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Bestseller!
In his New York Times bestselling book Courage is Calling, author
Ryan Holiday made the Stoic case for a bold and brave life. In this
much-anticipated second book of his Stoic Virtue series, Holiday
celebrates the awesome power of self-discipline and those who have
seized it.
To master anything, one must first master themselves-one's emotions,
one's thoughts, one's actions. Eisenhower famously said that freedom is
really the opportunity to practice self-discipline. Cicero called the
virtue of temperance the polish of life. Without boundaries and
restraint, we risk not only failing to meet our full potential and
jeopardizing what we have achieved, but we ensure misery and shame. In a
world of temptation and excess, this ancient idea is more urgent than
ever.
In Discipline is Destiny, Holiday draws on the stories of historical
figures we can emulate as pillars of self-discipline, including Lou
Gehrig, Queen Elizabeth II, boxer Floyd Patterson, Marcus Aurelius and
writer Toni Morrison, as well as the cautionary tales of Napoleon, F.
Scott Fitzgerald and Babe Ruth. Through these engaging examples, Holiday
teaches readers the power of self-discipline and balance, and cautions
against the perils of extravagance and hedonism.
At the heart of Stoicism are four simple virtues: courage, temperance,
justice, and wisdom. Everything else, the Stoics believed, flows from
them. Discipline is Destiny will guide readers down the path to
self-mastery, upon which all the other virtues depend. Discipline is
predictive. You cannot succeed without it. And if you lose it, you
cannot help but bring yourself failure and unhappiness.
