The World's Best Book Summaries
What is shu? How can it guide your behavior in life? What’s Confucius’s recipe for morality? For Confucius, virtue is paramount in life. The Analects contain practical advice for how to become a good person. Confucius discusses the principle of shu, and he shares four more qualities you should embody if you want to be a force for good in the world. Keep reading to learn the Confucian way of morality.
Why did Iran take American hostages in 1979? Why did it take so long to free them? What should President Carter have done differently? Biographer Jonathan Alter can’t ignore the crisis that defined much of the presidency of Jimmy Carter—the Iran hostage crisis. Alter details the road to the crisis, Carter’s resistance to using military force, and the final push to free the hostages just as Carter’s presidency came to its end. Read on to learn about this dark chapter in American history.
What’s the primary goal of public speaking? How’s it achieved? In The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication, internationally renowned speaker John C. Maxwell shares his secrets to becoming a confident and effective communicator capable of delivering any message to any audience. He provides practical tips for achieving the primary objective of public speaking. Read more to learn how to motivate people with Maxwell’s three recommendations.
Do you have a speech or presentation coming up? Do you want to deliver it without sounding like you’re reading from a script? The Memory Book shows you how to remember sequences of items using image-based association, how to create stand-in words to make abstract items easier to remember, and how to apply those techniques to remember full ideas in sequence. You can use these strategies to memorize a speech or presentation. Continue reading to learn how to remember a speech with techniques from The Memory Book.
Do you have any fine art in your house? How much attention do you pay to the person you’re becoming? Do you have a date scheduled with your significant other? Beyond Order is Jordan B. Peterson’s hard-hitting, no-nonsense guide to navigating the chaos of our difficult world and living a life of excellence. In it, Peterson offers 12 rules to help you reduce the chaos in your life, create order, and live responsibly. Keep reading for the Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life list, and apply them to your life with an exercise at the end.
What were some of the first social justice movements? How did they differ from later movements? Authors, academics, and cultural critics Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay discuss the history of social justice in politics and scholarship. They say that the social justice we have today is far removed from the earlier movements. Continue reading to learn about the origin of social justice movements.
What is Darwinian evolution? What does the process entail? How does evolution shapes organisms? On the Origin of Species explains and argues for Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Essentially, the theory states that organisms weren’t created separately in their current forms. Rather, each species evolved gradually from other species over the course of millions of years. Keep reading for an overview of Darwinian evolution according to On the Origin of Species.
What’s the benefit of publicly admitting your mistakes? What’s the difference between working fast and working efficiently? According to Confucius, leadership is the ultimate destination for knowledgeable and virtuous people. In The Analects, he explains how to gain knowledge and morality. Then, he offers practical advice on leadership itself. Read more to learn Confucius’s leadership advice.
What were Jimmy Carter’s foreign policy successes? What personal principles undergirded his global approach? On the global stage, Jimmy Carter distinguished himself as a president who would eschew the use of military strength except as a last resort. Instead, he prioritized maintaining and promoting peace at any cost, including political damage to himself. Read more to learn about the key successes and failures of Jimmy Carter’s foreign policy.
Does the thought of public speaking make you nervous? Do you have something to say but don’t know how to get your message across? According to John C. Maxwell, anyone can master public speaking, connect with their listeners, and make a lasting impact with their words by following the 16 laws he’s developed from a lifetime of public speaking. He shares several pieces of advice on how to present a speech confidently and effectively. Read more for these nuggets of wisdom from Maxwell’s book The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication.