During his junior year at the University of California, while training to become a world-champion gymnast, Dan Millman stumbled on a 94-year-old mentor nicknamed Socrates, a powerful, unpredictable, and elusive character. He taught a way to maximize performance using a unique blend of Eastern philosophy and Western fitness to cultivate the true essence of a champion - the "way of the peaceful warrior." Millman's first-person account of his odyssey into realms of light, darkness, mind, body, and spirit has since become an international bestseller about the universal quest for happiness.

"This book is so appealing," commented Virginia Satir, "because it provides an easy access for people to naturally identify, connect and be in touch with the spiritual part of themselves."

Indeed, Way of the Peaceful Warrior does just that with its piercing truths, lively narrative and humorous wisdom. Like Castaneda, it enables the reader to reflect on the deepest questions of life. Yet unlike Don Juan, it spotlights the path to a happy, uncomplicated life without dependency on drugs.

Told with drama and insight, the novel revolves around Dan, a world champion gymnast and student at the University of California at Berkeley. The story begins when Dan meets his powerful 96-year-old mentor Socrates, an all-night gas station attendant.

Guided by this wise old mentor and tempted by an elusive and playful woman named Joy, Dan journeys through everyday reality and metaphysical realms. He travels the paths of flesh and spirit, romance and terror, light and darkness, laughter and magic, learning new ways to see the world and live life fully.

Thematically, this tale of the eternal human quest for the meaning of life is the path of transformation and enlightenment. It uncovers concepts known deep inside but really allowed to wake up and be content with this knowledge. There is no need to search, so just be happy now! Love is the only reality of the world, because it is all One - and the only laws are paradox, humor and change.

After reading Way of the Peaceful Warrior don't tuck it away on a bookshelf to gather dust. Keep it close at hand, and recapture guidance from many of the metaphors sprinkled throughout the story. The secret of happiness, Socrates so aptly points out, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less. -- Association for Humanistic Psychology Newsletter, July, 1984

Author's Bio: 

Dan Millman is an author and speaker who shares his message that we are all peaceful warriors in training. He has written a dozen books, including the bestseller, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, which has inspired men and women of all ages in 29 languages worldwide. It is a beloved spiritual saga that has helped readers rediscover life’s larger meaning and purpose.

Dan is a former world trampoline champion, Stanford gymnastics coach, and Oberlin College professor. His interests changed from developing talent for sports to developing talent for living. Dan offers fresh perspectives that reveal a clear path to deeper fulfillment, so people can enjoy a spiritual life in the material world and live with a peaceful heart and warrior’s spirit.

As an international speaker, Dan has influenced people from all walks of life, including leaders of business and finance, heath, psychology, education, politics, entertainment, sports, and the arts. For more than two decades, he has presented talks and seminars to professional organizations across the world. He discusses such topics as “The Twelve Gateways to Human Potential,” “Laws of Business, Laws of Life,” and “Living on Purpose.”