{"product_id":"the-road-to-character","title":"The Road to Character","description":"\u003cp\u003eWe all possess two natures. One focuses on external success- wealth, fame, status and a great career. The other aims for internal goodness, driven by a spiritual urge not only to do good but to be good - honest, loving and steadfast. The inner self doesn't seek happiness superficially defined; it seeks emotional commitments without counting the cost, and a deeper moral joy. Individuals and societies thrive when a general balance is struck between these two imperatives, but we live in a culture that encourages us to think about the external side of our natures rather than the inner self. We hanker for praise instead of following our hearts, and we self-promote rather than confront our weaknesses. In this urgent and eye-opening book, David Brooks asks us to confront the meaning of true fulfilment. A famous columnist for The New York Times and best-selling author, Brooks found himself living in a shallow mode. For years, he remained focused on getting ahead and reaping the rewards for his efforts, placing his career before his character. Finding himself at a crossroads, Brooks sought out men and women who embodied the moral courage he longed to experience. Citing an array of history's greatest thinkers and leaders - from St. Augustine and George Eliot to Dwight Eisenhower and Samuel Johnson - he traces how they were able to face their weaknesses and transcend their flaws. Each one of them chose to embrace one simple but counterintuitive truth- in order to fulfil yourself, you must learn how to forget yourself. An elegant interweaving of politics, spirituality and psychology, \u003ci\u003eThe Road to Character\u003c\/i\u003eproves that it is how we want to be remembered - and not what we put on our CVs - that truly matters. \u003cb\u003ePraise for David Brooks and \u003ci\u003eThe Social Animal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e'It offers a sense of the very real limits of the assumptions that we westerners bring to life, and the possibility of radically better, more 'realistic' ways of living.' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eObserver\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e'A fascinating study of the unconscious mind and its impact on our lives.' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eEconomist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e'It has a sense of curiosity, a warmth rare in political literature.' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eGuardian\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e'David Brooks is one of the most prominent public intellectuals of our time.' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/david-brooks-books\"\u003eDavid Brooks\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 300\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Penguin Books, Limited\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780241186725\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Books, Limited","offers":[{"title":"Very Good — £1.52","offer_id":47909730517169,"sku":"SB-0241186722-C2","price":1.52,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/0241186722.jpg?v=1789173196","url":"https:\/\/sellbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-road-to-character","provider":"Sell Books .co.uk","version":"1.0","type":"link"}