The Road to Character
Learn how to make yourself whole
Book Edition Details
Summary
In a world where glittering résumés often overshadow true substance, David Brooks offers a compelling examination of the virtues that cultivate a meaningful life in "The Road to Character." Brooks beckons readers to look beyond the superficial allure of status and wealth, inviting them to explore the profound lessons from history’s quiet heroes. Through the lives of figures like Dwight Eisenhower and Dorothy Day, we witness the transformative power of humility and self-discipline. With a blend of wit and wisdom, Brooks deftly intertwines psychology, philosophy, and spirituality to illuminate the inner battles that forge genuine character. Here lies a narrative that challenges you to redefine success, urging a pursuit of deep moral clarity and enduring joy. Prepare to embark on a reflective journey that could reshape your life's compass.
Introduction
In the summer of 1945, as America celebrated victory in World War II, a remarkable moment unfolded on the airwaves that would seem almost alien to modern ears. On Command Performance, host Bing Crosby opened with quiet humility rather than triumphant boasting: "Well, it looks like this is it. What can you say at a time like this? You can't throw your skimmer in the air. That's for run-of-the-mill holidays. I guess all anybody can do is thank God it's over." This moment captures a profound cultural shift from what we might call a culture of humility to our current culture of self-promotion. The figures profiled in these pages lived according to a different moral ecology, one that emphasized character over charisma, service over self-expression, and the cultivation of inner virtue over external achievement. Through their stories, we discover timeless wisdom about building moral character in an age that often rewards the opposite. These individuals understood that life's deepest satisfactions come not from getting what we want, but from becoming who we ought to be. Their examples reveal how ordinary people can achieve extraordinary moral clarity through daily choices, sustained commitment to their deepest values, and the patient work of character formation that transforms both individuals and the communities they serve.
The Shift: From Self-Promotion to Self-Effacement
The contrast between that 1945 broadcast and today's culture of self-celebration reveals a fundamental transformation in how we view success and character. In the decades following World War II, American culture gradually shifted from emphasizing what we might call "resume virtues" to neglecting what could be termed "eulogy virtues." Resume virtues are the skills and accomplishments we list to impress employers and advance our careers. Eulogy virtues are the deeper qualities remembered at our funerals: kindness, courage, honesty, faithfulness, and the capacity for love. This shift manifests in countless ways, from the rise in narcissism scores among young people to the transformation of graduation speeches from calls to service into celebrations of individual potential. Where previous generations were taught humility and self-restraint, contemporary culture encourages self-expression and personal branding. The very language has changed: we speak of "following our passion" rather than answering a calling, of "authentic self-expression" rather than character formation. The older moral tradition understood that human beings are flawed creatures in need of discipline and structure. It emphasized the importance of fighting against our worst impulses and cultivating our better angels through practice and habit. This tradition recognized that true fulfillment comes not from getting what we want, but from training ourselves to want what is good. It understood that character is not innate but must be built through struggle, often against our own desires and immediate interests. The consequences of abandoning this wisdom are visible everywhere: in our political discourse, our relationships, and our inner lives. Without a clear understanding of how character is built, we drift toward what might be called "moral mediocrity," following our desires wherever they lead and grading ourselves on a forgiving curve. The path back to character requires recovering this older wisdom while adapting it to contemporary circumstances.
Summoned Lives: Finding Purpose Through Service
Frances Perkins discovered her life's purpose not through introspection but through witnessing tragedy. On March 25, 1911, she was having tea at a friend's home near Washington Square when they heard commotion outside. Racing to the scene, they found the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in flames, with workers trapped on the upper floors. Perkins watched in horror as dozens of people, mostly young immigrant women, leaped to their deaths rather than burn alive. The fire killed 146 workers and became a defining moment in American labor history. For Perkins, the tragedy was a summons. Rather than asking "What do I want from life?" she began asking "What does life want from me?" This shift in perspective transformed her from a genteel social worker into one of the most important labor reformers in American history. She would go on to serve as Secretary of Labor under Franklin Roosevelt, becoming the first woman to hold a cabinet position and the architect of Social Security. Perkins exemplified what we might call the "summoned self" - those who find their purpose not through self-discovery but through responding to the needs they encounter in the world. Unlike our contemporary emphasis on following passion or finding personal fulfillment, the summoned life begins with recognizing that we are embedded in circumstances that call for specific responses. It asks not what will make us happy, but what tasks are lying around waiting to be performed. This approach to vocation requires a different kind of courage than self-expression demands. It means being willing to subordinate personal desires to larger purposes, to accept assignments we didn't choose, and to find meaning through service rather than self-actualization. The summoned life often involves moral hazards and difficult compromises, but it offers the deep satisfaction of knowing that one's life has been spent in service to something greater than oneself.
Self-Conquest and Disciplined Character Building
Dwight Eisenhower's transformation from an undisciplined boy to a man of extraordinary self-control illustrates the power of character formation through deliberate practice. As a ten-year-old, Eisenhower flew into an uncontrollable rage when denied permission to go trick-or-treating with his older brothers. He rushed outside and pounded his fists against an apple tree until his hands were bloody and torn. His mother found him sobbing and shared a verse from the Bible: "He that conquereth his own soul is greater than he who taketh a city." This moment launched a lifelong project of self-mastery. Eisenhower learned to construct what might be called a "second self" - an artificial but disciplined persona that could override his natural impulses. Throughout his military career and presidency, he was known for his sunny disposition and farm-boy charm, but this was a carefully constructed mask that concealed a man of fierce temper and driving ambition. The concept of self-conquest rests on the understanding that we are dual in nature, possessing both noble and base impulses. Character is built through the daily practice of choosing the higher over the lower, often through small acts of self-discipline that gradually become habitual. This might involve following rules of etiquette, maintaining physical fitness, or practicing emotional restraint in difficult situations. Eisenhower's approach to character building emphasized moderation - not as bland compromise, but as the disciplined balancing of competing goods and rival truths. He understood that most important decisions involve trade-offs between legitimate but conflicting values. Through decades of practice, he developed the capacity to hold multiple perspectives in tension while maintaining his moral center, demonstrating that true leadership emerges not from natural charisma but from the patient work of self-improvement.
Love, Struggle, and the Path to Dignity
The civil rights leaders A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin embodied a profound understanding of how to wield power while maintaining moral integrity. Both men combined radical political goals with deeply traditional personal conduct, understanding that lasting change requires not just passion but disciplined character. Their approach to activism was shaped by a biblical realism that saw human nature as fundamentally flawed and social progress as requiring sustained moral struggle. Randolph, known for his impeccable dignity and formal bearing, spent twelve years building the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters against overwhelming opposition. His weapon was not anger but moral authority, cultivated through decades of self-discipline and service. He understood that leaders fighting for justice must be above reproach in their personal conduct, because their opponents would use any moral failing to discredit the entire cause. Rustin's journey was more complex, marked by periods of moral failure that taught him the necessity of self-discipline. His promiscuity and arrogance in prison nearly destroyed his effectiveness as a civil rights leader. Through painful self-examination and the guidance of mentors, he learned to channel his energies into disciplined service to the movement. His later work organizing the March on Washington demonstrated how personal transformation can enable greater public service. Both men understood that nonviolent resistance required extraordinary self-control. It demanded the ability to absorb hatred without returning it, to face violence while maintaining love for one's opponents, and to pursue justice while remaining aware of one's own capacity for sin. This approach to activism was grounded in the recognition that means and ends cannot be separated - that how we fight for justice shapes what kind of justice we achieve. Their legacy reminds us that lasting social change requires not just righteous anger but the patient work of character formation, both in ourselves and in the movements we serve.
Summary
The individuals profiled in these pages shared a common understanding that life's deepest satisfactions come not from self-expression but from self-surrender to worthy causes and enduring relationships. They recognized that character is not a natural endowment but an achievement, built through the daily practice of choosing virtue over convenience, service over self-interest, and love over fear. Their lives demonstrate that true fulfillment emerges not from getting what we want but from training ourselves to want what is good, noble, and lasting. In our age of individual autonomy and self-promotion, their example offers a different path - one that leads through humility and discipline to genuine dignity and lasting contribution. For those seeking meaning beyond material success, these stories provide both inspiration and practical wisdom about the patient work of building character and finding purpose through service to others and to causes greater than ourselves. Their legacy challenges us to recover the moral vocabulary of duty, sacrifice, and self-conquest that enables human flourishing in its deepest sense.
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By David Brooks
