Dying Every Day is a newsletter and podcast about mortality, wisdom, discipline, attention, Stoicism, and the art of living. This is a place for meditations for mortals—reflections for people trying to live the Stoic virtues of wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice in the time they have been given. Learn more at perennial.substack.com.
Day 159: The Limits of Self-Knowledge with Brandon Tumblin
We’re often told to question everything, seek the truth, and know ourselves. But how much questioning is useful? Is truth always good for us? And can we acknowledge our limitations without becoming bitter about them?
My friend Brandon Tumblin from The Strong Stoic returns for a conversation prompted by passages from Dostoevsky’s novels, using Julian Baggini’s How to Think Like a Philosopher as our starting point. We explore the difference between Stoic acceptance and the resentment of the Underground Man, whether being limited means being flawed, and why admitting we might be wrong can make room for growth.
The conversation moves from doubt and decision-making to the uncomfortable work of self-knowledge. Through The Truman Show, The Matrix, and an imagined workplace feedback exercise, we ask whether learning the truth always helps—and how much depends on our readiness to hear it.
We also consider the limits of language, the mystery of friendship, and the parts of ourselves that other people see more clearly than we do. We close by exploring how envy and certainty can push people apart, and how humility and curiosity might help us reconnect.
A question to carry with you: Where could a little less certainty make room for a better question? [...]
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Dying Every Day is a podcast and newsletter for mortals and curious minds. Become a member to support the project and gain access to The School for Mortals and its exclusive courses on the art of living. dyingeveryday.com | Remember to Live.
20 Oct 2026
How Much Do You Need to Know Before You Act? | Dying Every Day
When does reading help us change, and when does it become a way to postpone the next step?
In this Dying Daily meditation, Thomas à Kempis and Epictetus help us examine the distance between understanding an idea and living it. Reading can clarify what a situation asks of us. But it cannot make the choice for us. [...]
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📷 DYING EVERY DAY (ON INSTAGRAM):
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ABOUT US:
Dying Every Day is a podcast and newsletter for mortals and curious minds. Become a member to support the project and gain access to The School for Mortals and its exclusive courses on the art of living. dyingeveryday.com | Remember to Live.
12 Oct 2026
What Deserves Your Attention | William James and the Stoics
You can end a busy day having focused intensely on things you would never have chosen as the center of your life.
The messages were answered. The small dispute got another hour. The person you meant to call has gone to bed.
Now the day’s accomplishments look different beside what they displaced.
This is a different problem from distraction. [...]
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📺 DYING EVERY DAY (ON YOUTUBE):
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📷 DYING EVERY DAY (ON INSTAGRAM):
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ABOUT US:
Dying Every Day is a podcast and newsletter for mortals and curious minds. Become a member to support the project and gain access to The School for Mortals and its exclusive courses on the art of living. dyingeveryday.com | Remember to Live.
Reach and audience
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YouTube views
103,216
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.8 / 5
17 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
26 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 76 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
98
Social presence
0
YouTube
86
Engagement
51
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