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Steven Pressfield

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Scott
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Steven Pressfield

Goodreads Author


Born
in Trinidad
Website

Member Since
March 2008

URL


I was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1943 to a Navy father and mother.

I graduated from Duke University in 1965.

In January of 1966, when I was on the bus leaving Parris Island as a freshly-minted Marine, I looked back and thought there was at least one good thing about this departure. "No matter what happens to me for the rest of my life, no one can ever send me back to this freakin' place again."

Forty years later, to my surprise and gratification, I am far more closely bound to the young men of the Marine Corps and to all other dirt-eating, ground-pounding outfits than I could ever have imagined.

GATES OF FIRE is one reason. Dog-eared paperbacks of this tale of the ancient Spartans have circulated throughout platoons of U.S. troops
...more

A Conversation With Rick Rubin

Do you know who Rick Rubin is?

He’s the author of the mega-best-seller THE CREATIVE ACT … and also “the Godfather of Hip-Hop” and facilitator of many, many hits, working out of his Shangri-la Studios in Southern California.

He has also become a great friend (both of us lost houses … Rick lost two … in the SoCal fires), who has been very kind to Diana and me through the post-apocalypse ups-and-downs.

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Published on August 19, 2026 01:25
Average rating: 4.06 · 262,287 ratings · 20,024 reviews · 97 distinct worksSimilar authors
The War of Art

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3.96 avg rating — 123,316 ratings — published 2002 — 73 editions
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Gates of Fire

4.40 avg rating — 45,838 ratings — published 1998 — 4 editions
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Do the Work

3.97 avg rating — 21,049 ratings — published 2011 — 36 editions
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Turning Pro

4.15 avg rating — 14,658 ratings — published 2012 — 10 editions
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The Virtues of War

4.03 avg rating — 6,790 ratings — published 2004 — 51 editions
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The Warrior Ethos

4.07 avg rating — 5,146 ratings — published 2011 — 10 editions
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Tides of War: A Novel of Al...

3.93 avg rating — 5,318 ratings — published 2000 — 40 editions
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The Afghan Campaign

4.01 avg rating — 5,178 ratings — published 2006 — 35 editions
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The Legend of Bagger Vance:...

3.91 avg rating — 5,127 ratings — published 1995 — 45 editions
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Killing Rommel

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4,512 ratings — published 2008 — 40 editions
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There's a crisis for writers these days. No more book reviews. Newspapers have cut back drastically. How can a writer get the word out that his...
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Steven’s Recent Updates

Steven Pressfield wrote a new blog post

A Conversation With Rick Rubin

Do you know who Rick Rubin is?He’s the author of the mega-best-seller THE CREATIVE ACT … and also “the Godfather of Hip-Hop” and facilitator of many, Read more of this blog post »
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Quotes by Steven Pressfield  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“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.”
Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

“Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one 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.”
Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

“Our job in this life is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.”
Steven Pressfield, The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

Polls

Our Summer/Fall retreat (Aug, Sept, Oct) will focus on two or three (depending on length) selected works of a particular author. This is the poll to select that author. Poll will be open until June 1st.

Sarah Waters Sarah Waters
 
  3 votes, 42.9%

Christopher Rice Christopher Rice
 
  2 votes, 28.6%

Peter Ackroyd Peter Ackroyd
 
  1 vote, 14.3%

Steven Pressfield Steven Pressfield
 
  1 vote, 14.3%

Jennifer Egan Jennifer Egan
 
  0 votes, 0.0%

Barry Unsworth Barry Unsworth
 
  0 votes, 0.0%

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Romance Readers R...: colleen's Reading List 37 485 Jul 23, 2009 09:54AM  
The History Book ...: HISTORICAL FICTION POLLS 6 367 Jan 21, 2010 12:04AM  
The Seasonal Read...: This topic has been closed to new comments. 5.3 (S.P.R.I.N.G) 29 206 Feb 25, 2010 10:42AM  
Romance Readers R...: Armchair Travelers Challenge 36 262 Jun 10, 2010 12:20PM  
Romance Readers R...: 2009 A-Z Character Challenge 193 508 Jun 11, 2010 09:23AM  
College Students! : Lori's Challenge 3 47 Jul 02, 2010 07:22AM  
Historical Fictio...: August/September Group Read(s): Mistress of Rome & (Runner-Up) The True Story of Hansel & Gretel 102 152 Aug 09, 2010 12:03PM  
5796 Q&A with Steven Pressfield — 63 members — last activity Jul 17, 2011 06:20AM
Steven Pressfield will be available July 7 through July 18, 2008 to answer questions and talk about his new book, Killing Rommel.
14094 Free Book Giveaway — 2861 members — last activity Jul 30, 2026 11:44AM
Looking for a place to post your book contest/giveaway or a place to get a chance to grab a free copy of a book you'd like? NO ASKING FOR BOOK REVIEWS ...more
16778 Free Books, .99, Giveaways & Reviews - Check Them Out! — 10156 members — last activity Aug 18, 2026 02:30PM
This group is for authors, publishers and bloggers to post giveaways and freebies for readers.
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Bradley I hope you are having a good day! =)

http://www.cardshark.com/content/view...



maricar thank you for accepting me as friend ^_^ keep up the great writing. have a nice day!


message 6: by A.J.

A.J. Hello Mr. Pressfield,

I don't get many opportunities to interact with writers I like, so I suppose I'll take this one. I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed Gates of Fire. Not only does it rank among my favorite novels, it also happened to turn me on to the whole historical fiction genre. So many thanks on both counts.

And on behalf of a few of my old theater job buddies, one of which was in Iraq for awhile, they sure enjoy your work as well. We're all pulling for you and spreading the word.

Thanks for listening. I look forward to reading your Alexander and Rommel novels sometime in the near future.

Sincerely,

-A.J.


Steven Thanks, Susan. I'm delighted that "War" struck a chord!


message 4: by Susan

Susan I loved The War of Art. Many thanks for writing it.


message 3: by JHHK

JHHK JHHK Oh, Resistance still kicks my butt each day. I just stand up, take the hit, then finish the day’s work. For a professional endures.


Steven Thanks, JH. You're way ahead of me. Resistance is kicking my butt regularly!


message 1: by JHHK

JHHK JHHK I read “The War of Art,” turned pro, started writing five hours per day, three hundred and sixty-five days per year, and have only been defeated by resistance three days in the last three years. I recommend your book to every writer I know.


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