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Men Are Reading Less Fiction. That’s A Problem. | Steven Pressfield

Men Are Reading Less Fiction. That’s A Problem. | Steven Pressfield

The Daily Stoic
Jul 11, 2026 19 min
Open in Hinto

About this episode

<p>Men may be looking for answers in all the wrong books. &nbsp;In this episode, Ryan is joined by <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/search?type=product&amp;q=steven+pressfield*" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bestselling author Steven Pressfield</a> to talk about how great fiction can teach us about courage, honor, sacrifice, and the human experience in ways that facts and advice often cannot. </p><br><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/steven_pressfield/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Steven Pressfield </a>is an American author of historical fiction, non-fiction, and screenplays. Steven wrote for 27 years before he got his first novel published. During that time he worked 21 different jobs in eleven states. Steven taught school, drove tractor-trailers, worked in advertising and as a screenwriter in Hollywood. He worked on offshore oil rigs, and picked fruit as a migrant worker.&nbsp;</p><br><p>You can<a href="https://www.instagram.com/steven_pressfield/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> follow him on Instagram</a>: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/steven_pressfield/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@steven_pressfield</a> and check out more of his work on his website: <a href="https://stevenpressfield.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://stevenpressfield.com/</a></p><br><p>📚 You can grab signed copies of <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/search?type=product&amp;q=steven+pressfield*" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Steven’s books</a> at <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/search?type=product&amp;q=steven+pressfield*" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Painted Porch</a>:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/writing8?_pos=6&amp;_sid=efa60d874&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Turning Pro</em></a></li><li><a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/the-daily-pressfield?_pos=1&amp;_sid=efa60d874&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Daily Pressfield</em></a></li><li><a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/put-your-ass-where-your-heart-wants-to-be-signed-by-steven-pressfield?_pos=2&amp;_sid=efa60d874&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants To Be</em></a></li><li><a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/war-of-art-break-through-the-blocks-and-win-your-inner-creative-battles?_pos=7&amp;_sid=efa60d874&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The War of Art</em></a></li><li><a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/the-warrior-ethos-signed-edition?_pos=5&amp;_sid=efa60d874&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Warrior Ethos</em></a></li><li><a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/rhmoo22?variant=43148732825853" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>A Man At Arms</em></a></li><li><a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/war11?_pos=3&amp;_sid=efa60d874&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Gates of Fire</em> </a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Arcadian-Novel-Steven-Pressfield/dp/1324124253" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Arcadian</em></a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>🎟️<a href="https://www.dailystoiclive.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;<strong>DAILY STOIC LIVE&nbsp;</strong></a>| Ryan Holiday is coming to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailystoiclive.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">city near you</a>!&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailystoiclive.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Grab tickets here</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailystoiclive.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.dailystoiclive.com/</a></p><br><p>🎙️<a href="https://dailystoic.supercast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>&nbsp;AD-FREE&nbsp;</strong></a><strong>|</strong>&nbsp;Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to<a href="https://dailystoic.supercast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;The Daily Stoic Premium</a>&nbsp;- unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content:<a href="https://dailystoic.supercast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;https://dailystoic.supercast.com/</a></p><br><p>✉️&nbsp;<a href="https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>FREE STOIC WISDOM</strong></a><strong>&nbsp;|&nbsp;</strong>Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at<a href="https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

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