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Stillness Is the Key
The essence of greatness is the perception that virtue is enough. —RALPH WALDO EMERSON
Ryan Holiday • Stillness is the Key: An Ancient Strategy for Modern Life (The Way, the Enemy and the Key)
What is virtue? Seneca would ask. His answer: “True and steadfast judgment.” And from virtue comes good decisions and happiness and peace. It emanates from the soul and directs the mind and the body.
Ryan Holiday • Stillness is the Key: An Ancient Strategy for Modern Life (The Way, the Enemy and the Key)
This is, in fact, the first obligation of a leader and a decision maker. Our job is not to “go with our gut” or fixate on the first impression we form about an issue. No, we need to be strong enough to resist thinking that is too neat, too plausible, and therefore almost always wrong. Because if the leader can’t take the time to develop a clear sen
... See moreRyan Holiday • Stillness is the Key: An Ancient Strategy for Modern Life (The Way, the Enemy and the Key)
Sigmund Freud himself wrote about how common it is for deficiencies, big and small, at a young age to birth toxic, turbulent attitudes in adulthood. Because we weren’t born rich enough, pretty enough, naturally gifted enough, because we weren’t appreciated like other children in the classroom, or because we had to wear glasses or got sick a lot or
... See moreRyan Holiday • Stillness is the Key: An Ancient Strategy for Modern Life (The Way, the Enemy and the Key)
the three words Aristotle used to describe the lives of slaves in his time: “Work, punishment, and food.”
Ryan Holiday • Stillness is the Key: An Ancient Strategy for Modern Life (The Way, the Enemy and the Key)
Keep strong, if possible. In any case, keep cool. Have unlimited patience. Never corner an opponent, and always assist him to save face. Put yourself in his shoes—so as to see things through his eyes. Avoid self-righteousness like the devil—nothing is so self-blinding.
Ryan Holiday • Stillness is the Key: An Ancient Strategy for Modern Life (The Way, the Enemy and the Key)
Marcus Aurelius famously described a number of what he called “epithets for the self.” Among his were: Upright. Modest. Straightforward. Sane. Cooperative. These were, then, the traits that served him well as emperor. There are many other traits that could be added to this list: Honest. Patient. Caring. Kind. Brave. Calm. Firm. Generous. Forgiving.
... See moreRyan Holiday • Stillness is the Key: An Ancient Strategy for Modern Life (The Way, the Enemy and the Key)
Each of us will: • Rise above our physical limitations. • Find hobbies that rest and replenish us. • Develop a reliable, disciplined routine. • Spend time getting active outdoors. • Seek out solitude and perspective. • Learn to sit—to do nothing when called for. • Get enough sleep and rein in our workaholism. • Commit to causes bigger than ourselve
... See moreRyan Holiday • Stillness is the Key: An Ancient Strategy for Modern Life (The Way, the Enemy and the Key)
“When you realize there is nothing lacking,” Lao Tzu says, “the whole world belongs to you.”