#404 - The Story You Tell to Sleep at Night

About this episode

This episode explores how individuals rationalize their actions and the narratives they create to justify their behavior.

Every man has his excuses. And the more vile the man becomes, the more touching the story has to be. In this episode of The Strong Stoic, we explore a brutal truth: no one thinks they’re the villain. From The Blade Itself to Game of Thrones to Breaking Bad, we examine how the human mind protects itself with narrative. We talk about: Why evil rarely feels evil from the insideHow rationalization becomes identityWhy dictators loved dogs and went home to dinnerThe Stoic discipline of self-interro...

People in this episode

Host: Brandon Tumblin

Topics covered

• narrative
• self-rationalization
• identity
• evil
• Stoicism

Keywords

• excuses
• villain
• human mind
• narrative
• Stoic discipline

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Blade Itself, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad

More episodes of The Strong Stoic Podcast

• #417 - Kyle Sarka - The Strange Comfort of Mortality · June 9, 2026 · 1h 1m
• #416 - How to Move Forward When Everything Feels Heavy · June 2, 2026 · 18 min
• #415 - You Will Be Forgotten - And That's Beautiful · May 26, 2026 · 17 min
• #414 - The Difference Between Solitude and Loneliness · May 19, 2026 · 14 min
• #413 - The Root Cause of a Bad Life · May 12, 2026 · 15 min
• #412 - Not Everyone Is Meant to Be Your Friend · May 5, 2026 · 12 min