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You might be surprised to hear that Paul Graham, creator of Hacker News, recommends that book: "If you want to learn what people want, read Dale Carnegie's How

You might be surprised to hear that Paul Graham, creator of Hacker News, recommends that book: "If you want to learn what people want, read Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. When a friend recommended this book, I couldn't believe he was serious. But he insisted it was good, so I read it, and he was right. It deals with the most difficult problem in human experience: how to see things from other people's point of view, instead of thinking only of yourself."{1} I have huge respect for Graham and began to read it based on his recommendation, but gave up about half way. It's so tedious, repetitive, and obvious that I genuinely can't understand what people see in it. {1} http://paulgraham.com/bronze.html http://paulgraham.com/bronze.html

ta999999171 7y ago
Sociopaths learning to exploit human emotion/"empathy" through repetition, seems clear enough to me.
- hoseja 7y ago
  Maybe the extraordinary power of the Gervais Principle in the US can be explained by the existence of this book.
- BuyMyBitcoins 7y ago
  I’m autistic and books like these are extremely useful for me. I feel like the lessons in the book are things I should have learned if I socialized properly as a child and adolescent.
- ckok 7y ago
  Except that in 1936 the title seems have a little less negative association than it does now. While I found the book not all that interesting, a bit like most self help books, it's approach isn't in exploiting human emotion; it's in how to improve yourself to accomplish the same goals naturally.
mikorym 7y ago
> It's so tedious, repetitive, and obvious that I genuinely can't understand what people see in it. I think that can be said for a lot of books that are popular. It's a bit like applied math vs. pure math. In pure math, applied math is often seen as a "natural consequence". And yet, applied math is what most people view as useful and moreover, pure mathematicians often don't know how to apply mathematics to engineering or physics. Personally, I agree with you, but I think that what is obvious is not always precise, and what is precise is sometimes not used. I have a sort of moral objection to these kind of books too, but somehow you can both see these books as a sort of moral "cheating" and you can see these books as a useful way to better you relationships with other people (and both viewpoints have merit). I didn't read How to Win Friends and Influence People, but my comment is based on my experience with trying to read *What they don't teach you at Harvard Business School." [1] [1] By Mark H. McCormack.
workthrowaway 7y ago
> It's so tedious, repetitive, and obvious that I genuinely can't understand what people see in it. same! but i finished it anyway. it was during my speed-reading / audiobook transition. i have now become a normal reader again :) to your point though, in retrospect, i think it all depends on when in your life/career you read a recommended book. seems to me that by the time you got to how to win friends, you have already read a lot and learned most of the "obvious" things in the book.
cafard 7y ago
Gerald Weinberg, whose writing I respect, made the same recommendation. But I haven't followed up.

ta999999171 7y ago

Sociopaths learning to exploit human emotion/"empathy" through repetition, seems clear enough to me.

hoseja 7y ago
Maybe the extraordinary power of the Gervais Principle in the US can be explained by the existence of this book.
BuyMyBitcoins 7y ago
I’m autistic and books like these are extremely useful for me. I feel like the lessons in the book are things I should have learned if I socialized properly as a child and adolescent.
ckok 7y ago
Except that in 1936 the title seems have a little less negative association than it does now. While I found the book not all that interesting, a bit like most self help books, it's approach isn't in exploiting human emotion; it's in how to improve yourself to accomplish the same goals naturally.

mikorym 7y ago

> It's so tedious, repetitive, and obvious that I genuinely can't understand what people see in it. I think that can be said for a lot of books that are popular. It's a bit like applied math vs. pure math. In pure math, applied math is often seen as a "natural consequence". And yet, applied math is what most people view as useful and moreover, pure mathematicians often don't know how to apply mathematics to engineering or physics. Personally, I agree with you, but I think that what is obvious is not always precise, and what is precise is sometimes not used. I have a sort of moral objection to these kind of books too, but somehow you can both see these books as a sort of moral "cheating" and you can see these books as a useful way to better you relationships with other people (and both viewpoints have merit). I didn't read How to Win Friends and Influence People, but my comment is based on my experience with trying to read *What they don't teach you at Harvard Business School." [1] [1] By Mark H. McCormack.

workthrowaway 7y ago

> It's so tedious, repetitive, and obvious that I genuinely can't understand what people see in it. same! but i finished it anyway. it was during my speed-reading / audiobook transition. i have now become a normal reader again :) to your point though, in retrospect, i think it all depends on when in your life/career you read a recommended book. seems to me that by the time you got to how to win friends, you have already read a lot and learned most of the "obvious" things in the book.

cafard 7y ago

Gerald Weinberg, whose writing I respect, made the same recommendation. But I haven't followed up.