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Completed	12 January 2006
Title	How To Win Friends and Influence People
Author	Dale Carnegie
Published	1936
Quote	"If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive."
Review	I thought I'd try and begin the new year on the right foot. I'd always heard of Dale Carnegie, but had never read him. I'm so glad I took the time to read this influential book. This was probably one of the first big-market self-help books. It was really designed, though, for salesmen, to teach them a little bit about themselves, and therefore enable them to deal with clients better. So many of the things stated in the book are kind of obvious. But, nonetheless, it's a very worthwhile book. If you treat yourself to a reading, do be sure and get a copy of the original 1936 edition. It's great. Very dated, but great. For example, there's a chapter on how to get along with your spouse. Here are the questions that Dale Carnegie tells "the wives" to ask themselves. And I'll give you a hint. Wives, you're supposed to answer "yes" to all these questions. For wives Do you give your husband complete freedom in his business affairs, and do you refrain from criticizing his associates, his choice of a secretary, or the hours he keeps? Do you try your best to make your home interesting and attractive? Do you vary the household menu so that he never quite knows what to expect when he sits down to the table? Do you have an intelligent grasp of your husband's business so you can discuss it with him helpfully? Can you meet financial reverses bravely, cheerfully, without criticizing your husband for his mistakes or comparing him unfavorably with more successful men? Do you make a special effort to get along amiably with his mother and other relatives? Do you dress with an eye for your husband's likes and dislikes in color and style? Do you compromise little differences of opinion in the interest of harmony? Do you make an effort to learn games your husband likes, so you can share his leisure hours? Do you keep track of the day's news, the new books, and new ideas, so you can hold your husband's intellectual interest?

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