Wisdom takes work : learn. apply. repeat. / Ryan Holiday.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Holiday, Ryan, author.

Series:

Stoic virtues series

The stoic virtues series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Virtues.

Wisdom.

Learning.

Self-knowledge, Theory of.

Genre:

Informational works.

Instructional and educational works.

Self-help publications.

Physical Description:

xxiii, 374 pages ; 19 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Portfolio/Penguin, 2025.

Summary:

Of all the stoic virtues -- courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom -- wisdom is the most elusive. This is especially apparent in an age where reaction and idle chatter are rewarded, and restraint and thoughtfulness are unfashionable. The great statesman and philosophers of the past would not be fooled, as we are, by headlines or appearances or the primal pull of tribalism. They knew too much of history, of their own flaws, of the need for collaboration to do any of that. That's wisdom -- and we need it more than ever. Wisdom is Ryan Holiday's guiding principle, and Wisdom Takes Work is the culmination of all his work. Drawing on fascinating stories of the ancient and modern figures alike, Holiday shows how to cultivate wisdom through reading, self-education, and experience. Through the lives of Montaigne, Seneca, Joan Didion, Abraham Lincoln, and others, Holiday teaches us how to listen more than we talk, to think with nuance, to ruthlessly question our own beliefs, and to develop a method of self-education. He argues convincingly for the necessity of mental struggle and warns against taking shortcuts that deprive us of real knowledge. And he shows us how dangerous power and intelligence can be without the tempering influence of wisdom. An absence of curiosity and prudence is a catastrophe for all of us, argues Ryan Holiday. This incredibly timely book both diagnoses the greatest problem of our current moment and offers solutions for the way forward. Wisdom is work -- but it's worth it. -- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

The four virtues

Introduction

I. THE AGOGE (your training ground). A most unusual education... Talk to the dead

Be curious

Ask the question

Focus, focus, focus

Learn to listen

Create a second brain

Find your classroom

Find your teacher

Become an apprentice

Join a scene

Study the past

Hit the road

Acquire experience

Mens sana in corpore sano . . .

II. THE SIRENS (the perilous rocks you must beware). The storm within

Empty the cup

Write to think right

Assemble your board of directors

Don't be a know-it-all

Watch your information diet

Think for yourself

Don't break your brain

Change your mind

Grow up

Don't be a snowflake

Seek criticism

Make mistakes

Go deep

Don't fall for it

Understand people

From humility to wisdom . . . III. THE APOTHEOSIS (touching the divine). Shrewd, sensible, sound, strong . . .

Practice empathy

Be humble

Always stay a student

Be a teacher

Embrace the mystery

Be self-aware

Free yourself

Be happy

Suffer into truth

Laugh

Don't lose the wonder

Grasp the essence

Pass the final test

Wisdom is virtue. Virtue is wisdom.

ISBN:

9780593191736

0593191730

OCLC:

1512893709

Publisher Number:

90103151717