Ready to begin or deepen your meditation practice? Join Dan Harris and world-class meditation teachers on the 10% with Dan Harris app here: https://app.danharris.com/membership Success is supposed to make life easier, but for many high-performers, it acts as a cognitive trap. In this episode, world-renowned philosopher Ryan Holiday (The Daily Stoic) joins Dan Harris to discuss the release of his final book in the Stoic Virtues series, Wisdom Takes Work. They break down the "Success Paradox"—why the higher you climb, the harder it is to stay smart—and offer a pragmatic methodology for cultivating the most elusive of all virtues: wisdom. We often assume that intelligence and wisdom are the same, but history tells a different story. From Socrates failing his own trial to Seneca serving the tyrant Nero, some of the smartest people to ever live suffered from profound blind spots. Ryan Holiday argues that wisdom is not a definition, but an emergent property of a specific kind of work—what the ancient Greeks called the Agoge. In this wide-ranging conversation, Dan and Ryan explore: • The Second Brain: How to use index cards and commonplace books to ensure your reading doesn't fall into a "black hole". • Talking to the Dead: Why the classics are a "Great Conversation" that can save you years of painful trial and error. • Focus as a Finite Resource: The importance of protecting the "best part of your day" before the demands of the world (and your kids) take over. • The Sirens of Achievement: Why success removes the very feedback and criticism you need to continue improving. • The Essence of Excellence: How Abraham Lincoln distilled a lifetime of study into the 260 words of the Gettysburg Address Books Mentioned: • Wisdom Takes Work: Ryan Holiday’s new book. • Lincoln: Biography of a Writer • East of Eden by John Steinbeck • The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault • Glorious Exploits • The Daily Stoic • Courage is Calling • Discipline is Destiny • Right Thing Right Now • Ego Is the Enemy • Journal of a Novel (referred to as "Letters from a novel") Subscribe to watch more 10% Happier videos: https://www.youtube.com/tenpercenthappier Follow Dan Harris on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/danharris/ https://www.tiktok.com/@danbharris https://www.facebook.com/DanHarrisABC https://twitter.com/danbharris https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harris-91ba5716b/ Timestamps: The Success Paradox: Why You’re Getting Dumber 00:00 Wisdom Takes Work: The Stoic Virtues Series 01:05 Why Nobody Gets Wise by Chance 03:00 The Seneca Warning: Blind Spots of the Smartest People 05:00 The Social Intelligence Failure of Socrates 08:30 Talking to the Dead: Reading as a Superpower 12:30 The Art of Asking Impertinent Questions 16:30 Protecting the Best Part of Your Day: Focus 18:50 Knowing Your Season: When to Adjust Your Routine 23:30 Building a Second Brain: The Commonplace Book System 28:30 Finding Your "Door Opener": Teachers vs. Mentors 33:45 Emptying the Cup: Overcoming Ego and Bias 43:00 Seeking Criticism: Avoiding the Success Feedback Silo 57:15 Grasping the Essence: Lessons from the Gettysburg Address 01:10:30 The Final Test: Mortality and "Thou Mayest" 01:14:15 LinkedIn: Spend $250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn ads and get a $250 credit for the next one. Just go to http://www.linkedin.com/happier. Wix: Ready to create your website? Go to http://www.wix.com. Rosetta Stone: Visit https://www.rosettastone.com/happier to get started and claim your 50% off today. Quo: No missed calls, no missed customers. Visit http://www.Quo.com/happier to get started.