Who Moved My Cheese?
by Spencer Johnson · first published 1998
42% recommend47% neutral11% critical
Why HN recommends it
Short parable about handling change at work and in life, spotting when it's time to move on, and focusing on what you can control. Quick read, even for self-help skeptics, and it holds up on rereads.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Who Moved My Cheese? is a simple parable that reveals profound truths about change. It is an amusing and enlightening story of four characters who live in a "Maze" and look for "Cheese" to nourish them and make them happy. Two are mice named Sniff and Scurry. And two are "little people" -- beings the size of mice who look and act a lot like people. Their names are Hem and Haw. "Cheese" is a metaphor for what you want to have in life -- whether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money, possession, health, or spiritual peace of mind. And "The Maze" is where you look for what you want -- th
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2013–2025Anatomy of the State
Murray N. Rothbard
Recommended by 12 · mentioned by 1512 recommend · 15 mention12 recommend · 1512 recommend
2010–2026Of Human Bondage
William Somerset Maugham
Recommended by 9 · mentioned by 169 recommend · 16 mention9 recommend · 169 recommend
2016–2022The Slight Edge
Jeff Olson
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 53 recommend · 5 mention3 recommend · 53 recommend
2010–2025Self-reliance
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Recommended by 25 · mentioned by 3825 recommend · 38 mention25 recommend · 3825 recommend
2007–2022The way of the superior man
David Deida
Recommended by 17 · mentioned by 2317 recommend · 23 mention17 recommend · 2317 recommend
Hermann Hesse
Siddhartha
Recommended by 42 · mentioned by 5442 recommend · 54 mention42 recommend · 5442 recommend
2008–2026The Prophet
Kahlil Gibran
Recommended by 26 · mentioned by 3326 recommend · 33 mention26 recommend · 3326 recommend
2007–2026Siddhartha
Hermann Hesse
Recommended by 138 · mentioned by 186138 recommend · 186 mention138 recommend · 186138 recommend
I have given away ~20 "Who Moved My Cheese" by Spencer Johnson over the years. It is a great little book, which deals with how we handle change in our lives (work and other) and how we sometimes fail to see, when it is time to move on. My favorite…
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗…Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome) Wealth of Nations Wayne Dyer The Tao System of the World Origin of Species Brave new world Thank you economy Crush it Built to Last Who Moved my Cheese Stillness Speak Eckhert Tolle Mastery George Leonard Steve Jobs Biography The Last Lecture Steve Pavlina Books Iacocca Striking Thoughts Bruce Lee Carlos Castaneda Ghost in the Wires Richest…
on “Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..” ↗I believe its also possible to convey a lot in the short form of writing (novella) like "Who moved my cheese?" by Spencer Johnson. But I suppose it also depends on the genre & message/story you have mapped out.
on “I took 2 years to write my novel and it has just 7000 words” ↗"Who moved my Cheese" (http://www.amazon.com/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-Amazing/dp/0399144...) And in conjunction to that, this article "Someone is Coming to Eat You" (http://randsinrepose.com/archives/someone-is-coming-to-eat-y...)
on “Ask HN: Which books changed your life?” ↗"Who Moved My Cheese" by Spencer Johnson. It's only a short tale, but it changed my approach to more or less everything. I am eternally grateful to my good friend who showed it to me in about 2000/2001 ish.
on “Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?” ↗…chasm (Marketing related) [2] Peopleware (HR related) [3] How to win friends and influence people (HR related) [4] The Goal (Business related) [5] Critical chain (Project management related) [6] Who moved my cheese (Change management related) and any of the lean / agile businessy books for ex. [7] The lean startup These might not be viewed as traditional MBA material, but my course featured some of these along…
on “Sheryl Sandberg Says an MBA Doesn't Matter in Tech” ↗Who Moved My Cheese? http://www.amazon.com/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-Amazing/dp/0399144...
on “Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?” ↗I like Who Moved my Cheese - Dr. Spencer Johnson http://jef.mentalis.org/hersenspinsels/downloads/WhoMovedMyC...
on “Ask HN: What's a favorite short story of yours?” ↗Average is Over by Tyler Cowen. About educated middle class workers working with collaborative automated systems vs non-educated and a changing society. Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. An allegory about how our modern jobs are changing. Mindset by Carol Dweck. About the belief of fixed mindset vs a growth or learning mindset, and the effects of both. The Icarus…
on “Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?” ↗I highly recommend reading "Who Moved My Cheese?" By Dr Spencer Johnson. I'm not one for self-help books, but this really did make me think about how I look at change generally.
on “My next Mac might be the last” ↗Who Moved My Cheese?
on “Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?” ↗Who Moved My Cheese?
on “Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?” ↗Who moved my cheese. Its not my favorite book but its influenced me the most and I read it atleast once a year. It is a powerful parable about making things happen for yourself and focusing on things you can control and…
on “Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?” ↗Read “Who moved my cheese?”, and promptly quit IBM. It was obvious they considered engineering a cost center and were determined to offshore as much head count as possible. I moved to another company where engineering was valued…
on “Ask HN: What was the best decision you made in your career?” ↗You should read “Who Moved My Cheese” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Moved_My_Cheese%3F
on “XFCE Wayland Development Roadmap” ↗