Mastery

by Robert Greene

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

From the master of understanding and attaining power comes a study of mastery and how to become one. If you want to excel in your field, look at others who have done so before you. Mastery has all that and more.

From the bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power and The Laws of Human Nature, a vital work revealing that the secret to mastery is already within you.

Each one of us has within us the potential to be a Master. Learn the secrets of the field you have chosen, submit to a rigorous apprenticeship, absorb the hidden knowledge possessed by those with years of experience, surge past competitors to surpass them in brilliance, and explode established patterns from within. Study the behaviors of Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Leonardo da Vinci and the nine contemporary Masters interviewed for this book. 

The bestseller author of The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, and The 33 Strategies of War, Robert Greene has spent a lifetime studying the laws of power. Now, he shares the secret path to greatness. With this seminal text as a guide, readers will learn how to unlock the passion within and become masters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780143124177
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/29/2013
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	2,900
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Robert Greene has a degree in classical studies and is the author of several bestselling books, including The 48 Laws of Power, The 33 Strategies of War, The Art of Seduction, and Mastery. He lives in Los Angeles.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Illuminating.”
—The Guardian

Editorial Reviews

"Greene’s specialty is analyzing the lives and philosophies of historical figures like Sun Tzu and Napoleon, and extracting from them tips on how to manipulate people and situations—a cutthroat worldview that has earned him a devoted following among a like-minded readership of rappers, drug dealers and corporate executives."—The New York Times

"Compelling."—Forbes

"Illuminating."—The Guardian

From the Publisher

We are born masters but sometimes, especially during the trials of adulthood, we need external guidance to reach our potential, says bestselling author Greene (The 48 Laws of Power). His description of mastery is reminiscent of what positive psychologists describe as "flow": a state that feels effortless once achieved. Yet mastery requires work. Greene outlines the process in nearly 50 steps, with several overarching themes: retaining a child's sense of wonder, learning from other masters, and avoiding financially motivated goals. The steps are interspersed with the stories of people who have famously achieved success: the Wright Brothers, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Mozart, Temple Grandin, and many more. Relatively few of these examples are contemporary, which poses the question of whether such mastery is possible in our current economic and profit-driven environment. And 48 steps are a little much for even the mastery-oriented mind, and Greene's presentation is disjointed and occasionally confusing. But what this book lacks in clarity it makes up for in its stories and persistent encouragement—the inspiration that is essential for anybody who strives to live a full, mastered life. Agent: Michael Carlisle, Inkwell Management. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Want to be the master of your universe? Greene shows you how by looking at the folks who have done it before you, from middling-student Charles Darwin to Temple Grandin, Henry Ford, and more. Since Greene's books (e.g., The 48 Laws of Power) have sold more than a million copies, he must have something to say to folks out there.

Library Journal

Greene argues that mastery can come to anyone over time with dedication and application, which literally shape the brain to the task, and he gives frequent bios of famous achievers to underscore his tips and suggestions. Listeners may question his thinking and some of his advice, but Fred Sanders narrates Greene’s assertions and arguments with conviction and without overselling, giving them an extra gloss of plausibility and credibility. His reading is clear and well paced. His tone is earnest and slightly intense, with an energetic edge, like that of a coach urging the listener to accomplishment, but controlled, giving an impression of class and intelligence. Greene would make a fine salesman; he and Sanders put the book across, doing their best to inspire the listener. W.M. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2013 - AudioFile

Greene argues that mastery can come to anyone over time with dedication and application, which literally shape the brain to the task, and he gives frequent bios of famous achievers to underscore his tips and suggestions. Listeners may question his thinking and some of his advice, but Fred Sanders narrates Greene’s assertions and arguments with conviction and without overselling, giving them an extra gloss of plausibility and credibility. His reading is clear and well paced. His tone is earnest and slightly intense, with an energetic edge, like that of a coach urging the listener to accomplishment, but controlled, giving an impression of class and intelligence. Greene would make a fine salesman; he and Sanders put the book across, doing their best to inspire the listener. W.M. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2013 - AudioFile

Greene (The 33 Strategies of War, 2007, etc.) believes that genius can be learned if we pay attention and reject social conformity. The author suggests that our emergence as a species with stereoscopic, frontal vision and sophisticated hand-eye coordination gave us an advantage over earlier humans and primates because it allowed us to contemplate a situation and ponder alternatives for action. This, along with the advantages conferred by mirror neurons, which allow us to intuit what others may be thinking, contributed to our ability to learn, pass on inventions to future generations and improve our problem-solving ability. Throughout most of human history, we were hunter-gatherers, and our brains are engineered accordingly. The author has a jaundiced view of our modern technological society, which, he writes, encourages quick, rash judgments. We fail to spend the time needed to develop thorough mastery of a subject. Greene writes that every human is "born unique," with specific potential that we can develop if we listen to our inner voice. He offers many interesting but tendentious examples to illustrate his theory, including Einstein, Darwin, Mozart and Temple Grandin. In the case of Darwin, Greene ignores the formative intellectual influences that shaped his thought, including the discovery of geological evolution with which he was familiar before his famous voyage. The author uses Grandin's struggle to overcome autistic social handicaps as a model for the necessity for everyone to create a deceptive social mask. Readers unfamiliar with the anecdotal material Greene presents may find interesting avenues to pursue, but they should beware of the author's quirky, sometimes misleading brush-stroke characterizations.

Kirkus Reviews