Title: How to Win Friends and Influence People
Author: Dale Carnegie
First published October 1, 1936
288 pages, Paperback
Rating: 4.22
Overview
Looking for ways to improve your personal and professional life? Look no further than How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.
With over 30 million copies sold since 1936, this timeless bestseller is packed with rock-solid advice that has helped thousands of successful people climb the ladder of success. With practical tips on how to make people like you, win people over to your way of thinking, and change people without causing resentment, Carnegie’s principles are as relevant today as ever before.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to achieve your full potential in today’s complex and competitive modern age.
About the Author
Dale Carnegie, born in 1888 on a poor farm in Missouri, was an American writer and lecturer who developed popular courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking and interpersonal skills. His most famous book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, was published in 1936 and remains popular today, having sold five million copies in 31 languages.
Carnegie believed in responsibility assumption and changing one’s reaction to others in order to change their behavior.
Despite his humble beginnings, Carnegie managed to get an education at the State Teacher’s College in Warrensburg, Missouri. He began his career selling correspondence courses to ranchers and later worked for Armour & Company, where he became the national leader for the firm.
In 1911, he quit sales to become a Chautauqua lecturer but ended up attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, where he found little success as an actor.
Unemployed and nearly broke, Carnegie lived at the YMCA on 125th Street and got the idea to teach public speaking. He convinced the “Y” manager to let him instruct a class in return for 80% of the net proceeds.
From this, the Dale Carnegie Course was born, tapping into the average American’s desire for more self-confidence. By 1914, Carnegie was earning $500 a week, equivalent to nearly $10,000 now.
Carnegie’s first book, Public Speaking: a Practical Course for Business Men, was published in 1926 and later became Public Speaking and Influencing Men in Business in 1932. His ultimate achievement was How to Win Friends and Influence People, which was an immediate bestseller upon its debut in 1937.
By the time of his death in 1955, the book had sold five million copies in 31 languages, and there had been 450,000 graduates of his Dale Carnegie Institute. Carnegie also served in the U.S. Army during World War I.
Carnegie’s first marriage ended in divorce in 1931, and he remarried Dorothy Price Vanderpool in 1944. He died in Forest Hills, New York and was buried in Belton, Cass County, Missouri.
Editoral Review
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie is a timeless classic that has been published for over eight decades. Carnegie was an American author and lecturer, born in 1888, who rose to fame due to his motivational speaking and self-help books.
How to Win Friends and Influence People, first published on October 1, 1936, has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and is one of the most popular self-help books ever written. It has become a landmark in the genre of self-help and personal growth, with its principles and insights still applicable to this day.
The book is written in a straightforward and engaging style, providing practical advice for readers who want to improve their social skills and relationships. It consists of four parts, each of which provides strategies to build positive interactions with other people in various social settings.
The first part is about fundamental techniques in handling people, the second is about six ways to make people like you, the third is about how to win people over to your way of thinking, and the fourth is about how to change people without arousing resentment. Carnegie’s writing is effective in presenting his ideas in a clear and digestible manner.
He explores different scenarios, from personal to professional situations, and offers advice on how the reader can positively influence others. Carnegie uses anecdotes and case studies to illustrate his points, making the material more relatable and interesting to read.
He also provides practical exercises for the reader to try out, encouraging them to put his concepts into practice. One of the strengths of the book is its focus on how empathy and understanding can be key in building social relationships.
By recognizing and being interested in other people’s perspectives and experiences, one can improve their ability to communicate and connect with others. Carnegie’s insights into the human psyche are thought-provoking, and readers may find that they relate to many of the scenarios presented in the book.
However, some may criticize the book’s simplistic approach to complex social issues. The ideas presented in the book may seem formulaic, with a one-size-fits-all approach to interpersonal relationships.
Furthermore, some readers may find the frequent use of quotes and anecdotes to be overly simplistic, and more substance and depth may be desired to support Carnegie’s claims. Overall, How to Win Friends and Influence People is a valuable resource for individuals who want to improve their communication skills and build lasting, meaningful relationships.
It provides practical advice that can be applied in a variety of situations and is written in an engaging and accessible style. While it may have its limitations, Carnegie’s insights into human behavior and social interactions are still relevant today, making this book a classic in the self-help genre.
Therefore, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to strengthen their social skills and connections with others.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
