The Stoic Edge in 30 Days

Day #8: Speak to the Dead

One of the enduring elements of Stoicism is the search for wisdom. Even 2,000 years ago, the Stoics were interested in deeply engaging with the works of Aristotle, Plato, Heraclitus, Epicurus and others who came before them. And in fact the founder of Stoicism, Zeno of Citium, was told early on in his life by an Oracle that "to live the best life you should have conversations with the dead."

What the oracle meant was that to find wisdom it's imperative that you read and learn from those who came before you. Whatever your position in life -- student, teacher, leader, CEO, worker-bee, you can gain from understanding how others dealt with similar challenges. This is especially valuable when you lack a deep education in a topic, or find yourself feeling like an imposter.

Harry Truman is a case in point. On April 12, 1945 was Vice President of the United States. He had just finished a day presiding over the U.S. Senate when the phone rang in the Senate cloak room. Called to the phone, Truman was summoned to the White House immediately.

To say this was unusual is an understatement. Truman had only been in Franklin Roosevelt's presence a handful of times. He knew something terrible had happened. When he arrived on the second floor of the residence, he was greeted by First Lady Elenor Roosevelt. "Harry, the president is dead," she said to him. He paused for a moment to collect himself. "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked Mrs. Roosevelt.

Elanor Roosevelt smiled. “Is there anything we can do for you? You are the one in trouble now.”

And indeed, Truman later felt like the "sun and the moon and the stars" had fallen on him. The country was embroiled in war on two fronts and in a brewing cold war with the Soviet Union. On order was the atomic bomb, which Truman knew nothing about, but which he'd soon have to make a momentous decision to use.

And Harry S. Truman, a failed haberdasher from rural Missouri, who'd only been to high school, was now the most powerful leader on earth.

But Truman had an advantage. He was a voracious reader, and consumed volumes of history, from Plutarch to Caesar, to Ben Franklin, Plato. Books on the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, and more. He was in the company of those who dealt with trials and tragedy. So he was never really alone.

"Not all readers are leaders," Truman liked to say, "But all leaders are readers."

Read, read, read. Talk to the dead. It's amazing how much they know!