Ryan Holiday's newest book about maintaining discipline. Lot of good one-liners but not my favourite Holiday book
Rating: 4/5
In the ancient world, virtue is comprised of 4 components: courage, temperance, justice and wisdom
Timeless law of the universe: we must keep ourselves in check or risk ruin
‘The most powerful is he who has himself in his own power’ - Seneca
When you love the work, you don’t cheat it or the demands it asks of you
Discipline isn’t deprivation, it brings its own rewards
We owe it to ourselves, to our goals, to the game, to keep going. To keep pushing. To stay pure. To be tough. To conquer our bodies before they conquer us.
When we desire more than we need, we make ourselves vulnerable
The space where great work is done is holy. We must respect it
Consistency is a superpower
We don’t rise to the occasion, we fall to the level of our training
Always and forever, the reward is the work
Succeeds breeds softness
No one can carry on forever. You need to rest and take breaks so you can last forever
To last, to be great, you have to understand how to rest
Greatness is not just what one does but also what one refuses to do
The main thing in life is to keep the main thing the main thing
No one can say yes to their destiny without saying no to what is clearly someone else’s
Patience is the primary ingredient of genius - Thomas Edison
Another way to spell perfectionism is paralysis
Transitions are as important as achievements
Fear makes your mind sharper. When you have nothing to fear, your mind becomes dull
We are all going to lose. Nobody stays undefeated for long in this life
‘Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less’ - Robert Greene
Of all the addictions in the world, the most intoxicating and hardest to control is ambition
When your choices turn you into someone who has to worry about money, then you are not rich, no matter how much you make
The best way to manage the load is to share the load
Be tolerant of others and strict with yourself
Courage, according to hemingway, is grace under pressure
Being the boss is a job. Being a leader is something you earn
A leader has to show, not tell. First in line for duty, last in line for recognition
Be a friend to yourself
The person who cannot resist and give up control is a danger to themselves and their organizations
Greatness isn’t what you have. It’s who you choose to become or who you choose to remain
Sometimes even to live is an act of courage - Seneca
Words don’t matter, deeds do
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