The Road Less Traveled
by M. Scott Peck · first published 1978
63% recommend31% neutral6% critical
Why HN recommends it
Self-help on discipline, love, growth and personal responsibility, often valued for its opening chapters and for keeping life in perspective; suits readers dealing with depression, relationship problems or stress.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Confronting and solving problems is a painful process which most of us attempt to avoid. Avoiding resolution results in greater pain and an inability to grow both mentally and spiritually. Drawing heavily on his own professional experience, Dr M. Scott Peck, a psychiatrist, suggests ways in which facing our difficulties - and suffering through the changes - can enable us to reach a higher level of self-understanding. He discusses the nature of loving relationships: how to distinguish dependency from love; how to become one's own person and how to be a more sensitive parent. This is a book that
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…my savings(financial aid, and dirty money) on Therapy. I got introduced to the right Psychiatrist--I think? (Yes--try to avoid drugs if you can.) It's ironic he brought up M. Scott Peck's Book. The Road Less Traveled. It was required reading in a college speech class. Yea, I think the professor decided to become a Healer? The book has a great first paragraph. Maybe the best I have ever heard. 'Life is difficult--why…
on “One Road Out of Depression” ↗"The Road Less Traveled" by M Scott Peck. By far the best self-improvement book I've read. About discipline, love, growth and religion, and grace. I don't consider myself to be religious, but it's made me apply traditional…
on “Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?” ↗…he reminded himself daily how fleeting it all was. How easily a man can be swayed from his purpose. How not to look down on others. It's my all time favorite book for keeping life in perspective. The Road Less Traveled - M. Scott Peck - When I was struggling with depression and not feeling worth anything and generally a piece of shit someone pointed this book out to me. It talks about how no one can shoulder your psychology…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?” ↗The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck - great insight into the human condition One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson - concise and pithy while containing lots of useful pointers The Divine Center by…
on “Ask HN: What books have most influenced the way you see the world?” ↗…stare at my editor and just start to cry at how I couldn’t bring myself to write code. I’m still working through it, but what has helped for me is taking space away from work, therapy, and the book The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck. Good luck.
on “Ask HN: How do I overcome mental laziness?” ↗…industrialization, which is also a theme in "La Technique" above 6) George Orwell "Down and Out in London and Paris" https://archive.org/details/DownAndOutInParisAndLondonGeorge... 7) M. Scott Peck "The Road Less Traveled" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Scott_Peck#The_Road_Less_Tr... 8) Introducing Psychology of Relationships - A Practical Guide by John Karter https://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Psychology-Relationships-...…
on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗…"at least I feel secure". Some even think it's their mission to fix their partner (and all they do is set themselves up for pain). A timeless classic on the psychology of relationships: Scott Peck "The Road less Traveled" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Scott_Peck#The_Road_Less_Tr... (one of my top 10 fav books I ever read (and I read a lot). edit: my experience working for a dating startup called Friendscout24 (a total…
on “The stable marriage problem and modern dating” ↗highly relevant: M. Scott Peck "The Road less Traveled", in a nutshell the relationship to ourselves is what gives us the ability to be in a fulfilling relationship with others. I wanted to emphasize this because too many I know (including my former self)…
on “At 31, I have just weeks to live. Here's what I want to pass on” ↗The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck You can heal your life by Louise Hay
on “Ask HN: What books have changed your mind?” ↗…(5/5): Helped me to quit smoking with ease. Although I have started again and quit again because it was so easy to quit I fell in the trap that I would quit later. Hopefully, it will stick this time. The Road Less Traveled (4.5/5): Scot Peck shares his experience of physiology and what he learned about human behavior. What he thinks make fully grown people and how to think in that direction. The Little Prince (2/5): Probably…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗I reread The Road Less Traveled this year. The first 150 pages are particularly great.
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗…reoccurring, that's a different story. Read How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It's an old time classic with advice that is very much relevant today. With my own struggles I found The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck also helped me. You already say you're technically competent! You know you have the skills, what is it that you're really worried about when speaking? I think you need to ask yourself…
on “Ask HN: How can I be a better contributor to meetings at work?” ↗I'm sorry you are struggling. The book The Road Less Traveled was helpful for me. Wish you the best.
on “Ask HN: At a peak of my dev career, I hate my life” ↗…existence or non-existence of things about which they could not possibly know. 1, 2 and 3 also roughly model the various stages of individual development outlined by M. Scott Peck in "Further along the road less traveled" [1]. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Scott_Peck#The_four_stages_...
on “Existential Comfort Without God” ↗…my own head long enough to make some positive steps. But I've always wanted to find a therapist who is genuinely interested and can provide more insight than I can learn on my own from books like The Road Less Traveled. I don't know what other people go through, and I wish I understood Jung well enough to share with other people, but I suspect professionals are just throwing drugs because they're overwhelmed by the…
on “Freud’s Discontents” ↗