This review is for my personal journal not for you to read so feel free not to read this : These are more rambling notes and observations for me to reflect on in the future.

As far as the writing , dialogue , character development and interaction , this book is lacking. It was very difficult for me to get through what should`ve been a very quick read. I didn`t really enjoy the characters at all and rarely empathized with them even when confronted with obvious universal "situations" we all have been in. I blame the authors lack of skill at this moment in his life ....he apparently wrote 9 more books , and I must assume he got better.

This book did have a few moments of clear thought , fair philosophy , and profound statements. They seemed to be interspersed just enough to make me continue reading. These documentations of insight were surrounded by trite , new-age pseudo-philosophy. I also get the feeling that the few parts of the book that had impactful messages were not written by the author but copied out of an eastern philosophy didactic. I could be wrong.

I did find myself HOPING that some aspect of enlightenment or simple truth would be revealed to me , reminding me of my general unhappiness.

Some good things to come out of the book and to add to my strivings for happiness...
Paradoxically related to the above statement is that happiness is not something you obtain or search or strive for but something that you feel in the here and now - Be happy , don`t resist life . --Even this is weak as I reread what i just wrote. I feel jipped , I had HOPE that some wisdom was going to be related and I don`t think there was enough , especially considering the story one had to suffer thru to recieve this weak wisdom.

There was a lot in this book that I just don`t see working for me at the extreme he reccomended. Also , some aspects that I feel are poor philosophy in a world of doers.
He seemed to put down his education and reading and put more faith in the physical.. his vegetarian diet , meditation , tai chi , gymnastics and running ... I agree a good diet and good exercise is essential to a happy body/mind but there was just too much emphasis on it. The old man , almost died trying to duplicate the phsicality of his young student.
I think working out the brain and expanding your education and understanding of the world has as much import as the physical , esp; the majority of us won`t be able to live a lifelong physically fit life such as this author envisions , and I don`t believe those people are necessarily doomed to unhappiness.
The author also poopoos attaining goals , belittles business acumen as unimportant , calls out monetary accumulation as unnecessary etc; this combined with the confusion of , one moment concentrating on the self , and the next advocating altruism and the sacrifice of self. Ayn Rand would spin in her grave and screech about the dangers of such a philosophy in the "real world" we all live in. The spiritual silliness about dying and being in the trees and the birds and the wind , blah blah silliness is just spiritual fluff to mask the fact that death holds no answers. I must say he makes a compelling argument that it should have no sway either.
Some of the negativity in here aside, I haven`t written this much of a review on a book in a while so there must be something to it. I would call it hope ...I have hope that one day I will find contentment.
I think I do want to read some more self help books to see if I may glean some bits of wisdom that may help me in my goal.

other positive thoughts - Happiness = satisfaction/desires - a simpler life and less expensive desires is one easy way to enjoy what you have

Pg 133 - an attack on the Aristotelian philosphy of Moderation - compelling
Stoicism - seems to be an influence

Concentration - harped upon thruought the book- clear your mind of distractions and the silliness of everyday doubts , worries , etc; In the grand scheme , unimportant trivialities.

Present moment awareness -- reminds me of some stuff I wrote on my website at

I picked this book because it came recommended by somebody I consider pretty motivational. Unfortunately, this book wasn't all that I was told it would be. The writing itself is average at best. There are parts where the message is spelled out for you, but the rest of the book doesn't really make any progress. Still, there are some basic concepts included in this book that are worth considering, and that I will probably think about for some time to come.

I read this at the urging of my son. It just mostly made me feel old. As a few other reviewers have pointed out, there is not anything truly new in this book. Most of it is Asian mysticism made more palatable through American experiences by using an American college student as the focus. A subplot with a romance feels quite forced, as if the author figured he better put in some romance so people can relate to the book better and find it interesting enough to begin reading it. Many people have said every single bit of wisdom listed in this book. I suspect mostly young people read this and find it amazing. Older people have read other books and discovered that there are flaws in the philosophy. One thing that all these beliefs leave out are people who physically can't be happy, which sounds melodramatic but is true. People who are chronically depressed, who cope with schizophrenia, and other mental illness, don't need to be told just be happy with the implication that you are failing spirituality if you can't just decide to be happy. It is something that isn't going to happen, unfortunately. There is more to attaining happiness than deciding to have a good attitude and be happy. Remember, this book was written at a time when the motto "don't worry, be happy" was popular. I want to be kind to someone who clearly is very ernest about his book, but really, if I could do it, I'd give this 2.5 stars so I rounded up.

I read this book at a pretty stagnant time in my life, and it proved to be the right time. Don't read this book if the waters around you are calm and you're intent on keeping them that way. The simple story line and quick read were just enough to send my mind into intense self-reflection and challenged me to break down the illusions I have that keep me from truly knowing myself. When I stripped my mind of what I wanted to believe the book was about and faced some of the demons that are blurring my own consciousness, I appreciated the book for what it helped me do: breathe. On the path to self-discovery, this first step is the most important; without it, the rest will never happen.

I enjoyed the character of Socrates. He reminded me of my mentor growing up...

You abandoned it so you could search for it.

This book is Millman's vain attempt to weave a supernatural/"esoteric" story out of his - in my opinion pitiful - new age inspired search for meaning and fulfilment in life. Full of "new agey" drivel. The main message of the book is that people generally are too achievement focused and that we don't live in the moment. Nothing new about that idea, but fair enough. However, the book is poorly written, the story dry as firewood and the concepts (as well as how they are woven into the story trough dialogue) communicated are thoroughgoing corny and at times laughable.

I can't understand how this book has managed to get so many positive reviews (both here and on amazon.com) and high ratings. To be honest, I can't even understand how Millman could get this piece of balderdash (yes, I just used that word for the first time in my life!) published.

This book is a waste of time and is only recommended for people who are very confused about themselves and their lives, and who would like to get even more confused by being sent down hocus-pocus rabbit hole.

Highly inspirational and at the same time a basic read to mindfulness. It’s like taking the “power of now” and turning it to a delightful novel.

This book, in many ways, mirrors the transformative path that my life has been on the past 6 months or so. This isn't a book that's for everyone, but since I have been studying Buddhism for a while, much of what is talked about in the book I can jive with. However, you don't really get the sense that the book is based in Buddhist philosophy until the middle of the book when it becomes a bit more direct. But, true to the path of Buddhism, it's not so much about the the ideas of Zen and its practical philosophy ... it's about following your intuitive guide in becoming ... the warrior. The story is a good one for anyone that is on a spiritual journey and going through a transformative phase because much of the alchemical internal process that my life has been going on is found in this book.

The beautiful thing for me was that someone left downstairs in my apartment, on the give away table. :) It was "meant to be". Even if you just want to glean simple wisdom about the spiritual life comparatively with the crazy world that we have lived ... this is a good read.

Zen is simply complicate. :) Simple in its approach, complicated in our conditioning and resistance ... The Way of The Peaceful Warrior portrays that very well, I think.

Word.

Many of the events in this book are said to be true, but the book is fictional. Right from the start, I was yearning to hear Dan Millman's true story, not a fake one. And I never got past that. As a guide to changing lives, as the title suggests, I applaud the author's efforts to introduce spiritual elements into everyday living. An introspective way of life can be rich and rewarding, and for those searching for deeper meaning this tale points the way. Clearly, many people have found it useful.

As a novel, the characters are one-dimensional and the dialog clunky and there's not much of a story. It's seems to be stuck between fiction and non-fiction with elements of both mixed together, although we don't know which is which. There doesn't seem much point in reading a fake autobiography unless it has a good story arc. Maybe if the main character's name wasn't the author's name I wouldn't have been so hung up on this. It's kind of Dan Millman's story, but not really. If it's going to be a novel, I would've been more interested in a captivating story that demonstrates spiritual growth and development rather than fictional characters telling me how to do it. However, I'd rather Dan just write a autobiography that's true. Either one would've been better than something in-between.

If a reader wants to learn meditation and an introspective way of living, I'd suggest one of many good authors/teachers in Zen or Work-centered practices. Not this book. However, I gave this book 2 stars because it may lead someone to deeper study in these areas and, for that reason, it would be worthwhile.

I considered giving this book another star because I do believe the author had good intentions. However, he really failed in the execution of those intentions. The writing was amateurish and the descriptions of the spiritual teachings convoluted. The book definitely needed an editor.

Almost the entirety of the book is Dan asking Socrates a lot of questions and Socrates telling him he's a jackass and giving him riddle-like answers. (To be fair, Dan does act like a jackass a lot of the time.) The timeline of the book is confusing; I can't tell you how many times I thought Dan's time at college had come to an end and then in the next chapter there he was back at school. Then in the last bit of the book he finally does graduate and just decides to get married to someone he doesn't feel a connection to and has a daughter with her and then leaves them to go on a trip around the world. Yes, Dan really good work: marry, have a kid and then just abandon them because you want to work on yourself. How is that the behavior of a warrior?

Dan's enlightenment comes in literally the last ten pages of the book, and I know these things must be hard to describe to people who have not experienced them, but the description of it just didn't make sense. He has this whole out of body, otherworldly death and back to life experience and comes out of it enlightened. And then Socrates tells him that "happiness is the ultimate discipline" but hadn't he been telling Dan for years to stop seeking happiness?

I think if the book had been better edited, the story would have made more sense and perhaps even resonated a bit with me. As it was, Dan just comes off as an over-privileged guy who had all kinds of opportunities many of us don't and then used them to write a book and form a whole Peaceful Warrior business empire and make a very nice living for himself while appearing to be spiritually evolved.

One positive thing I will say about Peaceful Warrior: the cover illustration is very imaginative and affecting, probably the reason I picked up the book in the first place. Unfortunately, it's the only good part of the book.

Very easy-reading and inspiring. Lot of great great stories about various esoteric experiences. I had an impression that it's over-simplified and misses many important details. This makes the book understandable for more people but it makes it's more valuable for those who seek details. Anyways, it was great reading.

This is a book about the author's fiction-like journey with a wise old man who he called Socrates. Through strict trainings and mysterious adventures with Socrates, the author learns about mindfulness, discipline, happiness, and love, and so do we.

This book reminds me of The Alchemist, also one of my favorite books. I found this book enlightening and at the same time entertaining, so I devoured it within a day. Having previously read meditation books such as Peace is In Every Step, Wherever You Go There You Are, and Search Inside Yourself, the dots connected quickly for me. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is seeking meaning of life and happiness.