The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is a book about filtering what you find most important from what you find not to be important. The premise is that we can decide what to give a f*ck about and what not to care about at all. The author Mark Manson explains that we all have a limited supply of f*cks we can give and that we should spend them wisely. Filtering for what to care about enables focus on priorities and a more efficient use of time and energy.
Here are ten of the key lessons from the book:
“The key to a good life is not giving a f*ck about more; it’s giving a fuck about less, giving a f*ck about only what is true and immediate and important.” – Mark Manson
“Because here’s another sneaky little truth about life. You can’t be an important and life-changing presence for some people without also being a joke and an embarrassment to others. You just can’t. Because there’s no such thing as a lack of adversity. It doesn’t exist. The old saying goes that no matter where you go, there you are. Well, the same is true for adversity and failure. No matter where you go, there’s a five-hundred-pound load of shit waiting for you. And that’s perfectly fine. The point isn’t to get away from the shit. The point is to find the shit you enjoy dealing with.” – Mark Manson
“Once you become comfortable with all the sh*t that life throws at you (and it will throw a lot of shit, trust me), you become invincible in a sort of low-level spiritual way. After all, the only way to overcome pain is to first learn how to bear it.” – Mark Manson
“To both men, their suffering meant something; it fulfilled some greater cause. And because it meant something, they were able to endure it, or perhaps even enjoy it.” – Mark Manson
“Self-improvement” is really about: prioritizing better values, choosing better things to give a f*ck about. Because when you give better f*cks, you get better problems. And when you get better problems, you get a better life.” – Mark Manson
“Growth is an endlessly iterative process. When we learn something new, we don’t go from “wrong” to “right.” Rather, we go from wrong to slightly less wrong. And when we learn something additional, we go from slightly less wrong to slightly less wrong than that, and then to even less wrong than that, and so on. We are always in the process of approaching truth and perfection without actually ever reaching truth or perfection.” – Mark Manson
“Basic component of life: our struggles determine our successes. Our problems birth our happiness, along with slightly better, slightly upgraded problems.” – Mark Manson
“There’s a saying in Texas: ” the smallest dog barks the loudest” A confident man doesn’t feel a need to prove that he’s confident. A rich woman doesn’t feel a need to convince anybody that she’s rich. Either you are or you are not. And if you’re dreaming of something all the time, then you’re reinforcing the same unconscious reality over and over: that you are not that.” – Mark Manson
“[Successful people] reserve their f*cks for what truly matters. Friends. Family. Purpose. Burritos.” – Mark Manson
“In my life, I have given a f*ck about many people and many things. I have also not given a f*ck about many people and many things. And like the road not taken, it was the f*cks not given that made all the difference.” – Mark Manson
