Lessons from Jack Donovan

Jack Donovan is a writer known for his provocative and influential works on masculinity, tribalism, and the challenges of modernity. His philosophy centers on what he terms "The Way of Men," a framework for understanding masculinity through a primal, gang-oriented lens. His writings encourage men to cultivate virtues that he argues are timeless and essential for survival and honor.

The Tactical Virtues: Strength, Courage, Mastery, and Honor

Donovan's core philosophy revolves around four "tactical virtues" that he argues are the universal, amoral bedrock of masculinity.

Quotes on the Tactical Virtues

"Strength, Courage, Mastery, and Honor are the alpha virtues of men all over the world. They are the fundamental virtues of men because without them, no ‘higher’ virtues can be entertained." [1][2]
"Strength requires an opposing force, courage requires risk, mastery requires hard work, honor requires accountability to other men." [2][3]
"A man who is more concerned with being a good man than being good at being a man makes a very well-behaved slave." [1]
"Being good at being a man isn't a quest for moral perfection, it's about fighting to survive." [4][5]
"Men respond to and admire the qualities that would make men useful and dependable in an emergency." [6]

Learnings on the Tactical Virtues

Strength is foundational: Donovan posits that physical strength is the most fundamental masculine virtue because it is the ability to impose one's will on the physical world and other people. [3][7] It is a differentiator between men and women and a key component of a man's value to the group. [3]
Courage implies risk: True courage isn't the absence of fear, but the willingness to risk harm for the benefit of oneself or the tribe. [3][8] Actions without meaningful consequences require little courage. [8]
Mastery earns respect: This virtue is about achieving a high level of skill and competence in a craft or a set of skills that are valuable to the group. [7][9] Mastery is a demonstration of dedication and contributes to a man's utility. [9]
Honor is about reputation among men: Honor is a man's reputation for strength, courage, and mastery within his honor group (his tribe). [2][7] It is about being seen as a reliable and valuable member of the team. [2]

Masculinity and The Gang

Donovan argues that the most essential form of masculinity is found in the context of a small, embattled group of men—a "gang"—struggling for survival.

Quotes on Masculinity and the Gang

"Masculinity is about being a man within a group of men." [8][10]
"A man is not merely a man but a man among men, in a world of men." [1]
"Relieved of moral pretense and stripped of folk costumes, the raw masculinity that all men know in their gut has to do with being good at being a man within a small, embattled gang of men struggling to survive." [6]
"If you want to follow The Way of Men, if you want to advance a return to honor and manly virtue, if you want to steel yourself against an uncertain future—start a gang." [10]
"Men who don't care about what the other men think of them aren't dependable or trustworthy." [4][11]
"The natural gods of men are other men, mythic or real, who embody manhood in men's eyes." [4]
"We are, each of us, alone. And this is the first law of masculinity. And it is the most important law. Your value is equal to the value which you bring to the tribe." [5]

Learnings on Masculinity and the Gang

The Gang as the Proving Ground: The "gang" is Donovan's term for the small, cohesive group of men that represents the essential unit of human survival. It is within this context that the tactical virtues are most clearly demonstrated and valued. [10]
Masculinity is performative and hierarchical: Manhood is something that must be demonstrated and proven to other men. This creates a natural hierarchy based on a man's value to the group. [10][12]
Male relationships are unique: Men push each other to achieve greatness in a way that is distinct from relationships between men and women. [13] This camaraderie is essential for personal growth and tribal cohesion. [9]

Tribalism and "Becoming a Barbarian"

In a world he sees as a globalizing, homogenizing "Empire," Donovan advocates for a return to tribalism as a means of psychological and social secession.

Quotes on Tribalism

"To be a barbarian today is to draw your own perimeter and build social networks and reciprocal relationships that are not dictated or controlled by the Empire." [4][14]
"Evaluating and altering the way you use the word 'we' in speech, thought and writing is the simplest, yet also one of the most profound changes you can make in your everyday life to secede psychologically from the global collective and become a barbarian." [4][15]
"It has always been the job of men to separate ‘us’ from ‘them’, and to police and protect the boundaries of the band, tribe, kingdom or nation." [14]
"To say that you care about one group of people more than others is a moral sin in the modern world. It is considered uncivilized- barbaric." [16]
"In a world of single, spoiled boys who have been able to walk away from any commitment or association – lifetime brotherhood is a radical idea." [4]

Learnings on Tribalism

Define Your "We": A crucial step in becoming a "barbarian" is to consciously choose who your "we" is—your tribe. [15] This is in contrast to the abstract, meaningless "we" of nations or humanity as a whole. [15]
Build Your Tribe: Men should actively build their own tribes or gangs based on shared values and mutual investment. [17] This creates a support system outside of state control. [18]
The Empire vs. The Tribe: Donovan frames the modern world as an "Empire" that seeks to pacify men and dissolve tribal bonds for easier control. The "barbarian" is one who resists this and prioritizes his chosen tribe. [14][18]

Critiques of Modernity and Civilization

Donovan is a sharp critic of modern, civilized life, which he believes has made men soft, alienated, and disconnected from their primal nature.

Quotes on Modernity

"Civilization comes at a cost of manliness. It comes at a cost of wildness, of risk, of strife. It comes at a cost of strength, of courage, of mastery. It comes at a cost of honor." [1][6]
"One of the great tragedies of modernity is the lack of opportunity for men to become what they are, to do what they were bred to do, what their bodies want to do." [2][11]
"It's tragic to think that heroic man's great destiny is to become economic man, that men will be reduced to craven creatures who crawl across the globe competing for money." [2]
"If you are never truly challenged in a meaningful way and are only required to perform idiot-proofed corporate processes to get your meat and shelter, can you ever truly be engaged enough to call yourself alive, let alone a man?" [11]
"Vulnerability invites violence." [4][5]
"As things get worse and the State seems powerless to help, the State will seem less and less legitimate." [1]
"If anything has made men more effeminate in the past half-century, it's been the running feminist critique of masculinity." [4]
"'Honor Diversity' is an interesting slogan, because it essentially means 'honor everyone and everything.' If everyone is honored equally...honor has no hierarchy, and therefore honor has little value." [2][11]

Learnings on Modernity

The Pacification of Men: Modern society, with its emphasis on safety and comfort, has removed the environmental dangers that historically forged masculine virtues. [1][9]
Proxy Violence: Society relies on the state's monopoly on violence (e.g., police), which allows most men to live without understanding or being prepared for it. [13][16]
The Problem with "Good Men": The modern ideal of a "good man" is often one who is easy to manage, emotionally expressive in a way that serves others' needs, and tactically inept—the opposite of being "good at being a man." [10]

On Violence, Conflict, and Action

Donovan sees violence and conflict not as evils to be eradicated, but as fundamental aspects of nature and the final arbiters of disputes.

Quotes on Violence and Conflict

"Without action, words are just words. Without violence, laws are just words. Violence isn't the only answer, but it is the final answer." [1][4]
"Violence is the gold standard, the reserve that guarantees order...it is better than a gold standard, because violence has universal value." [1]
"Life is conflict; peace is death. Forces of chaos keep the cycles of history moving." [4][14]
"Better to live vigorously, better to fight, than to simply wait for the end... in peace." [4][15]
"Sometimes men pick fights just for something to do-just to feel something like the threat of harm and the possibility of triumph." [2][11]
"If every man lays down his arms and refuses to pick them up, the first man to pick up can do whatever he wants." [16]

Learnings on Violence and Conflict

Violence as the Ultimate Authority: Donovan argues that all order and law are ultimately backed by the threat of violence. To ignore this reality is to be naive and vulnerable. [1][16]
Embrace the Struggle: Conflict and struggle are essential parts of life that create meaning and drive history. A life without struggle is a life of stagnation. [4][14]

Philosophical Outlook

These quotes and learnings reflect Donovan's broader philosophical stance on life, values, and self-creation.

Philosophical Quotes

"If you're going to be a master of your own life and your own world, you choose your values." [4][14]
"The man who wants to be great believes that he is worthy of greatness. And it is so because he makes it so." [4]
"Men of ideas and men of action have much to learn from each other, and the truly great are men of both action and abstraction." [2][4]
"These venomous, needy souls speak of 'toxic masculinity,' but who is more toxic than the person who needs to change to the whole world so that they can love themselves?" [19]

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