The Art of Manliness - Manvotionals: Timeless Wisdom and Advice on Living the 7 Manly Virtues

Brett McKay is a man. Kate McKay loves manly men. Together, these partners in crime run Art of
Manliness.com
, one of the largest men’s websites on the Internet. They are also the authors of
The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man
. The husband and wife team resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with their son Gus.

To Gus

I
n our first book,
The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man
, we presented men with a manual that largely focused on the how-tos, the important skill sets of well-rounded manliness. The book served as a handbook of practical, manly know-how.

But the other—and even more important—side of manliness is the
mindset
, the cultivation of the inner man.

Of course it’s easier to explain what a man should
do
, than what a man should
be.
To discuss the latter, we must first get at the heart of what true manliness really means.

While the definition of manliness has been endlessly discussed and dissected in scholarly tomes, our definition of manliness is actually quite straightforward. And ancient.

For the ancient Greeks, the ideal life was one filled with
eudaimonia.
What’s eudaimonia? Translators and philosophers have given different definitions for it, but the best way to describe eudaimonia is the attainment of “flourishing,” through, as Aristotle put it, “doing and living well.” Greek philosophers believed that eudaimonia was achieved through the practice of
arete
. Translated as “virtue,” arete is better understood as
excellence
and was sometimes used interchangeably with
andreia
, or “manliness.” The man of arete maximized his full potential in body, mind, and soul; despite setbacks and challenges, he effectively used his abilities to fulfill his life’s purpose and achieve a real and lasting legacy. Thus for the ancient Greeks, manliness meant
being the best man you could be.

The Latin word for manliness or masculine strength was
virtus
(this is where we get the English word “virtue”). The Roman idea of virtus at first centered on valor and courage, and later came to encompass other qualities such as fortitude, industry, and dutifulness. So for the ancient Romans, manliness meant
living a life of virtue.

So our definition of manliness, like that of the ancients, is simple: striving for virtue, honor, and excellence in all areas of your life, fulfilling your potential as a man, and being the absolute best brother, friend, husband, father and citizen you can be.

Living a life of virtuous excellence is harder than learning how to tie a tie or start a fire, but no other pursuit will be as supremely rewarding.

As this point, some of you may be thinking, “Wait, wait, shouldn’t women be striving to live the virtuous life as well?”

Absolutely.

There are two ways to define manhood. One way is to say that manhood is the opposite of
womanhood.
The other is to say that manhood is the opposite of
childhood.

The former seems to be quite popular, but it often leads to a superficial kind of manliness. Men who subscribe to this philosophy end up cultivating a manliness concerned with
outward characteristics
. They worry about whether x, y, or z is manly and whether the things they enjoy and do are effeminate because many women also enjoy them.

We advocate the latter philosophy;
manhood
is the opposite of
childhood
and concerns one’s
inner values
. A child is self-centered, fearful, and dependent. A man is bold, courageous, respectful, independent and of service to others. Thus a boy becomes a man when he matures and leaves behind childish things. Likewise, a girl becomes a woman when she matures into real adulthood.

Both genders are capable of and should strive for virtuous, human excellence. When a woman lives the virtues, that is womanliness; when a man lives the virtues, that is manliness.

Women and men strive for the same virtues, but often attain them and express them in different ways. The virtues will be lived and manifested differently in the lives of sisters, mothers, and wives than in brothers, husbands, and fathers. Two different musical instruments, playing the exact same notes, will produce two different sounds. The difference in the sounds is one of those ineffable things that is hard to describe with words, but easy to discern. Neither instrument is better than the other; in the hands of the diligent and dedicated, each instrument plays music that fills the spirit and adds beauty to the world.

A man’s path to virtuous excellence begins with his pursuit of the seven manly virtues. These virtues, if diligently sought after and lived, will help a man unlock his fullest power and potential. The seven virtues are:

• Manliness
  
• Courage
  
• Industry
  
• Resolution
  
• Self-Reliance
  
• Discipline
  
• Honor
  

These seven virtues can be striven for by any man, in any situation. Rich or poor, young or old, married or single. From the soldier to the civilian, from the corporate warrior to the stay-at-home dad, the path of virtuous excellence is open to and vital for all men.

Why just seven and why these particular virtues? Shouldn’t a man develop virtues like compassion and humility? Of course. Being a complete man means nurturing your tender side as well.

These seven virtues simply form the pole stars in the great constellation of manliness, providing men a sense of direction and leading them on the path to greatness. They are the virtues that have most called to the masculine spirit throughout the ages and which form the backbone of a man’s pursuit of the virtuous life, a firm foundation upon which all the other virtues can be built.

We’ve organized the book into seven chapters, one for each of the seven manly virtues. Each chapter is filled with excerpts from books, speeches, letters, and poems that span the ages and are designed to help you better understand the virtues and inspire you to live them more fully.

We’ve included selections from the timeless works of ancient philosophers like Aristotle and Epictetus, virile speeches from Theodore Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, and manly poems from Rudyard Kipling and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

You’ll also find excerpts from “success manuals” from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries scattered throughout
Manvotionals
. Unlike much of the success and self-improvement literature pumped out today, which focuses primarily on positive thinking and superficial tips on becoming rich, muscular, and suave, success books from the turn of the twentieth century concentrated on developing a man’s
character.
Our great-grandfathers believed that if a man worked sufficiently hard on forging a noble character, success in all the other areas of his life would naturally follow. Moreover, the idea of success that many of these books aspired to wasn’t necessarily fame and fortune, but rather a life well lived filled with close relationships with family and friends, contentment with simple pleasures, and the peace of mind that comes from living a good, honest life.

For those reading literature from this genre and period for the first time, the earnest tone of the authors may seem a bit jarring. Living in a very cynical age, we’re not used to such unabashed, guileless sincerity. But it will grow on you, trust us. Authors of this time had a knack for writing in a way that gets right to the heart of the matter and offers true insight.