Review: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Austen friends, remember Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice? He was one odd dude, but his main point in life, even in dating a Bennet sister, was to please other people. He was ridiculous in his efforts to make everyone around him like him, going as far as to write down little compliments that he thought of in order to remember them and use them later when the right moment arose.

Meet Dale Carnegie.

Don't get me wrong. As I read the book, I listened closely to the more-than-adequate instructions on how to win friends and even influence people without causing contention or disgruntlement. About halfway through the book, however, I started imagining the person following this advice to a tee or to an extreme, and I only saw Mr. Collins.

It's a fine line to walk: trying to please people and trying to be genuine. Actually, that was a subject addressed in the book. My final recommendation is to read it and follow its advice, but don't turn into Mr. Collins by so doing. Nobody likes Mr. Collins, not even his wife.