Be Useful

There were some interesting bits and I liked reading about that, but the last few chapters kind of lost me.

Very solid motivational / self help / memoir hybrid book. It's interesting to read about his life, perspective, and ways that you can find more meaning to not only make your life better but to make others better. It's a refreshing book to read from someone who seems to have a very unique background and who has values and opinions that we can all agree on (hopefully...?)

I liked the book itself, but having Arnold reading it via audiobook was priceless.

I appreciated the simple, straightforward ideas conveyed in this—the one that stuck with me most being that if you dream as big as you can and work as hard as you can, you'll inevitably land somewhere great. It's obvious, but having someone so honest & successful express that notion of control over your circumstances was a breath of fresh air.

Simplistic, Perhaps A Touch Naive And Even Self-Centered, But Nothing Technically Wrong. This is one of those self-help/ memoir combinations that perhaps would work best for someone who is truly at rock bottom and can't think of any way out of their current life or any way to better their current situation. Particularly if such a person had never had a parent or elder in their life to teach them these very basic lessons that many parents teach early on. So that is actually another way of looking at this: as a grandfather stares at his own mortality, these are the lessons he hopes to impart to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Yes, there is a lot of "I did this, so you can do a version of it too" - and, at the end of the day, a LOT of advice tends to be based around that idea, not just in this book. There actually weren't as many specifics of Arnold's life as one might think in here, as he actively states at the beginning of the book that he knows he made some mistakes and destroyed his family, but this book isn't about that.

Yes, there is also quite a bit of repetition of the basic, simplistic, perhaps a touch naive points. Here again, as many any educator will tell you, the primary way to teach is to repeat. Over and over and over. Yes, there is also quite a bit of repetition of the basic, simplistic, perhaps a touch naive points. Here again, as many any educator will tell you, the primary way to teach is to repeat. Over and over and over. Yes, there is also quite a bit of repetition of the basic, simplistic, perhaps a touch naive points. Here again, as many any educator will tell you, the primary way to teach is to repeat. Over and over and over. Yes, there is also quite a bit of repetition of the basic, simplistic, perhaps a touch naive points. Here again, as many any educator will tell you, the primary way to teach is to repeat. Over and over and over. (See what I did there? Arnold wasn't anywhere *near* as blatant in the book, though he did in fact repeat his key points often, particularly referring back to earlier "lessons" in later chapters.)

Overall this truly was an interesting look at a clearly intelligent man who has lived a life many of us could only wish for, and the lessons he has picked up along the way. Perhaps a touch simplistic and naive, but if viewed from the perspective of a grandfather staring down his mortality and expressing the values he wishes to teach to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, it makes a bit more sense. Very much recommended.

Great storyteller. Definitely better on audible read by the author. Not multidimensional in the sense it's mostly a highlight reel of what he thinks of as his greatest accomplishments and nothing else. Thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it.

Os resumo el libro:
- Mueve el culo y haz algo que merezca la pena.

Me gusta que sobre el final, va a imitar al emperador Marco Aurelio ya que este libro va muy en la linea de los estoicos.
En general en el libro va a dar ejemplos de como el ha movido el culo y como esto le ha llevado a las alturas que ha alcanzado y que pasos seguir para tener la mentalidad y la tenacidad para llegar a donde sea que en tu caso quieras llegar.
Es un buen mensaje. Creo que a veces se pierde demasiado en algunas de las anécdotas y se hace demasiado largo.

4.5 stars. First half was 5 stars, for sure. Great advice all around.

Felt more like an autobiography rather than an inspirational help book. Enjoyed learning about Arnold and all the things he's accomplished and done throughout his life. However, the lessons and self improvement portions felt more like they were sprinkled throughout Arnold's stories rather than the focus. Highly recommend listening to the audiobook since he narrates it himself.

Part autobiography, part motivational self-help – basically the script to a commencement speech. Arnold is definitely a legend and he knows it. His advice is reasonable, if a bit (ok, maybe more than a bit) driven by boomer-era masculinity and self-reliance. Overall it works for me: His candor, wit, and charm (“I still want my money back for those accent-removal classes”, lmao) make it hard to not feel a little inspired.

This book was a breeze to read through which I always appreciate. I find it to be the main indicator of a mastery of writing more often than not. If Arnold wrote this all by himself then I am even more impressed.

A lot of good wisdom to pull from these pages. This isn't bogged down like Jordan Petersons rules for life.

He really comes across as a thoughtful and considerate man who wants to help communities wherever they maybe. These tools seem universal and I would wager implementing even one will help your life. I'm happy with the time spent on this.