Book Review: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

Paradoxically brilliant.

                                                   Image courtesy: Goodreads

With a title not so subtle, this book grabbed my attention in a big way. Seeing this orange colored book being mentioned all over the social media, I was craving to get my hands on one. And after reading it, I must say that the author does complete justice to the title.

I am not the kind of person who reads any self-help or motivational books but I must say that this book was very much paradoxical. By paradoxical, I mean that it uses sarcasm and satire to mock books of such genre, while actively giving valuable life lessons. Thanks to the crude and raw words, there was freshness in the writing along with a breath of life. The book speaks the truth, some of which are hard to digest but are nonetheless true. Many of the advice and opinions given are the ones we already know but what makes them particularly impactful is the way in which they are being told. Along with giving a new perspective, everyday problems are seen in a different light altogether. This book offers a fun ride along with making one constantly introspect. By gifting me so many meaningful quotes, I can say with confidence that this book was worth giving two fucks about.

Favorite quotes:

1. “The problem is that giving too many fucks is bad for your mental health. It causes you to become overly attached to the superficial and fake, to dedicate your life to chasing a mirage of happiness and satisfaction. The key to a good life is not giving a fuck about more; it’s giving fuck about less, giving a fuck about only what is true and immediate and important.”

2. “The desire for more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one’s negative experience is itself a positive experience.”

3. “Not giving a fuck does not mean being indifferent; it means being comfortable with being different.”

4. “The greatest truths in life are usually the most unpleasant to hear.”

5. “Pleasure is not the cause of happiness; rather, it is the effect. If you get the other stuffs right, then pleasure will naturally occur as a by-product.”

6. “Uncertainty is the root of all progress and all growth. As the old adage goes, the man who believes he knows everything learns nothing. We cannot learn anything without first knowing something. The more we admit we do not know, the more opportunities we gain to learn.”

7. “Improvement at anything is based on thousands of tiny failures, and the magnitude of your success is based on how many times you’ve failed at something. If someone is better than you at something, then it’s likely because she has failed at it more than you have. If someone is worse than you, it’s likely because he hasn’t been through all of the painful learning experiences you have.”

8. “We can be truly successful only at something we’re willing to fail at. If we’re unwilling to fail, then we’re unwilling to succeed.”

9. “If we follow the “do something” principle, failure feels important. When the standard of success becomes merely acting- when any result is regarded as progress and important, when inspiration is seen as a reward rather than a prerequisite- we propel ourselves ahead. We feel free to fail, and that failure moves us forward.”

10. “Travel is a fantastic self-development tool, because it extricates you from the values of your culture and shows you that another society can live with entirely different values and still function and not hate themselves.”

-Rithin.