Friday, November 23, 2007

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnagie



I had this book for a few years before deciding to seriously go through it. I did that only recently and I am starting all over again. This is one of the suggestions in the chapter in the beginning of the book called "Nine Suggestions". Read that before starting the book.

The stories in the book are a bit dated, but the concepts are timeless. Time and time again I would pick up things that I could do or say that would help me. I can't think of anything that I read that violated my moral convictions, so long as I use the concepts in the book in the way they were intended to be used.

Mr. Carnegie cautions at various points that using the concepts to manipulate will not work. Some people will have to get used to the empathizing with others, with looking for the good in others, with not being selfish. That is a good thing and for some will be the true starting point.

A longer title for this book could be "How Avoid Alienating People that You'd Like to Win as Friends and How Not to Destroy Your Ability to Influence Others".

The book in paperback is widely distributed and less that 10 bucks.