How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleHow to Win Friends and Influence People
Score Classic
What it's about
Dale Carnegie's 1936 guide to getting along with people is built on a few simple, practical principles: show genuine interest in others, remember their names, listen more than you talk, let people save face, and never criticize when you can encourage instead. He illustrates each one with stories of business leaders, presidents and ordinary people whose lives changed when they put these ideas to work.
Why it's worth reading
It's one of the best-selling books of all time because its advice still works, nearly a century later, in jobs, marriages and friendships. It's the foundation of practically every modern book about people skills.
You'll love it if you liked
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Outliers: The Story of Success
The Anxious GenerationGood to know
The examples are old-fashioned (lots of 1930s salesmen), but the principles are timeless. It's best read a chapter at a time and put into practice.
By the numbers
- Readers79 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics80 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller89 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #2 of the 85 self-help and business books we rank
- #10 of the 762 classics we rank
- #39 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking, Practical
More by Dale Carnegie
If you like this, read next
The Soul of a New Machine
Atomic Habits
Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It
Thinking, Fast and Slow
The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and MoneyExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Self-help and business booksTop 25 · 85 ranked
Classic booksTop 25 · 762 ranked
Books of the 1930sTop 25 · 41 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 459 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 309 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedQuick answers
Is How to Win Friends and Influence People worth reading?
Yes. It's one of the best-selling books of all time because its advice still works, nearly a century later, in jobs, marriages and friendships. It ranks #39 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 89.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is How to Win Friends and Influence People about?
Dale Carnegie's 1936 guide to getting along with people is built on a few simple, practical principles: show genuine interest in others, remember their names, listen more than you talk, let people save face, and never criticize when you can encourage instead. He illustrates each one with stories of business leaders, presidents and ordinary people whose lives changed when they put these ideas to work.
How long does it take to read How to Win Friends and Influence People?
About 7 hours (276 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after How to Win Friends and Influence People?
If you liked it, try The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell or The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.