Discipline is Destiny — Ryan Holiday
Hardcover | Portfolio | September 27, 2022
The Gist
That stoic guy talks about what it means to be disciplined and what it takes to practice self-control in our half-ass-backward world.
Read if you like:
Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday
Letters from a Stoic by Seneca
The Stoic Virtue series
History
Books that push you to reflect and self-assess how you’re moving about and responding to the wild world we’re currently living in
The Verdict: Read it
Discipline is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control is the second book in Ryan Holiday's Stoic Virtue series. In typical Holiday fashion, he takes us from Ancient Rome all the way to the present with examples of titanic figures, including Lou Gehrig, Toni Morrison, Martin Luther King Jr., Antoninus Aurelius, Queen Elizabeth II, and many more. Through these figures, he paints a picture of what it means to be disciplined, what it takes to be in control of ourselves, and how in a present-day world of excess it’s critical to practice this cardinal virtue. The book poses questions and calls to action and, in turn, pushes readers to assess how they are doing things, which is a nice compliment to Courage is Calling’s focus on what they are doing. Discipline is Destiny follows the same formula as the rest of Holiday’s books: a three-part structure with bite-sized chapters that feel more and more like blog posts. Each chapter focuses on a single thought and a historical figure who exemplifies what it means or takes to be disciplined—or not. However, where his writing abilities and voice truly shine are in the two longer chapters (10+ pages) focusing on the late Queen Elizabeth II and Antoninus Aurelius, and, actually, in the afterword where he shares his experience in writing the book.
