Book Summary: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson
January 12, 2023 second read, still really good!
CHAPTER 1: Don’t Try, p. 6
The genius in Bukowski’s work was not in overcoming unbelievable odds or developing himself into a shining literary light. It was the opposite. It was his simple ability to be completely, unflinchingly honest with himself—especially the worst parts of himself—and to share his failings without hesitation or doubt.
CHAPTER 1: Don’t Try, p. 6
Self-improvement and success often occur together. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the same thing.
The Feedback Loop from Hell, p. 7
After all, no truly happy person feels the need to stand in front of a mirror and recite that she’s happy. She just is.
The Feedback Loop from Hell, p. 7
The key to a good life is not giving a fuck about more; it’s giving a fuck about less, giving a fuck about only what is true and immediate and important.
The Feedback Loop from Hell, p. 8
By not giving a fuck that you feel bad, you short-circuit the Feedback Loop from Hell; you say to yourself, “I feel like shit, but who gives a fuck?” And then, as if sprinkled by magic fuck-giving fairy dust, you stop hating yourself for feeling so bad
The Feedback Loop from Hell, p. 8
The desire for more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one’s negative experience is itself a positive experience.
The Feedback Loop from Hell, p. 9
As the existential philosopher Albert Camus said (and I’m pretty sure he wasn’t on LSD at the time): “You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.”
The Feedback Loop from Hell, p. 9