How to Win Friends and Influence People

Dale Carnegie taught public speaking and human relations classes long before he wrote this book. He collected stories from those classes, from famous people, and from ordinary students, and turned them into a set of principles for getting along with others.

Simple, practical and surprisingly hard to practice, held back by dated examples, repetition and the worry that some techniques can look like tricks. Four out of five. Read it if: you want practical, easy habits for work and relationships; you have ever lost an argument by winning it; you like short chapters and plenty of stories. Skip it if: you want rigorous research and data; you dislike self-help language; you want a modern, up-to-date take. Review: How to Win Friends and Influence People →

A plain-language summary of How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie: all thirty principles in four parts. Summary: How to Win Friends and Influence People →

Influence by Robert Cialdini, Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler, Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury, Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg, The Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane. Books like it: How to Win Friends and Influence People →

Thirty, in four parts: three for handling people, six for making people like you, twelve for winning people to your way of thinking and nine for being a leader.

That people want to feel important, and you influence them best through sincere interest, honest appreciation and respect for their point of view.

Many readers find the core habits, such as listening and avoiding criticism, still useful. Some examples and language feel dated. That is the reviewer's opinion.