Home 5 Articles and Reports 5 American writer Mark Manson: Self-development Books Offer Nothing but Illusions!

American writer Mark Manson: Self-development Books Offer Nothing but Illusions!

by | Nov 14, 2019 | Articles and Reports

Mark Manson advised thousands of young visitors of 38th Sharjah International Book Fair, to get out of “comfort zone” as soon as possible and choose right challenges for them, eventually, they would feel that they deserve to suffer when reap benefits.

At a seminar titled “Art of Indifference: New Definition of Success Foundations” Manson said that through his book,” Art of Indifference: Living a Life that Contradicts Familiar”, he aimed at redefining concepts such as “self-help” and “self-development”. Such concepts, in fact, do not solve any problem, but delude them that “they are solving their problems.”

“All self-help books come with attractive headlines” he added; such as “Do this and you will be happy”, ignoring fact that if you have a bad definition of success, there will be no importance or value to any steps to follow and succeed in your life.

Manson found out that from the beginning of his way, reading books on self-help and self-development, he realized that they offer nothing but illusions. Such facts inspired Manson to write his first book, against writings of “self-help” and “self-development”, and publish a book in self-help about pain, suffering and challenges; since they make the succeeded man, not few steps for a happy life.

The writer criticized those, who give young people tips, such as “Be happy and chase your dream and follow your passion”, stressing that man must overcome his obsession with perfection, and focus on the skills he possesses and develop.

Manson said he always challenged himself not to repeat them, revealing that many of those who loved his first book did not like the second, because it gave them something new other than what they loved, where they put themselves in “comfort zone.”

Recent News

10Apr
Swimming Against the Tide Wins the 2026 International Prize for Arabic Fiction

Swimming Against the Tide Wins the 2026 International Prize for Arabic Fiction

In a cultural moment shaped by pressing contemporary questions, the International Prize for Arabic Fiction announced Algerian novelist Said Khatibi as the winner of its 2026 edition for his novel Swimming Against the Tide. The announcement, delivered through a virtual event this year, captured the essence of a time in which literature and reality are […]

08Apr
Pan Macmillan acquires TikTok Trend,  Cruel Summerween

Pan Macmillan acquires TikTok Trend, Cruel Summerween

First there was comfort lit – all those Korean novels set in cafes, laundromats and bookshops; then came romantasy, led by the twin goddesses of the genre, Rebecca Yarros and Sara J Maas; now comes ‘Summerween’, a phenomenon born on TikTok, as ever, and meaning starting Halloween early, before the summer has gone.   Pan […]

07Apr
Gruffalo creators honoured with Bodley Medal

Gruffalo creators honoured with Bodley Medal

The writer Julia Donaldson CBE and illustrator Axel Scheffler, the internationally celebrated creators of The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom and many other modern children’s classics, have each received the Bodley Medal, the Bodleian Libraries’ highest accolade, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the ceremony took place at Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre during the Oxford […]

Related Posts

Vietnam Book Street Attracts Global Attention

Vietnam Book Street Attracts Global Attention

In the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in Vietnam, and near two prominent heritage landmarks, Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral and Saigon Central Post Office, Nguyen Van Binh Book Street stands out as one of the most compelling urban cultural models to have...

Hans Christian Andersen legacy in focus

Hans Christian Andersen legacy in focus

On April 2 each year, the world returns to the memory of childhood, evoking the name of the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, whose life story became inseparable from a body of literary work that transcended borders and languages. Andersen was not merely a teller...

“Alam Al-Ma’rifa”… First Editions Exceeding 40,000 Copies

“Alam Al-Ma’rifa”… First Editions Exceeding 40,000 Copies

Since its inaugural issue in January 1978, the “Alam Al-Ma’rifa” series, published by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters in Kuwait, has been far more than a monthly publication. It is an ambitious Arab cultural project that reshaped the relationship...

Previous Next
Close
Test Caption
Test Description goes like this