Right Thing, Right Now – Ryan Holiday

Portfolio | Hardcover | June 11, 2024

The Gist

Living honorably isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. Be a good human.

Read If you Like

• Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday

• History

• Stoic philosophy

Verdict: Read It But Borrow It

Right Thing, Right Now argues that justice is a personal commitment, not just something that is served in a courtroom. Like the previous installments in the Cardinal Virtues series, Holiday looks at some of the most iconic figures in history, including Ghandi, Harry Truman, and many more. While these historical examples clearly showcase how justice can happen in the day-to-day, Right Thing, Right Now suffers from some of the same issues as Discipline is Destiny in that the chapters feel more like flash essays that jump around. This causes the book to flatline, rather than steadily build toward a climatic point. The jacket copy reveals that the Stoics belived that if someone had a strong sense of honor, then the other virtues and practices would follow. However, the tie back to philosophy is minimal. In the Afterword, Holiday explains that he saw this in many ways as something he wanted to leave to his children. With this in mind, the urge to pack so many examples and ideas makes sense, but it still feels a little too preachy at times.