The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle

Pressfield describes his daily writing ritual. He begins with a prayer, and then writes for about four hours, surrounded by “lucky” gifts from friends and family. Once finished, Pressfield does not worry about the quality of his work, instead feeling happy that he has overcome Resistance once again. He claims that professional writers understand that the writing itself is not really difficult: Overcoming Resistance is the hard part of the profession. Pressfield argues that Resistance is what separates people’s lives from their true potential. He claims that Resistance does not only affect artists, and is the reason why people neglect other goals such as health and fitness, professional dreams, activism, and other ambitions. Because of its limiting effect, Pressfield calls Resistance “the most toxic force on the planet” (3). A religious man, Pressfield characterizes Resistance as “evil,” as it robs people of their ability to share their talents and genius with the world (3).

Pressfield admits that he was powerless to Resistance until the age of 32. He argues that Resistance can fuel discontent and manifest as violence, addictions, vices, and disorders. He gives Hitler as an example; Hitler had ambitions to be a painter that he abandoned.