How to Win Friends and Influence People
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1924 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Books, including "How to Win Friends and Influence People" |
How to Win Friends and Influence People is a self-improvement book authored by Dale Carnegie in 1936. Having sold more than 30 million copies globally, it stands as one of the most commercially successful books ever published.
Carnegie had been conducting business training sessions in New York since 1912. In 1934, Leon Shimkin from Simon & Schuster attended one of Carnegie’s 14-week courses focused on interpersonal skills and public speaking. Shimkin persuaded Carnegie to transform the course notes into a published work. The first print run of 5,000 copies sold swiftly, leading to 17 editions within the initial year.
An updated version appeared in 1981, featuring modernized language and refreshed anecdotes while condensing the original six sections into four by removing chapters on business correspondence and marital happiness. In 2011, Time ranked the book 19th among the 100 most impactful nonfiction titles.
Origins
Prior to the publication of How to Win Friends and Influence People, the self-help category was already well-established, with notable authors such as Orison Swett Marden and Samuel Smiles achieving considerable acclaim during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Dale Carnegie initially offered evening classes at a YMCA in New York, later extending his instruction to YMCAs in Philadelphia and Baltimore. He subsequently held private sessions at hotels in cities including London, Paris, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, creating small pamphlets to supplement his teachings. After completing one of these 14-week programs, publisher Leon Shimkin of Simon & Schuster encouraged Carnegie to author a book. Although initially hesitant, Carnegie consented after Shimkin arranged for a stenographer to record one of his lectures, which Carnegie then refined into a manuscript.
To promote the book, Shimkin distributed 500 copies to alumni of the Dale Carnegie Course as a refresher resource. This strategy resulted in orders exceeding 5,000 additional copies, prompting Simon & Schuster to raise the initial print quantity from 1,200. Shimkin also secured a full-page advertisement in the New York Times, showcasing endorsements from prominent industrialists like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, who highlighted the significance of effective human relations.
Released in November 1936, the book quickly ascended to the New York Times best-seller list by the end of that year and maintained its presence for two years. Simon & Schuster continued promoting it through testimonials and emphasized its practical methods that readers could apply and test.
1981 edition
The edition published in 1981 organizes content into four sections: "Twelve Things This Book Will Do For You," "Fundamental Techniques in Handling People," "Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking," and "Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment." The original 1936 version included two additional parts titled "Letters That Produced Miraculous Results" and "Seven Rules for Making Your Home Life Happier."
Since its first publication, examples and narratives have been revised for contemporary relevance. Later editions are structured into four main parts: "Fundamental Techniques in Handling People," "Six Ways to Make People Like You," "How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking," and "Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment."
Reception
How to Win Friends and Influence People ranks among the most commercially successful books in American publishing history, achieving 17 print editions within its inaugural year and selling 250,000 copies during the first three months. Globally, it has surpassed 30 million copies sold and maintains an annual sales rate exceeding 250,000 copies. A 2013 survey by the Library of Congress placed it as the seventh most impactful book in the history of the United States.
The New York Public Library positioned the book eighth on its list of "Top Check Outs Of All Time."
When first published in 1936, the New York Times provided a measured review, recognizing Carnegie's valuable guidance while remarking on its straightforwardness. Later, satirist Sinclair Lewis criticized the approach as overly manipulative and lacking sincerity. Despite such critiques, the book's popularity soared, firmly establishing it in mainstream culture.
Due to its widespread appeal, academic analysis was limited; initial reviews sought to explain its popularity, whereas subsequent discussions questioned its genuineness. Carnegie aimed at a wide-ranging audience, with significant exposure including a detailed 10-page article in the January 1937 issue of Reader's Digest.
The book sustained bestseller status and found unexpected success even under Nazi Germany’s regime, despite its principles conflicting with official state ideology.
Carnegie characterized his work as an "action-book," which is now acknowledged as a foundational text within the self-help movement. Its approach has shaped nearly all later self-improvement literature.
Twelve Things This Book Will Do For You
Initially presented as a one-page list in the 1936 edition, this segment highlights essential advantages offered to readers; points 6 through 8 and 11 were excluded in the 1981 edition.
- Pull you out of mental stagnation by inspiring fresh ideas, visions, and ambitions.
- Help you forge friendships quickly and effortlessly.
- Boost your popularity.
- Assist you in persuading others to adopt your viewpoint.
- Enhance your influence, reputation, and capacity to accomplish tasks.
- Assist in attracting new clients and customers.
- Raise your income potential.
- Improve your skills as a salesperson and executive.
- Aid in managing complaints, avoiding disputes, and maintaining harmonious relationships.
- Develop your abilities as a speaker and engaging conversationalist.
- Simplify psychological concepts for practical use in everyday interactions.
- Stimulate enthusiasm among colleagues.
The text is organized into six principal sections, each focusing on fundamental principles summarized below.
Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
- Refrain from criticizing, condemning, or complaining.
- Offer honest and heartfelt appreciation.
- Inspire others with a strong desire.
Six Ways to Make People Like You
- Show authentic interest in others.
- Smile genuinely.
- Remember that a person's name is their sweetest sound.
- Listen attentively; encourage others to share about themselves.
- Speak regarding topics that interest the other person.
- Sincerely make others feel important.
Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking
- Avoid arguments as they rarely lead to victory.
- Respect differing opinions; never declare "You're Wrong."
- Admit your errors quickly and emphatically.
- Begin conversations with friendliness.
- Start with questions that prompt affirmative answers.
- Allow others to do most of the talking.
- Let others believe ideas are their own.
- View situations from the other person's perspective.
- Express sympathy for their ideas and desires.
- Appeal to higher motives.
- Present your ideas dramatically.
- Issue a challenge to motivate action.
Leading Effectively: Influencing Others Without Causing Offense or Resentment
- Start by offering genuine praise and heartfelt appreciation.
- Highlight errors subtly rather than directly.
- Share your own errors before pointing out those of others.
- Pose questions instead of issuing commands.
- Help others maintain their dignity.
- Commend every positive change.
- Build a strong, admirable reputation for others to uphold.
- Employ encouragement, making mistakes appear easy to rectify.
- Inspire enthusiasm in others to follow your advice willingly.
Correspondence That Achieved Remarkable Outcomes
Present in the 1936 version but excluded from the 1981 edition, this concise chapter examines two letters demonstrating that appealing to a person's vanity with expressions like "do me a favor" can be more persuasive than straightforward demands by boosting the recipient's sense of significance.
Seven Principles for Enhancing Domestic Happiness
Originally included in the 1936 edition but removed in 1981, this segment advises:
- Refrain from nagging.
- Avoid attempting to change your spouse.
- Steer clear of criticism.
- Express genuine gratitude.
- Pay attention to minor details.
- Practice politeness consistently.
- Consult a credible book on the sexual dimensions of marriage.
Legacy
- Warren Buffett completed Dale Carnegie’s "How to Win Friends and Influence People" course at age twenty and prominently displays his certificate in his office.
- The book had a profound impact on actress Donna Reed, who attributed it with enhancing her confidence and achievements during her high school years.
- Charles Manson utilized methods from the book while incarcerated to influence others.
- During the 1998 Saratov hostage crisis, missionaries applied techniques from the book to appeal for mercy from their captors.