Dale Carnegie – How to Win Friends and Influence People

In a nutshell (291 pages), this book has been appreciated for around 85 years for many good reasons. The title really does sum it up. It is said that though times change, humans don’t. Put differently, history may not repeat, but it does rhyme. That’s the reason this timeless advice is still easy to appreciate and use.

What I got out of it

It’s nice too that there is nothing underhanded or at all evil about his recommendations. At a minimum this book will give the reader rules of thumb on how to treat others. This in turn will help you to make friends, because you will be more appreciated, and to influence people because you will understand how to work with someone. The golden rule is good, but this book teaches you to treat people how they want to be treated. And this is much more powerful.

What was difficult

This book was written in a different era and for some people it can be a little salesy or corny. I’m confident, though, that given the chance the message will get through and reading this book will be worthwhile all the same.

Recommendation

Read the book one chapter at a time. Look for opportunities to put what you learn into practice. It’s also a good choice for an audio book because it’s not exactly demanding of serious concentration. If it seems a bit long to read, you can probably get away with reading a good summary, but you’ll be giving up the stories that will really help you learn the lessons in a way that is easier to apply to your own life.