The Art of Living: The Cardinal Virtues and the Freedom to Love

by Edward Sri

In this new book by bestselling author, Edward Sri, we discover the close connection between growing in the virtues and growing in friendship and community with others. A consummate teacher, Dr. Sri leads us through the virtues with engaging examples and an uncanny ability to anticipate and answer our most pressing questions. Dr. Sri shows us in his inimitable, easy-to-read style, that the virtues are the basic life skills we need to give the best of ourselves to God and to the people in our lives. In short, the practice of the virtues give us the freedom to love.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Faith, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Christianity, Theology

200 pages, Paperback

Published June 15, 2021

About the author

Dr. Edward Sri is a nationally-known speaker on Scripture and Catholicism and the author of several best-selling books. Besides teaching at the Augustine Institute, Sri is a visiting professor at Benedictine College and a contributor to the popular apologetics series, Catholic for a Reason. Sri is also a founding leader with Curtis Martin of FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students).

He also is the creator and host of a new 18-part video series on the Catholic faith for parish adult faith formation called Symbolon (Augustine Institute), and he serves the general editor of a Opening the Word: Journey through the Sunday Readings (Augustine Institute).

Dr. Sri leads pilgrimages to Rome and the Holy Land for lay people each year.

He resides with his wife Elizabeth and their six children in Littleton, Colorado.

Education
STD, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Rome)
STL, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Rome)
MA, Franciscan University of Steubenville

Reviews

[Melissa Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Difficult to reread at times because I realized I still struggle with the same vices I did when I read it the first time. So, definitely good for me to reread. Also makes me want to read more Aquinas

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been picking away at this book all year (it's short--around 240 pages--but dense, a chapter a week sort of book). It is an analysis and detailed summary/explication of St. Thomas Aquinas's virtues (in Summa Theologica). It is essentially a modern take on how cultivating or lacking these virtues impact our lives, both profane and spiritual. Sri is a Catholic theologian, and the book is published by a Catholic press. It is not an academic study of St. Thomad Aquinas. You don't have to be a philosopher to get something out of this. I guess it's fair to say this is a Christian devotional book, something you might read with a group of friends in a faith group. But it also might be appealing to anyone interested in Catholic discernment. It cites Saints and the Catholic Cathechism, so it gives a modern outline of what the Catholic church (and other Christian faiths) considers to be a virtuous person. I really enjoyed this. Sri writes in a clear, calming, yet no-nonsense way. This is not literary art, but it's wise and direct.

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Molly Rembold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. It bored me at some points but most books do. If you are looking to grow in virtue this is a good place to start. Every time I opened this book Dr. Sri was calling me higher in the exact way I needed it that day. Not a book I’d sit and reflect with but I learned a lot.

[Patrick Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I question whether some ink could be saved in Dr Sri's manner of elaborating his points. The book is full of three-part structures inherited from Aquinas, and the author feels the need to devote equal time to each point. At times, this is tedious.

That said, I think the book contributes substantially to the treatment of the cardinal virtues in the Summa, not only in relating these virtues to daily life but also in cross-references to a wide range of thinkers including John Henry Newman, Francis de Sales, and Dante. The Art of Living is worth returning to again and again as an examination of one's progress in virtue; I plan to reread it once a year.

[burgundowezycie · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Gdy zbudujesz życie, ono zbuduje cie­bie”

„Sztuka życia”, autorstwa Edwarda Sri, to książka, która inspiruje do pracy nad sobą oraz pokazuje jaki wpływ ma ona na naszą zdolność do kochania i bycia kochanym. Autor opiera się na mądrości św. Tomasza z Akwinu oraz na wielu przykładach z własnego życia i innych ludzi.

Książka podzielona jest na dwie część: pierwsza tłumaczy czym jest cnota i prawdziwa przyjaźń, a druga jest o czterech cnótach kardynalnych (roztropności, męstwa, umiarkowani i sprawiedliwości). Każdy rozdział kończy się pytaniami do refleksji i dyskusji, które pomagają zastosować naukę we własnym życiu.

Książka jest napisana prostym językiem, który zachęca do czytania i ułatwia zrozumienie, na pierwszy rzut oka, trudnych zagadnień. Autor nie moralizuje, ani nie narzuca swojej punktu widzenia, ale zaprasza do refleksji, dialogu i odkrywania prawdy o sobie i o Bogu. Skierowana jest do każdego, kto chce żyć i kochać w pełni oraz doskonalić się w dobru. To nie tylko lektura dla katolików, ale dla wszystkich, którzy chcą codziennie, stawać się coraz lepszymi ludźmi oraz dla tych, którym zależy na trwałych i pięknych relacja z ludźmi.

„Sztuka życia” to książka, którą polecam każdemu, kto chce pogłębić swoją wiedzę o cnotach i nauczyć się, jak je praktykować w codziennym życiu. To książka, która daje nadzieję i pokój serca. To idealna lektura na okres Wielkiego Postu 💜 i na pewno będę do niej wracać.

Dziękuję za zaufanie i egzemplarz do recenzji od wydawnictwa @wydawnictwowdrodze (współpraca reklamowa) 🩷.

[A.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty solid with bite size chapters that have been perfect for a quick morning read before work. Lots of practical advice paired with more theological concepts. Not insanely life-changing but definitely some helpful reminders and callouts throughout.

[Emma Heienickle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read, good focus, and always left with me with something to ponder and take away from. Really good perspectives!

[Sofia Castaneda Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

fye🔥🔥🔥

[Katrina Schlueter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written - Dr. Sri gave a clear and concise understanding of the cardinal virtues and how to practically live them out in our lives.

[Sara Rieland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down the best book I’ve read in years. Practical and understandable instruction on how to live a virtuous life. I will be re reading this book every Lent for many years to come! Highly recommend.

[Zoe Large · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great perspective on the four cardinal virtues. Dr. Sri picked apart each virtue very thoroughly, and I learned a lot.

[Andrew Guadiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I obtained this book at a Catholic church that I had gone to for the first time in Irvine, California. Despite being a Catholic Christian myself, I actually only read one book prior concerning my religion. The Art Of Living: The Cardinal Virtues and the Freedom to Love by Edward Sri offered me an all encompassing overview on four historically discussed Catholic virtues. Sri divides the book into four sections discussing these four virtues individually in a way that the modern person could understand. Sri not only demonstrates his own knowledge and experience of the four virtues, but breaks them down in a way that most people could understand. Those ideas are explained through situations, personal experiences, and ultimatums that Sri talks about in the book. At the end of each chapter, Sri offers reflection questions and prompts to think about that relate to the topic at hand. The book is well structured, paced, and thorough in its ideas. I would heavily recommend this book to any Catholic looking for something more in their spiritual life.

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. I give it 2.5 stars. Learning about the virtues and providing an example or two was good. By the end of the book I felt the writing seemed preachy.

[Rubie Frey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good recommendation for any Christian, or really any person, looking to grow in their virtues. This book meets you where you are and calls you higher

[Steven Dzwonczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well-written book about the cardinal virtues. Edward Sri makes these virtues personal, and you realize how much work you personally have to do to live out these virtues.

[Elena Jaeger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good! I learned so much about myself and the virtues and what aspects of my life I need to change to become a virtuous follower of Christ.

[M. Laszlo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great because the author makes the virtues relatable. When we read texts like the Catholic Encyclopedia, sometimes the theological and philosophical concepts can feel a bit esoteric. Not so in Sri's writing. He begins with the idea of kayaking and trying to stand up in the rapids. It's impossible and we all fall down. That's what life is like without the virtues. Later, he introduces us to the topic of prudence by relating a story in which he destroyed a piano whilst moving it (having failed to secure the piano safely.) The chapter on temperance is similarly relatable: he describes the way we all go out for Mexican and end up stuffing ourselves with the chips and salsa to the point where we cannot eat the main course when it comes around. Again, the author is constantly communicating and illustrating the virtues in ways we can understand.
But it's not all humor. Some of the book is devastating. In the chapter on magnanimity, the author discusses the Nazi occupation of Poland and mentions Jan Tyranowski, the Catholic leader who kept educating others and refused to let Hitler's army stamp Catholicism out. The author's point is clear: without Tyranowski's magnanimity, who's to say Pope John Paul II ever would have ever completed his early education?
It's hard to summarize this book because on every page one will find endless examples of really great epiphanies, quotes, and pearls of wisdom. The author often alludes to prayer, for example, and quotes the St. Thomas Aquinas definition of prayer as "lifting one's mind to God."
Many themes shine through. He eschews the idea of vanity not just because it's wrong to be so self-centered but because the point of a good Catholic is to give all the glory to God. Elsewhere, actually toward the beginning, the author points out that virtue ought to be fairly automatic and ingrained. I suppose it is, but I wonder if that has something to do with the individual's psychology and personality.
Finally, this book is really brilliant in that it discusses not just decision-making nor ethics but rather discusses the almost ineffable way decision-making and ethics meet. And that meething place is the place where a person must confront his or her virtues or lack thereof.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far one of the best books I’ve read on virtue. Absolutely terrific book! Dr. Sri has a knack for integrating and relating certain virtues to one another in a way that allows the reader to reflect and see in which specific ways they need to work on the virtue. To some degree, all the virtues are laced together and integrated, this author does a great job not only relating the virtues, but parsing out more specific and nuanced facets of each virtue, showing a) how the virtue is made up of categories (which shows where a particular lack or strength is) and b) identifying concretely the names of some of the common vices we experience which inhibit us from exercising the virtue to any degree. Not always, but these facets typically allow the reader to experience the virtue from a host of different perspectives and situations, which I really appreciate. There are reflection questions at the end of each chapter, and I did not find them quite as helpful as the chapter itself. (it’s not that they were not good, i just wasn’t in the mood to do that so i skipped a good chunk of them.) However, I took notice that some of the questions had you reflect using Mary as a model for a few of the virtues, which I appreciated. I haven’t seen that before, and that it was really awesome the author thought to incorporate that in some of the chapters. I also enjoyed the general layout, which I an pretty familiar with, and I loved his writing style too, from humorous personal experiences to reflections on the saints, he uses a wide variety of different resources to reach his audience. This was a fantastic book, and I highly recommend it.


specific nuances and explaining the solutions to the

[aj · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book has an interesting premise and Dr. Sri is no doubt intelligent and aware of what he's talking about. While I've seen others say how the personal aspects of the book made it easier to connect with, I cannot say the same. I felt as if many if these situations were artificial. For example, in one passage, he discusses having a conversation with his 9 year old son on a flight to Rome. I have no doubt his child may be incredibly intelligent, but the language his son and he used doesn't seem to me like what a 9 year old would use. Alternatively, in a part discussing patience, he uses the odd example of getting a free piano only to take a turn too fast and have the piano fall out of the car and smash. I don't know how exactly this fits in, but it demonstrates his need to try to fit himself into the story. Further, another reviewer said this could easily have been a pamphlet and I cannot disagree. The attempt at making it relatable seems a bit forced to me and doesn't exactly make him seem to conform to what he's preaching.

[Elkaza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my latest spiritual reading, and I was astonished to have it, with facing some difficulties over these last few weeks. I did enjoy reading it, but have read better things overtime.

However, by reading this book, I was able to view these life challenges by seeing what virtues I could gain from them. But, most importantly putting God first in my life.
Thus, this book is a great one to read in our modern culture, that is providing us huge challenges to live out our Catholic Faith. However, this book is a guide to face these problems, by letting the Holy Spirit steer you through them.

Thus, every catholic should read it, at least once in your life. It’s a simple read, with questions at the end of each chapter to give you time to reflect on the themes and points of the chapter. And, even scriptural passages, to give you even more contemplation about the ways to increase in your faith, and build upon your relationship with our Saviour Jesus Christ.

[Michael Duquaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift, so I felt compelled to read it, but I don’t often choose to read self help books. This book feels like an examination of conscience before confession; it’s a good thing but it isn’t very fun. You might feel worse about yourself after you read a chapter than you did before you read in some cases depending on your specific weaknesses and the virtue being discussed. I wouldn’t read this for entertainment on vacation but if you are looking to challenge yourself to become a better person, this book provides many thoughtful things to contemplate. With questions at the end of the chapter this feels like it was written to be used in small groups at church to stimulate discussion, but I mostly glossed over those questions to be completely honest. I appreciate the content and the author’s intentions for writing this book, and do think many will find inspiration and motivation from his words.

[Martin Afable · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Art of Living, Edward Sri highlights the different colorful virtues we can use to paint and create a true, good and beautiful life. By following St. Thomas Aquinas’ writings on the virtues, we are slowly enlightened on how we can apply all of these virtues to make a beautiful masterpiece out of our lives. Reading this book will both inspire and challenge us, and it is in this self examination that were are awakened to the most beautiful reality — that the art of living is ultimately achieved not by our own perfection but by allowing the Divine Artist to do His work through us.

Easy to read. Touching. Challenging. Inspiring. Life giving.

[Lorena Beltran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is best read when you read it all, rather than nitpicking what you think you need to work on. It gives good explanations of what each virtue is and the sub-virtue, based on St. Thomas Aquinas. There are good and thoughtful reflections which offer growth within each virtue regardless of where you are at in life. I think that it offers a good challenge of self reflection for readers, especially if you’re willing to learn where it is that you need to grow and how you apply these virtues into your daily lives.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr Sri always writes so clearly and lovingly on a topic, that it is hard to put down the book. However, each chapter needs to be savoured to be truly integrated into our lives. The cardinal virtues are often lost in the secular world and it is so important to live by them to guarantee a life of freedom and love. Dr. Sri's examples are so visual - they are plucked from everyday life and therefore, help the reader understand how easy it can be to enhance our friendships and community. Dr. Sri shows that the cardinal virtues are the basis for life and love. A truly enjoyable book.

[Ania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Książka Edwarda Sri definiuje cnoty, pokazuje powiązania pomiędzy nimi i wady wynikające z nieuporządkowania w dążeniu do dobra. Myślę, że lepiej zrozumiałam na czym polegają szczególnie cnoty kardynalne. Znalazłam też kilka odkrywczych myśli, chociażby to że zdecydowanie też jest cnotą, a zwlekanie z podjęciem dobrej decyzji albo unikanie jakiegokolwiek wyboru może być grzechem.

Największą zaletą książki jest porządkowanie informacji, które czasami uważamy za oczywiste i nie sięgamy do ich głębi.

Jest wydana po polsku pod tytułem Sztuka życia, ale na Goodreadsie nie mogłam znaleźć.

[Mary Ellen Barringer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for Christmas last year. It is an enlightening text that not only describes the four cardinal virtues (fortitude, justice, temperance and prudence), but gives examples on how to infuse them into you daily life.

Although Christian based, any one can gain from a better understanding of these important pillars in life. Note that virtues were identified by Greek philosophers long before Christianity.

[Connor McEwen]

I thought this book was very insightful as a catholic wanting to grow in faith. This book talks about the four cardinal virtues and theological virtues, but also new virtues you may have not heard of before. The virtues are a way of acting in the world, the right way to act. I liked how at the end of each chapter it gives the reader a summary and a short to-do list that makes the reading more engaging which I thought helped solidify the readings.

[Lucina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big fan of this book! Sri takes Aquinas and puts it into vernacular. Very practical guide to living a virtuous life. In-depth examination of my own motives, reactions, and expressions. I believe reading this will help strengthen my relationships, particularly with family and friends. Brought to light some disordered parts of my soul that I had been ignorant of (or perhaps I was actively ignoring a couple of them). Highly recommend!

[TH Koh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical introduction to the 4 cardinal virtues of prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice. Within each virtue, Sri systematically introduces the corresponding sub-virtues and sub-vices. This clearly structured format truly makes this book a "textbook" one could use towards attaining the aforementioned virtues. It helps that references to the CCC and scripture are clearly labelled in the footnotes. I would highly recommend this book as a primer for anyone new to the cardinal virtues.