The Road to Character
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The Road to Character
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Narrated by:
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Arthur Morey
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David Brooks
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By:
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David Brooks
About this listen
Penguin presents the unabridged downloadable audiobook edition of The Road to Character by David Brooks, read by Arthur Morey and David Brooks.
Number one New York Times best seller
In The Road to Character, David Brooks, best-selling author of The Social Animal and New York Times columnist, explains why selflessness leads to greater success.
We 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 nature 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 audiobook, David Brooks asks us to confront the meaning of true fulfilment. A famous columnist for The New York Times and a 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, The Road to Character proves that it is how we want to be remembered - and not what we put on our CVs - that truly matters.
©2016 David Brooks (P)2016 Penguin AudioWhat listeners say about The Road to Character
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Don
- 28-01-2019
Character explained by impressive examples
If there’s one thing that any generation needs it’s to build strong character in themselves and their children - this book focuses on the former and is told in a compelling way - to give examples of lives well lived but each involving a development of character often from fairly deplorable periods in those lives. I found it fascinating, informative and instructive but not in a direct way but more in a way that prompts the reader or listener to discover for themselves. then character is discussed relating back to these people. Well written, well thought out, well done.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 28-10-2023
Interesting concept, poor narration
It’s a shame the author stopped narrating after the introduction. The narrator sounds robotic. The author himself was much more natural.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-10-2017
Thought provoking
fantastic critic of the changes in our society over the last 50 years, very stimulating and thought provoking
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- odailson
- 18-01-2017
great book
i have enjoyed listening this book and learning the big ideas and its main purpose to inspire in the listener/ reader the desire to pursue character rather than skills. great book with great ideas and concepts. well articulated and presented. some of the stories used were of people that have displayed and excel on certain character traits but failed in others. i found them no to be good examples.
my thoughts
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- rebekah
- 15-12-2017
Overly religious American sentiment
No real advice here. Outdated sentiment. Perhaps a few interesting stories of US historical figures. Religious overtones.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Robert Grech
- 09-02-2023
Too monotonous, the narrator sounds like an AI
After listening to the opening preface read by the author I was quite keen to keep going, however the author decided to have a narrator read the rest of the book and I just couldn't concentrate. I couldn't finish past chapter 2.
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