russia has launched a full-scale war in Ukraine! Donate to the charity fund to support Ukraine and protect the world’s peace.

Support Ukraine

logo

Headway App

(81,672)

FREE - on the App Store

INSTALL NOW
library / 
book

Summary of The Road to Character 

4.4 . 3272 reviews

Short summary

The current generation has moved away from the earlier days of humility to the modern way of self-appraisal. This change in culture has seen a paradigm shift in the way we view life, but at what expense? Are we better off than those who lived thousands of years before us? Are we too obsessed with praising ourselves that we have alienated the moral values of diligence? In this summary, you will find the answers to these questions and also understand why and how we should build an excellent character for ourselves. David Brooks is a teacher at Yale University, and a senior editor at The Weekly Standard. He has written many articles that have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, The Washington Post, The Times Literary Supplement, Commentary, The Public Interest, and many other publications. “The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and how he treats people who can't fight back.” ~ Abigail Van Buren

Table of content

  • Summary of The Road to Character
  • About the author
  • What is The Road to Character about?
  • Who should read The Road to Character
  • Topics in The Road to Character
first key point

Our existence is influenced by internal and external factors that determine how far we will go in life

Listen the first key point
00:00
00:00
As explained by Rabbi Joseph in his book “Lonely Man of Faith,” we are composed of the Adam I and Adam II virtues. Adam I virtue represents the factors that contribute to our external successes like the skills we possess and the knowledge we’ve acquired. Adam II, on the other hand, represents our inner self — the self that covers how kind, brave, or weak we are.

We spend the biggest parts of our lives working hard for Adam I because we believe it is of more importance to our existence. However, our existence is the combination of both virtues and the self-awareness to focus on Adam II equally.
What we are and who we are are two different dynamics. We need to balance both dynamics with patience to build a good character.
What we are and who we are are two different dynamics. We need to make conscious efforts to synchronize both dynamics to build a good character. The key to building a good character lies in realizing that we are paying less attention to the things that truly matter. Our lives shouldn’t revolve around enjoying the good things of earth; we must be willing to give the earth the good in us.

David Brooks has used his vast knowledge of history and statistical analysis to examine life in general and point out the things we’re doing wrong and how to correct them. If you’re interested in building a good character, this is precisely what you need.
second key point

The shift from humility to self-appraisal has affected our mentality and the way we view life generally

In the earlier days of people like George W. Bush, humility was well-practiced and adopted as a way of life. Throughout his presidential campaign, Bush tried as much as possible to restrain from using the word “I” because he believed it wasn’t ideal to boast about one’s self. Nowadays, however, things have changed, and there’s been a shift in the culture of humility to that of ego.
book
Continue reading with Headway app
Continue reading
Full summary is waiting for you in the app
third key point

Humility gives us the chance to see things beyond what's in front of us

fourth key point

We are bound to nature through situations that automatically call for unity

fifth key point

Unpleasant moments can become a catalyst for success if we utilize it correctly

sixth key point

Dignity is an act of humility that gives us an edge over external judgments

seventh key point

Our need for love and attention becomes unhealthy when it becomes too domineering

eighth key point

We can channel our negative disabilities to positivity as long as we are able to realize what we are good at

ninth key point

We shouldn’t live just for happiness; we should live for holiness too

tenth key point

Conclusion

Buy full book on AmazonContinue the summary

What is The Road to Character about?

Who should read The Road to Character

book
book

Enjoy summarized nonfiction bestsellers

Grasp the book’s key ideas in less than 15 minutes

Get started

Get new knowledge easily

Let’s check how many titles you can finish in a month with Headway! Tell us how much time you’d like to spend on reading:

2 min/day
5 min/day
10 min/day
15 min/day
20 min/day
30 min/day
45 min/day
4 titles/month
10 titles/month
20 titles/month
30 titles/month
40 titles/month
60 titles/month
90 titles/month
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
4 titles/month
10 titles/month
20 titles/month
30 titles/month
40 titles/month
60 titles/month
90 titles/month
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image

Join 30+ million learners around the world

60K5 reviews on App Store and Google Play
icon

Everything you need to be motivate, to learn & to self improves is all here. I actually do appreciate the reminders because otherwise this wouldn’t work for me. Thank you

icon

sandypantalones

icon

Headway is the answer! No longer accumulating books I never read. With Headway, I initially chose the areas important to me such as productivity, time management, etc., and each day I'm provided several book summaries from which I devote 20 minutes or more each day reading. All of this on my phone! My life has improved with Headway. Truly my most useful app.

icon

Carol Slinker

icon

An excellent concept, executed well. Headway can help you retain what you've read while introducing you to the essential core of new information. It's an easier way to stay inspired, and to be reminded of the mental tools you've learned

icon

Fuse Henry

icon

In today’s world, we rarely have time. Between our jobs, our families are social obligations, when do we have time to grow and develop ourselves? Headway is an excellent app that gives you that time it gives you those little snippets of information that you need to direct your focus in on your life. Headway gives you a chance to find out the meat of a book that you might want to purchase and read or listen to in-depth without wasting a lot of time trying to figure out is this book for me? I highly recommend the app.

icon

sleepy sprite

icon

The selections are on point and the summaries are excellent! I listen while I walk my pup 🐶 and have in turn, ordered a few selections! REALLY loving the app, it’s layout, daily selections and features!

icon

JuicyBaby328

icon

I've gotten multiple books out of the library with the intent to read them, but always have a hard time finding the time. This app has helped me finally be able to get to them. Summarized, yes, and thank goodness too! Just short enough I can finish one on my way picking kids up from school/practice, or while I'm cooking dinner. I can't wait to listen to them over the summer when we visit the beach!

icon

Jillian Emmert

icon

It amazed me! There is the possibility to highlight the most important points of each book and instantly translate unfamiliar vocabulary. With the ability to review the searched words. It's a great way to learn more about English as well. The price is great.

icon

Fiamma

icon

I’m enjoying what I’m learning on headway.each summary comes with quotes at the end which you can save to help you remember key points. You can listen or read, I’ve found that reading puts me to sleep before I can finish but the listening feature keeps me engaged and I can finish in a brief amount of time if not one session.

icon

Epic waters

icon

The app it’s so easy to use. I use it while driving or cooking and is great. I love the fact that the chapters are short, so you can finish them quickly. Very knowledgeable.

icon

kathytaveras

icon

The best app for self development.It helps to keep pace with your reading and also suggests the kind of reading material you might like.It is fun as you can switch from reading to listening and vice-versa as per your convenience .Just get started and partake of the treasure of knowledge at your fingertips .I feel lucky to have spotted the app.It has helped me become self-disciplined and much better informed.The audio track is excellent.

icon

anita yadav

icon

Exactly what I need! I always have booklist to read, but can't committed enough to finish/start bc of too much pages. Headway is really helpful and concise with their summary. What I love the most is that the essence of the book is well crafted, so I don't only read the key points, but also there's the story and how personality of the author still well shown through the summary. Well done!

icon

Feninda Amalia

icon

This is outstanding best app ever and honestly whoever came up with is my app is an absolute genius kudos my gratitude definitely goes out and I’m only on my first week free trial and I’m certainly going to purchase this app annually. Now that I have it, I can’t even imagine living without it.

icon

Darlin NIKKIDOLL0923

Have questions?

Asking the right questions brings you closer to achieving your goals

Can I test out Headway before purchasing it for my team?Payment

Sure, we will gladly give you access to our app for a certain period if you are interested in purchasing a corporate subscription for your team. Please fill out the form on the website or email partners@makeheadway.com. We will get back to you soon.

What should I do if some of my employees already have your Premium subscription?Payment

Sure, we will gladly give you access to our app for a certain period if you are interested in purchasing a corporate subscription for your team. Please fill out the form on the website or email partners@makeheadway.com. We will get back to you soon.

Can I increase or decrease the number of subscriptions on my corporate subscription once it’s started?Payment

Sure, we will gladly give you access to our app for a certain period if you are interested in purchasing a corporate subscription for your team. Please fill out the form on the website or email partners@makeheadway.com. We will get back to you soon.

What are the benefits of books summary?

Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.

Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.