The Curious Engineer

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Mark Manson

markmanson.net

Mark Manson — Author of the #1 NYTimes bestselling books, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and Everything is F*cked

Essays / personal

’10’15’20’25
Posts
283 from 9 Aug 2010 to 26 Dec 2025
Posting
now and then (4 in the last year)
Kind
personal blog
Feed
https://markmanson.net/feed

2025 4

  1. 4 Simple Steps to Change Your Life
  2. I Chose This Over $5 Million
  3. Purpose, the Untold Story
  4. The Problem With AI Life Coaching—and My Solution

2024 4

  1. How to Conquer Your Biggest Fear
  2. 40 Life Lessons I Know at 40 (That I Wish I Knew at 20)
  3. 33 Powerful Books That Might Change Your Life
  4. 5 Life-Changing Levels of Not Giving a Fuck

2023 23

  1. 3 Hard Truths You Need to Hear
  2. How to Be Successful in Life
  3. 5 Ways to Get Rid of Anxiety
  4. Why We Do Things We Hate
  5. 14 of the Best Nonfiction Books You Should Read
  6. 10 Ways to Unfuck Your Life
  7. Mark Manson’s 3 Rules for Life
  8. The 5 Levels of Understanding Yourself
  9. 3 Steps to Stop Negative Thinking
  10. How to Stop Caring About What People Think
  11. Mastering Your Social Anxiety
  12. 3 Steps to Becoming Great at Anything
  13. Why You’re So Unhappy
  14. The Beginner Mindset (And Why I Envy You)
  15. 5 Best Personal Traits for Life
  16. Narcissism: Where It Comes From and How to Deal With It
  17. Why You Should Have Fewer Opinions
  18. Why Your Favorite Self-Help Book Sucks
  19. Why I Quit Drinking Alcohol
  20. Pain Is Part of the Process
  21. How to Make Friends as an Adult
  22. 4 Fascinating Psychological Theories That Explain Your Whole Life
  23. A Practical Guide to Modern Dating

2022 11

  1. Motivation: What It Is, How It Works, and Where to Find It
  2. An Unconventional Guide to Happiness
  3. Why Growth Requires Struggle
  4. Trigger Warning: Reality Hurts
  5. Are You Entertained—Or Addicted?
  6. 3 Principles for a Better Life
  7. Everyone Is Mostly the Same… (And Why This Is Good News)
  8. My Response to Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock
  9. The Outrage Cycle
  10. How Trust Runs the World
  11. Why Skills Matter More Than Goals

2021 38

  1. The Point Is to Stop
  2. The Power (and Limitations) of Self-Belief
  3. 3 Life Lessons I Learned From Will Smith
  4. Why You Should Read More Books
  5. 25 Tips to Learn a Foreign Language
  6. How to Cultivate Wisdom
  7. 5 Random Books I Didn’t Expect to Like But Did
  8. The Real Dangers of Social Media
  9. The Paradox of Tolerance
  10. Creating Healthy Habits: A Practical Guide
  11. Meditation: Why You Should Do It
  12. 3 Simple Explanations for Why You’re Still Single
  13. When to Say “Yes” and How to Say “No”
  14. Why Everyone on the Internet Is Wrong
  15. Behind the Scenes: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Documentary
  16. A Brief History of Romance (And Why It Matters)
  17. How to Delay Gratification
  18. 3 Crazy Theories That Might Actually Be True
  19. 114 Books Reviewed in (About) One Paragraph
  20. The Only Way to Be Confident
  21. Compatibility and Chemistry in Relationships
  22. The Guide to Strong Relationship Boundaries
  23. Your Honest-to-God Guide to STDs
  24. 4 Ways I’ve Changed My Mind in the Past 10 Years
  25. Why I Am Not a Stoic
  26. How Pornography Can Ruin Your Sex Life
  27. Sex and Our Psychological Needs
  28. The Levels of Eye Contact
  29. The Three Levels of Self-Awareness
  30. 9 Steps to Hating Yourself a Little Less
  31. How to Overcome Your Demons
  32. Personal Values: How to Know Who You Really Are
  33. How to Get Over Perfectionism
  34. 5 Skills to Help You Develop Emotional Intelligence
  35. Why We Forget That Most People Are Good
  36. Attachment Styles and How They Affect Your Relationships
  37. The Complete Guide to Goal Setting (Backed by Science)
  38. Happiness Is the Wrong Question

2020 44

  1. 7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Life Purpose
  2. The Best Life Lessons From the Pandemic
  3. How to Deal With Uncertainty
  4. Why Some Dreams Should Not Be Pursued
  5. The Dunning-Kruger Effect: The Paradox of Our Own Ignorance
  6. 6 Memoirs That Will Make You Think Differently About the World
  7. The “Once in a Lifetime” Paradox
  8. When You Are Your Own Worst Enemy
  9. 5 Boring Ways to Become More Creative
  10. How to Feel Better
  11. How to Overcome Your Limiting Beliefs
  12. Why Things Are Never as Bad as They Seem
  13. 5 Common Beliefs That Can Subtly Screw You Over
  14. How to Wage Philosophical Warfare
  15. The Law of Unintended Consequences
  16. The Best Way to Resolve Your Shame
  17. How to Overcome Loneliness
  18. You Are (Not) Alone
  19. 6 Psychology Books to Understand Yourself (and Others) Better
  20. 8 Logical Fallacies That Mess Us All Up
  21. The Cognitive Biases That Hurt Our Relationships
  22. Who Wants to Live Forever?
  23. Why We All Need Philosophy
  24. Why We Stay in Bad Relationships
  25. 3 Tips to Read More Books
  26. The Best and the Worst of Someone
  27. How to Understand Your Emotions
  28. 3 Reasons Why You Make Terrible Decisions (And How to Stop)
  29. Maybe You Don’t Know What Love Is
  30. How to Make the Most of It
  31. 5 Best Books for Dealing With Anxiety and Depression
  32. 6 Healthy Relationship Habits Most People Think Are Toxic
  33. How to Survive a Long Distance Relationship
  34. Why People Cheat in Relationships
  35. 6 Signs You’re in a Toxic Relationship
  36. The Dangers of Distrust
  37. 5 Ways to Build Resilience and Conquer Adversity
  38. 6 Books That Will Help You Grow From Your Pain
  39. How to Forgive (But Not Forget)
  40. 4 Terrible Reasons to Get Married (And 4 Really Good Ones)
  41. How to Break Up With Someone
  42. The Great “Meaning” Trend
  43. How to Deal With Regret
  44. Why You Should Quit the News

2019 26

  1. 10 Important Lessons We Learned From the 2010s
  2. Minimalism
  3. The Staggering Bullshit of “The Secret”
  4. Screw Finding Your Passion
  5. The 3 Paradoxes of Life (And How They Determine Who We Are)
  6. How to Build Self-Esteem (And Does It Even Matter?)
  7. Three Months Later: Does the Attention Diet Work?
  8. How to Be Patient in an Impatient World
  9. 5 Simple Ideas That Can Change Your Life
  10. 1,500 People Give All the Relationship Advice You’ll Ever Need
  11. How to Get Motivated: The “Do Something” Principle
  12. How to Give Advice to Others
  13. 4 Principles of Productivity
  14. 5 Relationship Books Everyone Should Read
  15. Vulnerability: The Key to Better Relationships
  16. The Best Parts of Travel Are the Things You Don’t Remember
  17. No, You Can’t Make a Person Change
  18. 5 Mindsets That Create Success
  19. The Attention Diet
  20. How to Manage Your Mental Health
  21. Lifelong Learning: How to Continuously Learn and Grow
  22. The Paradox of Progress
  23. The Uncomfortable Truth
  24. 4 Modern Philosophy Books You Should Read
  25. If Self-Discipline Feels Difficult, Then You’re Doing It Wrong
  26. 3 Core Components of a Healthy Relationship

2018 15

  1. 5 Books That Explain Why It Seems the World Is So Fucked
  2. How to Make Better Decisions in Life
  3. Why We Hold On to Bad Beliefs
  4. How to Deal With Conflict (A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Guide)
  5. Why Being an Asshole Can Be a Valuable Life Skill
  6. How I Ended Up Working With Will Smith
  7. The One Rule for Life
  8. Stop Trying to Change Yourself
  9. The Backwards Law—Why the Best Things in Life Must Be Let Go
  10. How to Change Your Life
  11. On Rock Music and Writing: The Fight to Stay Creative in the Face of Success
  12. 9 Books That Explain How the World Works
  13. How to Find the Perfect Career
  14. How to Grow Up: A Guide to Being Human
  15. How to Let Go: Learning to Deal With Loss

2017 26

  1. Why You Should Read Fiction
  2. Why You Shouldn’t Trust Your Emotions
  3. 10 Cool Things About the Brain and What It Means for You
  4. The Complete Guide to Getting Over FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
  5. How to Grow From Your Pain
  6. 3 Simple Ideas That Will Make You Smarter Than Most People
  7. The Real Value of Money
  8. When to Break Up With Someone and When to Stick It Out
  9. The Most Important Skill in Life
  10. Why Happiness Is Overrated
  11. How to Get Over Someone and Move On With Your Life
  12. How to Become a Better Learner
  13. What Is Self-Improvement?
  14. The Creative Advantages of Ignorance
  15. How to Be More Productive (While Working Less)
  16. The Paradox of Success
  17. The Surprising Benefits of Being (Slightly) Crazy
  18. Smartphones Are the New Cigarettes
  19. Further Reading and References for The Subtle Art
  20. Life Is a Video Game—Here Are the Cheat Codes
  21. Reflections on Aging
  22. How to Find Meaning in Your Life
  23. What Real Friends Look Like
  24. Do We Ever Feel Like We Have Enough?
  25. How to Be Happy
  26. The Responsibility/Fault Fallacy

2016 14

  1. The Most Important Year of My Life
  2. 6 Books That Make You Less of a Horrible Person
  3. 3 Unexpected Benefits of Marriage
  4. Why Freedom Isn’t Free
  5. 3 Important Life Skills Nobody Ever Taught You
  6. The Feedback Loop From Hell
  7. The Future of Self
  8. Why It Can Be Good to Doubt Yourself
  9. Why You Can’t Trust Yourself
  10. How Your Insecurity Is Bought and Sold
  11. An Open Letter to Brazil
  12. Uma Carta Aberta ao Brasil
  13. 5 Massive Books That Are Worth Your Time
  14. Why Goals Are Overrated (And What to Do Instead)

2015 10

  1. Shut Up and Be Patient
  2. Why I Have a Potty Mouth
  3. Romance Is Like Alcohol
  4. 5 Things That Should Be Taught in Every School
  5. How to Stop Procrastinating
  6. In Defense of Being Average
  7. How to Find “The One”
  8. The Four Stages of Life
  9. 7 Books That Will Change How You See the World
  10. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

2014 14

  1. In the Future, Our Attention Will Be Sold
  2. 63 Steps to Survive the Worst Moments of Your Life
  3. How to Take Risks
  4. No, You Can’t Have It All
  5. 5 Life Lessons From 5 Years of Traveling the World
  6. No, It’s Not All Your Parents’ Fault
  7. How to Attract Women
  8. The Breakthrough Fallacy—What Change Actually Looks Like
  9. Love Is Not Enough
  10. 10 Life Lessons to Excel in Your 30s
  11. 10 Life Lessons I Learned from Surviving My 20s
  12. The Hidden Costs of Happiness
  13. A Brief History of Male/Female Relations
  14. How We Judge Others Is How We Judge Ourselves

2013 23

  1. 3 Things School Taught You Without You Even Realizing It
  2. Why I’m Wrong About Everything (And So Are You)
  3. The Most Important Question of Your Life
  4. 9 Subtle Lies We All Tell Ourselves
  5. Stop Trying to Be Happy
  6. 7 Things Sex Education Should Have Taught Us But Didn’t
  7. Find What You Love and Let It Kill You
  8. How Do You Measure Your Life?
  9. Being Special Isn’t So Special
  10. Why Everyone on the Internet Is an Asshole
  11. You Already Have Everything You Need
  12. The Dark Side of the Digital Nomad
  13. Fuck Yes or No
  14. Change Your Mind About Dating
  15. How to Read Faster and Remember More
  16. How Disney Ruined Sex for Everyone
  17. Why Your Relationships Fail
  18. 5 Life Lessons I Learned From Playing Guitar
  19. 20 Paradoxes That Are True
  20. The Bad Acid Trip
  21. You’re Okay
  22. “Check, Please” – A Short Story About Perspective
  23. The Right and Wrong Ways to Flirt

2012 23

  1. Shut Up and Be Grateful
  2. 5 Problems With the Self-Help Industry
  3. You Have Two Minds—Here’s How to Use Them
  4. The 80/20 Principle and How It Can Change Your Life
  5. The Guide to Being Miserable
  6. The Borders of Sexual Harassment
  7. An Open Letter to My 18-Year-Old Self
  8. Wanderlust
  9. The Most Important Belief You Can Have
  10. Why Self-Awareness Is Sexy
  11. 10 Reasons Why You Fail
  12. How to Make Your Own Luck
  13. How to Quit Your Day Job and Travel the World
  14. 10 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About America
  15. It’s Complicated: Why Relationships and Dating Can Be So Hard
  16. The Rise and Fall of Ken Wilber
  17. Why You Should Care About Many Things
  18. Analysis Paralysis
  19. Do You Need Therapy?
  20. The Ipanema Boardwalk
  21. When The Fall Comes
  22. Are You an Emotional Vampire?
  23. The Simple Joys Are the Most Meaningful

2011 5

  1. A Dust Over India
  2. Interviewing Like a Boss
  3. How I Quit Smoking For Good
  4. Woman Lovers and Woman Haters
  5. The Three Loves Theory

2010 3

  1. The Wisdom of Surfing
  2. The Zen Dilemma
  3. This Is Water