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The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles Paperback – April 1, 2003

by
Steven Pressfield (Author)
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Steven Pressfield (Author)
1,844 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 165 pages
  • Publisher: Warner Books; 3.2.2003 edition (April 1, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0446691437
  • ISBN-13: 978-0446691437
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,844 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

809 of 846 people found the following review helpful
A powerful and potentially life-transforming book!
By Joe T. on September 10, 2004
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Know the enemy, know yourself, wrote Sun Tzu in his classic The Art of War, and your victory will be certain. For anyone who is stuck at a level below their God-given potential, who can't seem to get on track to do the things they need to do in order to achieve their most authentic goals, knowing the enemy and knowing yourself are one and the same.

Steve Pressfield's magnificent little book The War of Art is about being more creative - but more important, it's also about fulfilling your potential as a human being. To do this, he says, you must overcome Resistance (the "R" is capitalized be Pressfield to represent the fact that it is a very real entity - as real to your authentic Self as Charles Manson or Genghis Khan were to their victims).

The whole aim of Resistance, says Pressfield (who is the bestselling author of The Legend of Bagger Vance and Gates of Fire), is to prevent you from doing the work you are called to do. Resistance wants you to take it easy, to be ordinary and mediocre, to take the low road. Resistance is the reason so many people place a basket over the brilliant candle that shines within them. The fight against Resistance is, Pressfield says, a war to the death.

Pressfield disputes the standard motivational cliché that you can have, do, or be anything if you follow the right formula and just work hard enough. Rather, he says: "We are not born with unlimited choices... Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal that we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it."

There are two occasions when Resistance will be the most relentless, and they are related. The first is when something really matters to you.Read more ›
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659 of 692 people found the following review helpful
Inspirational and prescient
By A Customer on July 15, 2004
Format: Paperback
I posted a review of this book over a year ago, right after I read it for the first time. I gave it three stars at that time because, other than the first section dealing with resistence in a practical sense, I found the rest of the book to be too esoteric. Since then I have done a tremendous amount of soul-searching regarding my inner drive to become a writer. That search took me back to this book recently, and after reading it for a second time I have to say I don't know what I was thinking when I gave it only three stars. Today I truly believe it is worthy of five stars because it struck deep into my conscience and helped me understand my situation and the situation of others like me. Anyone who is trying to tap into the inspiration they sense burning somewhere inside them that tells them to go out and write - or to create any other kind of art - will benefit tremendously if they open their minds and prepare themselves for rigorous introspection. This is not a simple self-help or how-to book. It is a truly profound examination of the human mind and the quest for fulfillment that we all feel.
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211 of 221 people found the following review helpful
A Work of Compulsion
By A Customer on May 27, 2002
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
One thing is certain: Steven Pressfield was compelled by whatever source provides him inspiration for his craft to write this book. This is not a labor of love; it is a labor of compulsion. The book is also certain to draw extreme reviews: some will love it; others won't. Middle ground is unlikely. The book manifests itself: I don't think Steven Pressfield cares if he sells one copy, nor does he care whether we like it or not. He only knows that this was a book he had to write. I'm glad he did.
The War of Art is a real-world extension of Bagger Vance, the Jonathan Livingston Seagull of the `90's. Pressfield's presentation draws comparison to many statements that have floated around in my head over the years. JLS said "You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self here and now." In the second edition of the Star War series (in the late `70's?) Yoda tells Luke Skywalker, "There is no try." Either do it or don't do it. The War of Art makes a strong case for both of these concepts.
I was a fighter pilot for nearly 10 years, edited and published a newspaper for two, and entered the battlefield of corporate America two decades ago. As I concluded Pressfield's book, I was overwhelmed with the bittersweet feeling that I truly wished I had read this book when I was 20, not 52. Only having read one or two randomly selected pages when I got the book, I emailed by 20-year-old son in New Hampshire and made it "mandatory reading." He called me within 48 hours, and I couldn't fail to see the impression The War of Art had made on him. "Dad," he said, "For the first time in my life, I can see all the time I've wasted ...." The impact was as real as it was profound.
I read once that "the only thing in the middle of the road is yellow stripes and dead armadillos.Read more ›
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210 of 232 people found the following review helpful
Overcome resistance to living the life you love
By Michelle Pettit VINE VOICE on November 5, 2003
Format: Paperback
If you have a passion in your life -- writing, painting, music, sculpting, dancing, acting -- and if this passion is the reason you believe you're alive, then check out this book. One of Pressfield's premises is that we're all MEANT for something, we're each here for some reason, to create something in the world (Eternity is in love with the productions of time) and if we don't live for and through this, then we're wasting our time. He blasts away even the most stubborn and alluring resistances - the excuses we tell ourselves for not doing the work. This book can rev you up -- it's short (165 pages)and powerful. I breezed through the book in a few hours and felt energized. Pressfield puts art-making in perspective, puts procastination in perspective, and delivers in a direct, conversational tone -- as one human who is trying to live a life that means something to another. I've read a lot of "how to" books and most don't live up to their hype. This one deals with how to overcome the obstacles of ambition and how (and why) to discipline yourself. As much as a cliche as it may sound, it will make a difference in how you look at what you do. Give it to anyone else you know who wants to write, paint, act, dance, compose, and wants to follow their dream.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Learn About Pressfield's Concept of Resistance.

This is one of the best works on writing I've ever read. Anyone who wants to accomplish anything should read this book. Read more

Published 1 day ago by Matt Bailey
Quick read/very motivating.

This book has been a huge factor in me getting my s*** together! I now write at least three days a week, workout 6 days a week, meditate, juice, and do yoga! Read more

Published 3 days ago by Vince Cruz
Five Stars

great read, very inspirational and full of identifiable "restrictions" that continue to block me

Published 3 days ago by AR1181
Inspiring

If you're sitting on the fence between Ego and higher Self, this book will help you get off your butt and start the work you need to do.

Published 7 days ago by D. M. Gribschaw
Five Stars

A great kick in the toosh to shake off resistance and get going with work

Published 7 days ago by Violeta
Yes

I read this really fast because I loved it. Now I need to simmer over it slowly. Great inspiration. Read it!

Published 7 days ago by Matthew
Five Stars

Great read. Highly recommended.

Published 9 days ago by Amazon Customer
Five Stars

Fantastic book. Changed my life. I bought ten copies and gave one to everyone I love.

Published 12 days ago by Sahand Zomorrodian
Say goodbye to resistance.

If you are an artist or an entrepreneur, or probably just an average procrastinator like me, you'll love this book. Say goodbye to resistance.

Published 12 days ago by Kelly L.
THANK YOU

Good book, quick delivery, good price, fine condition. So quite pleased!

Published 13 days ago by JOHN CUNNINGHAM

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