7 Quotes By Ryan Holiday That Will Change How You Live Your Life

If applied, they can improve your entire existence.

Photo by Arthur Yeti on Unsplash

Most people introduce Ryan Holiday as the Marketing Director at American Apparel at age 21. Some would add that Benjamin Hardy, PhD, and Tim Ferriss hired him to improve their books.

I’d suggest we forget about his achievements in business. Instead, let’s think of Ryan Holiday as the philosophical translator of our time.

Thoreau once said, Philosophy is about solving the problems of life, not theoretically, but practically. That’s precisely what Ryan does. He makes ancient philosophy applicable to our lives.

Probably it’s because he read the same book 100 times over 10 years that he understands stoic thinkers — Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca — like no other 1987-born person does.

In 2019, his wise lines on time management inspired me to change my life for the better. That’s why I bought and devoured his recent books: The Obstacle is the Way (2014), Ego is the Enemy (2016), and Stillness is the Key (2019).

And as I believe the insights from this book can change any life for the better, here are my favorite quotes, including why they are relevant and how you can apply them.

“Many Relationships and Moments of Inner Peace Were Sacrificed on the Altar of Achievement.”

Social networks allow us to connect with the world. Yet, they also allow us to compare ourselves with more than 3.6 billion people on this planet.

There will always be people in your network who achieve more than you do. So-called high achievers posting impressive job updates on LinkedIn. Or hustlers sharing intimidating morning routines on their Instagram stories.

Let’s take the hard truth: By comparing ourselves against the achievements of others, we will never feel real satisfaction. Because we’ll always be reminded of more: do more, earn more, own more, achieve more.

We add unachievable items to our ever-growing to-do lists.

We prioritize work over a walk with a friend.