STILLNESS IS THE KEY

"Stillness Is The Key" by Ryan Holiday is not just a page turner but also a multiple page marker. The urge to mark pages, paragraphs and even more number of lines while reading will just hold on to the book and the "Wisdom thoughts" that you come across them will definitely instil a feel of even write, read and reread to go into the profound depth & meaning of the words mentioned.The book also acts as a shortcut for readers to gain the essence of having read multiple books with emphasis on the importance of temperence, spirituality, humanity,compassion ,virtue and above all to stay Still and live life complete and full, besides co.ing across to know and learn about many successful people, their stories,ideas,mistakes etc mentioning both their successes and failures.The valuable quotes before the beginning of each chapter that come across while reading are all touching and thought-provoking.The book also reflects upon seeking solitude(eg.putting the emphasis on reflecting on thoughts rather than reacting),seeing deep into the nature and experiencing the Joyous stillness(eg.Japanese concept of taking a forest bath or like in the poetry of William Wordsworth),having a good walk and the ideas of worth that comes out(eg.Walt Whitman,Kierkegaard,Ernest Hemmingway etc),cultivating an hobby(eg.as that of cutting trees by William Gladstone),controlling anger(eg.Micheal Jordon who was slighted but who made a strong winning mentality instead of despairing -- NB: May Google or watch on Youtube and enjoy ) and many more to read and remember.You also read and learn not just about leading a happy & and successful life but also to face death fearlessly. A book that can be a pathfinder for happy living.

Good book. Thank you very much.

Ryan Holiday’s Stillness is the Key is a thoughtful journey into the importance of achieving calm and clarity in life. He breaks down the idea of stillness into three dimensions: the mind, the spirit, and the body. By drawing from a wide variety of historical figures, philosophers, and leaders from different time periods and regions, Holiday makes a compelling case that stillness is not passive—it is powerful. On the aspect of the mind, Holiday stresses the importance of mental discipline. He presents the example of John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis as someone who, under extreme pressure, maintained calm and rational thinking. One of the striking lines from this part of the book is: stillness is what aims the archer’s arrow. It reminds the reader that a clear and controlled mind leads to decisive action and true leadership. In the section on spirit, Holiday draws from Buddhism, Taoism, and Stoicism to show how inner peace is cultivated by living with purpose and accepting life as it is. He talks about Anne Frank’s spiritual strength even in the face of death. The line the world is like muddy water—best cleared by leaving it alone perfectly captures the essence of surrender and acceptance, which is central to spiritual stillness. In the body section, Holiday speaks of the need to care for our physical selves to reach harmony. He illustrates this through stories of athletes like Tiger Woods and how discipline of the body is tied to self-control. A memorable line from this section is: the body that each of us has was a gift, a vessel to carry us through life. However, the book takes a surprising turn in the final chapter, On the Final Act. Holiday concludes with the line: death brings an end to everything, to our minds, our souls, and our bodies, in final, permanent stillness. This statement seems contradictory to the spiritual philosophies he earlier appreciated. By stating that the soul comes to an end, he directly contradicts the beliefs of Hinduism, Jainism, and even Buddhism, which affirm the soul’s continuity. Hinduism describes the soul as eternal. The Bhagavad Gita says: "na jayate mriyate va kadachin", which means the soul is never born and never dies; it simply changes bodies from one life to another. Similarly, Jain philosophy teaches: "jivo akayo anantavihi", meaning the soul is formless, eternal, and indestructible. Both traditions describe the soul as 'chetan'—conscious and eternal—and the body as achetan—lifeless without the soul. Despite this philosophical inconsistency at the end, Stillness is the Key remains a powerful book that offers practical insights for modern life. Holiday’s storytelling and examples from different cultures make the book rich and engaging.

It is said the Teacher always appears when the student is ready. I picked this book at a time in my life when I was down and out and had no motivation or purpose to continue living. But just like autumn ends to welcome a rejuvenating spring, each chapter of the book filled me with not only the philosophy but also a way of living a good life. Each page was filled with heroic stories that were inspirational to the core. Each page had probing questions that compelled you to introspect and find your own answers. The book is a guiding pole star on a dark road called life. But the darkness is not so lonely. You rejoice the alone you. This is the power the book windows you with for you become less agitated and more centered. It will take me time to be still but the journey has just begun. Thanks Mr. Holiday.

Okay so yeahhh why did they add this one in Business Genre? After reading it like thrice I still feel it's should be in like Self-help Self-help genre or Stoicism kind of genres. ➡️ So The book has small chapters, divided into various topics, topics we often want to read about but couldn't find all that in one book. Written in easy language which makes it better to read even if you're just a beginner feel free to read this one. ➡️ He has talked about many points or topics that are part of our daily life, our relations, our problems, our emotional instabilities, desires and many more. He'll start chapter with someone's life story and will tell to about his highs and flaws which helps to relate more and under the topic well and at the and he'll tell you what's right thing that you can do to avoid those problems in your life. ➡️ He has used examples of Stoicism, buddhism, Hinduism ( Bhagwat Gita ) to describ his point briefly in front of reader. Also he's mentioned the names of books from where you can read briefly about these ' isms ' ➡️ What i like about book is the simplicity of it, very easy to read and understand you don't have to read it from 1st to last. You pick any chapter randomly and read it that it. No pressure to start from start, just choose the topic you want to learn or read about and read it.

Must read!!! Highly Recommend 💯

I believe this is the third book in Ryan's self help book series. The other two are obstacle is the way and ego is the enemy. Out of these three I felt like this is more philosophical and I loved it. Like the title says, the book is about keeping calm or attaining the peace of mind. This is really important and bring about really good changes in different aspects of our life. There are so many actionable ideas and examples of people who have done this which makes this a very interesting read. Now this book is a self help book, so there are so many ideas which you will have read in other books of similar genre. It's not essentially a bad thing, but many don't like it. So keep in mind that the ideas the author has shared in this book are not all original and you will have read it in other books. It's not the best self help book out there, but its a good one.

A must read for everyone in the rat race , missing life work balance and moreover for people who believe in purpose , passion & spiritual