Stillness is the Key is the third and final volume
of Ryan Holliday’s trilogy, also containing, The Obstacle is the Way and
Ego is the Enemy.
In this volume, Holiday continues with the same style of
quotes, historical anecdotes, and pithy commentary. The book is divided into three sections: the mind, the spirit, and the body. Holiday says, “the aim of this book is simply
to show how to uncover and draw upon the stillness we already possess” (7).
In finding stillness in the mind, we must focus on the
now – the present – the only reality that exists – and put the past and future
away from us. We need to ask ourselves
in every moment, “Is this necessary” (34), and, if not, let it go. We need to stop overanalyzing and just do the
work that needs to be done (39). We need
to seek the wisdom available to us from history (48).
In finding stillness in the spirit, we seek virtue – moral
and civic excellence in our lives (98).
We give up lust (114). We seek spiritual strength by examining each
impulse and letting it pass if it is a bad one (118). We recognize something greater than ourselves
(134).
In finding stillness in the body, we care for our body,
we bring it into the forest, we give it ample rest (170), we exercise, have
hobbies, commit to causes greater than ourselves (183), learn to say no (189),
set a routine (199), gid rid of all the stuff we don’t need (208), and take
time for solitude and literal quiet and stillness (219).
One of the things that Holiday advises we do is to seek
out the wisdom of history. He does that
in his books, and I find myself being encouraged and challenged to be a better
person as I read his books. I am
changing my life according to the principles he has found – as well as others I
have found – and I hope I will have lived my life well at the end.
Read these books.
[This review appears on my blog, my
YouTube channel, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com.]
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