YouSaid · the spoken record

Maria Semple

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54
first
2026-04-14
most recent
2026-04-14
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1
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podcast

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  1. “Yes. Exactly. So I really was so excited about Stoicism that I wanted to, I thought I really wanted to get inside that character. And so at first when I wrote it, I was writing the characters kind of like I was saying, emotionally shut down, a little grim. Right.”

    2026-04-14 · The Oprah Podcast · Maria Semple: “Go Gentle” | Oprah’s Book Club · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  2. “Oh, that's right. So I'll tell you a little bit about Stoicism and tell the people about Stoicism because it's maybe not as well known as I think because it's such a big part of my life. But Stoicism is a philosophy. And the Stoics were ancient Greeks. And I think of them as kind of the OGs of the self-help movement. From 300 BC, they thought that you could apply reason to achieve happiness. And the way you did it was by differentiating between what was within your control and what's outside of your control. And you put all of your energy only to what's within your control. And they call that virtue. And I think of it as kind of personal character. The rest of it, you just cheerfully throw over to fate. And it sounds simple, but it's certainly easier said than done. And it takes practice. But you then get on a path to achieve happiness.”

    2026-04-14 · The Oprah Podcast · Maria Semple: “Go Gentle” | Oprah’s Book Club · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  3. “So go gentle. I'd actually made many attempts at this book while I lived in Seattle. And I had gotten really into Stoicism about 10 years ago. And I knew that I wanted my protagonist to be a Stoic. And so I started writing from the point of view of the Stoic, but I was writing her kind of emotionally shut down.”

    2026-04-14 · The Oprah Podcast · Maria Semple: “Go Gentle” | Oprah’s Book Club · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  4. “I will tell you that it really felt like an act of madness as I was writing this book. I want to write all about philosophy. I want to make this huge mystery thriller. There was this whole section about internalized misogyny. I had this big crazy ending. And plus, it's a romance. As I was writing it, I never told anybody about it.”

    2026-04-14 · The Oprah Podcast · Maria Semple: “Go Gentle” | Oprah’s Book Club · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT