Steven Pressfield's Blog, page 131
March 28, 2011
The Will to Victory
Chapter 19. The Will to Victory
When Alexander was a boy, a party of traders came to Pella, the Macedonian capital, selling trained warhorses. Philip the king and all his officers went down to the plain to put these mounts through their paces.
One horse, called Bucephalus, was by far the fastest, strongest and bravest—but he was so
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When Alexander was a boy, a party of traders came to Pella, the Macedonian capital, selling trained warhorses. Philip the king and all his officers went down to the plain to put these mounts through their paces.
One horse, called Bucephalus, was by far the fastest, strongest and bravest—but he was so
More >>
March 25, 2011
Counting
When I was twelve, counting my age in silverware got me to the end of my unloading the dishwasher chore: five forks, five knives, two serving spoons and a butter knife to grow on.
When I was in college, just over a thousand steps, counting every other time my right foot hit the ground, got me
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When I was in college, just over a thousand steps, counting every other time my right foot hit the ground, got me
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March 23, 2011
"Sit Chilly"
My friend Daphne used to take riding lessons from a legendary horsewoman in Carmel Valley, California named Sue Sally Hale. Have you ever heard of Sue Sally?
Sue Sally competed in polo matches for twenty years disguised as a man (she used to daub mascara on her upper lip to simulate a mustache, while tucking her
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Sue Sally competed in polo matches for twenty years disguised as a man (she used to daub mascara on her upper lip to simulate a mustache, while tucking her
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March 21, 2011
The Joys of Misery
Chapter 17 The Joys of Misery
Among all elite U.S. forces, the Marine Corps is unique in that its standards for strength, athleticism and physical hardiness are not exceptional. What separates Marines, instead, is their capacity to endure adversity.
Marines take a perverse pride in having colder chow, crappier equipment and higher casualty rates than any
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Among all elite U.S. forces, the Marine Corps is unique in that its standards for strength, athleticism and physical hardiness are not exceptional. What separates Marines, instead, is their capacity to endure adversity.
Marines take a perverse pride in having colder chow, crappier equipment and higher casualty rates than any
More >>
March 18, 2011
The Bubble Men
The most beautiful woman in the world called me yesterday to tell me a story.
Every day she walks her three children through Central Park, drops off her eldest at school, and then walks her two youngest back across the park to begin that day's set of activities. After school lets out in the afternoon, she
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Every day she walks her three children through Central Park, drops off her eldest at school, and then walks her two youngest back across the park to begin that day's set of activities. After school lets out in the afternoon, she
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March 16, 2011
Shots and Cuts
I wish I could remember where I saw this (it might have been in a documentary on PBS about Battleship Potemkin) but some master of filmmaking was asking a roomful of students, "Of what does the vocabulary of cinema consist?" I was guessing lamely in my head along with the students onscreen, when the master
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March 14, 2011
Citations for Valor
Chapter 15 Citations for Valor
Decorations for valor, from ancient days to modern, have seldom been awarded for raw bloodthirstiness or the brute act of producing carnage. The feat that inspires witnesses to honor it is almost invariably one of selflessness.
The hero (though virtually no recipient chooses to call himself by that name) often acts
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Decorations for valor, from ancient days to modern, have seldom been awarded for raw bloodthirstiness or the brute act of producing carnage. The feat that inspires witnesses to honor it is almost invariably one of selflessness.
The hero (though virtually no recipient chooses to call himself by that name) often acts
More >>
March 11, 2011
Words of Wisdom
Summer 2002, I caught one stop on the Aerosmith, Run-DMC and Kid Rock tour.
It was awesome.
These three different generations of artists, with distinct sounds, were all doing their own thing, yet they figured out how to work together, to keep everything moovin' and groovin' with rhythm and ease—void of jarring awkward transitions.
And as individuals off
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It was awesome.
These three different generations of artists, with distinct sounds, were all doing their own thing, yet they figured out how to work together, to keep everything moovin' and groovin' with rhythm and ease—void of jarring awkward transitions.
And as individuals off
More >>
March 9, 2011
What I Love About Seth, Part Two
When I first started blogging, I wasn't really hip to the ethic. That, I learned from Seth Godin. A blog is about giving. Or, perhaps more accurately, giving back.
A guy like Seth, who has started many businesses and failed and succeeded in about equal measure, has acquired a thoroughgoing education from the University of Hard
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A guy like Seth, who has started many businesses and failed and succeeded in about equal measure, has acquired a thoroughgoing education from the University of Hard
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March 7, 2011
How the Spartans Became the Spartans
Chapter 12 How the Spartans Became the Spartans
All warrior cultures start with a great man.
In ancient Sparta, that man was Lycurgus. He took the city from a normal society and made it into a warrior culture.
So that no individual would have grounds to feel superior to another, Lycurgus divided the country into 9000 equal
More >>
All warrior cultures start with a great man.
In ancient Sparta, that man was Lycurgus. He took the city from a normal society and made it into a warrior culture.
So that no individual would have grounds to feel superior to another, Lycurgus divided the country into 9000 equal
More >>
