How to Win Friends and Influence People
by Dale Carnegie · first published 1936
68% recommend26% neutral6% critical
Why HN recommends it
Practical, step-by-step guidance on communicating diplomatically, avoiding arguments, and building influence at work; suits people who struggle socially, plus engineers, freelancers, and salespeople.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Available for the first time ever in trade paperback, Dale Carnegie's enduring classic, the inspirational personal development guide that shows how to achieve lifelong success. One of the top-selling books of all time, "How to Win Friends & Influence People" has sold more than 15 million copies in all its editions.
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Hi HN, Every person I've come across always has one book that sits at the top of their book list that they would recommend to everyone. For me, it's "How to win friends & influence people" by Dale Carnegie. What's your book?
on “Ask HN: What book do you recommend everyone should read?” ↗…those kinds of positions. I wonder if it'll continue to be a weakness of current governance long term because people prefer extroverts in those positions. I also think it's worth mentioning the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie as a way to become better at some of the things people in the comment section are bringing up as an area that needs improvement for them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influen...
on “Sad, lonely people more likely to be ‘natural’ social psychologists (2018)” ↗Highly recommended for everyone: "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahenman. If you have difficulty interacting with people 1. How to win friends and influence people (Easy read) 2. Seven habits of highly effective people (Harder read) To learn how to write well: On writing well To understand how large products are made: Show Stopper!: The Breakneck Race to Create…
on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗…all going to die anyway. What else were you going to do with your short life? I can't say I'm familiar with this "self-help craze", as the author calls it. The only "self-help" book I've ever read is How to Win Friends and Influence People - an oldie which I can recommend.
on “Improving Ourselves to Death” ↗The best two books for engineers are 1) “How to win friends and influence people” 2) “Never split the difference” The first one will teach you how to work with people. The second will teach you how to negotiate salaries, raises, and promotions among other things. I don’t recommend…
on “Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?” ↗…or two, if you really want to pack them together. • Don't neglect contract work completely. Many companies have a surprisingly large hiring pipeline of contract -> FTE, provided you do a good job. • How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie. • Corporate Confidential by Cynthia Shapiro, if you're in an enterprise / corporate environment.
on “Stripe laying off around 14% of workforce” ↗…of how to run a business * The corpus of Kai Davis's material (https://kaidavis.com/), including his super valuable/highly entertaining podcast Make Money Online (https://makemoneyonline.exposed/) * How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie - how to interface with fellow humans (freelancing/business is mostly a human activity) Happy to help anyone who's interested in freelancing if I can, send me an email.
on “The Complicated Financial Lives of Freelancers” ↗As a startup co-founder, I often find myself having to manage freelancers and vendors. I've recently read Dale Carnegie's classic "How to win friends and influence people", and am trying to put into practice the lessons given in the book. Particularly when dealing with freelancers or vendors who aren't living up to our expectations, and whom we have to continue working…
on “Ask HN: Does the Dale-Carnegie approach work in business?” ↗How to Win Friends and Influence People I had avoided this one for years due to its age and because reading it seemed to imply one has no friends and no influence. It gets long-winded in parts with a few too many examples, but it's excellent.…
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?” ↗I would definitely recommend How to Win Friends and Influence People as an addition to the list. I'd say that learning how to deal with people and communicate ideas effectively is at least as important as learning how to think. This is also a book I recommend reading,…
on “What Would You Recommend to a Bright 14 Year Old?” ↗How to win friends and influence people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influen... I have to keep reminded myself to apply the rules, but very sound advice.
on “Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?” ↗…Generation (Aelxander Osterwalder) 4. The Art Of War (Sun Tzu) 5. The E-myth, why most businesses don't work and what to do about it (Michel Gerber) 6. Made In Japan (Founder of Sony, Akio Morita) 7. How to win friends and influence people (Dale Carnegie) Probably I missed a few more, but I think these ones are a good start.
on “Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?” ↗Definitely read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. However, just reading a book on this subject is not enough. You will actually have to apply the principles in your everyday life. Dealing with people is kind of like an art. And just…
on “Ask HN: Resources for introverted devs to learn workplace politics?” ↗How to win friends and influence people, Carnegie.
on “What is the single most influential book every programmer should read?” ↗I'd highly recommend doing two things in parallel. 1. Read How to win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. 2. Try to talk to someone new every day. On item 1 - I promise that it's not as lame as the title makes it sound. If you internalize the core advice behind this book it will drastically…
on “How can an introvert Asian engineer like me make friends?” ↗