Wisdom depends on curiosity. It demands humility. It requires a willingness to learn from the past in order to overcome the obstacles of the present – and we need it more than ever.

In this fourth and final instalment of his bestselling Stoic Virtues series, Ryan Holiday reveals a method of self-education that can be honed throughout our lives. Drawing on stories of the Stoics, the Buddha, and modern greats from Abraham Lincoln to Joan Didion, he shows how to cultivate wisdom through reading, contemplation and discernment. He teaches us how to think critically, listen intently and escape the traps of tribalism, certainty and self-righteousness. As the Stoics knew, all other virtues depend on wisdom. It takes work. But it’s worth it.