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Apr 05, 2011

Brent rated it:

This is an incredible book. I've heard people mention it for years and years and thought the idea of it was so stupid. The way some people talked about it made it seem like it was a book for scoundrels or for socially awkward people. I didn't want to be either, so I didn't want to read it. Finally, a great friend of mine recommended it to me and I started reading it. This is a book for people. It's not about being evil or admitting you're nerdy; it's about how to get along with people. Anyone wh More...

2 comments like (28 people liked it)

Dec 28, 2010

Mark rated it:

Wonder if he knew people would be reading this 75 years later, I doubt it, but when you tap into fundamental aspects of human nature in a way that helps people that's what happens. Like another book I just read Emotional Intelligence 2.0, it's one of those titles that have become part of the cultural lexicon (like CATCH-22). How to Influence was written in 1936, it is based on courses in public speaking that had been taught in adult education courses by Dale Carnegie since 1912 (and to put to re More...

0 comments like (34 people liked it)

Sep 27, 2007

Ivan rated it:

Three things about this book surprised me and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

One - it seemed pretty much timeless. Not much anachronism here, because language still serves the same purposes as ever, and people still want basically the same things they've always wanted. I liked the examples taken from Abe Lincoln, etc.

Two - the techniques described in the book aren't duplicitous. We all try to do what the title says, just like everyone else, whether we' More...

0 comments like (14 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Conrad rated it:

Dale, saying people's names often when you're talking to them, Dale, doesn't make you popular, Dale, it makes you sound like a patronizing creep.

This book is probably really handy when you're trying to befriend kindergarteners, not as much adults. It's also aimed at salespeople and not regular humans.

18 comments like (21 people liked it)

Oct 02, 2008

A. rated it:

It's considered corny to read books like this, but that kind of cynicism is ultimately limiting and counterproductive. My dad forced me to read this book and it was one of the main things that pushed me out of my shyness and made me an amicable person.

1 comment like (15 people liked it)

Jun 29, 2008

Viraj rated it:

Overall:
A well written book with a lot of examples, including many of good folks from the history and many without any citation, but none-the-less seem real. The examples are written so that the message goes across well. Repetition is avoided. The stuff mentioned is pretty obvious and simple, but important and often ignored. Worth reading multiple times as the preface recommends.

TEXT DELETED

105 SIX WAYS TO MAKE PEOPLE LIKE YOU
PRINCIPLE 1: Become genuine More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Feb 03, 2008

Jared rated it:

At the end of the Great Depression, Dale Carnegie wrote one of the benchmark self-help books of American literary history. He encapsulated the formula to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” in the midst of a market downturn, to put it mildly. His title, How to Win Friends and Influence People, was probably used to win and influence book sales rather than cleverly and accurately describe the content of his book. Simply, it is a misnomer. With chapters on considerate social intercourse and More...

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Nov 16, 2007

Catherine rated it:

This book is a guide to life. I think several people should be required to read this book at least once. Teachers, emotional teenagers, employers, employees, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends, neighbors, politicians etc...

I truly found this book oddly entertaining. Although it is a self-improvement type book, I couldn't put it down. Through the examples of many famous and successful people throughout history, this book teaches us how to work with others and be nice. I si More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Dave rated it:

I have read this book many times over the years. As I was looking through my bookshelfs this afternoon, I found a very old copy of this classic. It must have come from my father's library as it is marked as a 77th printing - probably printed in the early 50's. I LOVE old books...

The best tidbit to share from this book, is if you want people to like you, emulate a dog. Carnegie says: "When you get within ten feet of him, he will begin to wag his tail. If you stop and pat him More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Aug 09, 2008

Ashlie rated it:

This is one of the most profound books to understand others behaviors and in teaching you skills to communicate effectively with others. A lot of the information is quite basic, but the examples and the message is quite profound. It has certainly made me stop and reevaluate my responses with others in the past few weeks when needing to work through difficult professional and personal situations. I think this book is a must read and will continue to be timeless classic book.

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Mar 16, 2011

Kendel rated it:

Save the gospel itself, and my mission president, this book has been the single most influential thing in my life. Insightful? Yes. Timeless, Absolutely. But for someone who had no social skills to speak of until his mission? Transformative.

Here are just a FEW of the nuggets in this amazing book:

“Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him.”
(Emerson, As quoted by Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People, p. 31)

“You More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Mar 15, 2009

James rated it:

Why did I read this book?

We’ve all heard of it. But none of us have ever really read it.

And I know why. It was originally published in 1936. How can it possibly be relevant in 2009?

Plus these types of advice, self-help, new-agey textbooks reek of banal, trite, clichéd, stereotypical drivel. We’re too good for that. They seem a little cheesy at least. They’re all like The Secret, right?

We don’t want to sip on watered down hotel iced tea and listen More...

2 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Kat rated it:

As I recall, I borrowed this book from my parents' bookshelves when I was young. (Self-conscious Voice Inside My Head: "You're just saying that because you're afraid that admitting that you read and liked this book will make people think that you're a friendless, manipulator wanna-be." My Ego: "Well, duh!")

The author's experience in sales gave him plenty of time to note what sort of interactions lead to getting a 'yes' versus a 'no,' so there's a lot of horse sen More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 22, 2008

Daron rated it:

Sometimes I felt this book was a bit too . . . "used-car-salesmanshippy". There are some good ideas in it, but there are also some things which felt like they were extremely disingenuous. I don't like FAKE people. There are some ideas in here which are quite fake.

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 29, 2012

Cache rated it:

Although this book does have a lot of good points for improving communications, It is a twisted and bent book with the words selfishness and evil written all over it.

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jul 13, 2009

Paul added it

Utter dreck! Anyone who thinks this book offers important wise advice on friendship is an idiot.

Dale Carnegie was nothing but a huckstering sophist, and a very repulsive one at that. For those of you who may not know, Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People is a handbook on how to exploit friendship for the sake of financial and political gain. Now fans of this book (why such people are allowed to read, much less vote, I do not know) will say this book helped them overcom More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 21, 2008

RC rated it:

I've read this book through several times over, but I carry it with me on my daily commute so that I can go back and read another chapter if it's been a while.

This book has been out there for some time, but its advice still applies today. This is my best example of how his advice helped:
I was arguing with a bank branch manager who was telling me that the check I was depositing was going to be subject to special holds. At the time, not being able to use the money wasn't critical More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 19, 2008

Shelly rated it:

When discussing a problem with my husband he said, "If you're just venting, that's fine. However, if you are looking for me to give you a solution I have this book you could read that would help." I sarcastically replied, "What is it? "How to Win Friends and Influence People?". He said, "Yes!". So... later in the week I grabbed the book and started reading it. It's going slowly, but so far a very good book. It's going to be the kind of book that needs to More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Mar 14, 2008

Frank rated it:

The writer did not get it wrong when he chose the title 'How to...', an amazing timeless book you can read to help you in your everyday life.
No matter what your profession is, you will find that the principles described by the author apply to any situation you find yourself in.
I read this book a long time ago and I still remember the satisfaction I experienced on each page I was devouring: easy-to-read, with very realistic examples and full of simple techniques, this book should b More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 10, 2011

Arminius rated it:

This book lays out a plan you can use to succeed in life.

To make friends:
Never criticize, show sincere appreciation, find out what others want and show them how to get it, become interested in them, smile at them, and know their name.

To Influence:
Praise and appreciate, ask questions instead of giving a direct order, give the other person a reputation to live up to, and make the other person happy about doing what you suggest.

4 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 12, 2008

Nathan rated it:

My dad gave me this book when I was a teenager and it changed my life. It comes off to some people as a book on how to manipulate people, but that is really far from it. In my experience there's really no way to put the practices this book preaches into effect with your life and not become someone who actually treats people better as a result. Funny how treating people better leads to leadership, friends, and influencing them. It's not an accident.

I've read the book at least 3 ti More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 24, 2008

Monk rated it:

As the book jacket will tell you this has been on shelves for seventy some years for a reason. I suppose it's a good primer for people who lack some social skills, though I found it to be more of a refresher. It's all pretty much common sense and Carnegie definitely had insights, though I find the book to be dated in some respects. SOme examples he calls are very relevant in even the modern times we live in, but I find some of his opinions to be sunshine-tinted. The world has become in some ways More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 02, 2009

Krista rated it:

I loved this book, it should be required reading in high school. The book is broken down into four parts and the chapters are short and easy to read. Carnegie uses clear examples (true stories) of each principle to show how to apply them. I found the stories to be interesting as well as inspiring. If you want to be liked and understood, this book is for you! And it turns out that if you want to be liked, listened to and understood, you have to genuinely like other people, listen to them and seek More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Mar 05, 2009

Nikki rated it:

I absolutely LOVE this book. I read it in college, and it was a great way for me to improve myself, but it didn't make me feel bad. It made me have more confidence and become a more well-rounded person. Highly recommended, no matter how introverted or extroverted you view yourself.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 17, 2009

Johann rated it:

Like the book Bonds That Make Us Free, its one book that focuses our relations with other people and really puts the question of who you are and how we psychologically analyze ourselves. Really worth the read and doesn't get dry very easily.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 19, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

In high school feeling like a nerdy sophomore, I discovered this book on our bookshelf at home and thought it would hold the key to great recognition and popularity for myself, all my troubles would be answered. I immediately grabbed it and began reading. I was surprised in that it held no secret to great popularity at all, however I did find in it, one of the most enlightening, amazing books I had ever read, and still feel that way to this day. It changed my focus, it changed my heart, it ch More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 19, 2011

K.D. rated it:

This is one of my life-changing books! The rules still apply even if this was written my decades ago. I read this when my former (first) company sent of to Dale Carnegie Seminar. Although the seminar did not require reading this book from cover-to-cover, I did and I like the short stories supporting each rule. I still remember the very first one: Do not criticise, condemn or complain. It is very true if you want to win a friend but it is different if you want to keep a friend for there are times More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 22, 2011

Hollandemily rated it:

I read a few books and articles this year that reference this book, so I thought I'd pull it out again. I first read this book when I was 17 and it really opened my eyes. I remembered that it impacted me and figured the lessons were worth revisiting.
While this is mostly true, I'd forgotten, perhaps chose to forget, how dated some of these anecdotes are. Beyond the "Golly gee! That's swell!" types of exchanges, you can't overlook that it was written at a time before global corpor More...

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Jan 05, 2009

Micah rated it:

Paul Graham (Hackers and Painters) has mentioned that an important read for preparing to start your own business is How To Win Friends and Influence People. I'm happy to report that this gem from 1936 is timeless and truly life-changing. I believe Paul's reasons for the recommendation include: the importance of charisma, general rounding out one's personality, and finding ways to get responsiveness from people by making them feel good.

My real intent in making this review is to get yo More...

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Dec 20, 2008

Wijayanto rated it:

It is kind of a tips book, according to the way he wrote, it is also easy to be understood. You will even know the inside only by reading the page of contents. He divided it into 4 big chapters. The first one is “Teknik-Teknik Dasar Dalam Menangani Manusia”. “Enam Cara Untuk Membuat Orang Lain Menyukai Anda” is the next chapter, and it is followed by “Bagaimana Memikat Orang Lain Mengkuti Cara Berpikir Anda”, and the last one is “Jadilah Pemimpin: Bagaimana Mengubah Orang Lain Tanpa Menyinggung More...

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