Wisdom Takes Work

Learn. Apply. Repeat.

De: Ryan Holiday

Narrado por: Ryan Holiday

In this much-anticipated final installment in the Stoic Virtues series, Ryan Holiday makes the case for the virtue on which all other virtues depend.

Of all the stoic virtues - courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom - wisdom is the most elusive. This is especially apparent in an age where reaction and idle chatter are rewarded, and restraint and thoughtfulness are unfashionable. The great statesman and philosophers of the past would not be fooled, as we are, by headlines or appearances or the primal pull of tribalism. They knew too much of history, of their own flaws, of the need for collaboration to do any of that. That's wisdom - and we need it more than ever.

Wisdom is Ryan Holiday's guiding principle, and Wisdom Takes Work is the culmination of all his work. Drawing on fascinating stories of the ancient and modern figures alike, Holiday shows how to cultivate wisdom through reading, self-education, and experience. Through the lives of Montaigne, Seneca, Joan Didion, Abraham Lincoln, and others, Holiday teaches us how to listen more than we talk, to think with nuance, to ruthlessly question our own beliefs, and to develop a method of self-education. He argues convincingly for the necessity of mental struggle and warns against taking shortcuts that deprive us of real knowledge. And he shows us how dangerous power and intelligence can be without the tempering influence of wisdom.

An absence of curiosity and prudence is a catastrophe for all of us, argues Ryan Holiday. This incredibly timely book both diagnoses the greatest problem of our current moment and offers solutions for the way forward. Wisdom is work - but it's worth it.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A deeply thoughtful yet entertainingly readable description of the journey to wisdom by a modern age philosopher. I wish Ryan Holiday had written it, and I’d read it, when I was twenty. Now I hope everyone does.” —General Stanley McChrystal, retired US Army and author of On Character

Love his story telling , his chapter about Elon Musk seemed to get a little out of character for Ryan

I have loved Ryan holiday’s work up to this point, have read all his books and enjoyed so many of them. I left them feeling uplifted and excited to work on my own personal gaps I have. This book, I didn’t walk away feeling that way. Once in awhile I did but not nearly as much. He seemed kind of angry throughout it.

His chapter of Elon Musk I felt was out of character for him. It was obvious he doesn’t like him 😂 and I felt it became very personal almost. In fact, he kept bringing Musk up all throughout the book. It started to become very clear that he is struggling having a stoics approach to Elon. Elon seems to take a lot of space in his mind.

Dong get me wrong, Musk is far from being beyond reproach, by any stretch of the imagination, but I felt like the words and positioning that Ryan took seemed out of character for him, stepping out of a stoic approach it seemed very personal and got to a point where I felt like it was excessive in the time spent pointing out every flaw over and over and over throughout the whole book, and I felt like the words he chose to express things just felt a little childish for a moment. I can only express it as it felt out of character for Ryan and his usual approach.

One of the Wisest Decisions You'll Make

Bringing his series of the stoic virtues to a conclusion, Ryan Holiday once again does a brilliant job in bringing to life the ancient philosophy through stories and anecdotes of modern day historical figures, and inviting us to apply the lessons learned from these individuals into our lives. Wisdom Take Work is the culmination of a passion project that will inspire you to keep learning, both through reading and experience, and will leave you better prepared to face the challenges of life.

Not as good as the others- somewhat unhinged

More TDS and Elon derangement syndrome in this one. Sad and very un-Stoic like. A loving heart is the truest wisdom. Little clipped and inserted audio files make it somewhat distracting… there is also some random beeping like a cell phone was going off inside the recording booth.

loved the book ❤️

I loved hearing peoples stories. I feel that you made there examples easy to understanding and applicable to my life. I 've already tried out a few things I learned. Just loved it. I want to go over the book again. Ryan Thanks for all you've done to help people be better. You are so Loved by so many people. 💖 peace and love, Susan Ryan

Well, I feel wiser now

This book was excellent, and a worthy conclusion to the virtue series. There are so many excellent pointers and examples. Like other reviewers, I could have done with fewer counter examples about President Trump and Elon Musk, which seem to appear in almost every chapter… but the rest is good enough to justify this read/listen. Great work Mr. Holiday.

A wonderful conclusion to the Virtue series

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Stars — Holiday’s Best, and a Personal Gratitude

Wisdom Takes Work is the final installment in Ryan Holiday’s Virtue series, and in my opinion, it’s the best in the bunch. This book hit me right where I am in life — and I feel like I owe the author a sincere debt of gratitude.

About a year and a half ago, I retired from full-time teaching and felt a bit of a void. I started exploring Stoicism as a way to find grounding and purpose in this new phase. Holiday’s podcast was one of the first things that put me on a solid path — encouraging me to read more, think deeper, and find a sense of tranquility in daily life. Now, 18 months later, I’ve worked through a stack of books, gained some real insight, and feel more centered than I have in years. This book feels like the culmination of that journey.

Holiday’s style remains what it has always been: highly accessible, reader-friendly, and polished. His books are meant to be springboards — not dense philosophical tomes — and that’s a strength. He has introduced Stoicism to a wide audience and made these timeless ideas feel both practical and deeply needed today. Sure, the series may lack the heavy academic heft of ancient sources, but that simply isn’t its goal.

I used immersive reading again for this one, and Holiday’s own narration is excellent — intimate and energized without being preachy. Some readers may bristle at a few of the contemporary examples he brings into the discussion, but Holiday has always called things as he sees them. The Stoics weren’t shy about applying philosophy to real life, so why should he be? Yes, he really rakes a few subjects over the hot coals. So be it.

This book is ultimately about putting wisdom into practice — daily, deliberately, and with humility. And that message resonated powerfully with me. Now, if I can just get my sons to read it…

A terrific finish to an impactful series. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a more thoughtful, grounded, and purposeful way to live.

more diversity

would have liked more examples. principles were good but just warped on Musk and Trump too much.

Valuable but then he injects his political views

Political views on Elon Musk dropped this to the bottom of Ryan’s works for me. Biases and left leaning stances on stories that are obviously not based on fact but are a skewed view to fit the narrative. (Elon throwing up a Nazi salute). Anyway, this book is great if you can stomach the political bias.

Knowledge can be found, wisdom will always flutter

Lincoln, Montaigne and many great minds feature in this book. Their work on wisdom has been disected into an approachable book for anyone on any level. Use it to start the cardinal virtue series, or finish with it. Then reread and relearn.

Another great book

I definitely recommend you get the book. I have been waiting for it to come out and was not disappointed. A great piece for this day and age.