The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
by Seth Godin
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
discuss this book
There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
Where's the love? Add this book to your favorite list.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 594)
It's all pretty obvious, but I saw a copy of this 80-page book lying around at work and figured that I could use something to read in the gym. The main point doesn't even need that much space to get across: persistence is overrated; if one doesn't expect long-term success in something (be it a career, relationship, or whatever), it's better to quit immediately than stick with it. The Dip is the hard slog between being barely competent at something ("beginner's luck" is the phrase God...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
1 comments
Seth Godin’s books for sales and marketing tend to be so light they fly away on their own conceptualization. He is not a big fan on research and statistics so his books tend to be a mixture of cheerleading, conceptualization and generalization. Because of this his books tend to be middle of the road.
The Dip continues on this trend. Everything is very broad and general in this book. There are no stories or counterpoint, only ideas, concepts and point of views. If you disagree you will ...more
The Dip continues on this trend. Everything is very broad and general in this book. There are no stories or counterpoint, only ideas, concepts and point of views. If you disagree you will ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
recommended to Irene by:
ak.sara
recommends it for: all those quitters
recommends it for: all those quitters
I’ve recently finished reading marketing guru Seth Godin’s latest book, The Dip. It’s a quick read. Which I’d say is a plus, since it really felt like an extended blog post, and not always in a positive way.
The book is basically about quitting. Godin’s premise is that you need to figure out if a project you’re working on, or even your job or career, is worth doing any more. The “dip” in The Dip refers to the low point you might find yourself in as you struggle to work through...more
The book is basically about quitting. Godin’s premise is that you need to figure out if a project you’re working on, or even your job or career, is worth doing any more. The “dip” in The Dip refers to the low point you might find yourself in as you struggle to work through...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2007
Read the book in an hour while waiting out rush hour traffic at the bookstore. While it wasn't a complete waste of time for me (I actually needed to hear some of the things Godin says in the book), the book definitely repeats the same message over and over again, sometimes using the exact same words. There were a few points I thought worth noting, and I jotted them down on a small napkin. If you're interested in this book, I suggest you save your time and read my napkin instead :).
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in September, 2007
Read the dust jacket and the last ten pages, you can skip the rest of the book. Still, I typed up notes from the last few pages, and it was a quick read even with the redundant content.
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in November, 2008
Sometimes small books can have a profound impact. This one had that impact for me. Seth Godin speaks to the need to quit sometimes, in order to get better at something else. What a refreshing concept!
In Seth's typical straight-forward fashion, he asks you questions that lead you straight to the answers of "should I quit, or power through this dip?"
Not only a book that applies to what you do in the workplace, this book can affect how you make decisions about your time th...more
In Seth's typical straight-forward fashion, he asks you questions that lead you straight to the answers of "should I quit, or power through this dip?"
Not only a book that applies to what you do in the workplace, this book can affect how you make decisions about your time th...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in October, 2008
I read this book because I suspect that I'm too loyal, to both my job and my ex bf. I was looking for guidance and perspective to see if my hunch / intuition has any basis. I'm still having trouble being objective about my own situation, but it does recommending not waiting to quit until you've gone over the cliff. I should have read this long ago.
Quitting tactics that aren't working is good, but the people who are wildly successful persevered through the dip / tough part that caused othe...more
Quitting tactics that aren't working is good, but the people who are wildly successful persevered through the dip / tough part that caused othe...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in October, 2007
I'm a fan of simple and this book is simple. The message is clear:
Being the Best in the World is Seriously Underrated
The Dip refers to "the long slog between starting and mastery." Extraordinary benefits accrue to the tiny minority who are able to get through The Dip by persisting longer than most.
To be the best at anything you have to quit. You have to quit the right stuff at the right time. Quit the Cul-de-Sacs of life -- those dead ends are aren't likely to ta...more
Being the Best in the World is Seriously Underrated
The Dip refers to "the long slog between starting and mastery." Extraordinary benefits accrue to the tiny minority who are able to get through The Dip by persisting longer than most.
To be the best at anything you have to quit. You have to quit the right stuff at the right time. Quit the Cul-de-Sacs of life -- those dead ends are aren't likely to ta...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2008
Godin is known for pithy, thought-provoking "riffs" on the New World Economy. "The Dip" is another in that same vein.
In this slim volume, Godin takes on the issue of quitting -- how many companies quit the right things too quickly and stay with the wrong things too long. The way to superiority and best-in-market ruling is to power through what he calls "the dip -- " the long period of suffering and pain that comes before true success.
I think Godin has someth...more
In this slim volume, Godin takes on the issue of quitting -- how many companies quit the right things too quickly and stay with the wrong things too long. The way to superiority and best-in-market ruling is to power through what he calls "the dip -- " the long period of suffering and pain that comes before true success.
I think Godin has someth...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in October, 2008
recommends it for:
PhD students, developers and entrepreneurs
A fantastic book that every PhD student should read.
The advice is obvious but presented clearly and simply, making it a very powerful message: Winners quit (the right stuff). Basically, you can either quit your project (to focus on something else more worthwhile), stick with it (til the end) or neither. The first two are winning strategies, the last is not (and the one I chose in my PhD -- I should have read this book 3 years ago). The book is about making that decision.
It is very wel...more
The advice is obvious but presented clearly and simply, making it a very powerful message: Winners quit (the right stuff). Basically, you can either quit your project (to focus on something else more worthwhile), stick with it (til the end) or neither. The first two are winning strategies, the last is not (and the one I chose in my PhD -- I should have read this book 3 years ago). The book is about making that decision.
It is very wel...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
i have been enjoying Seth Godin's blog lately and I bumped into this book at the book store this weekend, bought it and read it. I think it, will definitely cause a major paradigm shift for me. Some people may say most of what he has to say in common sense but the information was presented in a new way. I have alway tried to be alot of things to a lot of people professionally, and thought it was good to be sort of a "jack of all trades". Much of my professional frustration comes from n...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone
First of all, you can read this book in a little over an hour, so it's so easy and fast that there is no excuse for not reading it! The Dip is a metaphor for just about everything in life. It talks about how important it is to be the best at what you do, and how anything worth having is worth working for. I often say to myself in business situations "if it were easy, everyone would do it." And this book explains why. It applies to school, marriage, business, careers, and so many other ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I've have a tough time staying with Seth Godin's stream of consciousness type writing style, but if you can get past that, there's some great things in this book. It's a quick read and is a good reminder that quitting is essential to success (so is sticking to something that is not fun). This book gives some great perspective on how to differentiate between the two.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
Anyone
Simply amazing. I got so inspired by this little book that I wrote an article on my blog about it
Seth Godin Review
Seth Godin Review
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Pretty cool book. It teaches you when is time to move on with your life and when is time to stick with the plan, be persistent and rethink your goals...
******RECOMMEND
******RECOMMEND
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
You usually won't read a "business" book that encourages you to quit something. That's what was enjoyable about this book. Godin simply speaks up for the voices you hear in your head sometimes that are telling you a certain project isn't worth pursuing or it isn't going anywhere and you should stop. Unfortunately, too many times the voices of other "business leaders" drown out those voices (of reason) and scream at us to keep going. In the end, though, we learn it wasn't ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in August, 2007
While I'm not going to run out declaring that everyone must read this book, it was a concise book in the motivational vein about knowing when to quit--that stick-to-it-iveness isn't always the way to succeed. The author talks about how as children we are told to "never quit" when we actually should be prepared to quit, and it's the preparation that makes quitting a successful move, rather than one of desperation. Since I've had four jobs since 2003, it was nice to see some of my own ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in May, 2007
I had never heard of Seth Godin (www.sethgodin.com) before this week until a friend brought me to see him speak in Tempe. He was funny and insightful and made me think hard about what I'm doing with my business. In fact, I read the book in about an hour on Thursday afternoon after seeing him live and since then I have already "quit" a few things I was doing that was distracting from my overall business plan.
I'm going to bookmark his blog and subscribe to his RSS feed and maybe even...more
I'm going to bookmark his blog and subscribe to his RSS feed and maybe even...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2008
This book gets 4 stars because it's so short. And it cost me $12 to get in eBook form. So the price to page ratio was a little high in my opinion.
However, the book is a fantastic read. And it pretty much has set the bar for me for Seth Godin's writing, so I hope his other stuff is just as good.
I liked the overall message of this book. The idea of quitting as a strategy to success is interesting but is well proven here. If you are wondering if you should quit your job, side job, a pr...more
However, the book is a fantastic read. And it pretty much has set the bar for me for Seth Godin's writing, so I hope his other stuff is just as good.
I liked the overall message of this book. The idea of quitting as a strategy to success is interesting but is well proven here. If you are wondering if you should quit your job, side job, a pr...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
people trying to make a life change
This book can be a useful tool in determining whether you need to make a change. While it's directed generally to a business audience (should we continue to sell widgets or move to e-widgets, for example), it can be useful in making other types of decisions as well. While I don't know that I gleaned a whole lot of totally new content, I did discover that I like the way the author writes and I intend to look at some of his other books. I also think it's useful to have all the content set out c...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
