Quote: “The world out there,” he said, waving his arm across the horizon, “is a school, Dan. Life is the only real teacher. It offers many experiences, and if experience alone brought wisdom and fulfillment, then elderly people would all be happy, enlightened masters. But the lessons of experience are hidden. I can help you learn from experience to see the world clearly.”
This is a book that changes lives and turns its readers into much better versions of themselves. By better, I mean that the reader is taken on a journey of self-discovery and we learn, with Dan, what is truly important in life and how we can find fulfillment, contentment, and inner peace.
‘Way of the Peaceful Warrior’ is a book that I have had to buy several copies of over the years as when I lend it to friends, it rarely ever comes back, as it is always re-lent to others. A great book that deserves multiple readings over time as it has layers and layers of wisdom that are revealed only when we are able to understand them for ourselves.
Quote: “If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever.”
Society teaches us how to be good consumers and to value material success above all else, however as we learn through this book, there are things in life more precious than material belongings. Many things that we take for granted, or even ignore, are crucial to enable us to fully participate and enjoy this life experience. For example, how many of us are actually aware of our thought processes, or our breathing? Both are vitally important in regard to our overall well-being and satisfaction with life. However, so many of us spend our time worrying about ‘will he like my new dress,’ ‘what if her parents don’t like me,’ and what’s for dinner tonight?’
‘Way of the Peaceful Warrior’ is a book that shows us how it is our mind that is the source of our dissatisfaction and helps us to become free of attachments to the unimportant stuff so that we may begin to lead a peaceful, happy, and fulfilling life. But be warned, it is not an easy path to follow!
Quote: “Life brought rewards, but no lasting peace or satisfaction.”
‘Way of the Peaceful Warrior’ was first published in 1980 and is a semi-autobiographical book based on the college years of its author, Dan Millman. The book begins with Dan, who is a star gymnast, good-looking, fit, and healthy student feeling like his life is falling apart from the inside. As successful as he appears to be on the outside, he is overwhelmed by the fear of death and wakes each night drenched with sweat due to nightmares. He also dreams of a mysterious white-haired old man who he believes will be able to provide solutions to his problems.
The book revolves around the life lessons provided to Dan after he has a chance meeting in a gas station late one night with the mysterious night attendant, who turns out to be the man from his dreams. The old man won’t reveal his name, so Dan ends up calling him Socrates. ‘Soc’, for short, becomes a mentor to Dan, teaching him some very powerful life lessons that enable Dan to re-prioritize his life so that he transforms from a fearful boy into a ‘Peaceful warrior.’
Quote: “You have to lose your mind before you can come to your senses.”
A peaceful Warrior is someone who has left his ego behind and is able to see life for what it is: a series of events that are occurring and then react to those events appropriately to achieve a beneficial outcome for all involved.
This level of understanding can only be realized when we are living in the present moment and can grasp that we are all part of a much larger holistic system that encompasses all living things. This is why Socrates continues to impress upon Dan the importance of remaining rooted in what is happening here and now so that he can deepen his connection to the untold beauty and possibilities that every moment holds.
Our world is absolutely amazing and the complexity of life is mind-blowing. But how many of us actually take a moment to notice the intricate dance that nature continually provides for our entertainment? Socrates teaches Dan another very important lesson: “There are no ordinary moments!” There is always so much going on, but most of us are too engrossed with the repetitive self-limiting thoughts that are constantly inside of our heads that are taking our focus away from the joy that being present brings.
Quote: “Where are you? … HERE. What time is it? … NOW. What are you? … THIS MOMENT.”
Soc explains that our problems exist in either the past or the future and within the present moment we actually have nothing to worry about. The POWER of NOW is such an important concept that many books have recently been written about it. This is because the present moment is the only time we can live in. Our past has gone and the future never arrives. We are always in an eternal moment and it is in this moment that we will find solutions to all of our problems. Remaining in the present provides a sense of peace and wellbeing that cannot be experienced when thinking about the past or future.
Quote: “Furthermore, the best performers had the quietest minds during their moment of truth… For the first time, I realized why I loved gymnastics so. It gave me a blessed respite from my noisy mind. When I was swinging and somersaulting, nothing else mattered. When my body was active, my mind rested in the moments of silence.”
Dan, like most of us, grew up believing that to be successful and have a great life he would need to achieve a list of goals that he set for himself. However, as time went on he began to realize that even when you achieve your goals you are not likely to be fulfilled or satisfied!
Socrates teaches that we can never be happy if our happiness is dependent on stuff that is going on external to ourselves. His message is that true and lasting peace and happiness can only come from within ourselves. However, the events happening in our external world are important as they provide us with the necessary friction that strengthens our spirit, meaning that it is our life journey that is creating our path to happiness, or not!
Quote: “The journey is what brings us happiness, not the destination.”
So knowing this, you can begin now to enjoy more of the journey. Why put your happiness aside for when you achieve your goals? Just be happy, NOW! It’s a choice and we all have the power to make it now. We do not even need a reason to be happy- just be happy!
If you do need a reason to be happy, you could click here to get a copy of this book now to begin the ‘Way of the Peaceful Warrior’ journey for yourself.
If anyone has read this book, I would love to hear what you thought about it, and if you have any questions please leave them in the comments section below and I will do my best to answer them for you.
Shared with the hope of making the world a better place one soul at a time.
Love and respect
Andrew
A few more inspirational quotes from the book:
“The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
“A warrior does not give up what he loves, he finds the love in what he does.”
“You can live a whole lifetime never being awake.”
“Knowledge is not the same as wisdom. Knowledge is knowing — wisdom is doing.”
Hi Andrew,
Your detailed review about the book “Way Of The Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman showed exactly what the summary of the book is all about. I am sure you have spent a significant amount of time to come up with the review. I applaud you for the conspicuous effort to bring value to your readers.
What intrigued most is the quote “If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever.” Working in the civil defense force of my country, I came to an epiphany that the strong do what they will, and the weak suffer what they must. It applies to all sorts of challenges in our lives and no matter what we face, we must have the mental fortitude to fight against all sorts of adversities in our lives so that we can move on.
I will be keeping watch on your future posts and once again, thank you for the insightful review on a great book!
Warmest regards,
Vinc
Hi Vinc. It has always been the same, that the strong have power over the weak. This is something that I don’t see changing in the near future. Our challenge, as individuals, is to strengthen ourselves so that we may thrive even in the face of many obstacles as you have said. I wish you well on your journey and know that you have the mental fortitude to continue to overcome adversities in your life. All the best,
Andrew
Hi Andew
Your review of another great book touched so many points of importants.
The mind shift to become a Peaceful Warrior is so true, fear comes from negative thoughts.
I never live in the past neither the future, both to me are a waste of time. The now and here is all that counts to make life better.
The moment you make peace with yourself all falls into place.
It is so sad that society’s measure for success is on how much money you have and not how happy and peaceful you are.
Thank you for another great review
Just reflecting on my past in a previous comment, I grew up more free than most in my time. My restriction has come only in my adult years up to a short time ago. Someone opened my mind, heart and sences to the new me., and I feel free again to be who I really am.
Stella
Bush Lady
Hi Stella. I’m happy to hear that you are feeling free to be who you really are again. Making peace with ourselves is something that most people never even consider doing. Strange isn’t it since our overall health and wellbeing rely on us nurturing ourselves before all others. Keep having those thoughts and feelings of love, freedom, joy, and abundance and then it doesn’t matter what the rest of society thinks about us. At least we are happy 🙂
I wish you all the best,
Andrew
Just added it to my cart. I think the books that endure, the ones that stand the test of time, are the ones that are genuinely worth reading.
Very clear and thoughtful review, thank you.
Awesome. That’s great Jon. I am sure that you will enjoy this book. It contains a lot of wisdom for improving one’s life in many ways.
Best of luck on your journey.
Kind regards, Andrew
Hi Andrew, Living in the moment is a beautiful thing. No clutter about yesterday or concern about tomorrow. I find it uplifting to just be there moment by moment and often witnessing incredible happenings like a rainbow, a bird flying through a sunset even falling rain and the puddles it forms. I might notice a senior man and his wife, holding hands and perhaps even stealing a quick kiss. Bountiful beauty everywhere. Then a couple of drunk people fighting and a sadness comes over me as I move on through the moments, one by one. I know instantly the ones that uplift and want to move on from the sadder scenes. I find witnessing life rather than unconsciously reacting is a path that holds peace. Thank you for your valuable work. Cheers now, Jill
Hi Jill. It sounds like you are quite adept at being in the moment. It is wonderful to be involved in what is happening in the present moment. Everything is made that much more intense just because of the attention we are giving. Being a witness is definitely the preferred way to find peace and happiness in this life. I wish you well on your journey.
Andrew
Hey Andrew,
I really like your review – Brilliant, brilliant. I read the book when it first came out. And have had many dramas of my own making since…
Now I experience daily ‘freedom’ of being & connecting with my young dog, being & connecting with nature & the mind, body, soul aspects of myself.
Your review has made me feel that it would be beneficial for me to read the book again.
Go well in journey
Honor
Hey Honor. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my post. It is much appreciated 🙂 I think it was you who probably first told me about this book, and I am very grateful for that and all the other wisdom and support that you have imparted in the many years since. I’m happy to hear that your daily life involves freedom and connection to the higher aspects of body, mind, and soul.
Lots of love to you,
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Now that sounds like a great book to read! At a certain age, unless you are born wise, you will probably lose your mind with all the wild and varied seeming nightmares life has in its ‘wonderful’ list for you. Hard to feel like you are not being singled out, but really, it is just the bud inside your mind growing out from its dark shell of paranoid thoughts.
The wonderful thing about nightmares is that you will learn to ‘see’ them as unreal and only as powerful as you believe them to be so. No more. It ain’t rocket science. Just stop granting people and situations a nightmarish glare to them and then you will see they all have one thing in common:- they are seeking ‘something’ from you but perhaps in a primitive like way that you may find threatening.
Better just realize all situations and people who cry out in anger is just them asking for help in disguise. They may not know it but that anger is pure fear of abandonment in a world that appears to not care for them. So, look differently on people, even when they are shouting and threatening, and don’t use past events as your reference point to deal but only in the moment see them as they are and tell them to shut up winging! Haha, it works sometimes 🙂 .
Point is, don’t fall for the invitation to fight for that is a call to darkness leading unto oblivion for your mind. That is a very isolated place and believe dear reader – you don’t want to venture there… that is the place where all those who can’t forgive end up.
Thanks Andrew – I love shooting the breeze when it comes to great books like way of the peaceful warrior. I read so many books like this in my teens and in my life because I was a little tormented by the seemingly cruel random nature of this experience called ‘life’, which I feel is somewhat of a misnomer, for how can ‘life’ die? So, we must conclude, ‘life’ as we perceive in the now from an aberrated viewpoint, is a decent into madness and amnesia of truths that are so simple, once remembered, we could why how we could have ever suffered a single moment in our lives.
Keep up the amazing work here Andrew 🙂 .
He Philip. Thanks for a very insightful/aware comment on life in general. Yes, life’s truths, when revealed, are so simple. It is only through our rational minds that we make life such a struggle. However, it does not need to be this way. As you say, we never really suffer anything at any time, and it is just our thoughts that make any suffering seem real. Suffering is a result of being disconnected from our true spiritual nature, and this is ok as if we were aware of how powerful we really are, we would not gain anything from the experience of being ‘alive’ here on earth in this human body. Let’s play the game of life just for the fun of it and revel in the unique experiences that we can have while being on this earth plane of existence.
Cheers mate! Have a great life 🙂
Andrew
This book sounds like a good read. I normally go for romances but I’d take a break just to see what this book is about!
Hi Ashley. You are in luck, as there is a romance in this book as well. I won’t spoil it by giving you too many details, but after many dramas, there is a happy ending 🙂
Cheers
Andrew