Reviews - The Subtle Art of Not Giving a #@%!: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

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15.1k reviews for:

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a #@%!: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this book, however it really resonated. Choose your values carefully, selectively define what is really important based on these values and live your life accordingly. Filter out the noise. Remove entitlement and consider that things can go poorly at no fault of your own: that's the name of the game. Life does not owe you anything. I suspect I may end up gifting copies of this title to friends. on my re-read list, which is a rare thing.

adrs's review against another edition

3.0

Kinda basic. BUT it's good to go over the basics sometimes. I disagree with some of his opinions but it's largely fine. I learned a few things and was reminded of old lessons. I'm giving it three stats because it turned out to be a useful read over the last two weeks.

kbrunett98's review against another edition

4.25

funny informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

katerpillar's review against another edition

5.0

6/5 WOW!! I'M CURRENTLY ON MY FIRST CHAPTER. AND THIS BOOK IS LIFE CHANGING I CAN'T.......

bigwill18's review against another edition

5.0

This was my intro into the world of self help years ago and it’s as brilliant, if not more, than I remember.

Holistic, no nonsense, empathetic but direct. Thank you Mark Manson.

joannemac's review against another edition

4.0

This book, despite its title, was actually a really great book. I enjoyed reading it more than I thought I would, and, as I read, I was able to reflect on the values and perspectives that I most value and focus on. Are these values really important? Should I be digging more deeply, examining them more closely? (Yes!) The only aspect of the book that I disagree with is that, at one point, the author states that achieving long-term success is "not about willpower or grit" (p. 40). Then, in chapter eight, he talks about how important it is to make a commitment to something, in order to really appreciate, know and understand something or someone. This, I would argue, takes a combination of both grit and willpower, because without either of those, wouldn't you just give up?

All in all, though, I enjoyed this book. I liked the discussions about how the ordinary, everyday events are what matter most. And that the problems in our lives are based on those things and people that we've chosen to value. If we change what we value, we can change the nature of the issues and problems we face. Further, we should be open to having an open mind, and to the awareness that we do not know everything, because "uncertainty is the root of all progress and all growth" by making us more open to getting to know new people and to experiencing new experiences. In short, the book was not about never giving a fuck about anything; rather, it was about being able to recognize all of those things that you give a fuck about, and then choosing to focus on, and give fucks only about, those people and things that truly matter to you, those people and things that will truly make you happy.