Ryan Holiday draws on the philosophy of the Stoics to guide you in every situation, showing that what blocks our path actually opens one that is new and better. 

The Stoic philosophy – that what is in the way, is the way – can be applied to any problem: it’s a formula invented more than 2,000 years ago, whose effectiveness has been proven in battles and board rooms ever since. From Barack Obama’s ability to overcome obstacles in his election races, to the design of the iPhone, the stoic philosophy has helped its users become world-beaters.

It’s wrecked the careers of promising young geniuses. It’s evaporated great fortunes and run companies into the ground. It’s made adversity unbearable and turned struggle into shame. Every great philosopher has warned against it, in our most lasting stories and countless works of art, in all culture and all ages. Its name? Ego, and it is the enemy – of ambition, of success and of resilience.

Drawing from Stoicism and inspiring characters from history, Ryan Holiday reminds us that humility and confidence are our greatest friends when confronting the challenges of a culture that tends to fan the flames of ego.

Throughout history, there’s been one indelible quality that great leaders, makers, artists and fighters have shared. The Zen Buddhists described it as inner peace, the Stoics called it ataraxia and Ryan Holiday calls it stillness: the ability to be steady, focused and calm in a constantly busy world.

This quality, valued by every major school of thought from Buddha to Seneca, is urgently necessary today. We can all benefit from stillness to feed into our greater ambitions – whether winning a battle, building a business, or simply finding happiness, peace and self-direction.

This incredible book takes the timeless concepts and lessons from Stoicism and shows us how we can apply to our busy lives in the 21st century. The main themes include how to minimise worry, how to let go of the past, how to deal with grief, insults, old age and much more.

This book is a selection of dialogues from the lessons of the former slave-turned-lecturer, Epictetus. His insights are deep, wise and always practical. He saw the very best and the very worst of life, and his life experiences and accumulated knowledge shine through this book.

This relatively short read compiles a selection of letters from the famous Stoic Seneca to his advisers. Being a scholar and advisor to the Roman emperor Nero, Seneca was always at the forefront of the political action and learnt a whole lot about human behaviour in the process.