The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
Ratings915
Average rating3.6
Nice prose. I think the only thing took away is “you're always responsible even if you don't want that” and “just do it, it's really that simple.”
Mmm
In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be “positive” all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people. For decades, we've been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. “Fk positivity,” Mark Manson says. “Let's be honest, shit is fked and we have to live with it.” In his wildly popular Internet blog, Mason doesn't sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let's-all-feel-good mindset that has infected American society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up. Manson makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons...
A few good ideas amidst crappy writing, tons of nonsense, and an all-around detestable style of story-telling. What a (f*cking) stupid book...
Wasn't worth reading the 20 pages I did. Author's ideas are better spelt out elsewhere, in much more enticing and enjoyable language. Excessive cursing makes the word “fuck” lose its importance, which unfortunately the author is happy to indulge in.
I started out liking this book, but the more I read the less and less I liked it. I can't quite place my finger on it, I think the most of it was I couldn't connect with Mark. His personal stories didn't click with me. I was listening to the audio book, he doesn't site his sources in the narration...but I'd like to give the benefit of the doubt and say sources for his claims and news stories are in the back of the book. If you've read the book, let me know if he cites his sources?
From my understanding of having read 2.5 philosophy books, this book is essentially modern day stoicism.
And since philosophy was basically figured out 2,000 years ago and the goal since then has been making it accessible to the times - this book is great.
Now to actually take the lessons on board....
Just complete trash to be honest. The book is so full of hypocrisy that it's often difficult to focus on the main point the author is trying to make. Somehow “not giving a f*ck” is actually code for facing adversity, so it seems like the entire tagline of the book is a ploy to repeat the same self-help mantra in a better marketing format. The author says this is not like other self-help efforts, but uses the same tactics (and in fact the same writing style) as a Tony Robbins or Brendan Bruchard. It's casual and friendly, but attempts to have an objective enough tone to come across authoritatively, as if he actually knew what he was talking about. He attempts to write this book for people to improve their lives and turn it around, but admits that it took the death of a close friend for him to do the same. The advice given in the book is not always contradictory. But when it is straight forward, it's simply an intuitive axiom attached to a meaningless historical event. It's tiring for these self-help books to use example stories of defeat and triumph like Dave Mustaine getting kicked out Metallica only to create Megadeath. But, like every single one of his self-help conspirators, Manson forgets the reason these stories are touching is because they are rare. Because what was done is difficult and the average person cannot imagine it. It was exhausting to get through honestly even though it's a two hour read.
Also, constantly said “research shows”, “studies show”, “data suggests” with no citations or notes section. No footnotes or anything about that. 0 stars should be given for that alone.
Contains spoilers
Your drunk uncle tries to give you life advice, and somehow manages to make some good points here and there. 3.5/5
A no nonsense guide that focuses on building strong values and growing as an individual. Definitely demands a second read!
there were some interesting ideas here that were new to me, but they were only explored at the surface level. i liked the last couple of chapters.
certain other parts i felt were too simplistic or self-congratulatory and the writing was meh at best. the chapters were barely connected to each other and to the main idea. entertaining, though.
and i appreciated how short it was.
It's always interesting when I read a book that everyone raved about and subsequently being underwhelmed. This is one of those books.
Hilarious at first but the charm and humor stop about a quarter in, and then the book becomes more of a self-help book which the author had previously admonished. Good advice speckled throughout and I can see this being a good book to reference every now and then to ground someone. I disagree with the parting message around “leaving a legacy” but agree with the sentiment of trying to leave the world better off than before.
not bad. i didn't enjoy the author's writing, but i suppose there are some takeaways
This is a really good introspective narrative about having the right attitude and turning so many negative things in the world to a positive outlook. Anyone looking for a guide on how to live a mentally healthy life should give this a go. Plenty of takeaways on how to be a better, stronger, more impactful human in this crazy world that continuously will throw challenges/problems at you. A guide to a better mental state and a glass half (or all the way) full attitude, if you will.
The Dane Cook of self-help books, as if someone's Philosophy 101 notes gained sentience during a frat party. I am genuinely shocked that Manson has not been a guest on the Joe Rogan podcast. The bones of this book aren't inherently bad. There are little nuggets of wisdom inside. But those nuggets are packed in such a self-absorbed, sarcastic, and pandering case that it is exhausting waiting for the smart stuff. Two stars because those nuggets are there, somewhere and clearly this book is not for me. There are hundreds of books that can communicate the same ideas in more hopeful, encouraging, and insightful language. Manson isn't it. DNF.
The ending of this book is quite spectacular and what mark says in it has also made me feel “Alive, Very Alive”.
We never know what the future holds and most of our time is being squandered on chasing more money, worrying about insignificant problems and giving a fuck about things that in all reality we should not.
Well I for sure give a fuck about this book and you should too. Yes the start of this book is very potty mouthed but I think it needs to be.
Do read it pilgrim.
Reads like a train
Enjoyed this book a lot, insightful and to the point. If you can handle the swearing and language he uses, this is a must read.
It was okay, but I wouldn't call it groundbreaking.
The book is entertaining and uses some rather flashy language (as can be seen by the title) and while it isn't without merit, I found it shallow and at times contradictory.
Still, if you are feeling lost and looking for a read to borrow some good mood from, this might be it, as long you don't expect a clear and practical step-by-step strategy to deal with your issues.
I picked this up mostly because I saw Katie Porter reading it. Self help is an odd genre, often times part pop psychology, common sense, some type of philosophy, and all too frequently some bastardization of Eastern thought (zen, Taoism, Buddhism, yoga, meditation, etc.) — oh and an unsolicited biography, which usually results in me rolling my eyes, cringing, and sometimes exclaiming ‘who cares'.
So Mark does have some of these elements, but comes off as less pretentious, more knowledgeable, and more respectful. So instead of pop psych he references respected studies and the history of certain aspects of psychological figures, such as (will look them up, Henry? And...)
Yes he does lean on some common sense and I don't think anything he suggests is actually ground breaking but I like the content and the style of his delivery. Yes he cusses a bit but I didn't feel that it was excessive.
A great book that I think that everyone needs to read. The main idea within this book is so important to enjoy life fully, and it explains something that can be hard to come to on your own.