Ryan Holiday | |
---|---|
Born | June 16, 1987 37) Sacramento, California, U.S. | (age
Occupation | Author, entrepreneur |
Alma mater | University of California, Riverside (dropped out) |
Genre | Non-fiction |
Notable works | Trust Me, I'm Lying (2012) The Obstacle Is the Way (2014) Ego Is the Enemy (2016) The Daily Stoic (2016) |
Spouse | Samantha Hoover [1] |
Ryan Holiday (born June 16, 1987) is an American marketer, author, [2] businessman and podcaster, notable for marketing Stoic philosophy in the form of books.
Prior to becoming an author, Holiday served as the former director of marketing and eventually an advisor for American Apparel. [3] Holiday's debut to writing was in 2012, when he published Trust Me, I'm Lying. Holiday's notable works include his books on Stoic philosophy, such as The Obstacle Is the Way , Ego is the Enemy, Stillness is the Key, Discipline is Destiny, Courage is Calling, and Lives of the Stoics. He is controversial for his marketing of Stoicism in the form of "Memento Mori" coins and selling courses and calendars.[ citation needed ]
Holiday began his career after dropping out of the University of California, Riverside at the age of 19. [1] He consulted for author Tucker Max [4] and, later, he worked with Robert Greene [5] on his 2009 New York Times bestselling book, The 50th Law .[ citation needed ] Holiday served as Director of Marketing for American Apparel [3] and, later, as an adviser to the company.[ citation needed ] He resigned from the company in October 2014. [6] He has consulted on a number of media campaigns [7] and written extensively on the topic of media manipulation.
Holiday is the author of several books and has written for Forbes , Fast Company , The Huffington Post , The Columbia Journalism Review , The Guardian , Thought Catalog , Medium.com , New York Observer , The New York Times and Texas Monthly . Books he has authored have sold more than three million copies combined. [8]
Holiday published his first book, a media exposé about the state of online journalism called Trust Me, I'm Lying , in July 2012, which debuted at number 8 on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list for Hardcover Business. [9] His second book Growth Hacker Marketing was originally published in September 2013 by Portfolio/Penguin [10] and then expanded into a print edition in 2014.[ citation needed ] The book discusses why growth hacking is cheaper and more effective than traditional marketing. [11] The book was named one of Inc. magazine's top 10 marketing books of 2014. [12]
In February 2014, Holiday was named editor-at-large of the Business & Technology section at the New York Observer. [13]
Holiday's third book The Obstacle Is the Way , was published May 1, 2014, also by Portfolio/Penguin. The book is based on the Stoic exercise of framing obstacles as opportunities.[ citation needed ] The book has sold more than 230,000 copies and was popular with both 2014 Super Bowl teams, the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. [5] [14] [4] The Obstacle Is the Way reached No. 1 on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller List in 2019, five years after its initial release. [15] Chris Bosh listed The Obstacle Is the Way as a book he couldn't live without and added that, when his head coach Erik Spoelstra gifted Miami Heat players copies of the book, Bosh had already read it. [16] During a press conference at the Masters in 2019, four-time major champion golfer Rory McIlroy said he read The Obstacle Is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy, leading up to the tournament. [17] Following former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier's on-field spinal injury that left him unable to walk, Shazier told Holiday that The Obstacle Is The Way helped him improve his mindset and focus on recovery. [4]
In 2016, he published two books. The first, Ego Is the Enemy , uses various historical figures as case studies to illustrate the perils of egotism. [18] The second, The Daily Stoic , was co-authored by Stepehn Hanselman and is a daily devotional of Stoic meditations. The Daily Stoic reached No. 2 on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list in the Hardcover Business category and No. 7 in the Nonfiction Combined category. [19] [20]
In 2018, he published Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue. It is about the lawsuit between Gawker Media and wrestler Hulk Hogan, as well as Peter Thiel's involvement in the dispute. It was reviewed by William D. Cohan of The New York Times, who noted, "But incessant name-dropping aside — which tends to detract from his gripping narrative — Holiday has written one helluva page-turner." [21] As of 2018, there were plans to adapt Conspiracy into a feature film with Charles Randolph writing the script and Francis Lawrence attached as the director. [22] In October 2019, he published Stillness Is the Key, which became the first of Holiday's books to reach No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list in the Business category. [23] [24] Stillness Is the Key promotes a balanced approach to life, of limiting the amount of "noise" and while mostly referencing stoicism, he also makes references to Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism as well as the Abrahamic religions.[ citation needed ] In 2020, he published Lives of the Stoics, which he wrote with author Stephen Hanselman. [25] The book is a collection of biographies for more than two dozen philosophers who lived according to the stoic virtues of courage, temperance and wisdom. [26] He has written a chapter in Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans .[ citation needed ]
Holiday, through his books, articles and lectures, has been credited by The New York Times with the increasing popularity of Stoicism. [5] He was also described as "leading the charge for Stoicism," which has been noted for gaining traction among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. [27] [28]
Holiday wrote public letters encouraging his father not to vote for Donald Trump in 2016 [29] and 2020. [30] Despite his public opposition to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Holiday reported that he was offered a communications director position within the Trump administration and did not accept. [31] Holiday supported Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election. [32]
In September 2020, Holiday contributed $10,000 toward the removal of two Confederate monuments from the Bastrop County Courthouse to an alternative site. [33]
Holiday owns and operates the independent bookstore Painted Porch Bookshop in Bastrop, Texas. [34] He is married [1] and has two sons. He lives on a 40-acre ranch in Bastrop County, Texas. [5]
Co-author: Stephen Hanselman
Co-author: Stephen Hanselman
Co-author: Stephen Hanselman
Gaius Musonius Rufus was a Roman Stoic philosopher of the 1st century AD. He taught philosophy in Rome during the reign of Nero and so was sent into exile in 65 AD, returning to Rome only under Galba. He was allowed to stay in Rome when Vespasian banished all other philosophers from the city in 71 AD although he was eventually banished anyway, returning only after Vespasian's death. A collection of extracts from his lectures still survives. He is also remembered for being the teacher of Epictetus and Dio Chrysostom.
Cleanthes, of Assos, was a Greek Stoic philosopher and boxer who was the successor to Zeno of Citium as the second head (scholarch) of the Stoic school in Athens. Originally a boxer, he came to Athens where he took up philosophy, listening to Zeno's lectures. He supported himself by working as a water-carrier at night. After the death of Zeno, c. 262 BC, he became the head of the school, a post he held for the next 32 years. Cleanthes successfully preserved and developed Zeno's doctrines. He originated new ideas in Stoic physics, and developed Stoicism in accordance with the principles of materialism and pantheism. Among the fragments of Cleanthes' writings which have come down to us, the largest is a Hymn to Zeus. His pupil was Chrysippus who became one of the most important Stoic thinkers.
Rubellius Plautus was a Roman noble and a political rival of Emperor Nero. Through his mother Julia, he was a relative of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He was the grandson of Drusus, and the great-grandson of Tiberius and his brother Drusus. Through his great-grandmothers Vipsania Agrippina and Antonia Minor, he was also descended from Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Mark Antony. He was descended from Augustus' sister Octavia Minor, herself a grand-niece of Julius Caesar.
Panaetius of Rhodes was an ancient Greek Stoic philosopher. He was a pupil of Diogenes of Babylon and Antipater of Tarsus in Athens, before moving to Rome where he did much to introduce Stoic doctrines to the city, thanks to the patronage of Scipio Aemilianus. After the death of Scipio in 129 BC, he returned to the Stoic school in Athens, and was its last undisputed scholarch. With Panaetius, Stoicism became much more eclectic. His most famous work was his On Duties, the principal source used by Cicero in his own work of the same name.
Zeno of Tarsus was a Stoic philosopher and the son of Dioscorides.
Aristo of Chios, also spelled Ariston, was a Greek Stoic philosopher and colleague of Zeno of Citium. He outlined a system of Stoic philosophy that was, in many ways, closer to earlier Cynic philosophy. He rejected the logical and physical sides of philosophy endorsed by Zeno and emphasized ethics. Although agreeing with Zeno that Virtue was the supreme good, he rejected the idea that morally indifferent things such as health and wealth could be ranked according to whether they are naturally preferred. An important philosopher in his day, his views were eventually marginalized by Zeno's successors.
Athenodorus Cananites was a Stoic philosopher.
Diogenes of Babylon was a Stoic philosopher. He was the head of the Stoic school in Athens, and he was one of three philosophers sent to Rome in 155 BC. He wrote many works, but none of his writings survived, except as quotations by later writers.
Antipater of Tarsus was a Stoic philosopher. He was the pupil and successor of Diogenes of Babylon as leader of the Stoic school, and was the teacher of Panaetius. He wrote works on the gods and on divination, and in ethics he took a higher moral ground than that of his teacher Diogenes.
Diodotus was a Stoic philosopher, and was a friend of Cicero.
Quintus Junius Rusticus, was a Roman teacher and politician. He was probably a grandson of Arulenus Rusticus, who was a prominent member of the Stoic Opposition. He was a Stoic philosopher and was one of the teachers of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, whom Aurelius treated with the utmost respect and honour.
Arius Didymus was a Stoic philosopher and teacher of Augustus. Fragments of his handbooks summarizing Stoic and Peripatetic doctrines are preserved by Stobaeus and Eusebius.
Paconius Agrippinus was a Stoic philosopher of the 1st century. His father was put to death by the Roman emperor Tiberius on a charge of treason. Agrippinus himself was accused at the same time as Thrasea, around 67 AD, and was banished from Italy. As a philosopher he was spoken of with praise by Epictetus.
Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that flourished in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. The Stoics believed that the practice of virtue is enough to achieve eudaimonia: a well-lived life. The Stoics identified the path to achieving it with a life spent practicing the four cardinal virtues in everyday life — prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice — as well as living in accordance with nature. It was founded in the ancient Agora of Athens by Zeno of Citium around 300 BCE.
Robert Greene is an American author of books on strategy, power, and seduction. He has written seven international bestsellers, including The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law, Mastery, The Laws of Human Nature, and The Daily Laws.
Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator is a book by Ryan Holiday chronicling his time working as a media strategist for clients including Tucker Max, Robert Greene, and Dov Charney.
William O. Stephens, is an American philosopher and scholar of Stoicism. He is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Creighton University after retiring from teaching at their Omaha Campus in 2020.
Ego Is the Enemy is the fourth book by author Ryan Holiday, published on June 14, 2016. It is about the treacherous nature of ego.
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living is a daily motivational book of stoic philosophy co-authored by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. It is Holiday's fifth book and Hanselman's debut as an author.
Donald John Robertson is a Scottish-born cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist and author, known for his work in integrating modern cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, particularly Stoicism. He has written on Stoicism's relevance to modern therapeutic practices, and his books have contributed to Stoic philosophy in contemporary psychology. He is the author of Stoicism and the Art of Happiness and The Philosophy of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Stoic Philosophy as Rational and Cognitive Psychotherapy. His writing on Stoicism and Contemporary Psychology has been featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, BBC and The Times.