Book Summary: How To Win Friends And Influence People By Dale Carnegie

BOOK SUMMARY: HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE

Published in 1937, How to Win Friends and Influence People is a well-known self-help book written by Dale Carnegie. Equipped with rock-solid principles and lessons, this timeless bestseller has been translated into several languages and helped thousands of people achieve remarkable success in their lives.

Based on the core idea that the key of success lies in creating and managing strong interpersonal relationships, the book covers common characteristics of humans and provides useful tips accordingly, enabling readers to effectively communicate in both business and personal lives. Its principles include three fundamental techniques for establishing long-standing relationships, six ways to make others admire you and willing to help you, twelve ways to lead people to your way of thinking, and nine ways to change people without causing displeasure. Readers will learn about the importance of expressing appreciation, remembering names, smiling, listening, admitting mistakes, praising, encouraging, etc. Beneath all of the stories and anecdotes is a priceless lesson: if you choose to be truly interested in

the ones you work with and let them know it, they will always be happy to work with you; relationships blossom when we take the focus off ourselves and take care of others. Carnegie genuinely wants his readers to think in terms of other people’s interests rather than being obsequious flatterers.

The book is written in a clear and simple way, making the messages readily understandable.

For instance, when explaining why a compliment is essential, he wrote, “We nourish the bodies of our children and friends and employees, but how seldom do we nourish their self-esteem? We provide them with roast beef and potatoes to build energy, but we neglect to give them kind words of appreciation that would sing in their memories for years like the music of the morning stars.” Each principle is further fortified by real-life stories from the lives of famous figures such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Sigmund Freud, Charles Schwab, and Abraham Lincoln. He also fills each chapter with engaging anecdotes from students and readers who have put his precepts to action. These are solid proofs that arouse reader’s keen

interest.

This book has been one of my favorite books since my former teacher introduced it to me two months ago. Although the title of the book sounds aggressive, this book actually teaches me to be a considerate and understanding person. Carnegie said somewhere in the book, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you”. And I wholeheartedly agree with this. By remembering their names and patiently listen to their stories, I have made ten more new friends in one month, a significant increase compared to how I did in the past.

How to Win Friends and Influence People, along with its time-tested principles, is beneficial to almost everyone. Following the advice in this book is an effective way to increase one’s skills in negotiation, leadership, dealing with people, and expand their networks.