New Releases by Ryan Holiday

Eine zeitlose Geschichte, die die Weisheit des Stoizismus für alle zugänglich macht Vor zweitausend Jahren wurde ein kleiner Junge aus dem Nichts zum Herrscher über einen Großteil der bekannten Welt auserkoren. Was er lernte, was er tat, wer er war, würde in der Ewigkeit nachhallen ... Die Geschichte von Mark Aurel – gerade noch spielend mit seinen Freunden und plötzlich Herrscher über ein Weltreich – ist auch eine Parabel für das Leben. Wie reagieren wir, wenn die Götter, das Schicksal, uns zu etwas ganz Besonderem aufrufen? Nehmen wir die Herausforderung an? Sind wir ihr gewachsen? Dieses Buch erzählt die Geschichte von Mark Aurels Aufstieg zur Macht auf eine ganz neue Weise: Jede Seite, liebevoll illustriert, lässt uns eintauchen in eine Szene aus seinem Leben, in seine Gedanken- und Gefühlswelt. Ein einzigartiges Stück Geschichte nicht nur für Kinder. »Ryan Holiday ist ein Querdenker, der gern Risiken eingeht.« The New York Times Book Review

The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday & Stephen Hanselman This book gives you one short lesson for every day of the year (366 total) based on the wisdom of ancient Stoic philosophers like Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus. Each daily entry includes: A quote from a Stoic philosopher. A simple explanation on how to apply it in modern life. The book is divided into three main themes: Perception - how we see and understand the world. Action - how we make choices and behave. Will - how we stay strong during challenges. It''s an easy daily guide to help you live with calm, strength, and clarity.

Tous les grands dirigeants, penseurs, artistes, athlètes et visionnaires partagent une qualité indéniable, qui leur permet de conquérir leurs esprits, d’éviter les distractions et découvrir de grandes idées, d’atteindre le bonheur et faire ce qui est juste. Ryan Holiday appelle cela le calme, c''est-à-dire être stable pendant que le monde tourne autour de vous. Il trace un chemin pour atteindre ce mode de vie ancien, mais nécessaire et urgent. S''appuyant sur un large éventail de grands penseurs de l''histoire, de Confucius à Sénèque, de Marc-Aurèle à Nietzsche, il soutient que le calme n''est pas une simple inactivité, mais la porte de la maîtrise de soi, de la discipline et de la concentration. Le calme que nous recherchons tous est la voie du sens, du contentement et de l''excellence dans un monde qui en a plus que jamais besoin. Ryan HOLIDAY est consultant en communication et a travaillé pour de nombreux auteurs best-sellers et musiciens multi-récompensés. Il a également été directeur de la communication chez American Apparel pendant de nombreuses années. Ses campagnes publicitaires ont servi d’études de cas pour Twitter, YouTube ou Google. Il est l’auteur de nombreux best-sellers internationaux traduits en 20 langues.

Instant New York Times Advice & Business Bestseller, USA Today Bestseller, and Wall Street Journal #1 Bestseller! A New York Times Noteworthy Pick and a "stellar work" by Publishers Weekly From the bestselling authors of The Daily Stoic comes an inspiring guide to the lives of the Stoics, and what the ancients can teach us about happiness, success, resilience and virtue. Nearly 2,300 years after a ruined merchant named Zeno first established a school on the Stoa Poikile of Athens, Stoicism has found a new audience among those who seek greatness, from athletes to politicians and everyone in between. It''s no wonder; the philosophy and its embrace of self-mastery, virtue, and indifference to that which we cannot control is as urgent today as it was in the chaos of the Roman Empire. In Lives of the Stoics, Holiday and Hanselman present the fascinating lives of the men and women who strove to live by the timeless Stoic virtues of Courage. Justice. Temperance. Wisdom. Organized in digestible, mini-biographies of all the well-known--and not so well-known--Stoics, this book vividly brings home what Stoicism was like for the people who loved it and lived it, dusting off powerful lessons to be learned from their struggles and successes. More than a mere history book, every example in these pages, from Epictetus to Marcus Aurelius--slaves to emperors--is designed to help the reader apply philosophy in their own lives. Holiday and Hanselman unveil the core values and ideas that unite figures from Seneca to Cato to Cicero across the centuries. Among them are the idea that self-rule is the greatest empire, that character is fate; how Stoics benefit from preparing not only for success, but failure; and learn to love, not merely accept, the hand they are dealt in life. A treasure of valuable insights and stories, this book can be visited again and again by any reader in search of inspiration from the past.

Ryan Holiday laat aan de hand van de klassieke wijsheden van het stoïcisme en andere filosofiesche stromingen zien hoe we standvastig kunnen zijn in een wereld die maar doordraait. In Het obstakel is de weg en Ego is de vijand maakte bestsellerauteur Ryan Holiday klassieke wijsheid populair voor een nieuwe generatie. In In de stilte ligt het antwoord behandelt hij de tijdloze stoïcijnse en boeddhistische filosofie om te laten zien waarom verstilling zo belangrijk is. Holiday bespreekt allerlei grote denkers, van Confucius tot Seneca, Marcus Aurelius tot Thich Nhat Hanh, John Stuart Mill tot Nietzsche, en geeft voorbeelden van personen die de kracht van verstilling belichaamden, zoals Winston Churchill en Anne Frank. In de stilte ligt het antwoord biedt een simpele maar inspirerende remedie tegen de stress van het nieuws en social media die nooit stoppen, obstakels, ego’s en competitie. De verstilling die we allemaal zoeken is de weg naar betekenis, tevredenheid en succes in een wereld die nooit stilstaat.

Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller Wall Street Journal Bestseller Az akadály maga az út és Az ego az ellenség című bestsellereiben Ryan Holiday az ókori sztoikusok bölcsességét osztotta meg velünk. Sportvezetőket, informatikusokat, politikusok új nemzedékét és persze a hétköznapok emberét segítette praktikus tanácsaival. Az egyensúly a kulcs című, újabb sikerkönyvében a sztoicizmus mellett a buddhista filozófia gondolatkörére támaszkodva vezet rá bennünket: az előrejutásban épp a lelassulás képessége válhat titkos fegyverünkké. Napjainkban el vagyunk halmozva ingerekkel, teendőkkel. Állandó versenyhelyzetben, stresszben és a média információs zajában telnek a hétköznapok. Képesek lehetünk egy helyben maradni, miközben zakatol körülöttük az élet? Hogyan zabolázhatjuk meg a temperamentumunkat, hogy semmi ne zökkentsen ki bennünket, miközben a munkára és a döntésekre összpontosítunk? A mozdulatlanság egy különös állapot, amely nem a cselekvés puszta hiánya, hanem az önuralom előfeltétele. Holiday szerint fontos képesség, melynek birtokában fegyelmezetté és összeszedetté válunk, és mindvégig kontroll alatt tarthatjuk viselkedésünket. A szerző megmutatja az utat, amelyen haladva elsajátíthatjuk ezt a hasznos, ősi bölcsességet. Az emberiség teljes műveltségéből merít a legnagyobb gondolkodókat idézve - Konfuciustól Senecáig, Marcus Aureliustól Thich Nhat Hanhig, John Stuart Milltől Nietzschéig.

"Gracias a su magistral síntesis de la filosofía oriental y occidental, Holiday nos enseña a mantener la concentración en medio de los conflictos y dificultades propios del siglo xxi." Robert Greene, autor de Las leyes de la naturaleza humana y Las 48 leyes del poder Las mentes más lúcidas de la historia han tenido en común algo que les ha permitido controlar sus emociones, evitar las distracciones, descubrir nuevas maneras de mirar el mundo y alcanzar todos sus objetivos. Los pensadores del budismo zen lo llamaron paz interior, una característica esencial para samuráis y monjes por igual. Los estoicos y epicúreos lo bautizaron como ataraxia, un bastión contra las pasiones de la multitud, indispensable para el liderazgo y la búsqueda de la verdad. Ryan Holiday lo llama quietud: la capacidad para mantener la estabilidad mientras el mundo gira, caóticamente, a nuestro alrededor. La quietud es la clave describe un camino para alcanzar ese estado a través del cuerpo, la mente y el espíritu. A partir de la obra de pensadores que van desde Confucio, Marco Aurelio y Séneca hasta John Stuart Mill y Friedrich Nietzsche, Holiday explica que la quietud no es mera inactividad, sino el umbral que nos permite acceder a la maestría, la disciplina y la concentración. Enriquecido con ejemplos contemporáneos de líderes y artistas como Winston Churchill, Ana Frank, Tiger Woods y Marina Abramović, y escrito con su característico lenguaje directo y conciso, este libro confirma el talento de Ryan Holiday para transmitir la sabiduría ancestral de manera accesible y relevante para las nuevas generaciones.

À une époque qui glorifie les réseaux sociaux, la télé-réalité et d''autres formes d''autopromotion sans vergogne, la lutte contre l''ego doit être menée sur de nombreux fronts. En début de carrière, il entrave l’apprentissage et le développement des talents. Avec le succès, il peut aveugler et semer des problèmes futurs. En cas d''échec, il amplifie chaque coup et rend la récupération plus difficile. À chaque étape, l''ego nous retient. Ryan Holiday s''appuie sur de nombreux exemples, allant de la littérature à la philosophie en passant par l''histoire : George Marshall, Angela Merkel et Eleanor Roosevelt ont atteint le pouvoir et le succès en conquérant leur propre ego ; au contraire Napoléon, Lance Armstrong ou Dick Cheney ont commis des erreurs majeures à cause de leur ego et ces dernières les ont menés à leur perte. Leurs stratégies et tactiques pour aspirer à la grandeur sans se faire dévorer par leur ego deviennent les nôtres grâce à cet ouvrage. La stratégie de la "toile blanche", arrêter de parler et agir, apprendre la concentration, instaurer des niveaux de performance, accepter l''échec et savoir se remettre en question... Autant d''outils à maîtriser pour faire face à cet ennemi universel qu''est l''ego. Ryan HOLIDAY est consultant en communication et a travaillé pour de nombreux auteurs best-sellers et musiciens multi-récompensés. Il a également été directeur de la communication chez American Apparel pendant de nombreuses années. Ses campagnes publicitaires ont servi d’études de cas pour Twitter, YouTube ou Google. Il est l’auteur de nombreux best-sellers internationaux traduits en 20 langues. "Dans son nouveau livre Ryan Holidy s''attaque au plus grand obstacle au succès de la vie : notre ego insatiable. D''une manière à la fois inspirante et pratique, il nous enseigne comment gérer et apprivoiser cette bête en nous afin que nous puissions nous concentrer sur ce qui compte vraiment : produire le meilleur travail possible." - Robert Greene, auteur de Power, les 48 lois du pouvoir (+ de 60 000 ex vendus)

Im Laufe der Geschichte hatten große Anführer, Denker, Künstler und Visionäre die Eigenschaft, Launen zu überwinden, Ablenkungen zu vermeiden und das Richtige zu tun. Die Zen-Buddhisten beschrieben es als inneren Frieden und wussten, dass es wichtig war, ob man ein Samurai-Krieger oder ein Mönch ist. Die Stoiker und Epikureer nannten es Ataraxie und glaubten, dass es ein Bollwerk gegen die Leidenschaften des Mobs, eine Voraussetzung für gute Führung und ein Weg zur tiefen Wahrheit sei. Ryan Holiday nennt es Stille – stabil sein, während sich die Welt um einen dreht. In diesem Buch skizziert er einen Weg zu dieser zeitlosen, aber dringend notwendigen Lebensweise. Ausgehend von den größten Denkern der Geschichte, von Konfuzius bis Seneca, von Mark Aurel bis Thích Nhât Hahn, von John Stuart Mill bis Nietzsche, zeigt er, dass Stille nicht nur Untätigkeit ist, sondern das Tor zur Selbstbeherrschung, Disziplin und Konzentration.

Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller & Wall Street Journal Bestseller In The Obstacle Is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy, bestselling author Ryan Holiday made ancient wisdom wildly popular with a new generation of leaders in sports, politics, and technology. In his new book, Stillness Is the Key, Holiday draws on timeless Stoic and Buddhist philosophy to show why slowing down is the secret weapon for those charging ahead. All great leaders, thinkers, artists, athletes, and visionaries share one indelible quality. It enables them to conquer their tempers. To avoid distraction and discover great insights. To achieve happiness and do the right thing. Ryan Holiday calls it stillness--to be steady while the world spins around you. In this book, he outlines a path for achieving this ancient, but urgently necessary way of living. Drawing on a wide range of history''s greatest thinkers, from Confucius to Seneca, Marcus Aurelius to Thich Nhat Hanh, John Stuart Mill to Nietzsche, he argues that stillness is not mere inactivity, but the doorway to self-mastery, discipline, and focus. Holiday also examines figures who exemplified the power of stillness: baseball player Sadaharu Oh, whose study of Zen made him the greatest home run hitter of all time; Winston Churchill, who in balancing his busy public life with time spent laying bricks and painting at his Chartwell estate managed to save the world from annihilation in the process; Fred Rogers, who taught generations of children to see what was invisible to the eye; Anne Frank, whose journaling and love of nature guided her through unimaginable adversity. More than ever, people are overwhelmed. They face obstacles and egos and competition. Stillness Is the Key offers a simple but inspiring antidote to the stress of 24/7 news and social media. The stillness that we all seek is the path to meaning, contentment, and excellence in a world that needs more of it than ever.

Il y a près de 2000 ans., l’empereur romain Marc Aurèle écrivait : « Mes activités peuvent bien être entravées, mais mon élan spontané et ma disposition ne peuvent être entravés, parce que je puis choisir entre mes actes et renverser l’obstacle. L’intelligence, en effet, pour tendre au but qui la guide, renverse et déplace tout obstacle à son activité. Ce qui suspendait cette action devient action, et route ce qui barrait cette route. » À travers les siècles, nombreux sont ceux qui ont recouru au stoïcisme pour surmonter leurs difficultés. Outre les Grecs et les Romains dans l’Antiquité, Frédéric II, Montaigne, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Adam Smith et Théodore Roosevelt figuraient au rang des adeptes de cette école de pensée. Chaque année, l’ancien président américain Bill Clinton étudie les textes de Marc Aurèle. De même, Wen Jiabao, ancien Premier ministre chinois, a lu ses Pensées pour moi-même « plus d’une centaine de fois ». S’inspirant de cette école de pensée, Ryan Holiday nous emmène dans un voyage à travers le temps et nous explique comment utiliser les principes éminents du stoïcisme pour transformer les obstacles en opportunités. Ryan HOLIDAY est consultant en communication et a travaillé pour de nombreux auteurs best-sellers et musiciens multi-récompensés. Il a également été directeur de la communication chez American Apparel pendant de nombreuses années. Ses campagnes publicitaires ont servi d’études de cas pour Twitter, YouTube ou Google. Il est également l’auteur des deux best-sellers internationaux Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator et Ego is the enemy.

Buku yang Anda pegang saat ini ditulis dengan satu asumsi optimis: Ego Anda bukanlah kekuatan yang harus Anda puaskan pada setiap kesempatan. Ego dapat diatur. Ego dapat diarahkan. Dalam buku ini, kita akan melihat orang-orang, seperti William Tecumseh Sherman, Katharine Graham, Jackie Robinson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bill Walsh, Benjamin Franklin, Belisarius, Angela Merkel, dan George C. Marshall. Bisakah mereka mendapatkan yang telah mereka dapatkan sekarang—menyelamatkan perusahaan yang hampir bangkrut, menguasai seni peperangan, menjaga kekompakan tim bisbol, merevolusi strategi rugbi, melawan tirani, dan menghadapi ketidakberuntungan—jika ego menguasai mereka dan membuat mereka hanya memikirkan diri sendiri? Hal yang membuat mereka sukses adalah pemahaman terhadap realitas dan kesadaran—sesuatu yang pernah dikatakan oleh seorang penulis dan ahli strategi Robert Greene, “kita perlu menyerupai laba-laba dalam sarangnya”. Itulah inti dari kehebatan mereka, kehebatan penulisan, kehebatan desain, kehebatan bisnis, kehebatan dalam pemasaran, dan kehebatan kepemimpinan mereka. Yang kami temukan saat mempelajari orang-orang tersebut adalah mereka selalu memiliki dasar berpikir, berhati-hati, dan realistis. Tidak ada satu pun dari mereka yang tidak memiliki ego sama sekali. Akan tetapi, mereka tahu cara meredamnya. Tahu cara menyalurkannya dan melepaskannya, ketika ego muncul. Mereka hebat namun tetap rendah hati. Sebentar, tunggu dulu, tetapi ada juga beberapa orang yang memiliki ego tinggi dan sukses. Bagaimana dengan Steve Jobs? Kanye West? Beberapa dari mereka mempelajari kerendahan hati. Beberapa orang memilih ego. Beberapa mempersiapkan diri untuk perubahan nasib, positif ataupun negatif. Yang lainnya tidak siap. Yang mana yang akan Anda pilih? Akan menjadi siapakah Anda? Yang pasti, Anda telah memilih buku ini karena merasa bahwa Anda membutuhkan menjawab pertanyaan itu, cepat atau lambat, sadar atau tidak sadar.

Las llamamos clásicas. Perennes. De culto. Obras de catálogo. Son las que parecen durar para siempre sin dejar de venderse nunca, que mantienen su vigencia a través de los años y se convierten en referencias ineludibles más allá de los éxitos fugaces y de las trampas de la publicidad. Y todas las personas y empresas creativas aspiran a producirlas y vivir de ellas. Ryan Holiday revela a creadores de toda índole —escritores, empresarios, músicos, cineastas, artistas visuales— cómo se conciben y se lanzan al mercado las obras más duraderas. A partir de entrevistas con expertos, así como del estudio profundo de la imaginación, publicación y comunicación de obras fundamentales en varios géneros (desde los libros de Robert Greene hasta la música de Iron Maiden, pasando por Seinfeld, Matar un ruiseñor y la carrera política de Winston Churchill), Un best seller para toda la vida proporciona herramientas para construir públicos, desarrollar ideas y preparar los mejores planes de negocios.

A beautiful daily journal to lead your journey in the art of living--and an instant WSJ bestseller! For more than two thousand years, Stoic philosophy has been the secret operating system of wise leaders, artists, athletes, brilliant thinkers, and ordinary citizens. With the acclaimed, bestselling books The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy and The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman have helped to bring the Stoicism of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus to hundreds of thousands of new readers all over the world. Now Holiday and Hanselman are back with The Daily Stoic Journal, a beautifully designed hardcover journal that features space for morning and evening notes, along with advice for integrating this ancient philosophy into our 21st century lives. Each week readers will discover a specific powerful Stoic practice, explained and presented with related quotations to inspire deeper reflection and application, and each day they will answer a powerful question to help gauge their progress. Created with a durable, Smyth-sewn binding and featuring a helpful introduction explaining the various Stoic tools of self-management, as well as resources for further reading, this is a lasting companion volume for people who already love The Daily Stoic and its popular daily emails and social media accounts. It can also be used as a stand-alone journal, even if you haven’t read the previous books. For anyone seeking inner peace, clarity, and effectiveness in our crazy world, this book will help them immensely for the next year—and for the rest of their lives.

Wie findet man das wahre Glück? Wie lässt sich Erfolg wirklich bemessen? Und wie geht man mit den Herausforderungen des Alltags wie Wut, Trauer und der Frage nach dem Sinn des Ganzen um? Was große Geister wie George Washington, Friedrich der Große, Weltklassesportler oder Top-Performer längst für sich entdeckt haben, liegt mit »Der tägliche Stoiker« erstmals gesammelt vor. New York Times-Bestsellerautor Ryan Holiday und Stephen Hanselman haben das Wissen der Stoiker in 366 zeitlose Lektionen verpackt und zeigen, dass die Philosophie des Stoizismus nicht nur zeitlos, sondern gerade für unsere hektische und unsichere Zeit ein Segen ist. Weisheit, Mut, Gerechtigkeitssinn und Selbstbeherrschung sowie Gelassenheit lassen sich erlernen und helfen uns, in der zunehmenden Komplexität unserer Welt zu bestehen. Die uralten Weisheiten der Stoiker, gesammelt und kommentiert, unterstützen bei diesen alltäglichen Herausforderungen.

From the team that brought you The Obstacle Is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy, a daily devotional of Stoic meditations—an instant Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestseller. Why have history''s greatest minds—from George Washington to Frederick the Great to Ralph Waldo Emerson, along with today''s top performers from Super Bowl-winning football coaches to CEOs and celebrities—embraced the wisdom of the ancient Stoics? Because they realize that the most valuable wisdom is timeless and that philosophy is for living a better life, not a classroom exercise. The Daily Stoic offers 366 days of Stoic insights and exercises, featuring all-new translations from the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the playwright Seneca, or slave-turned-philosopher Epictetus, as well as lesser-known luminaries like Zeno, Cleanthes, and Musonius Rufus. Every day of the year you''ll find one of their pithy, powerful quotations, as well as historical anecdotes, provocative commentary, and a helpful glossary of Greek terms. By following these teachings over the course of a year (and, indeed, for years to come) you''ll find the serenity, self-knowledge, and resilience you need to live well.

#1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller The Obstacle is the Way has become a cult classic, beloved by men and women around the world who apply its wisdom to become more successful at whatever they do. Its many fans include a former governor and movie star (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a hip hop icon (LL Cool J), an Irish tennis pro (James McGee), an NBC sportscaster (Michele Tafoya), and the coaches and players of winning teams like the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Cubs, and University of Texas men’s basketball team. The book draws its inspiration from stoicism, the ancient Greek philosophy of enduring pain or adversity with perseverance and resilience. Stoics focus on the things they can control, let go of everything else, and turn every new obstacle into an opportunity to get better, stronger, tougher. As Marcus Aurelius put it nearly 2000 years ago: “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” Ryan Holiday shows us how some of the most successful people in history—from John D. Rockefeller to Amelia Earhart to Ulysses S. Grant to Steve Jobs—have applied stoicism to overcome difficult or even impossible situations. Their embrace of these principles ultimately mattered more than their natural intelligence, talents, or luck. If you’re feeling frustrated, demoralized, or stuck in a rut, this book can help you turn your problems into your biggest advantages. And along the way it will inspire you with dozens of true stories of the greats from every age and era.

The cult classic that predicted the rise of fake news—revised and updated for the post-Trump, post-Gawker age. Hailed as "astonishing and disturbing" by the Financial Times and "essential reading" by TechCrunch at its original publication, former American Apparel marketing director Ryan Holiday’s first book sounded a prescient alarm about the dangers of fake news. It''s all the more relevant today. Trust Me, I’m Lying was the first book to blow the lid off the speed and force at which rumors travel online—and get "traded up" the media ecosystem until they become real headlines and generate real responses in the real world. The culprit? Marketers and professional media manipulators, encouraged by the toxic economics of the news business. Whenever you see a malicious online rumor costs a company millions, politically motivated fake news driving elections, a product or celebrity zooming from total obscurity to viral sensation, or anonymously sourced articles becoming national conversation, someone is behind it. Often someone like Ryan Holiday. As he explains, “I wrote this book to explain how media manipulators work, how to spot their fingerprints, how to fight them, and how (if you must) to emulate their tactics. Why am I giving away these secrets? Because I’m tired of a world where trolls hijack debates, marketers help write the news, opinion masquerades as fact, algorithms drive everything to extremes, and no one is accountable for any of it. I’m pulling back the curtain because it’s time the public understands how things really work. What you choose to do with this information is up to you.”

#1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller The Obstacle is the Way has become a cult classic, beloved by men and women around the world who apply its wisdom to become more successful at whatever they do. Its many fans include a former governor and movie star (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a hip hop icon (LL Cool J), an Irish tennis pro (James McGee), an NBC sportscaster (Michele Tafoya), and the coaches and players of winning teams like the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Cubs, and University of Texas men’s basketball team. The book draws its inspiration from stoicism, the ancient Greek philosophy of enduring pain or adversity with perseverance and resilience. Stoics focus on the things they can control, let go of everything else, and turn every new obstacle into an opportunity to get better, stronger, tougher. As Marcus Aurelius put it nearly 2000 years ago: “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” Ryan Holiday shows us how some of the most successful people in history—from John D. Rockefeller to Amelia Earhart to Ulysses S. Grant to Steve Jobs—have applied stoicism to overcome difficult or even impossible situations. Their embrace of these principles ultimately mattered more than their natural intelligence, talents, or luck. If you’re feeling frustrated, demoralized, or stuck in a rut, this book can help you turn your problems into your biggest advantages. And along the way it will inspire you with dozens of true stories of the greats from every age and era.

Đây không phải là cuốn sách nói về sự tích cực mơ hồ. Đây không phải là cuốn sách khuyên bạn phủ nhận thực tế rằng mọi thứ đang tồi tệ hay kiềm chế việc đáp trả khi bị người khác làm cho khốn đốn. Trong cuốn sách này sẽ không có các câu nói truyền thống hay những thành ngữ đáng yêu nhưng vô dụng. Đây cũng không phải là một nghiên cứu mang tính học thuật hay lịch sử về triết học khắc kỷ . Đã có rất nhiều công trình về triết học khắc kỷ, phần lớn do những nhà tư tưởng vĩ đại nhất viết ra. Lặp lại những điều họ đã viết là không cần thiết – các bạn có thể tìm đọc bản gốc.Không có công trình triết học nào dễ đọc hơn chúng. Chúng dường như được viết ra vào năm ngoái chứ không phải ở thiên niên kỷ trước. Nhưng tôi đã cố gắng để sưu tầm, thấu hiểu và bây giờ xuất bản những bài học và bí quyết của họ. Các triết gia cổ đại không quan tâm nhiều về quyền tác giả và tính sáng tạo – tất cả tác giả đã cố gắng để dịch và diễn giải sự thông thái của những bộ óc vĩ đại, được thể hiện trong sách, nhật ký, các bài hát, bài thơ và câu chuyện. Tất cả những kiến thức này đã được chắt lọc thông qua kinh nghiệm của nhân loại trong hàng ngàn năm. Cuốn sách này sẽ chia sẻ với các bạn sự thông thái tập thể của họ, nhằm giúp bạn đạt được mục tiêu cụ thể và ngày càng cấp bách của mình: vượt qua các trở ngại. Trở ngại về tinh thần.Trở ngại về vật chất.Trở ngại về tình cảm.Và mọi trở ngại bạn đang bận tâm. Chúng ta đối mặt với nó hàng ngày và toàn xã hội đều bị nó làm cho tê liệt. Nếu tất cả những gì cuốn sách này có thể làm là giúp cho việc đối mặt và tháo gỡ những chướng ngại này trở nên dễ dàng hơn chút ít, như vậy là đủ rồi. Nhưng tôi có mục tiêu cao hơn. Tôi muốn chỉ cho bạn cách biến trở ngại thành lợi thế. Vì vậy, đây sẽ là cuốn sách nói đến thực tế trần trụi và những câu chuyện trong lịch sử về sự kiên trì không mệt mỏi và tài năng không thể đánh bại. Nó dạy bạn cách thoát khỏi bế tắc, khỏi sự tồi tệ và cách tự giải phóng, cách biến những tình huống tiêu cực chúng ta gặp phải trong cuộc sống thành những điều tích cực, hoặc ít nhất là nắm lấy bất cứ lợi ích nào từ chúng – cách lấy trộm vận may từ vận rủi. Không chỉ là: làm thế nào để tôi nghĩ rằng điều đó không tệ đến thế? Không, cuốn sách này sẽ khiến bạn thấy điều đó nhất định là một điều tốt – một cơ hội để có một vị trí mới, để tiến lên và đi về hướng tốt hơn. Không phải là “hãy tích cực” mà là học cách không ngừng sáng tạo và nắm được cơ hội. Không phải là: Điều này không đến nỗi tệ, mà là: Tôi có thể biến điều này thành điều tốt. Bởi vì chúng ta có thể làm được. Trong thực tế, nó đã và đang xảy ra hàng ngày. Đó sẽ là quyền lực mà chúng ta sẽ giải mã trong cuốn sách này.