Book report: Notre Dame football seniors share their review of 'Discipline is Destiny'

South Bend Tribune
SOUTH BEND — Before he ever joined Notre Dame football, defensive back Thomas Harper found relaxation and reward in reading self-help books.
That gave the Oklahoma State grad transfer an advantage when it came to a recent homework assignment from Irish coach Marcus Freeman. The book of choice: “Discipline is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control,” by bestselling author Ryan Holiday.
“We had to do a senior speech,” Harper said Monday after practice No. 11 of preseason training camp. “Coach Freeman assigned all the seniors. We had to read a chapter of a book. That’s the one I’m reading right now.”
The book is the second in the planned Stoic Virtues series, following Holiday’s best-selling “Courage is Calling.”
Divided into 54 short chapters and totaling 315 pages, “Discipline is Destiny” includes chapter titles such as, “Hustle, Hustle, Hustle,” “Practice … Then Practice More,” “Fight the Provocation,” “Silence is Strength” and “Beware This Madness.”
Harper’s quick review for the media: “It’s been good, really just about how disciplined (people thrive) and just giving you tips on how to be successful from his experiences.”
In terms of how that applies to football, Harper sees the connection.
“A lot of it is just like mindset and about just being able to control what you can control,” he said. “Regardless of your circumstances, just being able to make the most out of it. It all kind of boils down to that – most of it.”
After arriving on campus in January, Harper gave a shout-out to “The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership” by James C. Hunter. The demands of training camp have predictably interfered with Harper’s typical pleasure reading.
“Really been locked in,” Harper said. “I haven’t had time to read as much as I would like, but still making a little time for it.”
Before receiving Professor Freeman’s recent syllabus, Harper was plowing through “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic philosopher and Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD. Considered one of the Five Good Emperors and the last to reign during Pax Romana, Rome’s Marcus took the throne at age 39.
Freeman, coincidentally, was 35 when he succeeded Brian Kelly.
Historians are divided on how Marcus Aurelius fared against Top 10-caliber opponents.