Stand Up Straight: 10 Life Lessons from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

by Major General Paul Nanson

Transform your mindset and your life with these 10 simple lessons. THE INCREDIBLE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Inspirational . . . Sandhurst helped me to discover my potential. Now discover yours.' TIM PEAKE, ESA astronaut___________Winston Churchill never surrendered.Prince Harry has fought for mental health around the world.Tobias Ellwood risked his life to save others during the Westminster terrorist attack.Tim Peake became Britain's first astronaut on the International Space Station.Nicola Wetherill led the first all-female expedition across the Antarctic ice.Ed Withey even organized his wedding with military precision.The one thing all of these individuals have in common? Their world-class Sandhurst training.Stand Up Straight applies 10 simple but transformative lessons that every officer is taught during their time at the world-famous military academy. Modern and counter-intuitive, with lessons ranging from making your bed and ironing your shirt to achieving better discipline, emotional intelligence, resilience and fast decision-making under pressure, the book draws on first-hand battlefield experience as well as the leadership lessons taught at Sandhurst.The result is an inspiring and timeless book of practical advice and military wisdom that will help every reader raise their game and face life's everyday battles with confidence and calm.___________'Brilliant, practical advice. Can help transform your mindset and life.' OLLIE OLLERTON''Military Mindfulness' . . . can help us all reach our potential.' TELEGRAPH'I loved this book.' CHRIS EVANS'Brilliant military rules that can change your life . . . Sandhurst's precious life lessons, self-discipline, teamwork, even standing up straight, can make life run smoother, better, nobler, longer.' DAILY MAIL'Follow the General's orders and fold your socks. You'll be a better person for it.' THE TIMES'These military men are on to something. . . . increases your chances of tackling the to-do list with a sense of calm if not ease.' INDEPENDENT'It's a fantastic read on how to sort yourself out.' PIERS MORGAN'It's a fascinating book, full of good old-fashioned common sense . . . it's a game-raiser.' THIS ENGLAND

Genres: Military Fiction, Self Help, Nonfiction

141 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 26, 2019

Reviews

[Michelle Styles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book with simple lessons to help a sense of purpose in anyone. It has a great explanation of how to shine your shoes and make your bed properly. I loved the explanation of why you should not be late -- you are stealing others' time. Worth a read.

[Matt Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no arguing with the lessons in this book. The author does a good job of highlighting the transferable skills taught at RMAS. (It does seem to have changed a little from my recollection, but essentially I’d like to think the course remains much the same.)

[Benedek Szabo]

Quote from István Örkény a Hungarian writer has came into my mind when I read this book:
"The Meaning Of Life (English)
If we tie a lot of cherry-peppers on a string, they’ll make a pepper-wreath.
However, if we don’t tie them on a string, they won’t make a wreath. Although it’s the same amount of peppers, just as red and just as hot. But still no wreath.
Does it only lie in the string? No, it doesn’t. That string, as we all know, is an incidental, third-rate thing.
Then what?
People capable of brooding over it and taking care not to let their mind wander about, but keep them on the right track may get a scent of eternal verities."

[Catherine | Катя · Rating 3 out of 5]

30/30 for 2025!!

3.75/5 ⭐

To be honest, I wasn’t even sure how many stars to give this. I mainly picked Stand Up Straight as a final book for the year and pushed through it for XP, but I was pleasantly surprised by the practical lessons throughout.

The book breaks leadership and discipline down into 10 clear, digestible lessons. Simple ideas stuck with me, like not focusing on the bend directly ahead of you but three bends ahead — a useful reminder about foresight and situational awareness. The emphasis on preparation (“If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail”) strongly aligned with my own family motto that poor preparation leads to poor performance.

I also appreciated the practical cadet-focused advice, such as the importance of getting at least 6.5 hours of sleep to function properly, and packing minimally — not by trying to plan for every possible scenario, but by thinking logically and deliberately about what you actually need.

Not groundbreaking, but straightforward, accessible, and full of sensible reminders. A solid read if you like clear, no-nonsense life and leadership lessons.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers ten basic skills that are good to learn while attending a Military Academy. I liked reading the testimonies from soldiers that felt the school and training developed them. It even has a picture of how the military makes their bed which I thought was interesting since many people might be curious. I liked how it gave information about the importance of team work, being selfless, putting others first which I think are important skills to learn in many types of jobs. I thought the book was a bit short and brief. I would have liked to have had more details about what life is like in a military academy but I think the goal of the book was to show ten skills that they think are important to learn.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice short book, I read it in a day.

Some interesting ideas and stories but found it a little overly simplistic.

Self discipline and servant leadership are two excellent concepts that more people should adopt if they want to find success but a lot of the other concepts were largely common sense.

I would recommend the book particularly to teenagers and those in their twenties. I think once you are approaching forty you either know much of this already or are probably not the type of person who would read such a book.

[Jack Bagnall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this insightful in to life in the British army as a leader, though it was a bit flat at times.. I think references to historical anecdotes and more personal experiences would have made this book more enthralling. General Paul Nanson comes across as confident, articulate and sincere, whilst simultaneously showing vulnerability and providing a solid description of some of Sandhurst's main elements.

[Birute · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would highly recommend this book to any leader wanting to upper their game. There is so much we can learn from people who lead others in the war zone, where it is life or death scenario. Great read.

[Hayley Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, short book, easy to read in one day. A perfect little pick-me-up if you’re looking for a mindset change. Simple, easy to implement lessons with interesting stories if you’re interested in military life.

[weemarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

📚 Borrowed from the library.

A nice, short book with some good ideas about mental wellbeing, resilience etc.

Too many army stories for me (although this was to be expected, being about the army!) but I enjoyed and appreciated the nuggets of wisdom I found within it.

[Steph Grimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, a relatively easy read and somewhat simplified military terms but great values to live by with some great quotes. Definitely worth a read as potential military or a self help book. Great chapter titles and well played out book which flowed.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has really good advice throughout to help with a sense of purpose not only in military life but also in civilian life and it was quite inspirational too

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful for anyone looking to join the Army as an officer, I think the lessons have some utility in business but they're not all perfectly transferable.

[Ru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

Great book, easy to read and relatable to any person who leads. I look forward to other books like this.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful tips - will refer back to in future

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really simple way of conveying a complex interwoven message. Thoroughly enjoyed.

[Courtney Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very random read for me but actually kind of loved

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

All good stuff. Good little nudges towards successful routines and habits in most chapters.

[JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to access and a quickish read. An accomplished man who you can only respect. Great ideas to strive for straight out the former leader of the world's premier military training establishment.

[Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m sure this is a rose tinted view point but taking into account what the book set out to do, I think it did it well.

[Rach · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright, raised some good points, but I’m not as inspired to get my crap together as I’d hoped to be…

[Ricki Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and thoughtful. Some nuggets of common sense brilliance.

[Tom Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this to anyone even if they aren’t pursuing a career in the military. A brilliant book to guide you on how to attack life for the best.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple straight to the point lessons, which all come with an example from the author's time at RMAS and how they can be transferred to civilian life. I read it in one go, which was a nice pick me up.

[Flavia T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly a very nice reading. Simple lessons, but with an unexpected focus on mental wellness and well being. Not life changing but nice

[Taloot S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

feel well

[Connie Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feeling motivated

[Rahim Hussain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty to the point, not sure what more you’d want out of it really.

[Adam Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically a self-help book well worth reading from an extremely accomplished chap who knows what he's talking about. A genuinely powerful book with a real capability to change the way you think for the better.

[Chris Thornton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sure I’d have made a terrible cadet.

But the book is full of inspiring wisdom from Sandhurst to carry me forward during life’s challenges, and I look forward to putting some of the mantras into practice…

Although “tightening my chin strap to learn my threshold of failure” fills me with horror!

Whilst some ideas such as “taking a condor view” or “don’t be embarrassed to regroup & retrace your footsteps when lost” might seem obvious, the anecdotes that support the arguments are fascinating, and all lead to the thrust of the Sandhurst belief that “failure is a part of success”.

The book is brisk and engaging - it will certainly give you something to think about next time you are in a pickle.