Why “Meditations” Needs a New Name—According to William O. Stephens

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<p>Most people read <a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/meditations-month-2026" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marcus Aurelius</a> the wrong way. In this episode, Ryan sits down with philosopher William Stephens to discuss why the title "<a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/meditations-month-2026" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Meditations</a>" may be misleading, what these writings were actually meant to be, and how that changes the way we read them today.&nbsp;</p><br><p>William O. Stephens is a philosopher specializing in Stoicism, ethics, and ancient philosophy. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and spent over 30 years teaching at Creighton University, where he is now Professor Emeritus. His work spans topics like friendship, ecology, and human nature, with a focus on Stoic thought. His latest book is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Marcus-Aurelius-Philosopher-King-Great-Ancient/dp/1836391161" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Marcus Aurelius: Philosopher-King</em></a> (2025), and he is also the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Marcus-Aurelius-Guide-Perplexed-Guides-ebook/dp/B00LFPKS1U/ref=books_amazonstores_desktop_mfs_aufs_ap_sc_dsk_2?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=vFw52&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.9c9a049f-252a-49d9-a8c2-e300a1663200&amp;pf_rd_p=9c9a049f-252a-49d9-a8c2-e300a1663200&amp;pf_rd_r=139-8118888-5645531&amp;pd_rd_wg=UukXM&amp;pd_rd_r=be8560ba-bdf5-44fe-8446-a88fe7e8d42d" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Marcus Aurelius: A Guide for the Perplexed</em></a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Epictetuss-Encheiridion-Translation-Guide-Ethics-ebook/dp/B0BWHTKRWJ/ref=books_amazonstores_desktop_mfs_aufs_ap_sc_dsk_1?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=vFw52&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.9c9a049f-252a-49d9-a8c2-e300a1663200&amp;pf_rd_p=9c9a049f-252a-49d9-a8c2-e300a1663200&amp;pf_rd_r=139-8118888-5645531&amp;pd_rd_wg=UukXM&amp;pd_rd_r=be8560ba-bdf5-44fe-8446-a88fe7e8d42d" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Epictetus’s Encheiridion: A New Translation and Guide to Stoic Ethics</em></a>, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ethics-Stoic-Epictetus-Translation-Revisioning-ebook/dp/B093T9MLFB/ref=books_amazonstores_desktop_mfs_aufs_ap_sc_dsk_4?_encoding=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_w=vFw52&amp;content-id=amzn1.sym.9c9a049f-252a-49d9-a8c2-e300a1663200&amp;pf_rd_p=9c9a049f-252a-49d9-a8c2-e300a1663200&amp;pf_rd_r=139-8118888-5645531&amp;pd_rd_wg=UukXM&amp;pd_rd_r=be8560ba-bdf5-44fe-8446-a88fe7e8d42d" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Stoic Ethics: Epictetus and Happiness as Freedom</em></a><em>.&nbsp;</em></p><p>Check out more of William Stephens' work at <a href="https://williamostephens.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://WilliamOStephens.com/</a></p><br><p>📚 Grab a copy of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Marcus-Aurelius-Philosopher-King-Great-Ancient/dp/1836391161" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Marcus Aurelius: Philosopher-King</em> by William Stephens </a></p><br><p><a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/meditations-month-2026" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>LAST CHANCE </strong></a>| Grab your ticket to the live Q&amp;A with Ryan on April 27 👉 <a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/meditations-month-2026" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/meditations-month-2026</a></p><br><p>Ryan Holiday is coming to a <a href="https://www.dailystoiclive.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">city near you</a>! <a href="https://www.dailystoiclive.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Grab tickets here</a> |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailystoiclive.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.dailystoiclive.com/</a></p><p>🇺🇸 USA dates:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/80444483/onstage-with-ryan-holiday-portland-revolution-hall" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Portland, Oregon - June 8&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/daily-stoic-live-onstage-with-ryan-holiday-tickets-1984559640307?aff=oddtdtcreator" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">San Francisco, California - June 11</a></li><li><a href="https://www.dailystoiclive.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Minneapolis, Minnesota - August 18&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/daily-stoic-live-onstage-with-ryan-holiday-tickets-1984473140584?aff=oddtdtcreator" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chicago, Illinois - August 19&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/daily-stoic-live-onstage-with-ryan-holiday-tickets-1984473550811?aff=oddtdtcreator" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Detroit, Michigan - August 20&nbsp;</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>🎙️<strong> AD-FREE |</strong> Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to<a href="https://dailystoic.supercast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> The Daily Stoic Premium</a> - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content:<a href="https://dailystoic.supercast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://dailystoic.supercast.com/</a></p><br><p>🎥 <strong>VIDEO EPISODES|</strong> Watch the video episodes on<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> The Daily Stoic YouTube channel</a>:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos</a></p><br><p>✉️ <strong>FREE STOIC WISDOM | </strong>Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? 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