Right Thing, Right Now

In his New York Times bestselling book, Discipline Is Destiny, Ryan Holiday made the Stoic case for a life of self-discipline. In this much-anticipated third installment in the Stoic Virtues series, he argues for the necessity of doing what’s right – even when it isn’t easy

For the ancients, everything worth pursuing in life flowed from a strong sense of justice—or one’s commitment to doing the right thing, no matter how difficult. In order to be courageous, wise, and self-disciplined, one must begin with justice.  The influence of the modern world often tells us that acting justly is optional. Holiday argues that that’s simply untrue—and the fact that so few people today have the strength to stand by their convictions explains much about why we’re so unhappy.

In Right Thing. Right Now., Holiday draws on fascinating stories of historical figures such as Marcus Aurelius, Florence Nightingale, Jimmy Carter, Gandhi, and Frederick Douglass, whose examples of kindness, honesty, integrity, and loyalty we can emulate as pillars of upright living. Through the lives of these role models, readers learn the transformational power of living by a moral code and, through the cautionary tales of unjust leaders, the consequences of an ill-formed conscience.

The Stoics never claimed that living justly was easy, only that it was necessary. And that the alternative—sacrificing our principles for something lesser—was considered only by cowards and fools. Right Thing. Right Now. is a powerful antidote to the moral failures of our modern age, and a manual for living virtuously.Right Thing, Right Now by Ryan Holiday is the third installment in his Stoic Virtues series, following Courage Is Calling and Discipline Is Destiny. In this book, Holiday emphasizes the paramount importance of justice as the foundation for all other virtues, asserting that a commitment to doing what is right is essential, even when faced with challenges. Drawing inspiration from historical figures such as Marcus Aurelius, Florence Nightingale, Jimmy Carter, Gandhi, and Frederick Douglass, he illustrates how acts of kindness, honesty, integrity, and loyalty serve as pillars of virtuous living. Through these narratives, readers gain insight into the transformative power of adhering to a moral code and the repercussions of deviating from one's principles. Right Thing, Right Now serves as a compelling guide to navigating the moral complexities of the modern world, advocating for steadfastness in one's convictions as a pathway to personal fulfillment and societal betterment.