Book · 2007 · Fiction
Gates of Fire
An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae
- mentions
- 22
- people
- 9
- podcasts
- 6
- episodes
- 16
- critical mentions
- 0
A book that I often recommend to people who want to understand what it's like for people in combat is Gates of Fire.
James Stavridis · The Daily Stoic · Jan 2022 Listen at 25:49 What they say about it
- About the Battle of Thermopylae4
- Feels like an ancient text“feels like it's like a thousand years old”2
The best things said about it
There are some books that are always on there, like Gates of Fire, which is about the Battle of Thermoy, which is a wonderful, wonderful book.
You know what you know what's amazing about a book like Gates of Fire is that it was it's only like I don't know 20 years old or 30 years old but feels like it's like a thousand years old like when somebody does something I guess even the war of art but but when somebody does something and it's.
Ryan Holiday The Daily Stoic · Jun 2023 Also his books gets a fire about the Spartans and the Battle of Thermopylae the Lionsgate tides of war and others are some of the best historical fiction novels ever written.
Lex Fridman Lex Fridman Podcast · Jun 2020 Part of the reason I did that was so you could talk about honor with a straight face.
Steven Pressfield The Daily Stoic · Aug 2026 He has this novel called Gates of Fire that's amazing.
Ryan Holiday The Daily Stoic · May 2022 Talk to me about Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. It's so good.
Where and when it comes up
Mentions per year
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How it comes up
Most mentions, by podcast
9 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield is a historical novel detailing the heroic Spartan stand at the Battle of Thermopylae. The book received widespread praise across several podcast appearances. On Modern Wisdom, Chris Williamson expressed his admiration for Steven Pressfield's writing format, describing it as a fantastic and concentrated type of writing. Lulu Cheng Meservey mentioned Gates of Fire on How I Write, pointing out that it is an evergreen inclusion on the Marine Commandant's reading list and calling it a wonderful book. On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday frequently championed Pressfield's work. Holiday noted that he re-reads Pressfield's books on writing from cover to cover whenever he starts a new project, and he highlighted the timeless quality of Gates of Fire, remarking that it feels ancient despite being only decades old. Holiday also brought up the novel when discussing the concept of resistance and recommended it directly to guests like Brooke Wells. Finally, Admiral James Stavridis recommended Gates of Fire on The Daily Stoic to anyone seeking to understand what combat is truly like for service members, cementing the book's reputation as a powerful exploration of courage, sacrifice, and military camaraderie.
Every mention
Ryan Holiday My friend Steven Presfield, who wrote Gates of Fire, who was a Marine, he he he says that the thing that ge… 10
Discussed
“and then I have on my wall I have the last page from the typ written manuscript of Gates of Fire signed by the author”
Discussed
“I would have I would have read uh Gates of Fire right around this time also cuz I remember buying that on Amazon um and then it it got lost and I had to buy I I remember writing to Amazon Customer Serv to get another copy and so I which is still the one that I have upstairs in”
Recommended
“His books are great. Oh, they're the best.”
Recommended
“you know what you know what's amazing about a book like Gates of Fire is that it was it's only like I don't know 20 years old or 30 years old but feels like it's like a thousand years old like when somebody does something I guess even the war of art but but when somebody does something and it's”
Discussed
“you know what you know what's amazing about a book like Gates of Fire is that it was it's only like I don't know 20 years old or 30 years old but feels like it's like a thousand years old”
Recommended
“Like I read—whenever I start a new project, I read one of Steven Pressfield’s writing books again, just from cover to cover. Um, and I feel like there’s something in the way that you did it that, um, you know, is the difference between depth and width, and I think you’ve created something that has a greater depth and value”
Discussed
“as always this is my copy of war of art her new Pro the artist Journey Gates of Fire”
Recommended
“My friend Steven Presfield, who wrote Gates of Fire, who was a Marine, he he he says that the thing that gets in the way between us and our art...”
Discussed
“this is the last page of the original manuscript of stephen pressfield's gates of fire which i think is the most important and beautiful page in the whole book”
Recommended
“or he has this novel called gates of fire that's amazing”
Derek Sivers I think that Steven Pressfield's books, both of them, are fantastic; that format's great. Oliver Burkman's… 1
Recommended
“I think that Steven Pressfield's books, both of them, are fantastic; that format's great. Oliver Burkman's most recent one is very similar to yours, and I think that was zeroing in on a new, very concentrated type of, so like, purified version of writing. And I'm here for it.”
James Stavridis um a book that i often recommend to people who want to understand uh what it's like for people in combat is… 1
Recommended
“um a book that i often recommend to people who want to understand uh what it's like for people in combat is gates of fire”
Joe Rogan and I'm going to get into games of f Gates of Fire tonight I'm going to get into that tonight 1
Recommended
“and I'm going to get into games of f Gates of Fire tonight I'm going to get into that tonight”
Lex Fridman also his books gets a fire about the Spartans and the Battle of Thermopylae the Lionsgate tides of war and… 1
Recommended
“also his books gets a fire about the Spartans and the Battle of Thermopylae the Lionsgate tides of war and others are some of the best historical fiction novels ever written”
Lulu Cheng Meservey There are some books that are always on there, like Gates of Fire, which is about the Battle of Thermoy, wh… 1
Recommended
“There are some books that are always on there, like Gates of Fire, which is about the Battle of Thermoy, which is a wonderful, wonderful book.”
Steven Pressfield It's like for me writing Gates of Fire and setting a story in ancient Greece with the Spartans, the part of… 5
Discussed
“It's like for me writing Gates of Fire and setting a story in ancient Greece with the Spartans, the part of the reason I did that was so you could talk about honor with a straight face.”
Discussed
“then what came after that was Gates of Fire book about the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae never have thought of either of those books”
Discussed
“The Legend of Bagger Vance and Gates of Fire.”
Discussed
“Not whatsoever, because if you think about, like, the second book was Gates of Fire for me. And as I was writing it, I thought, who's going to possibly be interested in this?”
Discussed
“Well, when my second book was "Gates of Fire" which is about the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, not the book that the movie "300" came from.”
David Perell Talk to me about Gates of Fire by Stephen Pressfield. It's so good. Yeah. 1
Discussed
“Talk to me about Gates of Fire by Stephen Pressfield. It's so good. Yeah.”
Jack Carr So, I took that and then I heard Steven Pressfield and I I Gates of Fire, Hero of Gates of Fire, Legend of… 1
Discussed
“So, I took that and then I heard Steven Pressfield and I I Gates of Fire, Hero of Gates of Fire, Legend of Bagger Vance, has a series of books on creativity that starts with The War of Art.”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (7: passing, ad reads, own books)
Plugged
“then what came after that was Gates of Fire book about the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae”
Plugged
“And then I have on my wall, I have the last page from the typewritten manuscript of Gates of Fire signed by the author. Yeah, I have a bunch of those little totems too, myself.”
Passing
“Since then, he has written the million-seller, Gates of Fire and The War of Art, one of the best titles of any book of all time, as well as The Legend of Bagger Vance, A Man at Arms, and many others.”
Plugged
“You know, and I think that where my attention goes when I'm really doing it right, like if I'm writing a book like Gates of Fire or something like that, my attention goes to that world that is being created kind of through me, but not by me in the moment, you know?”
Plugged
“it's called a man in arms and it's a novel”
Passing
“the war of art gates of fire The Legend of Bagger Vance the Warrior”
Plugged
“one is Gates of Fire and the other is tides of War”