Books Right Thing, Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds. Book by Ryan Holiday

"Right Thing, Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds." by Ryan Holiday is the third installment in his Stoic Virtues series, focusing on the virtue of justice and its essential role in living a meaningful and virtuous life. Holiday asserts that justice—doing what is right even when it's difficult—is the foundation for courage, self-discipline, and good judgment, and is crucial for both personal fulfillment and societal well-being.

Paraphrased Summary:

Justice as a Guiding Principle: Holiday stresses that justice is not optional, despite cultural messages to the contrary. True justice involves kindness, fairness, honesty, and integrity, directing actions toward the common good rather than selfish interests.

Personal Moral Responsibility: Justice starts with each individual choosing and living by a personal moral code. This includes keeping promises, telling the truth, doing your best work, protecting your integrity, and being loyal. While initially this code may feel restrictive, over time it brings freedom, purpose, and positive impact.

Inspiring Historical Examples: The book draws on stories of figures such as Marcus Aurelius, Florence Nightingale, Mahatma Gandhi, Jimmy Carter, and Frederick Douglass, showing how justice combined with compassion and strong character leads to growth and positive change.

Justice in Today’s World: Holiday presents justice as a remedy to the anger, isolation, and moral decline prevalent today. He challenges readers to stand firm in their principles and act justly even under pressure to compromise.

Stoic Roots: Grounded in Stoic philosophy, the book acknowledges that living justly is challenging but necessary. Sacrificing principles for convenience or gain is seen as weakness and folly.

Practical Impact:

Right Thing, Right Now serves as a guide for living virtuously in a complex world. It encourages embracing justice as a daily practice that fosters respect, kindness, and fairness, contributing to both individual fulfillment and a more harmonious society.

In short, Ryan Holiday’s Right Thing, Right Now calls for a renewed dedication to justice as a core virtue, offering timeless Stoic insights and motivating stories that inspire living with strong values, character, and meaningful actions.

1 BOOK