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Mastery
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The #1 New York Times–bestselling sequel to The 48 Laws of Power
Mastery synthesizes the years of research Robert Greene conducted while writing the international bestsellers The 48 Laws of Power, The 33 Strategies of War, and The Art of Seduction and demonstrates that the ultimate form of power is mastery itself. By analyzing the lives of such past masters as Charles ...more
Mastery synthesizes the years of research Robert Greene conducted while writing the international bestsellers The 48 Laws of Power, The 33 Strategies of War, and The Art of Seduction and demonstrates that the ultimate form of power is mastery itself. By analyzing the lives of such past masters as Charles ...more
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Hardcover, 318 pages
Published
November 13th 2012
by Viking
(first published November 1st 2012)
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Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power is his most notorious work, so blatantly amoral that many of its adherents are rumored to hide in the closet. But since its publication, his work has gradually taken a moral turn. In his follow-up, The Art of Seduction, Greene mentions having compassion for one’s “victim”—he or she being seduced. The 33 Strategies of War instructs readers that there is no moral value in ignoring certain tenets. In Mastery, which concerns the pursuit of virtuosity in one’s
...more
I spent almost as much time getting myself to write a review for this book as I have reading it. Is it a five star book? Is the repetition of featured stories (you know what I'm talking about if you've read it) such a big deal? Am I just getting fooled by Greene and riding an emotional high of "anything is possible to master if you set your mind to it"?
I've slept on it for long enough to conclude that this book indeed IS brilliant.
It completely shatters the myth of iconic people being destined ...more
I've slept on it for long enough to conclude that this book indeed IS brilliant.
It completely shatters the myth of iconic people being destined ...more
We all are searching for power of some type. We may not say it out loud, but deep inside we all know that this is a true statement. Whether it’s power through success or power through knowledge or whatever, we are all searching. On this quest for power we usually find that we have personal obstacles that get in our way, that we struggle to overcome, and block us at every turn. This book, Mastery by Robert Green wants to teach you how to overcome one of the biggest obstacles we face. The obstacle
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Unfortunately a mess of ideas and misconceptions (did you know that Albert Einstein discovered relativity due to spending a badly estimated 10,000 hours thinking about it over 10 years?) that did little to illuminate mastery. Lord, even the table of contents is confusing.
Some of the profiles are interesting, but they are also repetitive. Each time a profile is incrementally built on, one has to read all the parts that were earlier presented, which is a ridiculous way to treat a studious reader.
...more
Some of the profiles are interesting, but they are also repetitive. Each time a profile is incrementally built on, one has to read all the parts that were earlier presented, which is a ridiculous way to treat a studious reader.
...more
Drawing lessons from the lives of accomplished people, this book offers practical, organized advice for how to realize your own Life's Task.
If a friend had not recommended this book to me, I doubt I would ever have given it a look. I bought Greene's The 48 Laws of Power a few years ago but quickly found it to be repugnant. It struck me as being a manual for psychopaths: handsome, well laid out, well thought out--and chilling. I wondered what sort of a person Robert Greene must be.
I probably ...more
If a friend had not recommended this book to me, I doubt I would ever have given it a look. I bought Greene's The 48 Laws of Power a few years ago but quickly found it to be repugnant. It struck me as being a manual for psychopaths: handsome, well laid out, well thought out--and chilling. I wondered what sort of a person Robert Greene must be.
I probably ...more
4.5/5, rounding up. Best book I've read in a while, mainly because it's one of the few books I've found on long-term skill and personal development for excellence. The main thing I got from this book is: Mastery is the process of gaining knowledge in the right ways, in a field that you feel closely connected to, while in the process arranging support structures that increases your propensity of gaining that knowledge (especially mentors), then applying what you've learned to certain projects,
...more
You want to be a genius? Here's the recipe.
I read this with lots of reservation. After all, I've read so many self-help and enlightenment sort of books before, so what could be new in this one right?
Well, there were plenty. It offers plenty of examples so it's more like a show than tell sort of approach, which I appreciated. There are a lot of nuggets in it that will allow the reader to reflect on the unifying theme of what Mastery is about. In my case, it was relevant because I have mastered (no pun intended) the jack-of-all trades ...more
Well, there were plenty. It offers plenty of examples so it's more like a show than tell sort of approach, which I appreciated. There are a lot of nuggets in it that will allow the reader to reflect on the unifying theme of what Mastery is about. In my case, it was relevant because I have mastered (no pun intended) the jack-of-all trades ...more
For a book that received mostly 4-5 stars on amazon and audible, this was particularly bad. So many other books on what drives success are so much better. For instance, Talent is Over-rated. Or Outliers. Or Drive. And the message is work hard and find something you are passionate about so that you work hard. Two main reasons why the book is so terrible.
First, it was meandering and long-winded trying to tie stories about evolution and human history to 'mastery'. And that was mostly nonsense and ...more
First, it was meandering and long-winded trying to tie stories about evolution and human history to 'mastery'. And that was mostly nonsense and ...more
I won this book as part of Goodreads' First Reads program in exchange for my honest review.
This book is really 2 distinct parts. The first is a series of biographies on modern and classic 'masters' in their respective fields. The second part is examining what lessons can be learned from these masters and how they can be applied in our everyday lives to become masters in our own rights.
I really enjoyed the biographies, they were a series of short, concise examinations of great people that was ...more
This book is really 2 distinct parts. The first is a series of biographies on modern and classic 'masters' in their respective fields. The second part is examining what lessons can be learned from these masters and how they can be applied in our everyday lives to become masters in our own rights.
I really enjoyed the biographies, they were a series of short, concise examinations of great people that was ...more
This book is one of the better ones I have read. The book contains useful advice as well as several good examples of what masters such as Albert Einstein and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart did when they lived. Reading the book, I learned that a deep inclination toward a particular subject / niche / field lies at the core of mastery. This inclination is a reflection of a person’s uniqueness. To find your path to mastery, you need to listen to who you are, listen to what dominates your thoughts, and
...more
Definitely one of the greatest books I've ever read.
Greene brings together the stories of various masters over the centuries - from scientists to pilots to boxers to writers - to show how one truly masters a field. Combating the pernicious myth of the naturally-talented genius who comes out of nowhere with the world-changing idea, he shows how an intense apprenticeship is necessary for the deep insights these masters produce - even though this apprenticeship does not often take the route of a ...more
Greene brings together the stories of various masters over the centuries - from scientists to pilots to boxers to writers - to show how one truly masters a field. Combating the pernicious myth of the naturally-talented genius who comes out of nowhere with the world-changing idea, he shows how an intense apprenticeship is necessary for the deep insights these masters produce - even though this apprenticeship does not often take the route of a ...more
One of the best books I've ever read. Should be required reading for every teenager that wants success in life.
We are all geniuses in the making, short of hard work and the right luck, so believes the populist Robert Greene.
For a book treating 'masters' as a scarcity in our population, now made all the rarer by ironic attitudes towards skill in a technological age, Greene introduces his book with the guarantee that every reader can find their inside talents and master them.
Stories of past 'masters' are woven into threads of highly speculative narrative fallacies. What did Da Vinci think on his death bed? ...more
For a book treating 'masters' as a scarcity in our population, now made all the rarer by ironic attitudes towards skill in a technological age, Greene introduces his book with the guarantee that every reader can find their inside talents and master them.
Stories of past 'masters' are woven into threads of highly speculative narrative fallacies. What did Da Vinci think on his death bed? ...more
This is one of the most important books I read in my entire life. Mastery goes very well beyond any simplistic formula found in self-help books and describes what it takes to achieve mastery by analyzing the life of hundreds of masters from the past and today.
The book is organized in stages of maturity towards achieving mastery.
One of the main messages of the book that will stick with me forever is this: it does not matter how much talent you have, you will always need to spend and enormous ...more
The book is organized in stages of maturity towards achieving mastery.
One of the main messages of the book that will stick with me forever is this: it does not matter how much talent you have, you will always need to spend and enormous ...more
"Mastery" is unlike Greene's previous books, which were "The Prince" for modern times. This one seems almost to have been written by a different person. Instead of instructing the reader on how to achieve fleeting victory over other evil jackasses, now the author is trying to help you to do something meaningful for the world in the long-term. The quirky perspective yields content that is not in any of the standard books on management, leadership, psychology or wisdom.
The audience here is the ...more
The audience here is the ...more
Oct 24, 2012
David Bradley
added it
Robert Greene's Mastery explores the lives of many historical Masters (Mozart, Da Vinci, Proust, etc.) and explains how their Mastery is attainable for everyone. By ignoring societal constraints and complications, following our own interests, serving time in an apprenticeship phase, and staying committed to our craft, Greene believes that everyone can become a Master and make lasting contributions to society.
While I like Greene's message and find his writing to be absorbing, I have some serious ...more
While I like Greene's message and find his writing to be absorbing, I have some serious ...more
Each of us has a passion. For a variety of reasons within and outside our control, very few of us pursue our respective passions to the point of achieving mastery over them. Author Robert Greene's great new book, "Mastery," can't help us defeat objective limitations truly beyond our control that prevent us from mastering those passions. Barring such limitations, however, "Mastery" is brilliant. It's nothing short of a concise, elegantly written, well-researched and deeply inspirational guide to
...more
If you're a Greene fan, you're going to like this one. But it's also a good starting point if you've never read any of his works before. Personally, I still think 33 STRATEGIES OF WAR is his all-encompassing masterwork, but MASTERY is still highly valuable.
When you read a great book at the right time, it can only go in the category of Supremely Fucking Awesome.
On my bookshelf are four books by Robert Greene covering Power, War, Seduction, and Mastery. Greene has an amazing ability to research and summarize the great people and topics of the world.
In this particular book Greene explores Mastery, providing insight into the lives of amazing people of whom we have all heard: Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Benjamin Franklin, and Leonardo da Vinci. But Greene also includes some modern day geniuses and heroes of lesser renown, such as: John Coltrane, Freddie ...more
In this particular book Greene explores Mastery, providing insight into the lives of amazing people of whom we have all heard: Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Benjamin Franklin, and Leonardo da Vinci. But Greene also includes some modern day geniuses and heroes of lesser renown, such as: John Coltrane, Freddie ...more
Your Life's Task is to discover your uniqueness, and express it in your work, the work only you can do. And the way to do that is to submit to the process of Mastery.
The Life's Task is a concept I've always believed in, but I've never been able to articulate it as well as Greene, who himself is a Master storyteller and synthesizer of how humans operate.
But since this is my review, I'll give it a go anyway, with a nod to Greene, as I couch my formulations in his and bask in his reflected ...more
The Life's Task is a concept I've always believed in, but I've never been able to articulate it as well as Greene, who himself is a Master storyteller and synthesizer of how humans operate.
But since this is my review, I'll give it a go anyway, with a nod to Greene, as I couch my formulations in his and bask in his reflected ...more
One of the best books I ever read.
This book goes through the life of various masters of our history. Some of them I did not know and decided to look after their life, which was a great experience as well.
If you want to be a master of something, be prepared to use a huge amount of time dealing with it and practicing. Masters don't become what they are by just working 9-5 and watching television in their spare time. They are passionate about what they do and most of the time they don't care about ...more
This book goes through the life of various masters of our history. Some of them I did not know and decided to look after their life, which was a great experience as well.
If you want to be a master of something, be prepared to use a huge amount of time dealing with it and practicing. Masters don't become what they are by just working 9-5 and watching television in their spare time. They are passionate about what they do and most of the time they don't care about ...more
I like the way Robert Greene writes his books by filling his examples with historical figures. It makes you feel literate and a little smarter for reading them. He develops his models of how the world works by examining the biographies of great people and looking for the patterns. He sees the process of mastery of falling into a handful of discreet steps from apprenticeship (learning), to finding excellent mentors (or using books as mentors), how to optimize creative synthesis, until you reach
...more
*Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the Goodreads First Reads Program.*
I have never read anything similar to "Mastery" before and approached Greene's book with an open mind. The lessons in these pages are invaluable. Greene uses examples of household names to convey the idea that mastering something is so much more than an innate talent or uncanny ability. The book is well organized. The one thing I wasn't a fan of was the font size. Being that this reads almost like an academic text, the ...more
I have never read anything similar to "Mastery" before and approached Greene's book with an open mind. The lessons in these pages are invaluable. Greene uses examples of household names to convey the idea that mastering something is so much more than an innate talent or uncanny ability. The book is well organized. The one thing I wasn't a fan of was the font size. Being that this reads almost like an academic text, the ...more
Jul 27, 2013
Salymar
added it
“To the extent that we believe we can skip steps, avoid the process, magically gain power through political connections or easy formulas, or depend on our natural talents, we move against this grain and reverse our natural powers. We become slaves to time – as it passes, we grow weaker, less capable, trapped in some dead end career. We become captive to the opinions and fears of others.” (9) “This intense connection and desires allows them to withstand the pain of the process – the self-doubts,
...more
Probably the best of Robert's books.
The main problem I had with this "masterpiece" is that his writing style is repetitive.
He starts a story, doesn't end it, then starts again and add something, and he does it with few stories over and over again.
Honestly, if he would take his pills, he probably could sum up the whole book in 20 pages.
This time I won't argue with research, assuming it was better, but he also took some ancient or unknown people and made them god's kind of.
Cool read if u want to ...more
The main problem I had with this "masterpiece" is that his writing style is repetitive.
He starts a story, doesn't end it, then starts again and add something, and he does it with few stories over and over again.
Honestly, if he would take his pills, he probably could sum up the whole book in 20 pages.
This time I won't argue with research, assuming it was better, but he also took some ancient or unknown people and made them god's kind of.
Cool read if u want to ...more
A very instructive book, though it could have been shorter but I like it quite a lot and this is going in my personal library besides the kindle. The bit about social intelligence is especially good and worth revisits.
Mastery entails the evolution of Robert Greene as a thinker and a writer. In my view, it the most positive work from the said author.
For Greene, the motive behind human endeavors remains the same, which is attaining power. However, here he opines that the means to achieve power are not deceit, treachery or self serving and narrow minded attitude, rather power is acquired by becoming a master in your field. Mastery, in turn, is gained through laborious efforts and by following in the footsteps of ...more
For Greene, the motive behind human endeavors remains the same, which is attaining power. However, here he opines that the means to achieve power are not deceit, treachery or self serving and narrow minded attitude, rather power is acquired by becoming a master in your field. Mastery, in turn, is gained through laborious efforts and by following in the footsteps of ...more
'Mastery' is not of the same ilk as the supremely concise and concentrated '48 Laws' ; neither is it the deep psychological excavation of fear that was 'The 50th Law' ; It is an altogether different beast.
Fans of Greene's previous work who were expecting a manifesto (that is to say, a clear and sharp work) will be disappointed. The book is more diffuse, more abstract, and altogether, more difficult to get a good hold of.
That's not to say the book isn't without value. It's just different from ...more
Fans of Greene's previous work who were expecting a manifesto (that is to say, a clear and sharp work) will be disappointed. The book is more diffuse, more abstract, and altogether, more difficult to get a good hold of.
That's not to say the book isn't without value. It's just different from ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| More examples of Mastery | 14 | 101 | Sep 22, 2019 05:46AM | |
| Goodreads Librari...: Incorrect grammar | 2 | 61 | Jan 28, 2014 02:48PM | |
| Must I "adore" my Life's Task? | 2 | 65 | Apr 23, 2013 03:51AM |
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Best-selling author and public speaker, Robert Greene was born in Los Angeles. He attended U.C. California at Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he received a degree in classical studies. He has worked in New York as an editor and writer at several magazines, including Esquire; and in Hollywood as a story developer and ...more
Best-selling author and public speaker, Robert Greene was born in Los Angeles. He attended U.C. California at Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he received a degree in classical studies. He has worked in New York as an editor and writer at several magazines, including Esquire; and in Hollywood as a story developer and ...more
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“Think of it this way: There are two kinds of failure. The first comes from never trying out your ideas because you are afraid, or because you are waiting for the perfect time. This kind of failure you can never learn from, and such timidity will destroy you. The second kind comes from a bold and venturesome spirit. If you fail in this way, the hit that you take to your reputation is greatly outweighed by what you learn. Repeated failure will toughen your spirit and show you with absolute clarity how things must be done.”
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“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.”
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