Wisdom Takes Work cover art

Wisdom Takes Work

Learn. Apply. Repeat.

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Wisdom Takes Work

By: Ryan Holiday
Narrated by: Ryan Holiday
Try Premium Plus free

Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

 Foster curiosity, discernment and life-changing wisdom: book 4 in the New York Times-bestselling Stoic Virtues series

'Some authors give advice. Ryan Holiday distils wisdom' CAL NEWPORT, bestselling author of Deep Work

Wisdom is central to a meaningful life. It gives us perspective, reveals knowledge and guides our path. Without it, our best qualities become our worst: courage turns to foolhardiness, self-discipline to cruelty, justice to empty moralising. We all aspire to be wise - but wisdom is earned.

In this fourth and final instalment of his bestselling Stoic Virtues series, Ryan Holiday uncovers tried and true methods for cultivating wisdom. Drawing on lessons from heroes across history, including Marcus Aurelius, Abraham Lincoln, Maya Angelou and Joan Didion, he shows how to keep an open mind in times of division and disruption; to listen more than we talk; to think with nuance and ruthlessly question our own beliefs. Through cautionary figures like Elon Musk, he shows how dangerous intelligence can be without wisdom - and how we can all escape today's traps of tribalism, certainty and self-righteousness.

Are you open to listening? Are you willing to question? Are you here to learn? Wisdom is work. But it's worth it.

'Ryan Holiday is one of his generation's finest thinkers' STEVEN PRESSFIELD, author of The War of Art ©2025 Ryan Holiday (P)2025 Profile Books Ltd Greek & Roman History Movements Personal Development Philosophy Wisdom Stoicism Abraham Lincoln
All stars
Most relevant
Some good points but the overarching theme was a hate fest on Elon Musk, which got tiresome.

Elon critical and less stoic than previous.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You have revealed you hypocrisy what a phony who has really displaying your inner core nothing but a empty scribe no stoic an empty author leaving no legacy your words highlight your mediocre mind how disappointed I am for financially contributing to such a poor UN intelligent author.

What an arrogance criticizing Elon you are not what you preach

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have read all of Ryan Holidays writing. It’s gotten progressively less engaging, and more enthusiastically politically biased over time.

This book is utter drivel and in parts is genuinely unbearable. Ryan’s used this platform to push a political agenda, rather than discuss timeless philosophical principles applied to the modern day.

Don’t waste your time or money. Ego is the Enemy? The Obstacle is the Way? Timeless modern works. This? Absolute, utter, rubbish.

Political drivel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.