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Stillness is the Key: An Ancient Strategy for Modern Life
Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller and Wall Street Journal Bestseller

‘Whether you are an athlete, an investor, a writer or an entrepreneur, this little but soulful book will open the door to a healthier, less anxious and more productive life and career.’ – Arianna Huffington

‘Ryan’s trilogy of The Obstacle is the Way, Ego is the Enemy and Stillness is the Key are for sure must-reads.’ Manu Ginobili, 4x NBA champion and Olympic Gold Medalist

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, focussed and calm in a constantly busy world.

This quality, valued by every major school of thought from Buddha to Seneca, John Stuart Mill to Nietzsche, is urgently necessary today. And, Holiday shows, it is entirely attainable. Just as Winston Churchill used bricklaying as a time to recharge and reflect, or Oprah Winfrey learned deep empathy from her quiet childhood, 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.

Filled with wisdom and examples from historical and contemporary figures, this book shows how to cultivate this quality in your own life. Because stillness is not merely inactivity, but the doorway to the self-mastery, discipline and focus necessary to succeed in this competitive, noisy world.

Slowing down will get you ahead – powerful new wisdom from the bestselling author of Ego is the EnemyEgo is the EnemyAs in the Obstacle is the way, Ryan holiday delivers practical and inspiring philosophy, this time exploring a powerful concept that runs back centuries, across borders and schools of thought: Ego. Ego is our biggest enemy. Early in our careers, it can prevent us from learning and developing our talents. When we taste success, ego can blind us to our own faults, alienate us from others and lead to our downfall. In failure, ego is devastating and makes recovery all the more difficult. It is only by identifying our ego, speaking to its desires and systematically disarming it that we can create our best work. Organised into bite-sized observations featuring characters and narratives that illustrate themes and life lessons designed to resonate, uplift and inspire, Ego is the Enemy shows how you can be humble in your aspirations, gracious in your success and resilient in your failures. It is an inspiring and timely reminder that humility and confidence are still our greatest friends when confronting the challenges of a culture which tends to fan the flames of ego and encourage the cult of personality at all costs.A powerful meditation on the nature and dangers of ego, from the bestselling author of The Obstacle is the WayThe Obstacle is the Way: The Ancient Art of Turning Adversity to Advantage
We give up too easily. With a simple change of attitude, what seem like insurmountable obstacles become once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Ryan Holiday, who dropped out of college at nineteen to serve as an apprentice to bestselling ‘modern Machiavelli’ Robert Greene and is now a media consultant for billion-dollar brands, 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.

If the competition threatens you, it’s time to be fearless, to display your courage. An impossible deadline becomes a chance to show how dedicated you are. And as Ryan discovered as Director of Marketing for American Apparel, if your brand is generating controversy – it’s also potentially generating publicity.

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.

In business and marketing, Ryan Holiday has done it all, seen it all, and now he’s here to show you … the way.

A modern guru who shows the way to turn problems into opportunities.
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Review
A book for the bedside of every future – and current – leader in the world. — Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power and Mastery

Ryan Holiday is part Machiavelli, part Ogilvy … this whiz kid is the secret weapon you’ve never heard of. — Tim Ferriss ― The 4-Hour Work Week

The Obstacle is the Way decants in concentrated form the timeless techniques for self-mastery as employed to world-conquering effect by philosophers and men of action from Alexander the Great to Marcus Aurelius to Steve Jobs. Follow these precepts and you will revolutionize your life. As Mr Holiday writes, “It’s simple, it’s just not easy.” Read this book! — Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of ‘The War of Art and Gates of Fire’

An absolute must-read. A kind of user’s manual for life, you will turn to it time and time again and learn to tear through any obstacle and resolve any conflict. — Jimmy Soni, managing editor of Huffington Post, author of Rome’s Last Citizen

Praise for Trust Me, I’m Lying: ‘A playbook for the dark arts of exploiting the media — Robert Greene ― The 48 Laws of Power

An astonishing, disturbing book ― Financial Times
About the Author
Ryan Holiday is a strategist and writer. He dropped out of college at nineteen to appren­tice under Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power, and later served as the director of mar­keting for American Apparel. His company, Brass Check, has advised clients like Google, TASER and Complex, as well as many prominent bestselling authors.

Holiday is bestselling author of Growth Hacker Marketing, The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the Enemy. His books have been translated into 25 languages and his writing has appeared everywhere from the Columbia Journalism Review to Fast Company. He lives on a small ranch outside Austin, Texas.

Follow Ryan on Twitter @ryanholiday, Facebook/ryanholiday and visit his website www.ryanholiday.net