Mastery by Robert Greene
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Web ID: 1187027The Art of Earning It
Mastery by Robert Greene is one of those books I find myself recommending over and over again. I’ve read all of Greene’s work, but this one lands especially well in today’s world, where change feels constant and shortcuts are sold everywhere. Through powerful historical and biographical stories, Greene shows us that mastery isn’t reserved for the gifted or the lucky. It’s available to anyone willing to do the work. What I appreciate most is how he breaks the process down: the apprenticeship phase, the importance of mentorship, the need for patience and deep, focused practice. It’s a reminder that becoming great at anything takes time and that’s okay. In fact, it’s necessary. In a culture obsessed with quick wins and hacks, Mastery offers something deeper: a call to humility, discipline, and perseverance. This book isn’t just about skill, it’s about identity. It’s about becoming someone who can weather the chaos of life with purpose and resilience. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the pace of change, or uncertain about your own path, Mastery is a steadying voice. It reminds you: real success is earned, and the journey, though long, is absolutely worth it.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Inspirational but lacking in rigor
What does it take to rise to the top of one’s profession or any other domain in life? Through artful storytelling of historical and contemporary figures, Greene offers us a plethora of examples to follow. He tries to tie each case to principles of how the individual mastered her/his own environment. In so doing, he offers us a self-driven manual for how to command a sector in life. Greene’s contemporary exemplars include figures from many domains, including piloting, research, and linguistics. Ancient figures include geniuses that you learned about in school. All in all, a variety of personality and professional types are represented, including both men and women, people with disabilities, and the formally educated as well as the self-educated. The author is clearly adept at spinning a good story. His storylines stick to readers’ ears and hearts. I listened to this book as an audiobook while I performed other tasks with my hands; each chapter drew my attention in, and time passed quickly. I have not read Greene’s other works for comparison, but his skill in the narrative arts is evident. What most lacked was intellectual rigor. Yes, he brought forth diverse inspirational examples that illustrated key concepts related to mastery, but I could not deduce if Greene’s theorizing was ever tested via a scientific method. I hoped to see studies cited or some sort of quantitative analysis to back up his far-reaching claims of long-standing principles. What shows me that his contentions are true besides anecdotal evidence? That said, this book does offer much fodder to activate readers’ creative juices. Inspiration needs to be followed by perspiration, no? That means that I have a lot of work to do because Greene began a process of trying to learn about the finer details along life’s paths. He showed how these figures, through their own perspiration, managed to overcome situations to help others and to lead. If one function of books is to push us on to increasing excellence, then this book succeeds in spades.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com