The Warrior Ethos

As someone who has been involved in numerous martial art systems over the years (Judo, Jujitsu, Karate, Boxing, Wrestling, and many weapon arts) I am always seeking to increase my knowledge about anything to do with the warrior arts. This is why while browsing on Amazon when I came across this 93-page soft cover book (The warrior Ethos by Steven Pressfield) I decided to purchase it. Even though I have read many books on this topic over the years; nevertheless, I found this small volume to be interesting and informative on the many aspects of living the “way of the warrior.” This excellent little book is organized into three parts covering various principles that are essential to learn if one desires to live by the code of an honorable warrior. Some of the areas covered are: “Tough Mothers, Women first, Lord of the battlefield, right and wrong, tribes, gangs, and terrorists, the opposite of shame is honor, how the Spartans became Spartans, the joys of misery, duty, Honor, country” and many other great basic principles. If you are into the warrior culture in any shape or form, this is a book that you may want in your personal library. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Tactical Principles of the most effective combative systems).

Pressfield brings the best of his intellect, knowledge of wars and warriors and a compact writing style to this book. It engages the reader along the way to think about things in different ways. Also a wonderful insight into some morsels of history. I just pushed the buy button to purchase 4 more copies of the book Two to friends with long term military careers who are struggling with the internal corporate politics. Hopefully it will help them understand the differences between their culture and that of the increasingly morally vacuous cultures in too many organizations. One to an extremely effective high school teacher to help him in discussions with students about their career options including the military. One to have as a spare to loan The book is short, not due to an absence of thought, but rather from the quality of the writing. Camille Paglia recently did an interview with the WSJ (Dec, 2013) in which she noted the absence of military service among Wall Street, big business and political leadership as a potentially deadly threat to our nation. After teaching for a number of years in a leading university's MBA program and decades in business I am convinced that most of our business schools would be far better off sending their faculty off to spend 6 months with the Marines learning about effective, principled and goal oriented leadership. The Marine Gunny with a high school education knows is a far more capable leader and far more capable trainer of leaders than our corporate leadership. The cornerstone of that effectiveness is the Warrior Ethos. No doubt some of Pressfield's disciplined writing skills came from his Marine Corps experience. A great read....... highly recommended.

This is a slender, concise book on warriors by Steven Pressfield, a man who has spent much of his life studying and writing about their ways. It is slanted toward the West and the Spartans in particular, whom are a brutal, dysfunctional bunch, albeit highly effective. This was a quick, enlightening read, but I wish Pressfield would have widened his lens to include the Samurai, Kshatriya, and the East-- cultures that embrace the spiritual path alongside a martial one. But, as his novels attest, he is virtually a Greek historian so it makes sense that his concept of warriorhood would be epitomized by the Spartans. Warrior cultures, no matter where they arise, have universal traits and Pressfield touches upon many of them here. The ethos of the warrior is one of discipline and hardship, courage and selflessness. It is about putting certain things before yourself. Honor reigns supreme. Shame is worse than death and old age comes only to a few. The Spartan way is short and hard. Boys are removed from their mothers when they are young and husbands cannot live with their wives until thirty. The Spartan life style produced highly effective warriors, yet it seems a bit imbalanced to me. Freedom of choice was not an option. The Spartans did not produce art, architecture, or literature. They left nothing behind. Their survival was perilously poised upon a large population of slaves. Spartans lived for one thing only: War. They mastered themselves through discipline and the willing acceptance of pain. They were not creators, but they were the ultimate guardians. Western Civilization as we know it has survived because of them. If one seeks to learn what it means to be a warrior, this book is a good place to start. The Spartans embodied the Western ethos of warriorhood thoroughly, but they are not the final word on the subject.

I have often sought a vehicle to convey to others just who and what we really are, those of us who have chosen to serve our country through the profession of arms. Clear, concise, well articulated ... this book does that. Whether you are a Marine like myself, soldier, sailor or airman - this book will touch your soul. If you have one of us in your family you, too, will value having it all said - short and sweet and to the point. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. As to The Warrior Ethos and Steven Pressfield, every word evokes a thousand feelings! Thank you for saying with skill what most of us could only feel, however deeply in our souls. Semper Fidelis!

It's a great book that describes what it means to be part of a culture in the military, or any organization. Many get wrapped around the word ethos in the title, they are missing the point of the book, it is the shared experiences that have that bring people together. I have several copies with my own notes written in the margins, and I have also given several copies to junior Marines over the years. Great for any reader.

I continue to reference The War of Art and I loved the movie 300 when it came out. I love reading fantasy as well and am a big fan of Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan. If you have any of this in common you should give this book a shot. I love it, it resonates with me and calls me forward to face my obstacles directly and with inner strength. It's for people looking to cultivate courage in the face of adversity. It is concise, it will help you upgrade your mindset and get back to work. It uses great stories of history and warrior cultures of Sparta and today whether it's the US military or the tribes they have to protect us from.

Pressfield is indeed a deep admirer of the old Lakonians. If someone is looking for a short but sharp par-force-ride through the last 3 millennia of art of war, than this gem of booklet is his choice of comfort between the engagements of daily-life. Hail to the scarce but striking precise language. Thank's for "Gates of Fire" as well.

Muy buen libro, fácil de entender y con explicaciones sencillas y al punto, perfecto si estás empezando un viaje de autoconocimiento.

C'est court, aéré, ça se lit très vite et s'oublie tout aussi vite. Il n'y a pas d'analyse vraiment profonde, quelques exemples cités, et l'indigence du paragraphe précédent la bibliographie en dit long. Je le cite en traduisant : "Les citations et histoires sont tirés des ouvrages suivants (bien que l'auteur admette qu'il ne sait parfois pas quelle anecdote vient de quel livre). Toutes les citations sont des traductions ou des reconstructions de l'auteur". Bref, Pressfield livre SA version de ce qu'est un guerrier, et reste bien loin d'un étude sérieuse et intéressante.

eu comprei o livro pelo kindle, então pra quem não tiver um inglês muito fluente é uma ótima opção pq tem o tradutor e também os significados em inglês então vc já pode conferir na própria página de leitura. Em relação ao conteúdo, é realmente muito essencial, o autor sintetiza o pensamento e a leitura é muito gostosa. é um livro super interessante e essa ética da guerreira fica bem clara para que levemos pra nossa vida e nossa própria ética.