Name: Mastery
Rating: 4.202380952380953 (84 reviews)
ISBN: 9780670024964

Robert Greene

Evaluates the tactics employed by great historical figures to offer insight into how to gain control over one's own life and destiny, challenging cultural myths to demonstrate how anyone can tap the power of a love for doing something well to achieve high levels of success.

Mastery

Julian Paul

Benjamin Rensch Vinterberg

I really enjoy reading books by Robert Greene. He’s very insightful and has a lot of good examples. His style of writing can be very hit or miss depending on what kinda person you are. In this book for example it can start to feel much more like a biography about the people he describes. This can feel like a détraction from the actual message of the book and make it feel unnecessarily long. If you’re willing to sit through it there are some great knowledge to be learned. But if you are the type to get lost when the author describes people and you feel that it’s “fluff” then this is not for you. Likewise if you’re the type who loves examples of how the “theory” comes to fruition in real life with examples of real people, this is for you.

Ketan Nayak

** spoiler alert **
           Robert Greene's brings his writing style to a book that opens up the profiles of individuals from various straits and ages who developed a mastery in their own fields. He attempts to then paint a picture of what it takes for an average individual to be a true master at their craft. Depending on which world view you follow, some of the advice may come across as lofty and idealistic. For example, the 'introspect at the core, discover your inclination, do an apprenticeship and follow it to occupy a key niche' strategy, might seem impractical for quite a few people discovering this book. 

At the same time however, the mini-biographies highlighted show how certain traits and actions ( being persistent, having mentors, looking to learn and fail etc.) have generally led people to improve their state of life. Unlike his previous book, 48 laws of power, the general takeaways from this one are a little chaotic being scattered around the book, but are probably palatable to a larger broader audience and come across as less controversial.

Ethan Hussong

I wish I would have found this book when I was 22 instead of almost 40!

Issa Dimayuga

As an artist this book has helped look at my craft and its progress on a different level. Very informative book and well-written.

Jeremy Anderberg

“Our levels of desire, patience, persistence, and confidence end up playing a much larger role in success than sheer reasoning powers. Feeling motivated and energized, we can overcome almost anything. Feeling bored and restless, our minds shut off and we become increasingly passive.” 

I’ve been at the same job for nearly seven years, which is an eternity for a Millennial. Rather than feeling an itch for something new, though, my career itch really has to do with mastery. And it’s a feeling that I think a lot of people get in their early 30s . . . you’ve been working long enough to generally know what you like and don’t like, and can therefore lean in to the positives and become a real expert in whatever your field might be.

That’s what this book tackles — the how of mastery.

Let’s start right away with some criticism: Robert Greene is known for his signature writing style of giving the reader tons of historical anecdotes/profiles and then pulling out lessons from them that match his thesis. It’s a style that’s now oft repeated. And while it’s effective, it can also get tiresome. He gives specific stories a universal quality that they just don’t always have. And there were some parts of the book that got a little bit . . . out there and almost weirdly mystic.

That said, I very much enjoyed a lot of this book. The first third or so, about finding your “inclination” (much akin to a calling) and then diving into the “apprenticeship phase” (going headfirst into that inclination) was especially compelling and unlike a lot of what you see in books that are about boosting your career. Lots of underlining in those first few sections. Beyond that, I wasn’t as convinced of Greene’s arguments, but it was still a really well done book.

Anyone in search of mastery — of any skill, hobby, career field — would do well to give this a read.

Ervin Szerdocz

A bit too fluffy and repetitive for my taste, but this book still delivered big time. Reading about so many masters and their struggle of getting there made me realise that everyone has the potential to achieve more, if only we put in the work. Demystifying "genius" can only encourage us to persevere, and this book definitely refuelled something in me.

Harsha G

Reading this has been a profound experience. I found myself taking LOTS of notes and making many decisions to better my own life.

The book has it's few flaws but the ideas Robert managed to get across more than make up for any sort of flaws.

I can't recommend it enough for anyone interested to make a significant impact in any field or strives to achieve mastery.

Ilia Markov

Not a bad book, but I think I was expecting much more.

It gets quite repetitive at times — especially with the biographies it is using — and it is lacking (or at least I was expecting) a lot more research-backed advice and conclusions. This is more of a "story" of what makes a master and it sounds a lot like general advice given from someone experienced to a young person just entering (professional) life.

Dominic Mulinda

Abdullah Raza

'Machiavelli has a new rival, and Sun-tzu had better watch his back' - New York Times Around the globe, people are facing the same problem - that we are born as individuals but are forced to conform to the rules of society if we want to succeed. To see our uniqueness expressed in our achievements, we must first learn the rules - and then how to change them completely. Charles Darwin began as an underachieving schoolboy, Leonardo da Vinci as an illegitimate outcast. The secret of their eventual greatness lies in a 'rigorous apprenticeship': by paying close and careful attention, they learnt to master the 'hidden codes' which determine ultimate success or failure. Then, they rewrote the rules as a reflection of their own individuality, blasting previous patterns of achievement open from within. Told through Robert Greene's signature blend of historical anecdote and psychological insight and drawing on interviews with world leaders, Mastery builds on the strategies outlined in The 48 Laws of Power to provide a practical guide to greatness - and how to start living by your own rules. From the internationally bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power, The Art Of Seduction, and The 33 Strategies Of War.

Mastery

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