Review: The Sublet Art of not giving a Fuck

Author: Mark Manson

This is part self-help book, but mostly a memoir about how he overcame his psychic difficulties in growing up.  Manson shamelessly steals the ideas of Stoicism, Mindfulness, and other forms of existential philosophy and put them into his own words (A few references and acknowledgements would have been nice – I even think I spotted some Viktor Frankl’s influence).  He is a skilled writer and it is an easy read – probably aimed at people who do not read as much as I do, and do not care for things like referencing.  

I like the statements “Enjoy the process – not the result.  Enjoy the fight – not the victory”.  Great mantras.  The questions “What pain can you cope with? What sacrifice are you prepared to make?”  I agree are far more interesting (and I would channel Camus – Which boulder are you prepared to push up the hill?).   All in all an enjoyable read – I just wish he had not assumed the reader to be so stupid as to not spot where his “ideas” came from.