I think the best way to demonstrate my feelings about this book is to use quotes from the work itself. Let me start with an excerpt from the preface:

"If tomorrow morning by some stroke of magic every dazed and benighted soul woke up with the power to take the first step toward pursuing his or her dreams, every shrink in the directory would be out of business. Prisons would stand empty. The alcohol and tobacco industries would collapse, along with...pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and the medical profession from top to bottom. Domestic abuse would become extinct, as would addiction, obesity, migraine headaches, road rage, and dandruff."

And then, two paragraphs later, after reminding readers that Hitler was an artist before he became a dictator:

"Call it overstatement but I'll say it anyway: it was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas."

We're 7 pages in at this point but I already knew that it was, to put it mildly, not for me. I decided to finish it, though, since it's very short and reads quickly. Some highlights:

Page 19 - When you start making progress, expect your friends to start hating you because they're jealous. "The best and only thing that one artist can do for another is to serve as an example and a inspiration."

Page 26 - Attention Deficit Disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder, and Social Anxiety Disorder aren't medical conditions - they're "marketing ploys" to sell prescription drugs.

Page 132 - Maybe your cancer is just your unrealized dreams killing you, and maybe if you live out your dreams you'll be cured.

...And even more that's full of harmful macho-talk and objectively bad science.

There's some good advice in there too. On page 75 he tells the reader to be patient - it's a marathon, not a sprint. On page 87 he tells you not to take criticism (or praise) too seriously, and to not let your work be your identity. And on page 122 there's a lovely image of an angel standing over your story yelling "Grow! Grow!" and he emphasizes that getting started every day is the hardest, most important thing. All good stuff, but the good stuff is not worth the effort of filtering out all the bad.
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Very nice and pushy. Don't know about inspiring but... there is something. I think it's not a book, it's more like a collection of short "not poems" on simple subjects. Very short, very direct, very on topic. Like many many motivational speeches it can be abridged even more to several key sentences. But then there will be nothing to talk about. Paradox :). ( )

Ok if the reader is religious.
Not many references to other authors.
Appears this author tried to pad it out to make this book bigger ( )

First two parts of the book really connected with me and I really liked it. But the last part (book #3) is a frustrating read. I can understand why many friends of mine were infuriated by this. Despite all that, I rate 5-stars mainly for the first two parts. I really liked the narrative of Resistance and Pro. ( )

You can't afford to miss this book if you are an artist or a writer. No quick fix mumbo jumbo. Pressfield offers some insightful advice on how to actuate yourself to action and give a fuck about what others think. However, the book loses pace for the last20 percent. I don't mean to say that the portion is trite; just that the author explores inspiration and life's calling from intensely philosophical perspective. Great book! ( )

Part One: It’s all pretty simplistic. Anything that prevents you from writing is resistance. There are no legitimate reasons not to just do it. Some of this could be helpful, like fear of failure or fear of success. Some of it could be harmful, especially when he says mental illness and chronic physical illness are just other forms of resistance. He also does not acknowledge the privileges necessary for writing.

Part Two:This stuff is more useful because the mindset he recommends has value. It still gets too black and white for me—pros do this and amateurs do that. Master technique, play it as it lays, do the work instead of talking about it: all valid points. But even though he’d claim he was against preciousness, the section does make professionalism a little precious, again because it holds the pro as this lofty thing. It's almost a purity.

Part Three: Sure, imagining a muse can be helpful. Getting out of your own head and making art for the sake of making it (being territorial instead of hierarchical) are good things. Releasing the ego and looking for the self. But he takes it too far (while at the same time staying shallow) so that he ends up saying the writing is “taking dictation” and only hacks think about “the market.” There is again a purity to all this. ( )

An amazing and inspirational book... It taught me that if I really have to be serious about writing, I have to go 'pro' and that's something that only comes with continuous effort and hard work... Great read... ( )

An extremely quick read about the mentality of creativeness and what gets in the way (you, you're the one getting in your way). It's a bit woowoo at points, but that may work for you. I don't know you. I do think it worth a read, even if that's not your style. Remember: not all advice works for everyone all the time. ( )

Sometimes too direct and even naive (he's a former marine and you can get it..), sometimes really insightful. For me, the most striking point was on the difference between being an amateur and being a "pro". Lots of thoughts about that... All in all, a good book on creative motivation.
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I still have little notes and tabs all over my copy because I found it very useful and refreshing. I will say that it has a lot of religious language which I didn't resonate with but was not a deal-breaker for me. ( )

In a word...ENORMOUS! This is one of the only books that takes on the topic of Resistance, one of the most prevalent forces in our lives, and brings its power to light. While aimed at writers, Steve goes to great lengths to enlighten the reader about the innumerable ways resistance impacts our lives. Whether health, wealth or relationship problems, all forms of resistance come into play. The MORE we understand its power, the easier we can make changes to diminish it. A MUST read for all those who seek to improve their lives. ( )

I agree with the basic idea behind this book-- that to do your work, you just need to go ahead and do it, and do it everyday-- but I feel like the book is often muddled by the author's references to the spiritual. I suspect that all those diversions about invoking the Muse are really just to increase page numbers because the real content, however important and useful it is, probably only takes up 20 pages at most. ( )

There were nuggets of truth in the book, however, the religious undertones didn't resonate with me. ( )

Everyone should read this book. Not everyone will agree with everything in it---I certainly didn't---but it's thought-provoking in the best possible way. Where do you stand with your unlived potential? What are you willing to do about it? Or are you unwilling even to admit that you have unlived potential? ( )

Crazy motivational! ( )

My brother-in-law, a professional comedian, actor, and author, suggested I read this book while laying fallow.

A small manual about battling Resistance, which is anything that distracts you from getting the work you've come into this world to do, whether that mission is to start a company, raise a family, or run a nation.

Solid advice about commitment, discipline, and perseverance. ( )

It's a great book for motivation! ( )

Some of the writing was a bit over-the-top, but I did find the content strangely motivating. ( )

My friend lent me this book and I found it to be an integral part to any battle against procrastination and creativity blocks. It acts like the angel on your shoulder, giving you the power and ammunition to battle through those tough times and salute yourself on the other side for all the amazing things you created. ( )

Traducción penosa ( )

Steven Pressfield wrote a book about procrastination. It's not a long book, more like a church tract but with swearing. It's not an informed book; he prescribes discipline as the answer to depression. It's not an ambitious book, mostly invocations to face your fears. But he overcame Resistance. He sent the editor his manuscript, and he got paid. Good on him.

I read a number of "inspirational", self-help books and this is probably my favorite. Pressfield's voice is unique and he obviously speaks from experience. If you are having trouble starting something as an artist or entrepreneur, or even just committing to losing weight or making another improvement in your life, I heartily recommend this. ( )

This book is beautifully written and would be highly suggested to any writer going through a writer's block. I would imagine this is how creative non fiction is written. The imagery and personification of abstract concepts spoke to me personally. The book is divided in three parts and walks the reader through the idea of 'Resistance' on to how and why it is the responsibility of an artist to overcome it.
The reason the book doesn't get 5 stars is because the author switches from male pronouns to female as they feel, which made me lose focus. ( )

This book has popped up a few times in podcasts and YouTube videos of creative people I follow. The basic premise is that creating art of any kind is a battle against ourselves and our habits. This book promises to explain how to overcome all this and in particular our habit for procrastination. Some how Pressfield manages to spread the message 'just get on with it' over 190 pages of constant repetition and talking about god. This book seems to have a some what cult following and I am foxed if I know why. ( )