become an influential lecturer and friend of the emperor Hadrian, and a famous playwright and political adviser. <\/span><\/p>\n

Below is the full list, broken down by category as well as helpful links (where possible) to help you further explore the connection. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you feel we\u2019ve forgotten anyone, please let us know<\/a>. We\u2019d love the community\u2019s input. Enjoy!<\/span><\/p>\n

Politics\/Military <\/b><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bill Clinton<\/b> \u2014 The former president reads Marcus Aurelius\u2019s <\/span>Meditations<\/span><\/i> every year. You can read more in <\/span>this <\/span>New York Times<\/span><\/i> story<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Theodore Roosevelt<\/b> \u2014 Theodore Roosevelt, one of history\u2019s most resilient leaders, <\/span>brought Epictetus<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Marcus Aurelius<\/span><\/a> on his deadly \u201cRiver of Doubt\u201d expedition. <\/span><\/p>\n

George Washington<\/b> \u2014 The first President of the United States was inspired and influenced by Stoicism and you can more <\/span>in this academic paper<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>listen to this interview<\/span><\/a> on NPR. <\/span><\/p>\n

Thomas Jefferson<\/b> \u2014 The Founding Father had <\/span>Seneca on his nightstand when he died<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

James Mattis<\/b> \u2014 The current Secretary of Defense, <\/span>carried with him<\/span><\/a> Marcus Aurelius\u2019s <\/span>Meditations<\/span><\/i><\/a> while on deployment. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sam Sullivan<\/b> \u2014 The former mayor of Vancouver <\/span>credits Stoicism for the inspiration<\/span><\/a> to get engaged in politics. <\/span><\/p>\n

Wen Jiabao<\/b> \u2014 The former Prime Minister of China <\/span>has read Marcus Aurelius\u2019s <\/span>Meditations<\/span><\/i> over 100 times<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

James Stockdale <\/b>\u2014<\/span> Admiral Stockdale has credited Stoicism\u2014and <\/span>Epictetus in particular<\/span><\/a>\u2014for giving him the strength and resilience necessary to endure his time as a POW in Vietnam. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cory Booker <\/b>\u2014 The U.S. Senator from New Jersey <\/span>is a fan of Marcus Aurelius<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Arnold Schwarzenegger <\/b>\u2014 The former Mr. Olympia, Conan, Terminator, and Governor of California <\/span>is a fan of the Stoic philosophy<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Toussaint Louverture<\/b> \u2014 The leader of the <\/span>Haitian Revolution<\/span><\/a> studied <\/span>Epictetus<\/span><\/a> as he rose up against Napoleon\u2019s armies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beatrice Webb<\/b> \u2014 creator of the concept of \u201ccollective bargaining\u201d referred to Marcus Aurelius\u2019s Meditations as her \u201c<\/span>manual of devotion<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Professional Athletics<\/b><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

New England Patriots<\/b> \u2014 Bill Belichick and New England Patriots have <\/span>won five Super Bowls<\/span><\/a> in the past 16 years. You can read more here about the team\u2019s connection with Stoicism: \u201c<\/span>The Patriots 2014 secret weapon may have been a book<\/span><\/a>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

John Schneider <\/b>\u2014 The GM of the Seattle Seahawks first heard of the Stoic-inspired <\/span>The Obstacle is the Way<\/span><\/i><\/a> and became an instant fan while at Marcus Mariota’s pro day workout in 2015 as outlined in this <\/span>ESPN<\/span><\/i> article: <\/span>“Author’s influence has GM John Schneider focused on obstacles, ego”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Joe Maddon<\/b> \u2014 John \u201cJoe\u201d Maddon is the Chicago Cubs manager. Joe has been mentioned in <\/span>this <\/span>Sports Illustrated<\/span><\/i> article<\/span><\/a>, which explores the popularity of Stoicism and <\/span>The Obstacle Is the Way<\/span><\/i><\/a> with professional athletes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nick Saban<\/b> \u2014 Nick Saban is the head football coach at the University of Alabama. You can watch <\/span>this segment on ESPN<\/span><\/a> titled \u201c<\/span>Marcus Aurelius helps Nick Saban prep for Trojans<\/span><\/a>\u201d as well as read <\/span>this popular article<\/span><\/a> from Ryan Holiday on how Stoicism can help elite athletes that is also inspired in part by Nick Saban\u2019s coaching philosophy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Antonio Brown <\/b>\u2014 Antonio Brown, a Five Time NFL Pro Bowler for the Pittsburgh Steelers, <\/span>has tweeted about<\/span><\/a> his appreciation and inspiration from <\/span>Ego is the Enemy<\/span><\/i><\/a>, a book inspired by Stoicism.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben Roethlisberger<\/b> \u2014 The quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers has been mentioned in <\/span>this article from <\/span>ESPN<\/span><\/i><\/a>, “Author’s influence has GM John Schneider focused on obstacles, ego.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Tom Brady <\/b>\u2014 The New England Patriots superstar quarterback (the one of two players to ever win five Super Bowls) has also been mentioned in <\/span>the same article from <\/span>ESPN<\/span><\/i><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Pete Carroll<\/b> \u2014 Pete Carroll is the the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks and you can read more about him in this <\/span>Entrepreneur<\/span><\/i> article, \u201c<\/span>5 Epic Leaders Who Studied Stoicism — and Why You Should Too<\/span><\/a>\u201d). You can also read <\/span>this longer profile on Pete Carroll<\/span><\/a> in <\/span>Sports Illustrated<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chandra Crawford<\/b> – Chandra Crawford is an Olympic gold medal winning cross-country skier. <\/span><\/p>\n

Michele Tafoya<\/b> \u2014 Michele Tafoya is an American sportscaster, best known as the sideline reporter for NBC Sunday Night Football. You can read more in <\/span>this <\/span>Sports Illustrated<\/span><\/i> article<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Shaka Smart<\/b> – Shaka Smart is the University of Texas Basketball coach and is also featured in <\/span>the <\/span>Sports Illustrated<\/span><\/i> article<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael Lombardi <\/b>\u2014 <\/span>Michael Lombardi<\/span><\/a> is one of the most influential executives in the NFL and is also responsible for bringing Stoic philosophy to the NFL (<\/span>detailed here in this <\/span>Sports Illustrated<\/span><\/i> piece<\/span><\/a>), and in the process popularizing the book, <\/span>The Obstacle Is The Way<\/span><\/i><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Music<\/b><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

T-Pain<\/b> \u2014 The 6X Platinum selling, Grammy Award winning American R&B artist <\/span>has recorded the \u201cStoic\u201d mixtape<\/span><\/a> as well as <\/span>the \u201cStoicville\u201d album<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Lupe Fiasco <\/b>\u2014 The Grammy Award winning rapper has mentioned Marcus Aurelius in a song: \u201c<\/span>Emperor is his alias,<\/span><\/a> but not Marcus Aurelius<\/span><\/a>\u201d. He <\/span>has also tweeted this<\/span><\/a>: \u201cIf u want to speak with me Go read Marcus Aurelius Meditations So we can start on the same page until I can’t help u\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Twista \u2014 <\/b>One of the fastest rappers in the world <\/span>has mentioned Marcus Aurelius<\/span><\/a> by name in song.<\/span><\/p>\n

LL Cool J <\/b>\u2014 The rapper, actor, author, and entrepreneur <\/span>is a fan<\/span><\/a> of Ryan Holiday\u2019s book, <\/span>The Obstacle Is the Way<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Young & Sick<\/b> – The Dutch <\/span>musician\/illustrator<\/span><\/a> collaborated with Daily Stoic to create a print of Marcus Aurelius\u2019s timeless quote “<\/span>Waste No More Time Arguing What A Good Man Should Be. Be One<\/span><\/a>.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Movies\/Television\/Actors<\/b><\/h3>\n

Anna Kendrick<\/b> \u2014 In <\/span>an interview with the <\/span>New York Times<\/span><\/i><\/a>, the actress and singer (<\/span>and now a published author<\/span><\/a>) has found Marcus Aurelius\u2019s <\/span>Meditations<\/span><\/i> as comforting and soothing. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tom Hiddleston <\/b>\u2014 The English actor (<\/span>movies include \u201cThor\u201d and \u201cAvengers\u201d<\/span><\/a>) <\/span>is a fan<\/span><\/a> of Seneca\u2019s <\/span>On the Shortness of Life<\/span><\/i><\/a>. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Brie Larson<\/b> \u2014 The actress (<\/span>who has appeared everywhere from \u201cCommunity\u201d to \u201c21 Jump Street\u201d<\/span><\/a>) is a fan of Marcus Aurelius\u2019s <\/span>Meditations<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>has tweeted a paragraph<\/span><\/a> from the book. <\/span><\/p>\n

Gladiator<\/b> \u2014 Most people know Marcus Aurelius <\/span>from this popular film<\/span><\/a>, where he is the old and wise emperor at the beginning of the film played by Richard Harris. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReign of Blood\u201d on Netflix<\/b> \u2014 This Netflix docuseries <\/span>tells the story<\/span><\/a> of Commodus, the son of <\/span>Marcus Aurelius<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Authors<\/b><\/h3>\n

John Steinbeck<\/b> \u2014 As <\/span>Donald Robertson<\/span><\/a> has written, John Steinbeck, the Nobel Prize winner and author of <\/span>East of Eden<\/span><\/i><\/a>, <\/span>The Grapes of Wrath<\/span><\/i><\/a> and others, <\/span>mentions <\/span>Meditations<\/span><\/i> in <\/span>East of Eden<\/span><\/i><\/a> and it was also one of the two books that have been most influential to him<\/span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Ralph Waldo Emerson <\/b>\u2014 This <\/span>academic paper <\/span><\/a>explores all the ways in which Emerson has appropriated bits and pieces from Stoicism into his own ideas. <\/span><\/p>\n

JK Rowling<\/b> \u2014 The superstar author of Harry Potter <\/span>is a fan of Marcus Aurelius<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Nassim Nicholas Taleb <\/b>\u2014 The author, philosopher and former trader has expressed his respect and admiration for Stoicism\u2014and Seneca in particular\u2014in both <\/span>The Black Swan<\/span><\/i><\/a> and <\/span>Antifragile<\/span><\/i><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Robert Greene <\/b>\u2014 The author of <\/span>48 Laws of Power<\/span><\/i><\/a>, <\/span>Mastery<\/span><\/i><\/a> and <\/span>several other prominent bestsellers<\/span><\/a>, who <\/span>we interviewed for the Daly Stoic<\/span><\/a>, calls Stoicism \u201cjust a beautiful philosophy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ambrose Bierce <\/b>\u2014 The journalist and Civil War veteran once advised a young writer that studying the Stoics would teach him \u201chow to be a worthy guest at the table of the gods,\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Neil Strauss <\/b>\u2014 The author of 7 New York Times bestsellers, including The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists<\/a><\/em> lists one of his <\/span>favorite books<\/span><\/a> as <\/span>On the Shortness of Lif<\/i>e<\/a><\/strong> by <\/span>Seneca<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Business<\/b><\/h3>\n

Jonathan Newhouse<\/b> \u2014 The CEO of Cond\u00e9 Nast always takes his favorite Stoic books with him when he travels and you can learn more <\/span>from this interview with him<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Kevin Rose<\/b> \u2014 The <\/span>prominent entrepreneur<\/span><\/a> and investor strongly recommended the Stoic-inspired book <\/span>Ego is the Enemy<\/span><\/i><\/a> on his monthly newsletter, <\/span>The Journal<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tim Ferriss<\/b> \u2014 The author, podcast host and angel investor, has been one of the best known and strongest <\/span>proponents of Stoicism<\/span><\/a>. He recently published an audiobook of Seneca\u2019s letters, <\/span>The Tao of Seneca<\/span><\/i><\/a> and you can listen to <\/span>excerpts on his popular podcast<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Jack Dorsey<\/b> \u2014 The co-founder of Twitter is mentioned among other Silicon Valley public figures who are fans of stoicism in <\/span>this article on Quartz<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blake Irving<\/b> \u2014 The CEO of domain registrar GoDaddy is a <\/span>fan<\/span><\/a> of the stoic-inspired <\/span>Obstacle Is The Way<\/span><\/i><\/a> by Ryan Holiday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brad Feld<\/b> \u2014 The renowned venture capitalist at Foundry Group is among the figures mentioned in the article \u201c<\/span>Silicon Valley tech workers are using an ancient philosophy designed for Greek slaves as a life hack<\/span><\/a>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

David \u201cDHH\u201d Heinemeier Hansson<\/b> \u2014 DHH is the creator of <\/span>Ruby on Rails<\/span><\/a>, founder and CTO at <\/span>Basecamp<\/span><\/a> (formerly 37signals), and the best-selling co-author of <\/span>Rework<\/span><\/i><\/a> and <\/span>Remote: Office Not Required<\/span><\/i><\/a>. As he <\/span>discussed on the Tim Ferriss podcast<\/span><\/a>, he also admires the Stoics. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Explore Our Daily Stoic Store<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n