
How I found freedom in an unfree world
by Harry Browne · first published 1973
31mentions
19recommended by
21HN commenters
2009–2026first – last mentioned
90% recommend10% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Personal-liberty handbook arguing you needn't follow the standard path everyone else does. Readers credit it for a practical view of freedom, independent thinking, and authenticity; suits anyone rethinking life choices.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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I am talking about books like: - The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson - How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne - The Bell Curve by Charles A. Murray and Richard Herrnstein Books that make you go "hum....". It could be about Government, Money, Society, etc. Something very different from the modern-day…
on “Ask HN: What are some deep, mentality changing books?” ↗is that what freedom means? I'm halfway through Harry Browne's "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World" (recommended by someone on HN) and he has an interesting definition of freedom. Freedom is spending more time seeking pleasure than avoiding pain. I'm paraphrasing, but I think that's the gist of his…
on “Hey, Guys, It's Totally Okay If You Don't Get Rich” ↗…your money. Edit: I forgot to write about the alternative solutions. Two of them are discussed in the followig books: - A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine - How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne
on “Ask HN: Do you take anti-depressants?” ↗Almost all books by Harry Browne. Specifically "How I found freedom in an unfree world".
on “Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?” ↗The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne Even though "The Goal" is a story about process improvement for a factory, I've also used the thinking from it (basically, lean manufacturing) for software development.
on “Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.” ↗How I found Freedom in an Unfree World Conversations with God (the first book - I didn't get so much out of the 2nd and 3rd)
on “Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?” ↗How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne The Power of TED (The Empowerment Dynamic) by David Emerald Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron Katie Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating…
on “Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?” ↗If you want to see how deep the rabbit hole of freedom can be, I would recommend "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World: A Handbook for Personal Liberty" No matter whether you are young or old, male or female, married or single, I think How I Found Freedom in an Unfree Word will probably increase your understanding of…
on “What is freedom?” ↗A tudatállapotok szivárványa by Andrew Feldmar How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne A Guide To The Good Life: The Ancient Art Of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine
on “Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?” ↗The 48 laws of power by Robert Greene and How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne. The two sides of the same coin: how the game of power is played and how to get immune to it.
on “Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?” ↗…Wage. * Going for a 40 minute walk every day. * Realizing for me happiness is strongly correlated with level of personal freedom (not the fake freedom you hear about in the "land of the free"). Read "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World" by Harry Browne for more details. * Learning to stop mulling on negative thoughts and either throwing them out forever or turning them into a positive action plan. * Learning from "mistakes". For example,…
on “Ask HN: What heuristic made a big difference to your life?” ↗How I found freedom in an unfree world. By Harry Browne and pretty much all of his other books A guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy
on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗…that misses other underlying reasons, like a few of my friends who had undiagnosed dyslexia. I found a helpful guide to develop those analytical/independent thinking processes in Harry Browne's book How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World. https://www.nateliason.com/notes/freedom-unfree-world-harry-... Although I have usually been attracted to conspiracy theory just to be at odds with the rest of mainstream thought, I recognize I do not…
on “How to Think for Yourself” ↗How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World: A Handbook for Personal Liberty by Harry Browne
on “Ask HN: Which book/essay changed your life?” ↗Browne wrote a number of books I found helpful, such as How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World. http://harrybrowne.org/ (corrected title)
on “Harry Browne’s 17 Golden Rules of Financial Safety (2013)” ↗