Dan Millman’s Way of the Peaceful Warrior

Dan Millman has authored 14 books, including one of my favorite books, Way of the Peaceful Warrior. A semi-autobiographical novel, Way of the Peaceful Warrior is the first in a series of Peaceful Warrior books and was adapted to film in 2006. Millman’s books are sold around the country and have been translated into 29 different languages. Also a champion athlete, Millman became the first World’s Men’s Trampoline Champion during a championship series held in London in 1964, during which time he was studying as a freshman at the University of California, Berkeley. Millman had already won the United States Gymnastics Federation Trampoline Championship while still in high school. Throughout his life, Millman has studied dance, gymnastics, yoga, and a variety of martial arts. While traveling around the world to research these disciplines, he developed his philosophy on living, which he spells out in Way of the Peaceful Warrior. Subtitled A Book that Changes Lives, Way of the Peaceful Warrior is rumored to be originally inspired by a mentor whom Millman met as a junior in college and whom he refers to as “Socrates.” The book challenges the Western notions of power and success, placing emphasis on spirituality and self-consciousness. According to the Socrates of the novel, it is more important to be aware of yourself and your place in the world than to be what Westerners call “smart.” Likewise, a strong spirit is more important than a strong body. Way of the Peaceful Warrior places emphasis on the embrace of emotion rather than tension. Millman pulls his reader into the story with an engaging narrative and slowly unravels his philosophy using humorous and interesting anecdotes. His story teaches us how to achieve a happy and uncomplicated life through radically different means than have come to be accepted by modern Western society.