When we hear the word “temperance,” C.S. Lewis observed, most of us in the modern world think of “abstinence.” Even when you look up the definition of abstinence, temperance is a synonym. But temperance, Lewis wrote, is actually about going to the, “right length but no further.”

Temperance isn’t about elimination—going without, or removing something “bad.” It’s about moderation—finding the right amount of something, anything. It’s Aristotle’s famous metaphor of the “Golden Mean”—the idea that virtue usually sits between two vices. Courage is somewhere between cowardice and recklessness. Confidence between crippling self-doubt and blinding arrogance. Hard work between workaholism and laziness. Generosity between parsimoniousness and profligacy.

It’s important to realize that virtue, finding the halfway point, is difficult. Reading the Stoics can sometimes only make it more difficult. “Don’t procrastinate,” Marcus tells us, and then with the next breath, he says, “don’t be all about business.” Read, read, read, he says, but don’t forget to close your books and engage with the world. Seneca tells us to be prepared for the worst right before he tells us not to worry about the dangers of the future. Epictetus tells us to acquiesce to fate and embrace our own agency.

It’s not that the Stoics were contradicting themselves. It’s that finding balance, finding the right amount, is a high art. It takes work and study and practice to figure out what is the right thing to do in the right amount at the right time in the right way.

Which is exactly why Ryan Holiday wrote his latest book, Discipline is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control…

Discipline is Destiny—which is available for preorder right now—is not just a series of admonishments about restraining yourself, but a book on the power of and the path to balance, moderation, and finding the right amount.

You see, Aristotle was not the only one who spoke of a Golden Mean. The inscription on the Oracle of Delphi is, “Nothing in excess.” In Islam, there’s a saying, “Every praiseworthy characteristic has two blameworthy poles.” And central to Buddhism is the “Middle Way.” In fact, each of the commandments in the Eightfold Path is about finding the right amount in the critical areas of life (right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right finances, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration).

Indeed, it is impossible to find a philosophical school of thought or religion that does not admonish us to find the middle ground. And when all the wisdom of the ancient world agrees on something, you’d have to be a fool to ignore it. So go preorder your copy of Discipline is Destiny—it is a guide to cutting the middle course between the two poles, to find the Golden Mean in every part of life.