The instant New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and
USA Today Bestseller!
Ryan Holiday's bestselling trilogy--The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego is
the Enemy, and Stillness is the Key--captivated professional
athletes, CEOs, politicians, and entrepreneurs and helped bring Stoicism
to millions of readers. Now, in the first book of an exciting new series
on the cardinal virtues of ancient philosophy, Holiday explores the most
foundational virtue of all: Courage.
Almost every religion, spiritual practice, philosophy and person
grapples with fear. The most repeated phrase in the Bible is "Be not
afraid." The ancient Greeks spoke of phobos, panic and terror. It is
natural to feel fear, the Stoics believed, but it cannot rule you.
Courage, then, is the ability to rise above fear, to do what's right, to
do what's needed, to do what is true. And so it rests at the heart of
the works of Marcus Aurelius, Aristotle, and CS Lewis, alongside
temperance, justice, and wisdom.
In Courage Is Calling, Ryan Holiday breaks down the elements of fear,
an expression of cowardice, the elements of courage, an expression of
bravery, and lastly, the elements of heroism, an expression of valor.
Through engaging stories about historic and contemporary leaders,
including Charles De Gaulle, Florence Nightingale, and Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr., Holiday shows you how to conquer fear and practice courage in
your daily life.
You'll also delve deep into the moral dilemmas and courageous acts of
lesser-known, but equally as important, figures from ancient and modern
history, such as Helvidius Priscus, a Roman Senator who stood his ground
against emperor Vespasian, even in the face of death; Frank Serpico, a
former New York City Police Department Detective who exposed police
corruption; and Frederick Douglass and a slave named Nelly, whose fierce
resistance against her captors inspired his own crusade to end slavery.
In a world in which fear runs rampant--when people would rather stand on
the sidelines than speak out against injustice, go along with convention
than bet on themselves, and turn a blind eye to the ugly realities of
modern life--we need courage more than ever. We need the courage of
whistleblowers and risk takers. We need the courage of activists and
adventurers. We need the courage of writers who speak the truth--and the
courage of leaders to listen.
We need you to step into the arena and fight.
