The Second Mountain

The Quest for a Moral Life

By: David Brooks

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Everybody tells you to live for a cause larger than yourself, but how exactly do you do it? The author of The Road to Character explores what it takes to lead a meaningful life in a self-centered world.

“Deeply moving, frequently eloquent and extraordinarily incisive.”—The Washington Post

Every so often, you meet people who radiate joy—who seem to know why they were put on this earth, who glow with a kind of inner light. Life, for these people, has often followed what we might think of as a two-mountain shape. They get out of school, they start a career, and they begin climbing the mountain they thought they were meant to climb. Their goals on this first mountain are the ones our culture endorses: to be a success, to make your mark, to experience personal happiness. But when they get to the top of that mountain, something happens. They look around and find the view . . . unsatisfying. They realize: This wasn’t my mountain after all. There’s another, bigger mountain out there that is actually my mountain.

And so they embark on a new journey. On the second mountain, life moves from self-centered to other-centered. They want the things that are truly worth wanting, not the things other people tell them to want. They embrace a life of interdependence, not independence. They surrender to a life of commitment.

In The Second Mountain, David Brooks explores the four commitments that define a life of meaning and purpose: to a spouse and family, to a vocation, to a philosophy or faith, and to a community. Our personal fulfillment depends on how well we choose and execute these commitments. Brooks looks at a range of people who have lived joyous, committed lives, and who have embraced the necessity and beauty of dependence. He gathers their wisdom on how to choose a partner, how to pick a vocation, how to live out a philosophy, and how we can begin to integrate our commitments into one overriding purpose.

In short, this book is meant to help us all lead more meaningful lives. But it’s also a provocative social commentary. We live in a society, Brooks argues, that celebrates freedom, that tells us to be true to ourselves, at the expense of surrendering to a cause, rooting ourselves in a neighborhood, binding ourselves to others by social solidarity and love. We have taken individualism to the extreme—and in the process we have torn the social fabric in a thousand different ways. The path to repair is through making deeper commitments. In The Second Mountain, Brooks shows what can happen when we put commitment-making at the center of our lives.

Critic reviews

Praise for David Brooks

“David Brooks’s gift—as he might put it in his swift, engaging way—is for making obscure but potent social studies research accessible and even startling.”—The New York Times Book Review

“At his best, Brooks is a normative version of Malcolm Gladwell, culling from a wide array of scientists and thinkers to weave an idea bigger than the sum of its parts.”—USA Today

“Brooks’s considerable achievement comes in his ability to elevate the unseen aspects of private experience into a vigorous and challenging conversation about what we all share.”—San Francisco Chronicle

Ethical will - solid suggestions

Reads like an ethical will. Excited to see if any of the concepts and points take shape in our american society and looking forward to making changes within myself which align with the moral suggestions found herein.

Unbelievablely awesome!

I implore you to read, listen, use as a book club book, or teach it in a school or family setting. Second most value book this year by far!

A book that you need to end

This by far was one of the best book and specifically audio books I’ve ever listened to. The content of the book is something that you most probably are missing in some part of your life. Learning that on which mountain you are standing is educational and knowing that there is another mountain is comforting.
Enjoy this book and get another grasp of the meaning of life.

Great book!

I didn’t know what to expect as I’ve never read another work from Brooks. This was great. Great perspective. Now I’m a fan.

The key message in these book.

By undermining our social connections, individualism causes a range of societal and personal problems, which many people try to overcome by pursuing material success and happiness. But this pursuit ultimately leads nowhere. The real road to fulfillment leads to a life of service to other people, which can be practiced through our vocations, marriages, religions and/or the tasks of community-building.

Actionable advice:

Look for possibilities instead of problems.
If you want to get involved in your community, you might be tempted to start by trying to identify all the problems that plague it. But a more productive approach is to look at the assets your community already has and ask how you can build on these. What sort of talents do your neighbors have and how can you tap into them? And what resources are already available but are being underused? Let’s say you want to encourage more communal gatherings among the residents of your neighborhood. Well, perhaps one of them is a graphic designer who could create some attractive posters to stir up interest in a neighborhood meeting. And maybe your local library has a space in which you could host the event!

David Brooks for President

This book is life changing. Soul changing. It has the power to change consciousness and propel communities forward. You must read this book! You won’t regret it , in fact you will be wiser, more compassionate and improve your relationships by absorbing the wisdom in David Brooks’ words.

Sneaks up on you

I think the message of this book sneaks up on you. The message is still out there in the jungle stalking me.

Exquisitely stated at every point

I love this authors style and his points are articulated clearly and understandably in a meaningful and deeply moving way. Really enjoyed this!

A Moral Philosophy Amazingly Written & Read

I loved everything about this book. It is part memoir and part philosophy textbook. The philosophy is not boring or preaching. The book communicates the we need community, connection, and love in order to stop the destruction that hyper-individualism is currently imposing on our world.
A must read for anyone looking for a positive community building voice in our time.

Enjoyed section on marriage

I especially enjoyed the section on marriage. After 26 years of marriage, David hit upon some realities that reminded me why we were married in the first place and why it’s important to stay committed. Narrator is excellent.