The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

#1 New York Times Bestseller

Over 6 million copies sold

In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the nonsense to show us how to stop trying to be positive all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.

For decades, we've been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. Forget positivity, Mark Manson says. Let's be honest, life is tough and we have to live with it. In his wildly popular internet blog, Manson doesn't sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, feel-good mindset that has infected modern society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.

Manson argues, backed both by academic research and well-timed humor, that improving our lives depends not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to handle lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited—not everybody can be extraordinary, there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault. Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek.

There are only so many things we can care about, so we need to figure out which ones really matter, Manson makes clear. While money is nice, caring about what you do with your life is better, because true wealth is about experience. A much-needed moment of real talk, filled with entertaining stories and ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing wake-up call for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives.