Self-made billionaire says Stoic philosophy key to success
Share this @internewscast.com

Robert Rosenkranz is a self-made billionaire. His key to success: stoic philosophy.

In his latest release, “The Stoic Capitalist: Guidance for the Uncommonly Driven,” Rosenkranz reveals how the age-old philosophies of figures like Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius significantly contributed to his achievements — and can do the same for you.

“In essence, this book challenges much of modern-day culture,” Rosenkranz shared with The Post. “It emphasizes self-reliance, full accountability for your life, rejecting the victim mindset, and letting go of worries about the uncontrollable.”

Set to be released on May 6th, the book offers a blend of memoir and ancient insights. At 82, Rosenkranz is a self-made billionaire with significant influence in private equity, multi-strategy hedge funds, and the insurance sector.

He retired as CEO of Delphi Financial Group in 2018, where he grew the company’s worth 100-fold.

“This is a book for anybody who aspires to live a life that gets them the distance from where they were as a child,” Rosenkranz, who grew up in a one bedroom ground floor apartment in Manhattan with his parents, said. “These are ideas you can use to realize your childhood dreams.”

He was inspired to write the book because his nieces and nephews wanted to record interviews with him about his life, but Rosenkranz, 82, insists this book isn’t an exercise in self-aggrandizing. 

“This project wasn’t just celebrating myself,” he said. “I was really trying to do something useful to give people some ideas that they could use to thrive in their own lives, which is why I framed it all in terms of cognitive theory and stoic philosophy.”

The book is spliced up into short chapters that follow his life from childhood to the present day, and include topics like getting rich slowly, how to get angry, and death and taxes.

“You could read any chapter, and they more or less stand on their own,” he said. “I just don’t feel like the Stoic principles come alive unless you see how they can be applied to someone’s life.”

Michael Bloomberg dubbed the book “an inspiring story of a life well lived.”

“I think of myself as a natural born stoic,” Rosenkranz writes. “The habits often that helped me cope as a child, and helped me succeed as an adult, echo in the philosophical insights of the Stoics.”

He says ancient Greek philosophers taught him the mastery of his own emotions.

“Stoics use reason to regulate emotions,” Rosenkranz said. “We all react emotionally. We’re not trying to deny that or suppress emotions, but it’s your responsibility to decide whether acting on emotion will serve your interests or not.”

Rosenkranz, who is Jewish, was a summa cum laude graduate of Yale’s class of 1962. He says he experienced antisemitism on campus and was told he could only work for Jewish firms upon graduation. Nonetheless, in true stoic fashion, he entitled a chapter “You Face Prejudice: So What?.”

“There were very truncated opportunities for Jewish kids when I was growing up,” he said. “I just thought this is the way the world works, and I’ve got to figure out how to adapt to it, and I think that’s just simply a much more constructive approach than sitting around criticizing the way the world works.”

In his book, Rosenkranz also shares many of his insights from decades in the business world, from how to nail an interview, to how to build wealth, to how to negotiate.

“Negotiation is a problem for two people to solve, it’s not a game for one person to win,” he explained. “It’s a creative process where you’re both trying to come up with a solution that will leave you each feeling better off.”

But he’s sure to consistently litter Stoic insights throughout, like accepting impermanence as a fact of life and learning the value of time.

“Time is our most valuable resource, but it’s so easy to fritter away your time if you’re not being mindful of it,” he said. “You can make more money, but you can’t make more time.”

Anyone who understands that insight, Rosenkranz argues, is liberated to live a life well lived.

“The Stoic concept of freedom is not license to do whatever you like, but self-possession of learning how to value and experience the fullness of time,” he writes. “Being busy is the enemy of being thoughtful.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Suburban woman has saved 3 lives with what is commonly known as Heimlich maneuver, most recently at Schaumburg High School

Suburban Heroine Uses Heimlich Maneuver to Save Three Lives, Latest at Schaumburg High School

A woman from the suburbs of Schaumburg, Illinois, has become a beacon…
Louvre director grilled on spectacular security failures, including camera pointing away from key balcony

Louvre Director Faces Scrutiny Over Significant Security Lapses, Including Misaligned Camera Over Key Balcony

The director of the renowned Louvre Museum in Paris is under intense…
Ted Cruz Calls $3 Billion US Aid to Israel a “Bargain”

Ted Cruz Labels $3 Billion US Aid to Israel as a “Bargain” Investment: A Strategic Perspective

At the recent Christians United for Israel Summit, Sen. Ted Cruz doubled…
Convicted illegal immigrant child killer who murdered infant son arrested in Twin Cities ICE sweep

ICE Operation in Twin Cities Leads to Arrest of Convicted Child Killer and Illegal Immigrant

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement…
Colts cheerleader uses sign language to converse with deaf fan at his first game

Heartwarming Moment: Colts Cheerleader Bridges the Gap with Sign Language at Deaf Fan’s First Game

Colts cheerleader Morgan McLain, who studied American Sign Language (ASL) as a…
Security at California Coast Guard base opens fire on U-Haul truck posing 'direct threat'

California Coast Guard Base Incident: Security Neutralizes ‘Direct Threat’ from U-Haul Truck

On Thursday night, shots were fired at a Coast Guard facility in…
President Donald Trump says he's terminating all trade negotiations with Canada over anti-tariff television advertisement campaign

Trump Halts Trade Talks with Canada Following Controversial TV Ad Campaign

WASHINGTON — Late Thursday, President Donald Trump declared the termination of “all…
Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance denounces driver's license checkpoint plan for Green Cove Springs

Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance Criticizes Proposed Driver’s License Checkpoint Initiative in Green Cove Springs

A proposed driver’s license checkpoint in Green Cove Springs, Florida, has sparked…
Manhattan, IL news: Vigil held after 2 junior high students die within days, including boy on bicycle killed in semi-trailer crash

Community Gathers in Manhattan, IL to Honor Junior High Students After Tragic Losses, Including Fatal Bicycle-Semi Trailer Incident

MANHATTAN, Ill. — A close-knit community in the southwest suburbs is grappling…
Dramatic video shows NYPD officers rescuing a missing dog named Moose from beneath a Manhattan subway train

Watch: NYPD Heroes Save Missing Dog ‘Moose’ from Manhattan Subway Tracks

A dramatic rescue unfolded in Manhattan as officers from the New York…
Trump says he's ending trade talks with Canada over TV ads

Trump Halts Trade Negotiations with Canada in Response to Television Advertisements

In a striking development on Thursday evening, President Donald Trump declared an…
Neutrogena makeup remover wipes recalled over bacterial contamination

Neutrogena Recalls Makeup Wipes Due to Bacterial Contamination Concerns

More than 1,300 cases of makeup remover wipes distributed across four states…