The Daily Stoic - The Life of Cleanthes

Episode Date: April 23, 2023

In today's audiobook reading, Ryan presents the biography of the great Stoic philosopher, boxer, and successor to Zeno of Citium as the second head of the Stoic school of Athens, Cleanthes. Written by the prolific biographer of the Greek philosophers Diogenes Laertius, this text covers Cleanthes’s early life, the inspiration he took from Zeno, his strong work ethic, and more.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books, and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey, prime members, you can listen to the Daily Stoic Podcast early and add free on Amazon Music. Download the app today. Welcome to the weekend edition of the Daily Stoic Podcast. On Sundays, we take a deeper dive into these ancient topics with excerpts from the Stoic texts, from the Stoic texts, audio books that we like here, recommend here at Daily Stoic, and other long form wisdom that you can chew on on this relaxing weekend. We hope this helps shape your understanding of this philosophy and most importantly that you're able to apply it to actual life. Thank you for listening. Hey, it's Ryan Holiday. Welcome to another weekend episode of the Daily Stoic podcast. We brought you the life of Zeno recently, who obviously I talk a lot about here on the podcast, we talk about him quite a bit in lives of the Stoics. I actually think Clienthe's is more interesting.

He's not just a philosopher, he's a boxer, he was a water carrier, like he watered basically a gardener, a manual laborer, a real humble sort of salt of the earth kind of dude. In lives of the Stoics, I present him as the apostle, Xeno being the prophet. In a way, the apostle is a harder, humbler, much less glamorous role, but Xeno would have had to admit, one without which the profits work would never find an audience. In today's episode, I'm going to bring you Diogeny's Lear. This is biography of Clienthes. I'll let you listen to that. We had this excerpt read by Michael Reed, does a great job. And then if you want to dig in more on Client These, check out lives of the Stoics and enjoy. It's funny I talked to lots of people and a good chunk of those people haven't been readers for a long time. They've just gotten back into it. And I always love

hearing that and they tell me how they fall in love with reading. They're reading more than ever, and I go, let me guess, you listen audio books, don't you? And it's true, and almost invariably, they listen to them on Audible. And that's because Audible offers an incredible selection of audio books across every genre from bestsellers and new releases to celebrity memoirs. And of course, ancient philosophy, all my books are available on audio, read by me for the most part. Audible lets you enjoy all your audio entertainment in one audio, read by me for the most part. Audible lets you enjoy all your audio entertainment in one app. You'll always find the best of what you love, or something new to discover, and as an

Audible member, you get to choose one title a month to keep from their entire catalog, including the latest best sellers and new releases. You'll discover thousands of titles from popular favorites, exclusive new series, exciting new voices in audio. You can check out Stillness is the key, the daily dad, I just recorded so that's up on Audible now. Coming up on the 10 year anniversary of the obstacle is the way audio books, so all those are available and new members can try Audible for free for 30 days.

Visit audible.com slash daily stoke or text daily stoke to 500-500. That's audible.com slash daily stoke or text daily stoke to 500 500. Client these was a native of Asos and the son of Phonius. He was originally a boxer as we learn from antistinies in his succession. And he came to Athens having but four Drakmas, as some people say, and attaching himself to Xenon. He devoted himself to philosophy in a most noble manner, and he adhered to the same doctrines as his master.

He was especially eminent for this industry, so that as he was a very poor man, he was forced to undertake mercenary employments, and he used to draw water in the gardens by night. In by day, he used to exercise himself in philosophical discussions, on which account he was called, free antelies, from freer, a well, and antelayo to draw water. They also say that he was on one occasion brought before a court of justice to be compelled to give an account what his sources of income were from which he maintained himself in such good condition. And that then he was acquitted, having produced as his witness the gardener and whose garden he drew the water, and a woman who was a meal seller, and whose establishment he used to prepare the meal. And the judges of Ariopagus admired him, and voted that Ten Menei should be given to him, but Xenon forbade him to accept them.

They also say that Antagonus presented him three thousand drachmas, and once, when he was conducting some young men to some spectacle, it happened that the wind blew away his cloak, and it was then seen that he had nothing on under it, on which he was greatly applauded by the Athenians according to the account given by Dmitrius the Magnesian, in his essay on people of the same name. And he was greatly admired by them on account of his circumstance. They also say that Antagonus, who was a pupil of his, once asked him why he drew water, and that he made answer, do I do nothing beyond drawing water?

Do I not also dig and do I not water the land and do all sorts of things for the sake of philosophy. For Zinnon used to accustom him to this, and used to require him to bring him an oval by way of tribute. And once he brought one of the pieces of money, which he had collected in this way, into the middle of a company of his acquaintances, and said, Clientes could maintain even another Clientes if he were to choose, but others who have plenty of means to support themselves seek for necessaries from others, although they only study philosophy in a very lazy manner.

And, in reference to these habits of his, Clienthese was called a second Heracles. He was then very industrious, but he was not well endowed by nature and was very slow in his intellect, on which account Timone says of him. What stately ram thus measures over the ground, and master of the flock surveys them round. What citizen of Asos, doll and cold, fond of long words, a mouthpiece, but not bold. And when he was ridiculed by his fellow pupils, he used to bear it patiently. He did not even object to the name when he was called an ass, but only said that he was the only animal able to bear the burdens which Zinan put upon him. And once, when he was reproached as a coward, he said, that is the reason why I make but few mistakes. He used to say, in justification of his preference

of his own way of life, to that of the rich, that while they were playing at ball, he was earning money by digging hard and bearing ground. And he very often used to blame himself. And once, Eriston, heard him doing so, and said, who is it that you are reproaching? And he replied, an old man who has gray hair, but no brains. When someone once said to him that Arsisalayus did not do what he ought, desist he replied and do not blame him, for if he destroys duty as far as his words go, at all events he establishes it by his actions. Arsisalayus once said of him, I never listened to flatters. Yes, rejoined Clientes, I flatter you when I say that though you say one thing, you do another.

When someone once asked him what lesson he ought to incocate on his son, he replied, the warning of Electra, silence, silence, gently step. When Alasademonian once said in his hearing that labor was a good thing, he was delighted and addressed him. O early worth, a soul so wise and young, proclaims that you from noble blood are sprung. Hekatan tells us in his apathems that once when a young man said, if a man who beats his stomach, gastras, then a man who slaps his thigh, mirrors, he replied, do you stick to your dhyamiras, but analogous words do not always indicate analogous facts. Once when he was conversing with the youth, he asked him if he felt, and as he said that

he did, why is it then, say, Clienthees, that I do not feel that you feel? Life can get you down, I'm no stranger to that. When I find things that are piling up, I'm struggling to deal with something, obviously, I use my journal, obviously, at Tournestochism, but I also turn to my therapist, which I've had for a long time and has helped me through a bunch of stuff. And because I'm so busy and I live out in the country, I do therapy remote, so I don't have to drive somewhere. And that's where today's sponsor comes in.

Toxbase makes it easy to find a therapist that you like. It's convenient. It's affordable. By doing everything online, Toxbase makes getting the help you want easy and affordable, so why wait. And talk space can help with any specific challenge you might be facing. That's why it's the number one online therapy platform with license therapists and over 40 specialties, it's secure and private and in network with most major insurers. As a listener of this podcast, you can get 80 bucks off your first month with Talkspace when you go to Talkspace.com.sashtoic to match with a licensed therapist today and

go to Talkspace.com.sashtoic to get 80 bucks off your first month and show your support for today's topic, that's Talkspace.com.sashtoic. When So Sidious, the poet, said in the theater where he was present, men whom the folly of Clienthe's urges, he continued in the same attitude at which the heirs were surprised and applauded him, but drove Socithius away. And when Socithius expressed his sorrow for having abused him in this manner, he answered him gently, saying that it would be a preposterous

thing for Dionysus and Heracles to bear being ridiculed by the poets without any expression of anger, and for him to be indignant at any chance attack. He used also to say that the parapetetics were in the same condition as liars, which though they utter sweet notes do not hear themselves. And it is said that when he asserted that, on the principles of Zenon, one could judge of a man's character by his looks. Some witty young men brought him a profligate fellow, having a hearty look with continual exercise in the fields, and requested him to tell them his moral character. And he, having hesitated a little, bade the man depart, and as he departed, the man sneezed. I have the fellow now," said Clienthees.

He is a debauchy. He said once to a man who was conversing with him by himself, you are not talking to a bad man. And when someone reproached him with his old age, he rejoined. I too wish to depart, but when I perceive myself to be in good health in every respect and to be able to recite and read, I am content to remain. They say too that he used to write down all that he heard from Zenan on oyster shells and on the shoulder blades of oxen, from want of money to buy paper with. And though he was of this character in such circumstances, he became so eminent that those Zenan had many other disciples of high reputation, he succeeded him as the President of his school.

He died in the following manner. His gums swelled very much, and at the command of his physicians, he abstained from food for two days, and he got so well that his physicians allowed him to return to all his former habits, but he refused, and saying that he had now already gone part of the way, he abstained from food for the future, and so died, being as some report 80 years old and having been a pupil of Zina 19 years. And we have written a playful epigram on him also, which runs thus. I praised Clienthys, but praised Hades more, who could not bear to see him grown so old,

so gave him rest at last among the dead, who had drawn such loads of water while alive. Thanks for listening to the Daily Stoke Podcast. Just a reminder, we've got signed copies of all my books in the Daily Stoke Store. You can get them personalized, you can get them sent to a friend. The obstacle is the way. You go as the enemy, stillness is the key. The leather bound edition of the Daily Stoke,

we have them all in the daily stoke store which you can check out at store.dailystoke.com Hey, Prime Members, you can listen to the Daily Stoke early and ad-free on Amazon Music, download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen early and ad-free with Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts. Raising kids can be one of the greatest rewards of a parent's life. But come on, someday, parenting is unbearable. I love my kid, but is a new parenting podcast from Wondry that shares a refreshingly honest and insightful take on parenting.

Hosted by myself, Megan Galey, Chris Garcia, and Kurt Brownleur, we will be your resident not-so- so expert experts. Each week we'll share a parenting story that'll have you laughing, nodding, and thinking. Oh yeah, I have absolutely been there. We'll talk about what went right and wrong. What would we do differently? And the next time you step on yet another stray Lego

in the middle of the night, you'll feel less alone. So if you like to laugh with us as we talk about the hardest job in the world, listen to, I love my kid, but wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen ad-free on the Amazon Music or Wondery app.