The War of Art
The War of Art by Steven Pressfieldby Steven Pressfield
Shares rank 16 of 22 self-help books by recommenders
People recommend it for describing resistance accurately and for systems to handle fear of new work. One critic finds the last chapters extreme.
People recommend it for describing resistance accurately and for systems to handle fear of new work. One critic finds the last chapters extreme.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 75%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Addresses fears of new endeavors
“It addresses the fears associated with any new endeavor and how to create systems to dance with the fears.”
Comment from 21 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What's a book that fundamentally altered your mental models” Describes resistance quite accurately
“It describes resistance quite accurately imho.”
Comment from 9 Nov 2025 in “WriterdeckOS” Timeless material that keeps selling
“If there was timeless material, they would continue to sell.”
Comment from 17 Jun 2026 in “Has AI already killed self-help nonfiction books?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Last chapters become extreme
“I distinctly recall it becoming a bit extreme in the last chapter(s).”
Comment from 15 Nov 2025 in “Things that aren't doing the thing”
Other self-help books people recommend
The four most recommended other self-help books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How to Win Friends and Influence Peopleby Dale Carnegie | 67 | 25 | 73% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Atomic Habitsby James Clear | 20 | 2 | 91% | 11 | — | Approved |
| The Easy Way to Stop Smokingby Allen Carr | 9 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Feeling Goodby David Burns | 8 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| The War of Artby Steven PressfieldThis page | 3 | 1 | 75% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“If there was timeless material, they would continue to sell.”
“It addresses the fears associated with any new endeavor and how to create systems to dance with the fears.”
“I distinctly recall it becoming a bit extreme in the last chapter(s).”
“It describes resistance quite accurately imho.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.