The Road to Character
The Road to Character by David Brooks, published by Random House Publishing Group on September 13, 2016, is a thought-provoking exploration of the balance between external success and core principles. In this reprint edition, Brooks draws on the lives of notable figures to illustrate how internal struggles and self-restraint contribute to the development of a strong inner character. The book invites readers to reflect on the deeper values that should guide their lives, moving beyond mere achievements to embrace humility and moral depth.
Readers will find a blend of psychology, sociology, and philosophy as Brooks examines the lives of influential leaders and thinkers. He discusses how figures like Frances Perkins and Dwight Eisenhower navigated their personal limitations to serve larger causes, while civil rights pioneers learned the importance of self-discipline. The Road to Character encourages a rethinking of priorities, emphasizing the significance of building rich inner lives. This edition spans 320 pages and is presented in English, making it accessible for a wide audience interested in personal growth and ethical living.
Official synopsis Publisher
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • David Brooks challenges us to rebalance the scales between the focus on external success—“résumé virtues”—and our core principles.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE ECONOMIST
With the wisdom, humor, curiosity, and sharp insights that have brought millions of readers to his New York Times column and his previous bestsellers, David Brooks has consistently illuminated our daily lives in surprising and original ways. In The Social Animal, he explored the neuroscience of human connection and how we can flourish together. Now, in The Road to Character, he focuses on the deeper values that should inform our lives.
Looking to some of the world’s greatest thinkers and inspiring leaders, Brooks explores how, through internal struggle and a sense of their own limitations, they have built a strong inner character. Labor activist Frances Perkins understood the need to suppress parts of herself so that she could be an instrument in a larger cause. Dwight Eisenhower organized his life not around impulsive self-expression but considered self-restraint. Dorothy Day, a devout Catholic convert and champion of the poor, learned as a young woman the vocabulary of simplicity and surrender. Civil rights pioneers A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin learned reticence and the logic of self-discipline, the need to distrust oneself even while waging a noble crusade.
Blending psychology, politics, spirituality, and confessional, The Road to Character provides an opportunity for us to rethink our priorities, and strive to build rich inner lives marked by humility and moral depth.
“Joy,” David Brooks writes, “is a byproduct experienced by people who are aiming for something else. But it comes.”
Praise for The Road to Character
“A hyper-readable, lucid, often richly detailed human story.”—The New York Times Book Review
“This profound and eloquent book is written with moral urgency and philosophical elegance.”—Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree and The Noonday Demon
“A powerful, haunting book that works its way beneath your skin.”—The Guardian
“Original and eye-opening . . . Brooks is a normative version of Malcolm Gladwell, culling from a wide array of scientists and thinkers to weave an idea bigger than the sum of its parts.”—USA Today
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