Stillness Is the Key
by Ryan Holiday
The third of Holiday's Stoic trilogy takes stillness as the common ground of ancient traditions: mind, spirit, body. It is short essays with historical figures, from Kennedy during the missile crisis to Tiger Woods, and is calmer and less tactical than its predecessors. Read it slowly, one essay a day.
Read it if…
you are busy and successful and cannot sit still for ten minutes.
Skip it if…
you want action-oriented advice; the book is about not acting.
Three things you will actually use
- Limit inputs; most are noise.
- Keep a journal to empty the mind.
- Build a routine that holds you when motivation does not.
Do this first
Sit for ten minutes today with no input and no task.
Our verdict
Quiet and readable; the gentlest of his books.
Compare with other Gratitude books
Think Like a Monk
Jay Shetty · Gratitude
Gentle, well-organized and a little smooth; a good entry point.
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Unwinding Anxiety
Judson Brewer · Gratitude
Clear, kind and practical; a strong self-help book for the anxious. Not a substitute for care.
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Wintering
Katherine May · Gratitude
Lovely and consoling; the rest-and-recovery book for difficult years.
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