Chapter 38: Ryan Holiday bashes beachy books and builds a balanced base

2026-01-19

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Thirteen years ago I was surfing online when I stumbled on a blog post called "How To Read More — A Lot More" by someone I'd never heard of named Ryan Holiday. I started reading the post and got sucked in. He had a point! Many great points, actually. And he was young. 26 years old! A 26-year-old young man telling the world to read more books? In an era where most twenty-something men read, uh, none? I found Ryan to be a breath of fresh air. I immediately began to copy everything he did! He launched a monthly book club. I launched a monthly book club! (With his blessing, of course.) He was talking about reading fifty then a hundred and then hundreds of books a year. Well, I started reading five books and then ten books and then fifty books a year. I began cancelling news subscriptions and consciously put my phone away. I installed a bookshelf at my front door. I moved my TV to the basement! And, of course, I started this podcast—all about reading. In a way 3 Books would not exist without Ryan Holiday. In some ways I can probably trace my rediscovered passion for reading all the way back to that 2013 blog post. But Ryan is not just a blogger anymore. He's not just a writer guy on the internet anymore. Ryan Holiday has sold over 10 million books (!) and essentially leads the repopularization of stoic philosophy. Some of his books include 'The Obstacle Is The Way', 'Ego Is The Enemy', 'Stillness Is The Key', 'Discipline is Destiny', and his new book, out just a few months ago, 'Wisdom Takes Work'. Ryan also runs DailyStoic.com, the consulting company Brass Check, Daily Dad, and The Painted Porch indie bookstore in Bastrop, Texas. He and his wife Sam live with their two sons in nearby Austin. He's become a friend and I have definitely caught his bug.

Thirteen years ago I was surfing online when I stumbled on a blog post called "How To Read More — A Lot More" by someone I'd never heard of named Ryan Holiday.

I started reading the post and got sucked in. He had a point! Many great points, actually. And he was young. 26 years old! A 26-year-old young man telling the world to read more books? In an era where most twenty-something men read, uh, none?

I found Ryan to be a breath of fresh air.

I immediately began to copy everything he did!

He launched a monthly book club. I launched a monthly book club! (With his blessing, of course.)

He was talking about reading fifty then a hundred and then hundreds of books a year.

Well, I started reading five books and then ten books and then fifty books a year.

I began cancelling news subscriptions and consciously put my phone away. I installed a bookshelf at my front door. I moved my TV to the basement!

And, of course, I started this podcast—all about reading.

In a way 3 Books would not exist without Ryan Holiday. In some ways I can probably trace my rediscovered passion for reading all the way back to that 2013 blog post.

But Ryan is not just a blogger anymore. He's not just a writer guy on the internet anymore.

Ryan Holiday has sold over 10 million books (!) and essentially leads the repopularization of stoic philosophy. Some of his books include 'The Obstacle Is The Way', 'Ego Is The Enemy', 'Stillness Is The Key', 'Discipline is Destiny', and his new book, out just a few months ago, 'Wisdom Takes Work'.

Ryan also runs DailyStoic.com, the consulting company Brass Check, Daily Dad, and The Painted Porch indie bookstore in Bastrop, Texas. He and his wife Sam live with their two sons in nearby Austin.

He's become a friend and I have definitely caught his bug.

So in Chapter 38 of 3 Books we're going to fly down to Ryan's home in Austin and get 4 of his most formative books. (You'll hear why on the show.) Among other things Ryan shares how to decide who to trust, how he got fired from his first job, and why we shouldn't turn parenting into a job.

I hope you enjoy this classic chapter of 3 Books with Mr. Ryan Holiday.

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