What do you think?
Rate this book
The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook: Your Personal Companion to How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci
In the bestselling tradition of The Artist's Way Morning Pages Journal, The Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude and The Don't Sweat the Small Stuff Workbook comes The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook--the companion volume to Michael Gelb's 1998 Delacorte hardcover bestseller.Created to structure and motivate the reader's development of the seven da Vincian principles introduced in How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook represents the natural extension of Gelb's da Vinci line. As any modern da Vinci student knows, Leonardo's notebook both served as the incubator and repository of his unique genius and provides the foundation of any modern-day student's attempt to emulate that genius on his own. From the very first exercise in the original How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, Gelb encourages readers to keep their own personal notebooks in which to hone their da Vincian skills; now he provides that notebook for them, with the added bonus of tips on exercises they'll recognize and new suggestions and assignments that will build on the work they've already done.Designed to echo the inviting look of How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, and structured to help readers focus on each of the seven genius principles, The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook is a companion volume that truly complements and enhances the reader's experience of the original book on which it's based.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published June 15, 1999
46 people are currently reading
604 people want to read
About the author
Michael J. Gelb
38 books175 followersThe world’s leading authority on the application of genius thinking to personal and organizational development, Michael J. Gelb is a pioneer in the fields of creative thinking, innovative leadership and executive coaching. His clients include DuPont, Emerson, Genentech, KPMG, Merck, Microsoft, Nike and YPO.
Michael is a Senior Fellow at The Center for Humanistic Management and a member of the Leading People and Organizations Advisory Board at the Fordham University Gabelli School of Business. Michael was also awarded a Batten Fellowship in Innovation from the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business, and he co-directed the acclaimed Leading Innovation Seminar there for more than 10 years. Michael was honored as “Brain of the Year” (1999) by the Brain Trust Charity – other recipients include Steven Hawking, Garry Kasparov and Edward De Bono.
Michael is the author of 17 books including How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci, Discover Your Genius, Innovate Like Edison, and The Art of Connection: 7 Relationship Building Skills Every Leader Needs Now.
Michael’s books have been translated into 25 languages and have sold more than one million copies. Recent releases include The Healing Organization: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World, co-authored with Prof. Raj Sisodia, and Mastering the Art of Public Speaking: 8 Secrets to Transform Fear and Supercharge Your Career.
FUN FACTS
Author, Speaker, Consultant, Juggler!
A professional juggler who performed with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, Gelb introduced the idea of teaching juggling to promote accelerated learning and team-building. He is the author of The 5 Keys to High Performance: Juggling Your Way to Success.
A passionate wine lover, Gelb is the originator of a unique and enjoyable approach to teambuilding as expressed in Wine Drinking For Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices.
Michael trained as a teacher of the Alexander Technique, (the method taught at The Juilliard School for cultivating commanding stage presence), while completing his Masters degree. His thesis became his first book – Body Learning: An Introduction to the Alexander Technique.
A fifth degree black belt in the martial art of Aikido, Gelb is co-author with Grandmaster Raymond Keene, of Samurai Chess: Mastering Strategic Thinking Through the Martial Art of the Mind.
Michael is a Senior Fellow at The Center for Humanistic Management and a member of the Leading People and Organizations Advisory Board at the Fordham University Gabelli School of Business. Michael was also awarded a Batten Fellowship in Innovation from the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business, and he co-directed the acclaimed Leading Innovation Seminar there for more than 10 years. Michael was honored as “Brain of the Year” (1999) by the Brain Trust Charity – other recipients include Steven Hawking, Garry Kasparov and Edward De Bono.
Michael is the author of 17 books including How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci, Discover Your Genius, Innovate Like Edison, and The Art of Connection: 7 Relationship Building Skills Every Leader Needs Now.
Michael’s books have been translated into 25 languages and have sold more than one million copies. Recent releases include The Healing Organization: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World, co-authored with Prof. Raj Sisodia, and Mastering the Art of Public Speaking: 8 Secrets to Transform Fear and Supercharge Your Career.
FUN FACTS
Author, Speaker, Consultant, Juggler!
A professional juggler who performed with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, Gelb introduced the idea of teaching juggling to promote accelerated learning and team-building. He is the author of The 5 Keys to High Performance: Juggling Your Way to Success.
A passionate wine lover, Gelb is the originator of a unique and enjoyable approach to teambuilding as expressed in Wine Drinking For Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices.
Michael trained as a teacher of the Alexander Technique, (the method taught at The Juilliard School for cultivating commanding stage presence), while completing his Masters degree. His thesis became his first book – Body Learning: An Introduction to the Alexander Technique.
A fifth degree black belt in the martial art of Aikido, Gelb is co-author with Grandmaster Raymond Keene, of Samurai Chess: Mastering Strategic Thinking Through the Martial Art of the Mind.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 9, 2014
The author if this book seems to miss that genius thinking doesn't have a stereotype;Einstein didn't think like Da' Vinci but that doesn't make him less of a genius. So do what ever that please you, but there's no harm to know how others think
March 28, 2016
كتاب التطبيقات للكتاب المشهور "كيف تفكر على طريقة ليوناردو دافينشي" ، ممتع ومفيد ومن الأفضل أن يلازم الكتاب الأصلي عند قراءته .
October 14, 2025
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day by Michael J. Gelb
To try to identify the principles guiding the life of one of the greatest geniuses and give readers a masterplan, guidance and highlights is an interesting idea. I liked reading about Leonardo da Vonci, the salatious part, the fact that he loved flowers, liked to dress as well as possible, in velvet and some other precious material that I forgot_ there you have it: some of the principles in the book have just passed me by... all in all I was not overwhelmed by this book of pop-psychology...is it pop –psychology? I am not sure, but it seems to me that its present popularity has much more to do with da Vinci than with any new contribution brought by mr Gelb.
But then I may be wrong: I am no Leonardo and couldn’t really get to think like him, even after this book, which at times seemd to me like a guide book for dummies: think of your favorite painters, musiacians...and by the way : here are mine...I am not sure why I should „gain” this knowledge of mr Gelb’s prefered musicians, painters, etc . for what is worth here are the principles „discovered”:
The Seven Da Vincian Principles
Curiosità
Dimostrazione
Sensazione
Sfumato
Arte/Scienza
Corporalita
Connessione
Conclusion: Leonardo's Legacy
Curiosità—An insatiably curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.
Dimostrazione—A commitment to test knowledge through experience, persistence, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.
Sensazione—The continual refinement of the senses, especially sight, as means to enliven experience.
Sfumato (literally "Going up in Smoke")—A willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty.
Arte/Scienza—The development of the balance between science and art, logic and imagination. "Whole-brain" thinking.
Corporalita—The cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness, and poise.
Connessione—A recognition of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena. Systems thinking.
To try to identify the principles guiding the life of one of the greatest geniuses and give readers a masterplan, guidance and highlights is an interesting idea. I liked reading about Leonardo da Vonci, the salatious part, the fact that he loved flowers, liked to dress as well as possible, in velvet and some other precious material that I forgot_ there you have it: some of the principles in the book have just passed me by... all in all I was not overwhelmed by this book of pop-psychology...is it pop –psychology? I am not sure, but it seems to me that its present popularity has much more to do with da Vinci than with any new contribution brought by mr Gelb.
But then I may be wrong: I am no Leonardo and couldn’t really get to think like him, even after this book, which at times seemd to me like a guide book for dummies: think of your favorite painters, musiacians...and by the way : here are mine...I am not sure why I should „gain” this knowledge of mr Gelb’s prefered musicians, painters, etc . for what is worth here are the principles „discovered”:
The Seven Da Vincian Principles
Curiosità
Dimostrazione
Sensazione
Sfumato
Arte/Scienza
Corporalita
Connessione
Conclusion: Leonardo's Legacy
Curiosità—An insatiably curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.
Dimostrazione—A commitment to test knowledge through experience, persistence, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.
Sensazione—The continual refinement of the senses, especially sight, as means to enliven experience.
Sfumato (literally "Going up in Smoke")—A willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty.
Arte/Scienza—The development of the balance between science and art, logic and imagination. "Whole-brain" thinking.
Corporalita—The cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness, and poise.
Connessione—A recognition of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena. Systems thinking.
November 14, 2016
Over All really good read... I enjoyed allot simple in reading but enriched with lot of learning.
December 28, 2016
Both the book and workbook are invaluable...but I especially appreciate the workbook as it gives you wonderful prompts to use throughout your day/month/year.
July 29, 2019
Great book on creativity, contains great exercises to sharpen your brain and to make you more focused with your work. It teaches you how to be an artist and has a lot of reference points to the life of Leonardo da Vinci. I don't know if Leonardo really used all these techniques described in a book, but they are great anyways. I recommend reading Leonardo personal diaries in conjunction with this.
October 15, 2015
Some good exercises in here. Will have to review over and over. Good practical tips
August 22, 2019
One stop solution for creative folks. Gelb page by page evokes the reader's interest in the Da Vincian work pattern and the maestro's unique habit of observing things in the most intricate manner and not as the way they are presented.
Bit crude but interesting ideas that one can follow and build one's life and career based on the Da Vincian model.
Bit crude but interesting ideas that one can follow and build one's life and career based on the Da Vincian model.
August 22, 2019
One stop solution for creative folks. Gelb page by page evokes the reader's interest in the Da Vincian work pattern and the maestro's unique habit of observing things in the most intricate manner and not as the way they are presented.
Bit crude but interesting ideas that once can follow and build one's life and career based on the Da Vincian Model.
Bit crude but interesting ideas that once can follow and build one's life and career based on the Da Vincian Model.
January 2, 2019
I had a really hard time reading this book. I finally gave it up. I might go back but I'm not sure.
December 21, 2019
This book helps me hold a positive mind in the daily life.
January 25, 2017
I think the best books don't necessarily tell you how to think but give you other ways in which you can decide to think for yourself and offer persepectives on things which become so common that we take them for granted.
Like most books if you are looking for something that has everything you will likely be disappointed - do such books even exist? I gained a lot from this book and as others have mentioned the exercises are invaluable and its among those books that I will refer back to often.
Great book which I would recommend to any and everyone.
Like most books if you are looking for something that has everything you will likely be disappointed - do such books even exist? I gained a lot from this book and as others have mentioned the exercises are invaluable and its among those books that I will refer back to often.
Great book which I would recommend to any and everyone.
May 27, 2012
philosophy of thinking ; little too focused on being good because of Leonardo!
Living a balanced fulfilling life, through the challenges of change
• Being mentally literate and
• Globally aware (racism sexism nationalism)
You are the captain of your ship but you do not control the weather
Living a balanced fulfilling life, through the challenges of change
• Being mentally literate and
• Globally aware (racism sexism nationalism)
You are the captain of your ship but you do not control the weather
April 27, 2017
يعتبر كتاب التطبيق المصاحب لكتاب كيف تفكر على طريقة ليناردو دليل شخصي يساعد على تطبيق مراحل العبقرية السبعة التي تتعلمها من الكتاب الاساسي.
كتاب التطبيقات يعتبر مرجع ممتاز شخصي أو تدريبي للمدربين والمعلمين ممن يريدون تنمية العبقرية لديهم وعند الاخرين.
الكتاب بتصميمه يعتبر فريد بفكرته ومحتواه
كتاب التطبيقات يعتبر مرجع ممتاز شخصي أو تدريبي للمدربين والمعلمين ممن يريدون تنمية العبقرية لديهم وعند الاخرين.
الكتاب بتصميمه يعتبر فريد بفكرته ومحتواه
July 28, 2011
A fun way to explore one's creativity and think outside the box.
June 26, 2017
أكره مثل نوعية هذه الكتب..
لا أتذكر لم اتممته..
لا أنصح به..
لا أتذكر لم اتممته..
لا أنصح به..
November 11, 2017
مُنذ قرأتهُ وانا في لجو تام له حتى الان
عظيم جدًا ..
عظيم جدًا ..
April 11, 2017
Well I have read better ones. It is similar to 7habits, but different names. Quite liked questions and your personal researches. There also interesting facts about Leonardo.
April 2, 2017
In summary
Ambidextirity - use both hands
systems thinking
healthy mind and consciousness of body
mind maps
Curiosity
Appreciate art and see connections
Ambidextirity - use both hands
systems thinking
healthy mind and consciousness of body
mind maps
Curiosity
Appreciate art and see connections
Read
March 6, 2018Qualities that were helpful for da Vinci. Recites, illustrates, amplifies, and applies.
Separate section in back of outline of how to draw.
Separate section in back of outline of how to draw.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews