Stillness is the Key

by Ryan Holiday

“Sir, to what do you attribute your success in life?” Immediately, Churchill replied, “Conservation of energy. Never stand up when you can sit down, and never sit down when you can lie down.”

“To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and they must all be real.”

The journey has been enjoyable and well worth making—once!

You don’t solve a maze by rushing through.

When we know what to say no to, we can say yes to the things that matter.

The key to a good walk is to be aware. To be present and open to the experience. Put your phone away. Put the pressing problems of your life away, or rather let them melt away as you move.

A master is in control. A master has a system. A master turns the ordinary into the sacred.

We don’t need to get rid of all our possessions, but we should constantly question what we own, why we own it, and whether we could do without.

Mo’ money, mo’ problems, and also mo’ stuff, less freedom.

You will hear people say they don’t have room for a relationship in their life . . . and they’re right. Their stuff is taking up too much space. They’re in love with possessions instead of people.

Sometimes you have to disconnect in order to better connect with yourself and with the people you serve and love.

Pacing is something athletes are often forced to come to terms with as they age, while young athletes needlessly burn themselves out because they think they have a bottomless well of energy.

A 2017 study actually found that lack of sleep increases negative repetitive thinking. Abusing the body leads the mind to abuse itself.

If you want peace, there is just one thing to do. If you want to be your best, there is just one thing to do. Go to sleep.

At leisure, we are with ourselves. We are present. It’s us and the fishing pole and the sound of the line going into the water. It’s us and the waiting, giving up control. It’s us and the flash cards for the language we are learning. It’s the humility of being bad at something because we are a beginner, but having the confidence to trust in the process.

The one thing you can’t escape in your life is yourself.

A plane ticket or a pill or some plant medicine is a treadmill, not a shortcut. What you seek will come only if you sit and do the work, if you probe yourself with real self-awareness and patience.

Dive in when you hear the cry for help. Reach out when you see the need. Do kindness where you can. Because you’ll have to find a way to live with yourself if you don’t.