by

Tim Ferriss

Practicing What You Preach (#185)

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practice what you preach

“Prove your words by your deeds.” – Seneca the Younger

My job is usually to deconstruct world-class performers and tease out their routines and habits you can use.

But in this in-betweenisode, I present some short nuggets of practical, tactical philosophy about practicing what you preach.

This is a letter from Stoic heavyweight Seneca the Younger — who lived a mere 2,000 years or so ago — to his friend Lucilius. It’s from a collection of letters that comprise, effectively, my favorite book of all time. I’ve read it dozens of times, and I loved it so much that I turned it into The Tao of Seneca, a three-volume set of audiobooks. If you prefer a written version of the Tao of Seneca, you can find it here for free.

This is a letter you’ve not heard on the podcast before; it’s worth the listen just for the definition of wisdom, incredible quotes from Epicurus, and discussion of having riches without riches having you.

Enjoy!

You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

#185: Practicing What You Preach

Want to hear another segment from The Tao of Seneca? — Listen to How to Avoid the Busy Trap. In this episode, I dig deeper into useful philosophy and how we think of riches (stream below or right-click here to download):

#147: How to Avoid the Busy Trap (And Other Misuses of Your Time)

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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

Show Notes

  • Letter 20: On Practicing What You Preach [04:11]
  • Prove your words by your deeds. [04:32]
  • Philosophy teaches us to act, not to speak. [05:04]
  • The highest duty and the highest proof of wisdom. [05:21]
  • The philosopher may not always be able to keep the same pace, but he can always travel the same path. [05:46]
  • Are your words and deeds in accord? Here are ways to tell (and why it matters). [05:54]
  • What is wisdom? [06:56]
  • What can be learned by the bounty of poverty? [07:44]
  • It means much not to be spoiled by intimacy with riches. [09:29]
  • The mark of a noble spirit. [10:35]
  • The merits of practicing poverty. [11:01]

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