The War of Art

By: Steven Pressfield
Date Read: 2017-07-18
Rating: ★★★☆☆

FOREWORD

In short, if the Muse exists, she does not whisper to the untalented.

RESISTANCE’S GREATEST HITS

In other words, any act that rejects immediate gratification in favor of long-term growth, health, or integrity. Or, expressed another way, any act that derives from our higher nature instead of our lower. Any of these will elicit Resistance.

RESISTANCE IS INVISIBLE

Resistance cannot be seen, touched, heard, or smelled. But it can be felt. We experience it as an energy field radiating from a work-in-potential. It’s a repelling force. It’s negative. Its aim is to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work.

RESISTANCE NEVER SLEEPS

The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.

RESISTANCE IS FUELED BY FEAR

Resistance has no strength of its own. Every ounce of juice it possesses comes from us. We feed it with power by our fear of it. Master that fear and we conquer Resistance.

RESISTANCE AND PROCRASTINATION, PART TWO

We don’t just put off our lives today; we put them off till our deathbed.

There never was a moment, and never will be, when we are without the power to alter our destiny.

RESISTANCE AND SELF-MEDICATION

Many pedestrians have been maimed or killed at the intersection of Resistance and Commerce.

RESISTANCE AND VICTIMHOOD

Casting yourself as a victim is the antithesis of doing your work. Don’t do it. If you’re doing it, stop.

RESISTANCE AND FUNDAMENTALISM

These are not easy questions. Who am I? Why am I here? They’re not easy because the human being isn’t wired to function as an individual. We’re wired tribally, to act as part of a group. Our psyches are programmed by millions of years of hunter-gatherer evolution. We know what the clan is; we know how to fit into the band and the tribe. What we don’t know is how to be alone. We don’t know how to be free individuals.

The paradox seems to be, as Socrates demonstrated long ago, that the truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery. While those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern over them.

RESISTANCE AND SELF-DOUBT

Self-doubt can be an ally. This is because it serves as an indicator of aspiration. It reflects love, love of something we dream of doing, and desire, desire to do it. If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?” chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.

RESISTANCE AND FEAR

Fear tells us what we have to do.

Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.

WHAT A WRITER’S DAY FEELS LIKE

Principle of Priority, which states (a) you must know the difference between what is urgent and what is important, and (b) you must do what’s important first.

A PROFESSIONAL SELF-VALIDATES

The professional cannot allow the actions of others to define his reality.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TERRITORY AND HIERARCHY

Here’s another test. Of any activity you do, ask yourself: If I were the last person on earth, would I still do it?

Vocabulary