The Way to Will Power

The Way to Will Power is the inimitable Henry Hazlitt before he became an advocate of the Austrian School. Here he is not writing on economics but on personal ethics as informed by ancient principles. But the pre-Austrian in him shines through, because it is an application of the theory of time preference he picked up from his wide reading.

Why should we read it? Because it is Hazlitt, and because it is splendid as a manual for the management of personal life. He writes about the will and temptation, about patience, about work and play. On habits he writes, in his worldly-wise way, "Forming a new habit is like forging for yourself a new path in the woods, through stubborn underbrush and prickly thorns, while all the while it is possible for you to take the well-worn, hard-trodden, pleasant path that already exists. But you can reflect that every time you travel through the new path you are going to tramp down more shrubbery and clear more entanglements from the way."

Hazlitt covers a lot of ground in this work, and it is chock full of ancient wisdom and modern wit. You might even get into the habit of reading it regularly.