To master anything, we must first master ourselves: our emotions, thoughts and actions. This ancient virtue of self-control is more essential than ever.

In this bestselling book, Ryan Holiday makes the case for this essential virtue, and shows how to cultivate willpower, self-respect and focus. From Marcus Aurelius to Toni Morrison, Queen Elizabeth II to Martin Luther King Jr, history’s greats have all understood the power of directing your habits and setting your limits. History’s cautionary tales prove the same point, from catastrophic military overreaches to career-destroying habits: without self-discipline, we are lost before we can even begin.

Self-discipline is the key to our greatest ambitions and simplest joys: this book will show you how to find it, apply it and reap the rewards.

RYAN HOLIDAY

He is one of the world’s bestselling living philosophers. His books, including The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, The Daily Stoic, and the # 1 New York Times bestseller Stillness Is the Key, appear in more than 40 languages and have sold more than 4 million copies. Together, they’ve spent over 300 weeks on the bestseller lists. He lives outside Austin with his wife and two boys…and a small herd of cows and donkeys and goats. His bookstore, The Painted Porch, sits on historic Main St in Bastrop, Texas.