To millions, they're known as the cardinal virtues, four near-universal ideals adopted by Christianity and most of Western philosophy, but equally valued in Buddhism, Hinduism, and just about every other philosophy you can imagine. They're called "cardinal," C. S. Lewis pointed out, not because they come down from church authorities but because they originate from the Latin cardo, or hinge.
It's pivotal stuff. It's the stuff that the door to the good life hangs on.
Like the Cardinal directions, the four main points on the compass—north, south, east, west—the four virtues are a kind of compass. A guide to what to do, who to be, how to behave, how to respond in every situation.
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"When we realize how tenuous our connection with life is, we seize it, we don't take anything for granted. This is the old philosophical idea of memento mori. I carry this coin in my pocket—on the back, it has a quote from Marcus Aurelius, 'you could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think. You can't take life for granted. You can't assume you have a firm grasp on life because it could slip from your fingers at any moment."
"I wanted to give a frame that shows the kinds of consequences that can follow decisions. This would have been a very easy book to write as "Nine Terrific Decisions." That could have been the title, "The Nine Greatest Decisions of All Time," and it could have been about people who made really great decisions that turned out perfectly. News flash: that's not real life. So I very deliberately chose a real mix of people made very gutsy decisions under extreme pressure. Some of whom suffered career termination, physical pain, and great difficulty as a result of making decisions that I think were perfectly correct in the moment and history will judge them as good decisions."
WHAT RYAN HOLIDAY IS READING:
"The West believed they had won. It was that belief that allowed them to let down their guard…That they did not study or learn from their history did not bode well for their future."
"Whenever you do something you have decided ought be done, never try to avoid being seen doing it, even if people in general may disapprove of it. If, of course, your action is wrong, just don't do it at all, but if it's right, why be afraid of people whose criticism is off the mark?"
Marcus' rule for himself was:
"Just that you do the right thing. The rest doesn't matter. Cold or warm. Tired or well-rested. Despised or honored."
That's it. Don't need to make things more complicated than that.
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