Courage To Be Disliked (International Edition) Paperback – International Edition, January 1, 2019

The Courage to Be Disliked completely transformed the way I see myself, my relationships, and the world around me. This book is more than just self-help—it’s a deep, thought-provoking conversation that challenges everything you think you know about happiness, freedom, and interpersonal relationships.What I love most is its simplicity and clarity. The dialogue-style format makes complex psychological ideas easy to understand, and the lessons hit hard. The biggest takeaway for me? We are not controlled by our past, and we don’t have to live for the approval of others. That truth alone felt so freeing.It’s not always an easy read—not because it’s difficult, but because it forces you to confront deeply ingrained beliefs about validation, control, and personal responsibility. But if you’re open to it, this book can shift your entire mindset.I’ve read a lot of personal growth books, but The Courage to Be Disliked is one I’ll return to again and again. If you’re ready to stop overthinking, let go of what others think, and embrace true freedom, this book is a must-read.

Do you love personal growth and consistently strive for self improvement? Do you struggle to free yourself from past traumas? I have read dozens of books on human nature, spiritual growth, enlightment, and similar topics. NEVER has a book so clearly held up the mirror as this one has. I'm only 70 pages in and already see multiple ways in which I make excuses NOT to take responsibility for my life. This book truly inspires you to find the courage it takes to go from who you are to who you want to be. This is a MUST read for enlightment seekers, people who deal with depression, anyone believing their past causes them to be the way they are, and all people who want to take control of their life. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

Good book. I like how the man and the boy go back and forth. Very insightful and makes you think.

This book changes the way that one looks at life, and quite honestly solved many problems that are common with most people. Life changing book! A must read for everyone!

I really like some of the paradigm shifts this book points out and the philosopher/ youth dialogue is a fun way to read and understand the messages the author is trying to convey.

One of the more interesting points made in this book is the difference between etiology, the Freudian excavation of the past as cause of the present, and teleology, the Adlerian refocus on the goals of our present behaviors. While how we got to the present can be explained by past experiences, including our traumas, how we use that past today depends on what we want to achieve, our goals. For example, when a child who has been the center of attention during a protracted serious illness becomes well, he might sabotage his wellness in order to regain the attention and caregiving he received during his illness. In other words, he will choose a hypochondriac lifestyle not because he’s still ill, but because his goal is to continue to be taken care of; he mines the past to facilitate a desired present and future. Most of us can probably think of friends or family members who wallow in the past as a means of controlling the present.It's insights like the etiology/teleology dichotomy that make this book of considerable interest. But a word of caution: the situations discussed by the authors are typical of a certain class of people, those who are materially comfortable and secure enough to be able to indulge in such self-help thinking, but not helpful to people who have suffered genuine physical trauma, such as sexual molestation as children, or who face genuine suffering in the present, such as the citizens of Kiev or the parents of the victims of serial killers or the soldiers suffering from PTSD. There is genuine suffering in the world, and it is false to say that such people make their own traumas. Trauma does exist, contrary to the authors’ assertion otherwise.Whence this rather Pollyanna-ish worldview? Perhaps the setting is the clue: the book-lined study of a philosopher, complete with fountain pen and handwritten manuscript, who has withdrawn from the competitive world outside. The perfect place for theory to prevail.