Customers say
Customers find the book easy to understand, with one mentioning its practical suggestions. Moreover, the character development receives positive feedback, with one review highlighting how it encourages character development through examples from various fields including inventors, military leaders, and business leaders. Additionally, customers appreciate its relevance to modern times and consider it a value-added version of a classic work.
Make It Yours – See Your Price On Amazon!
A quick rundown of this product’s key features:
Self-HelpSamuel Smiles
Our Top Reviews
Reviewer: Brian Johnson | Heroic
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: My kinda book.
Review: “Human character is moulded by a thousand subtle influences; by example and precept; by life and literature; by friends and neighbours; by the world we live in as well as by the spirits of our forefathers, whose legacy of good words and deeds we inherit. But great, unquestionably, though these influences are acknowledged to be, it is nevertheless equally clear that men must necessarily be the active agents of their own well-being and well-doing; and that, however much the wise and the good may owe to others, they themselves must in the very nature of things be their own best helpers.”~ Samuel Smiles from Self-HelpSelf-Help by Samuel Smiles.I hadn’t heard of this book until I was watching a Big Think video featuring Tal Ben-Shahar. (Highly recommend those, btw. Google “Big Think + Tal Ben-Shahar” or click here). In the interview “In Defense of Self-Help,” Tal discusses the modern self-help movement and the fact that, unfortunately, a great deal of the books these days share the latest quick-fix solutions to life’s challenges rather than teaching us how to develop our character.Big Think asked Tal what he considers classics in self-help and he mentioned this book.So, I immediately got it and read it over the weekend and here we are.I’m thrilled I read it. It’s packed with mini-biographies of many of history’s greatest scientists, artists, business leaders, generals and political leaders plus Big Ideas encouraging us to develop character, perseverance, diligence, patience and other noble virtues.I’m excited to share a handful of my favorite Big Ideas:1. Diligent, Patient Industry – Is where it’s at.2. Indefatigable Industry – Is also where it’s at.3. Comfort & Happiness – True necessities.4. Time Well Spent – Use it or lose it.5. Moving Ourselves. – Be the change, yo.More goodness— including PhilosophersNotes on 300+ books in our *OPTIMIZE* membership program. Find out more at brianjohnson . me.
Reviewer: Jacob Garbuz
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An 1859 Victorian Classic that outsold Darwin’s “Origin of Species” by more than 5 to 1 in that year.
Review: Samuel Smiles was the icon of “self help” proponents and a non-fiction rags-to-riches story-teller who set the standard for all such later to come. At a time when socialist thought was at its infancy, Smiles showed how many of the greatest innovators and wealthy entrepreneurs had risen from the lowest rungs of society and that frugality, hard work, abstinence, optimism and perseverance were the route out of poverty. He was one of the most popular politicians turned authors in Victoria’s England until towards the end of the century socialist sentiment began to prevail and his point of view fell out of favor with the masses until his decline. A must-read for all interested in the conservative ideas that shaped the Victorian era in England.
Reviewer: Botting Girl
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Self Help; with illustrations of Conduct and Perseverance, Samuel Smiles
Review: This is an excellent book, written in 1859. I was delighted at its relevance to today. The practical suggestions of how we should behave would make the world a finer place. I have many of Samuel Smiles’ books and find each inspiring.
Reviewer: DAVID BEARD
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Basic Product
Review: Being a fan of this book, particularly older versions I was expecting a little more than what was received. The binding and presentation was plain, with only the book title noted on the spine, not the author. There’s no index and the chapter titles aren’t listed at the top of each page in the chapter. Overall, it is just continuous text cut and bound into two cardboard bindings. The delivery time was fine as well as protective packaging.
Reviewer: Merrill Gee
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Granddaddy of self-help books
Review: This is a fun book both historically and personally. Its basic message is that we are largely responsible for the quality of our own lives. He does recognize that the larger society affects our available resources, and the quality of our living (e.g. personal safety etc), but, of course, this is Victorian England, so many of the issues that affect us were of less importance then. But the basic issue of personal responsibility for the reaction to what happens in larger society is unchanged. A fun book!
Reviewer: AP1
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Must be redone, the sooner the better.
Review: I’m sorry to say I found the book impossible to read! It has endless chapters written so intensly that I got tired before I even started. Maybe the content is of high value but the book must be redone in a friendlier format.
Reviewer: D. Hartzell
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Take Heart
Review: This book profiles the great character exercised by many people, from inventors to military leaders. They persist despite great obstacles. As Covey points out in 7 Habits, older leadership books are about character rather than technique. This is a great example. It was an inspiration to Taichi Ohno of Toyota.
Reviewer: Tootsie
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Kindle
Review: I recieved a Kindle for Christmas and while I asked for it, it was hard for me to learn to comprehend the workings of it. It needs to be simplified for new users. Was hard to understand how to get into the workings and how to work it period. I have yet to read an entire book on it.
Reviewer: シンプルイングリッシュの村上博昭
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Samuel Smiles の Self Help は、何度、読み直しても、味がある名著である。英語が、分かりやすく、作者の意図がストレートに伝わってくる。また、これだけよく調べたものだと、感心するほどの数の人物が次から次へと登場し、様々な困難をものともせずに、人生を貫いていくストーリーは感動的ですらある。Heaven helps those who help themselves. の意味が、いろいろな人物を通して広く、深く広がっていく。とにかく面白い。最初の２、３ページは、暗唱して、毎日、口にしてもいいかもしれない。内容が古いと思われることもあるかもしれないが、そのエッセンスを汲み取るといいと思われる。
Reviewer: Peter
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Wonderful book for several reasons:1) Not only is it of great inspiration, it serves as a historical piece of classics that shows the Victorian values.2) It is the father of the self-help books of our time, including the best ones (e.g. Tal Ben-Shahar).3) Just like the title suggests, the book helps those who help themselves. To read through a so-called “vacuum” with chains after chains of examples would require lots of dedication, perseverance, and character. It is between those examples where great themes emerge. That’s where the satisfaction of reading such book comes.
Reviewer: Daniel Felgueiras
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Awesome book full of pure wisdom.This book deals with the inside out stuff, especially the chapter titled Character, if you want to become a better person I highly recommend this great book. *****
Reviewer: Aletheuon
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book will be a disappointment to anyone looking for the kind of self-help book which invests humans with supernatural power over the forces of the universe. Samuel Smiles (1812-1904) believed that self-help consisted in hard work, vision and persistence in the face of adversity, thus creating wealth for oneself and others in an uncertain world. It is refreshing to read this book because it is not self-indulgent but completely realistic about the nature of the world and recommends the old-fashioned virtues on which the wealth of this country was built. (It is arguable that the lack of these virtues, among a sector of the population, is what is causing our country’s long decline. As someone else has pointed out, this is the traditional American view, and, whether one agrees with them or not, it is one reason that Republicans there are so strongly opposed to the construction of a ‘welfare state’.) Perhaps it is no accident that Smiles is the great-great-grandfather of the adventurous and determined Bear Grylls!The book largely consists in stories about inventor and achievers of the Industrial Revolution, which is quite an education in itself. One small but irritating issue is that every time a sum of money is mentioned, it appears as 5l or 10000l, as if the British dealt in lire. I think this must be because shillings used to be expressed by the symbol/-, so that 5/- meant five shillings. I can’t imagine why this was impossible to reproduce, unless the person transcribing this book into Kindle formal simply did not know this fact!
Reviewer: 豊田周造
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I now understand why this book lead Sakichi Toyoda to invent the best automatic weaving loom at that time. Diligent and persevering work should be the one he did . English is somewhat old so that difficult to understand it. You certainly need persevering effort to read it through.
Price effective as of Apr 02, 2025 21:47:04 UTC
As an Amazon Associate Dealors may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
