In April 1960, the writer Richard Whalen was trying to meet with Diane Nash and the sit-in students for a Time Magazine cover story. These young college students had suddenly become the focus of an immense amount of attention, not just from the press but from the police and politicians and the rest of the civil rights leaders (we have a great podcast episode on the Stoicism of the Civil Rights movements here with Thomas Ricks).

How were these kids going to upend years of stymied racial progress? How could they possibly challenge a system in which the police and the courts and elected leaders and public opinion were all against them? Could they win? It seemed very unlikely.

Richard Whalen was stunned to find that he had trouble asking the students these questions…because they were not particularly interested in meeting with him. They were too busy. They did not have the time to meet with him, even though he represented what was, at the time, one of the most important publications in the world. Finally, Diane and her team agreed–they would see him at 6 a.m., before the morning strategy meeting that started their day. Whalen could only marvel. “Six a.m.?,” he said. “The only time they can meet with me is 6 a.m.?. They’re going to win aren’t they?”

Winners attack the day like that. It doesn’t matter what their cause is, they win that discussion that Marcus Aurelius has with himself in Meditations, the one we all do when the alarm goes off. Yes, it’s warmer under the covers, but we are not meant for that. We have a duty, our nature–justice–demands something from us. It demands that we get up, get after it, and wear ourselves down doing it.

It’s what you must do if you want to win.

There’s a reason part one of Discipline is Destiny opens with “attacking the dawn.” It’s what winners do. If you haven’t read the book yet, you should! And hopefully you are reading this email very early this a.m. as well!