Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives

Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives

4.08 of 5 stars 4.08  ·  rating details  ·  15,853 ratings  ·  973 reviews
During his junior year at the University of California, while training to become a world-champion gymnast, Dan Millman stumbled on a 94-year-old mentor nicknamed Socrates, a powerful, unpredictable, and elusive character. He taught a way to maximize performance using a unique blend of Eastern philosophy and Western fitness to cultivate the true essence of a champion - the...more
Paperback, 216 pages
Published August 22nd 2000 by HJ Kramer/New World Library (first published 1961)
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Michael Cunningham
I haven't been reading or writing much lately, but I did just finish Way of the Peaceful Warrior, a book that was given to me long ago by a friend of my brother. The friend was addicted to heroin at the time and had just pawned off my acoustic guitar I lent him in order to buy more junk. He came to me shortly after the event and told me he had something for me while reaching into his backpack. I knew my guitar wouldn't fit in the bag... and I wasn't using heroin.. so I had zero idea what the hel...more
Kenny Murphy
Also known as Way of the Peaceful Warrior: The Book That Changes Lives

Someone recommended this book to me many years ago and I finally got around to reading it. Its hard to describe exactly what this is, part metaphysical/self help book, part autobiography/novel, if that makes sense. It supposed to be based on the early life of the author, who admits he took many liberties with the story. In the story, Dan, a young gymnast, meets a attendant at a gas station late one night who makes an impressi...more
S. Ayleen Edwin
The wisdom preached in this book is intense and it is a read that is difficult to put down. Having said that; I have difficulty recommending the book. It is apparent that Millman is passionate and knowledgeable. He is not, however, a writer. I would have liked to see this work ghost-written. The fourth quarter of the book was painful in its story-telling and while I understand the potential device used to portray that the time away from his teacher was less focused, I feel those 8 years might ha...more
Barrett
i wanted to like this book more; perhaps i didn't because i had expected some Simple Truth in the pages, some life manual that would point me to utter and extreme bliss. to a certain extent, it's there -- if you're looking for the Zen lifestyle. i'm not particularly sold on Zen, though i suppose there are some basic Life Lessons you could glean from this novel: detach yourself from the need to acquire worldly goods, remember we're all part of everything else, etc.

however, this is ultimately a s...more
Beeta
I hate that they made a movie about this book. I think it cheapened the message. It is beautifully written and well worth the time, as is the book that follows this one...
Kelly
Nov 30, 2009 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone, but especially those who want a grounded approach to 'spirituality'
Recommended to Kelly by: a nice lady
While this book may be 'too simple' for some literary types, I feel it is an excellent story that can speak to all people from all walks of life.

It takes an 'Average Joe' type and follows his unfolding toward true self-awareness. Millman's approach makes deep stuff an easy and enjoyable read. It's refreshing compared to some of the "serious elitist" spiritual books that are out there. I have read it 5 times and get so many new things from it each time I read it...it's definitely a timeless gift...more
Tyler Demos
The book The Way of The Peaceful Warrior is a story of how a man named Dan Millman became a "warrior". By finding out on his own just what really matters and what is most important in life. This book is great for people who are struggling to find out the important things in life. It is a good life lesson, and it uses powerful words and sayings that help the reader better understand the importance of the book. It shows how young people can often that they have full control over their lives when i...more
Kevin Beary
This review is for my personal journal not for you to read so feel free not to read this : These are more rambling notes and observations for me to reflect on in the future.

As far as the writing , dialogue , character development and interaction , this book is lacking. It was very difficult for me to get through what should`ve been a very quick read. I didn`t really enjoy the characters at all and rarely empathized with them even when confronted with obvious universal "situations" we all have b...more
jack
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Faith Quick
Dec 02, 2007 Faith Quick rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: stacy and tonya
this is a book that changes lives. it changes your life as you read it in small seemingly insignificant ways. yet you begin to realize your impact you have on all those around you and more importantly the impact you have on yourself. how much you influence how you see the world and how much you live in the world. we need to stand back and look inside ourselves. look at what we like and especially what we don't like. face ourselves. our true selves. be honest. realize your own self potential. i l...more
Cheryl
“A Book that changes lives.” I have been attracted to some metaphysical literature lately. I just don’t identify with the young brash foolish boy/man who finds a teacher and then argues with him all the way to enlightenment. I know there is a purpose to that type of narrative and it is similar to Daniel Quinn, but it doesn’t touch my soul. Plus I think this book is very much about the self, about finding self enlightenment with no directive then to go and illuminate others. One part I responded...more
Martin Adil-Smith
Within its title, this book makes a bold claim; it changes lives.

Does it?

The answer is a resounding "yes"... as long as you let it.

The story charts the life of Dan from college through to mid adulthood. On the surface he appears to have everything - a succesful gymnast, plenty of luck with the girls, good grades... but he feels that something is missing, and when meets the good natured gas station attendant (surely a sign of the times) known only as "Socrates", he begins his spiritual journey.

It...more
Jolene Thiel
I thought it would be difficult to find a book as inspiring, and eye opening after just finishing The Alchemist, but I loved this book so much! A majority of the members of my family have read it and I'm glad that I finally did.

Way of the Peaceful Warrior is written in first person by author Dan Millman. The story begins at the beginning of Millman's college career. He is attending Berkeley on a gymnastics scholarship (which I found relate-able since I did gymnastics all throughout childhood) a...more
Joy Williams
I read this book years ago; however, every time I pick it back up, I find something more inside of it to appreciate. The story is so good because:

A) it’s a true story about real suffering and growth
B) it’s just as much about the main character’s inner journey as it is about his external one.

This book was highly relevant to me because it describes in Western terms, the essence of a traditional guru-disciple relationship. This relationship is as old as time, and most of the greatest world’s teachi...more
Laraemilie
‘A book that changes life’, states the cover… Partly novel, partly autobiography, partly self-help guide, partly philosophical book, Way of the peaceful warrior contains a range of details that can actually be life changing for anybody.
Dan Millman inspired himself from his own story to write young athlete Dan’s story and discovery of the world: Despite his successful career as a gymnast and his easy college life, Dan has the feeling that something is not quite right in his life. One night, as h...more
Brian Kelley
Awful.

After near­ly four months of labored read­ing, I fin­ished Dan Mill­man's The Way of the Peace­ful War­rior--the lit­er­ary world's first hol­low choco­late bunny.

Rec­om­mend­ed to me by an 8th grade stu­dent, I was instant­ly "in" and excit­ed to dig in. A stu­dent hand­ed me this book and I need­ed to read it for the sheer sake of the con­nec­tion, the abil­i­ty to talk about it with him and around other students--this was perfect. The expe­ri­ence and my plan to use it as the great un...more
Joan
I read this at the urging of my son. It just mostly made me feel old. As a few other reviewers have pointed out, there is not anything truly new in this book. Most of it is Asian mysticism made more palatable through American experiences by using an American college student as the focus. A subplot with a romance feels quite forced, as if the author figured he better put in some romance so people can relate to the book better and find it interesting enough to begin reading it. Many people have sa...more
Robyn
I have no doubt that this book was life changing for some people, but for anyone who's already done any research into alternate spirituality, this read like "New age 101". For a complete newbie, this might be just what you need to open up new vistas of thought.

Be aware though, This book only constitutes the beginning of a journey, and in my opinion, a very flawed start, but if it's what gets you asking questions, then so be it.

Like most self help/new age spirituality novels, Way of the Peaceful...more
Brandon Lott
This book, in many ways, mirrors the transformative path that my life has been on the past 6 months or so. This isn't a book that's for everyone, but since I have been studying Buddhism for a while, much of what is talked about in the book I can jive with. However, you don't really get the sense that the book is based in Buddhist philosophy until the middle of the book when it becomes a bit more direct. But, true to the path of Buddhism, it's not so much about the the ideas of Zen and its practi...more
Deborah Edwards
Absolute crap. I still can't believe how truly bad this was, because a friend recommended it based on the alleged monumental effect it had on his life, and it appears to be quite highly rated by the majority of Goodreads readers. I don't know what they saw that I didn't, but I found this a completely ludicrous, utterly fabricated story told through unlikable, two-dimensional characters. The writing is abominable. Seriously abominable. I spent most of the time wondering how it had even managed to...more
Myth Girl
This is, hands down, one of the best books I read. It came to me at a time in my life when I really needed to read it. I don't want to give any spoilers, but if you are interested at all in the path of peace and happiness, if you explore meditation, mindfulness, or any other related concepts... you will absolutely adore this book. Even if you haven't been attuned to these things before, this book would be a great introduction. I kept jotting down quotes while I was reading it, and I've already b...more
Karen P
Fist off, It took me forever to figure out what this book was called. Being that I read this senior year and I couldn't remember the title for the life of me. Thank goodness for google.

Anyways, I loved this book because it was just very motivational. And you know when you read books in High School you don't have a choice to read them or not? Well I can say that there are only a few that I've read and actually liked and also learned something from it. 'Way of the Peaceful Warrior'was one of thos...more
Milen Semkov
The book's basic idea is wonderful: it is a story about a young Dan Millman who meets Socrates, the wise mentor, and Millman's whole life is gradually transformed by Socrates as he makes him put into practice a set of philosophical principles which is basically a mix of distilled, westernised Buddhism and some other spiritual and philosophical teachings. I can really appreciate the idea, as a good story is always more inspirational and a more effective teaching method than just dry theory. Also,...more
Libby
This was an interesting book from many perspectives, it kept my attention and it was entertaining and easy to read. However, I found myself questioning a lot of the assertions made and at the risk of sounding all new agey a lot of it didn't resonate with me. Perhaps it was the authors occupation as a gymnast and his preocupation with the physical and his ego. I found it hard to relate to his problems and therefore some of the methods of Socrates. I think perhaps that it was just too masculine a...more
Rachel
I read this book in French so maybe it's a translation problem, but I just couldn't get past Millman's seemingly boastful tone. Even the title seems presumptuous. I realize the focus is supposed to be on Socrates' teachings - much of which is genuinely interesting - but I found myself being continually irritated by the author's way of talking about himself. Somehow it rubbed me the wrong way. And I might just be too cynical, but the frequent inspirational quotes were a little much.
Matthew Krause
It is hard to say whether or not this book changed my life, but it was certainly enchanting, and I found myself meditating on spiritual concepts that had been haunting me prior to cracking open its pages. Told in first person, Peaceful Warrior is the story of Dan Millman's days as a gymnast at Berkeley and his chance meeting (and subsequent Jedi-esque training) with Socrates, a wise old service station attendant with mystical powers. Blending the autobiographical elements of his college days wit...more
Renate
Let me start by saying that I didn’t finish this book. The part I did read put me off a bit, so the next lines might offend the vast number of people who are moved by Millman’s prose.
The 100 pages I read were quite enough for me to abandon this book. I got so annoyed (for example with the nickname Socrates to suggest something really philosophical was going on and all the little magic to make the superstitious reader ready to drink in the “piercing truths” to come) that I failed to spot anything...more
Lucy Furr
Not really sure what to say about this. I think it would have been vastly improved having been written by an actual writer and having been written as a real autobiography/memoir instead of a fictionalized account. Perhaps it may have come across as less exciting without the fictionalization (personally, I thought it was pretty boring even fictionalized), but it also would have come across as more honest.

I also can't help but wonder if drugs were involved in some parts of this story (I can hear t...more
Daniel G.
With 11,605 ratings and 844 reviews, including 15 from my friends, I'm going to offer something more useful in this review than simply saying it's a great book or rehashing the content.

It is, by the way, a great book and reminded me of my own journey to enlightenment.

Here's a list of books to check out if you enjoyed "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" and want to study further in the area.

For books that will complement the journey you'll start here, check out Initiation by Elisabeth Haich and for a s...more
Craig Williams
I had seen the movie first, and thought it an amazing insight into the practice of Eastern philosophy. Naturally, the book delves much deeper into these ideas. The subtitle of the book is: "A Book that Changes Lives". At first, such a claim seems quite conceited. How many other such self-help/spiritual books have made this claim, only to be touchy-feely, but ultimately useless, feel-good crap? However, Dan Millman has done his homework, channeling such gurus as Ram Das and philosophers like Plat...more
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Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives (Paperback)
Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Basically True Story (Hardcover)
Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives (Paperback)
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior (Soft cover)
Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book that Changes Lives

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Dan Millman is a former world champion athlete, university coach, martial arts instructor, and college professor.

After an intensive, twenty-year spiritual quest, Dan's teaching found its form as the Peaceful Warrior's Way, expressed fully in his books and lectures. His work continues to evolve over time, to meet the needs of a changing world.

--from the author's website
More about Dan Millman...
Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior The Journeys of Socrates The Life You Were Born to Live: A Guide to Finding Your Life Purpose No Ordinary Moments: A Peaceful Warrior's Guide to Daily Life The Laws of Spirit: A Tale of Transformation

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