To master anything, we must first master ourselves: our emotions, thoughts and actions. This ancient virtue of self-control is more essential than ever.

In this bestselling book, Ryan Holiday makes the case for this essential virtue, and shows how to cultivate willpower, self-respect and focus. From Marcus Aurelius to Toni Morrison, Queen Elizabeth II to Martin Luther King Jr, history’s greats have all understood the power of directing your habits and setting your limits. History’s cautionary tales prove the same point, from catastrophic military overreaches to career-destroying habits: without self-discipline, we are lost before we can even begin.

Self-discipline is the key to our greatest ambitions and simplest joys: this book will show you how to find it, apply it and reap the rewards.