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The Daily Stoic · June 20, 2026 · 0h 55m

What Our Fathers Teach Us, For Better Or Worse | Tom Junod

Ryan Holiday, Tom Junod

Ryan Holiday reflects on the father-son relationship between Marcus Aurelius and his adoptive father Antoninus Pius, who taught him compassion, humility, and how to wield power without being corrupted. He then interviews ESPN senior writer Tom Junod about his new memoir, which explores masculinity, family secrets, and the lifelong work of consciously choosing which parts of a difficult father to carry forward and which to refuse.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Highlights

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The Antoninus Model of Leadership and Fatherhood
Antoninus Pius taught Marcus Aurelius compassion, humility, discipline, and how to remain unchanged by power.
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
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Choosing Your Inheritance: Deciding Which Parts of Your Father to Carry Forward
Tom Junod describes the lifelong work of deciding which aspects of his father he will repeat and which he will reject.
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
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The Duality of Fatherly Influence: Positive and Negative Role Models
Ryan notes that while Marcus Aurelius had the exemplary Antoninus to emulate, many people have fathers whose actions teach them what not to become.
ClaudeChatGPTGemini

References

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In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man — Tom Junod

Misc

✧Ryan notes Antoninus Pius taught Marcus Aurelius discipline, humility, and how to hold power without being changed by it.
✧Tom describes his father as a figure who caused pain, kept deep secrets, and inspired fear, yet shaped him profoundly.
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