THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A
F*CK BY MARK MANSON
“Our crisis is no longer material; it’s
existential, it’s spiritual.We have so much
fucking stuff and so many opportunities
that we don’t even know what to give a
fuck about anymore.”
IN HIS INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED NYT
BESTSELLER, MARK MANSON, SUPER-BLOGGER AND SELF-HELP DISRUPTER, TAKES US
ON A JOURNEY BETWEEN THE CONNECTIVE TISSUE OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND
WESTERN PHILOSOPHY—ULTIMATELY CREATING A WORK THAT IS AT ONCE POWERFUL AND PRACTICAL.
— Mark Manson
CHAPTER 1
Chapter 1: Don’t Try. You have to choose what you
put energy into. (Pg. 1 – 22)
• Do not feel bad about feeling bad. Striving for
constant positivity is negative.
• “Not giving a f*ck” is not a glorification of apathy.
It’s about choosing what you value.
• This book is not about making your life perfect,
rather, about how to accept that it’s not.
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
Chapter 2: Happiness is a Problem - You may think
it’s a solvable equation - It is not. (Pg. 23 – 36)
Chapter 3: You are Not Special, and this is OK. (Pg.
41 – 62)
• Happiness comes from solving problems, not from
eliminating them.
• Believing you’re too-incredible at something doesn’t
leave room for improvement.
• Emotions are overrated. Don’t trust your emotions
to make correct decisions.
• High self-esteem can make you delusional and often
leads to laziness.
• Positive emotions are from making progress.
Negative emotions come from unsolved problems.
• Whatever you’re great at—you could be better.
Never stop learning.
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 7
Chapter 4: The Value of Suffering. Choose your
values wisely. (Pg. 63 – 89)
Chapter 7: Failure is the Way Forward – You will
grow more from failure than success. (Pg. 147 – 163)
• Suffering is inevitable and unavoidable.
• Failure is often synonymous with “practice.” A
master of something is just someone who has failed,
and often. Do not be afraid of failure—rejoice in it.
• Instead of avoiding it, instead, choose for what are
you going to suffer?
• To become self-aware, you must ask yourself “why”
questions. Know why you do what you do.
• A good life comes from living in accordance with
good values and not caring about the rest.
• If an action scares you, it is more likely to push
your comfort zone. Pain is necessary to success.
• You don’t need motivation to do something. Better
to act first, then let the motivation follow.
• A good value is socially constructive, within your
control, and based in reality.
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 8
Chapter 5: You are always Choosing. Fault vs.
Responsibility. (Pg. 90 – 114)
Chapter 8: The Importance of Saying No (Pg. 164 –
189)
• Everything you do in your life is a choice. Take
ownership of this fact, and you’re free.
• If you say yes to everything, you are not giving
yourself standards. Remember—your time is
valuable. It’s not just OK to say NO—it’s essential.
Otherwise, you’ll care about the unimportant.
• A negative event may not be your fault—but
it is still your responsibility to deal with the
consequences. Assigning blame often does little to
improve a situation.
• As you change your values (what you care about)
you will come up against resistance from people
who prefer homeostasis. This is OK—move forward
anyway.
• Be honest with your significant other and
friends. This honesty builds trust. Do not avoid
confrontation. It will make you stronger.
• Do not be afraid of commitment. Commitment
begets trust.
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 8
Chapter 6: You’re Wrong about Everything (and so is
everyone else). (Pg. 115 – 146)
Chapter 9: …And then you Die. What does it all
mean? (Pg. 190 – 210)
• Manson’s Law of Avoidance—Humans prefer not
to change the way we view the world.
• A healthy fear of death is a positive because it
quickly sets priorities.
• You should always look to improve upon, and
therefore kill the old you.
• Why are you hear? Is it about Facebook Likes?
Make sure your priorities are in order or else…
• You are only who you choose to be. You believe
only what you choose to believe.