Stillness is the Key An Ancient Strategy for Modern Life

I generally like Ryan's works. This one was no exception. I expected to see stillness through the lens of Stoicism - and I was not disappointed. It was a positive surprise to see stillness examined through other schools of philosophy, too. Ryan presents stillness, and how one may pursue it, through three domains. The mind, the spirit, and the body. In each domain there are described traits which help us cultivate stillness in our lives. These traits draw upon examples from historic events, actions of famous characters, and ideas from philosophers from various schools, cultures, and time periods. Most of these traits are, to be honest, common sense - or, at least, traits that most of us know are good. It is the way they are presented that makes them stand out. Each trait is presented concisely. They make you think. Reflect upon your life. They are simple, yet take the most strength and courage to live by. At least, it is much too easy not to. The book is not very long. I spent more time thinking and reflecting than actually reading. That is, as I see it, the central trait of a good book.

closer to a 3.5 for me. some really beautiful and meaningful takeaways, and I liked the historical and contemporary references he rooted things in- I felt like I was learning a bit of history. the book lost stars in what others have referenced, there’s a few places that were just a little too inane/ crunchy. I absolutely loved the quote “radiate stillness like a star”

El contenido está bueno. Pero, básicamente, es un rejunte de citas ajenas y cosas que dijeron otros. Una vez que lo notás, parece chiste: dos oraciones propias y una cascada de “as X said”, etc. Igualmente, entiendo que es para hacer accesible ciertos conceptos filosóficos que, de otra forma, quizás no llegan al público masivo.

Big fan of Ryan Holiday and I expected the book to be a rehash of his previous ideas around stoicism. Despite this being true, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. I love his style of writing in short bite-sized chapters. A lot to take away especially now.

Masterpiece.

Basically, one guy's interpretation of what other people have written, and in some cases, what he thinks they might have been thinking. Followed by unsuccessful attempts to tie it all together into one overarching concept. Formulaic, and in some cases pretty obvious and banal. Don't read him, or take his interpretations as gospel. Read the works he references instead.

Call it what you will — mindfulness, flow, stillness — it's been much discussed and debated and sought after, in traditions Eastern and Western, in faith-based traditions and philosophy ancient and modern, and poetry and writing as well. Read this to see how great leaders have struggled or succeeded, how traditions across cultures and times have thought about it, as well as Holiday's useful consideration of stillness in terms of mental, physical, and spiritual/moral domains.

The best book in the trilogy. Stillness: “To be steady while the world spins around you. To act without frenzy. To hear only what needs to be heard. To possess quietude –exterior and interior– on command.” According to the author, this inner peace is the key to elite performance and to a happy life, today, as in the past. In the same way as meditation captures the essence of Buddhism in a secular way, Ryan Holiday captures the secrets behind stillness, the quest at the heart of Buddhism, Stoicism, Christianity, Hinduism, and other religions or philosophies. Few books have such a large scope. We find the same recipe used in his previous books – teachings from the ancient world, combined with extensive modern stories. From Tiger Woods to Winston Churchill, we discover how moving forward by learning to be still help us face a world of distractions and useless conflicts. I really liked the book, thoroughly researched, well-written, persuasive argumentation, inspiring quotations, pertinent stories, and a profound subject. It’s the kind of book that I will reread for sure.

Covered a lot of ground. Recently I’m really into solitude, finding peace within and stuff like that. That book is packed with practical knowledge and tips.

2.75 Not my fav but it had some good chapters. There are definitely better books about stillness I’d recommend over this one.

Ryan Holiday can be polarizing, but his popularization of modern Stoic tenets cannot be easily dismissed. He gets to the point and does it in an entertaining way.

This book is full of historical examples of the lifestyle recommendations that Holiday provides, and they're fascinating. Holiday's tone is refreshingly down-to-earth and the recommendations he makes are not super difficult to incorporate into our lives: it's up to us to experiment and figure out which ones we can feasibly include as part of our habits. As with any self-help book, I think there's something in this book for everyone and would highly recommend a read.

“How different would the world look if people spent as much time listening to their conscience as they did to chattering broadcasts? If they could respond to the calls of their convictions as quickly as we answer the dings and rings of technology in our pockets?” Holiday cranks out more books than just about any author out there, and manages to do it with quality writing that goes far deeper than most advice titles. The gist of the book is simple: every religion, philosophy, and way of life in world history has strongly emphasized the practice of stillness — that seeking of quiet in the midst of chaos, that choice to be present and indistractable, that intentional reigning in of the passionate wild stag of workaholism. If every way of life recommends some form of regular and intentional quietude, we’d be remiss to ignore it; stillness should in fact be sought out as an imperative to healthy and virtuous living. The practice of stillness, though, is only getting more difficult as people increasingly become glowing reflections of their screens. I don’t need to drag on about that part; it’s becoming a cliched fact of life here as we approach the third decade of the 21st century. Holiday, as is his recognizable style, pulls case studies from the annals of history about great leaders and top performers in order to figure out what it takes to find that stillness. Separated into three sections — Mind, Spirit, and Body — the book is easily (and quickly) digested, but will stay in your sphere of thought as you wrestle with how to carve more stillness into your own life. My only complaint is that I wish Holiday would have actually put more of himself in the narrative. He offers numerous snapshots of famous figures, but those studies can be hard to relate to. One of the strongest chapters, in my opinion, is in fact the epilogue, in which Holiday just muses on the peacefulness of doing odd jobs around his farm — fixing fences, caring for geese (including one named Ryan Gosling), and shepherding a stubborn steer back onto his neighbor’s property. Either way, this a book (and a series) well worth reading. You’ll feel more centered after reading it — like you can take a fresh, deep breath and have an excuse to put the phone down, shut the TV off, and take the earbuds out.

The writings of Ryan Holiday online are usually under the form of in-depth articles full of different references and anecdotes. Not that there aren’t enough references here. There are. But in this book, he decided to take another route – short chapters, each covering their own unique topic while trying to convince us that “stillness is the key.” Personally, I’m a fan of brief chapters where you usually find a quick summary of what was discussed. However, a lot of readers might find this style a bit shallow and crave for more at the end of each chapter. Nevertheless, the point the author is trying to convey here is really interesting and quite important for our time. We need to learn about stillness! To be OK with fewer things and to stop adding more to our lives. By doing so, we’ll find inner peace and relax our minds. The last is my personal takeaway – stop adding to your life, start subtracting. Full: https://durmonski.com/book-summaries/...

4.5.

Ugh. There are good lessons here. The work was done in pulling them together. I do believe in stillness, calm, reflection. But the preachy tone, cliches, and the unremarkable writing up and framing of his historical case studies and evidence leave me with a 2-star impression. I’m giving it one more star so that you know it’s not without value. There are probably many who need to hear and think about this message.