Jeffrey A. Tucker is Founder and President of the Brownstone Institute. He is also Senior Economics Columnist for Epoch Times, author of 10 books, including Liberty or Lockdown, and thousands of articles in the scholarly and popular press. He speaks widely on topics of economics, technology, social philosophy, and culture.

comments

  • Jun 14, 2014
    Richard Masta

    I think loving your work is the most important thing you can do. I thoroughly enjoy my terrible part-time retail job, mainly because I know it is what I want to do with my own life: make people happy through offering them things they want that make their life better. I view this job as a hobby, not a job. It has only been a few weeks, but I’ve changed more from that one thought than anything else. I think reading this book will solidify that in some ways.

    So many good excerpts in this article. Had to FB it and will pirate copies to friends if they ask! Hazlitt has snuck up in my queue mighty quick, as “self improvement” has been a topic of great interest to me lately. Recent reads include The Power of Habit, The Way of the SEAL, and upcoming is the new Charles Murray book, The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Getting Ahead and that Get Things Done book everyone loves.

    Thanks, JT!

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  • Jun 14, 2014
    Winter Trabex

    I wonder what Hazlitt would say about today’s fascist system wherein a person can work thirty years, be totally committed to what they do and have their 401K investments stolen, their social security denied or stolen, their opportunities continually diminish due to ageism?

    Hazlitt seems to suggest that success is a matter of personal initiative, which is true. But I think he overlooks success as coming from pure happenstance, or the derivative as one’s accident of birth.

    Perhaps it says something about the time in which he lived that he believes so strongly that environmental factors have nothing to do with the state of a man’s well being and wealth. Today, I don’t know that I would be able to say this is the case. Hard work just isn’t rewarded in today’s world- more often than I’d like to see anyway.

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  • Jun 14, 2014
    Gabriel Scheare

    If you can’t work for the perfect company, start it yourself.

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  • Jun 16, 2014
    Robert Spencer

    I would have never guessed that Hazlitt had written a book on willpower. Sounds like great advice. I’ll have to put it on my list of books to read.

    Thanks, Jeffrey!

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  • Aug 5, 2014
    Amanda B. Johnson

    I had never heard of this Hazlitt book. Hopping to it now, thanks!

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  • Aug 5, 2014

    This one’s definitely going atop my TBR pile. Opportunity cost is a huge concept that many people miss.

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  • Sep 7, 2014
    Marius Ursu

    Hazlitt was no psychologist.
    First of all using will power alone is not economical. It has no leverage. Will power is exhaustible. Tweaks in the environment could make change a lot easier. Aligning your emotional motivation with clear directions for your rational brain is another important element. I strongly recommend the book “Switch – Dan Heath” for anyone who wants to grow.

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  • Jan 1, 2016
    Joe Cobb

    Thanks, Jeffrey. I downloaded the PDF. Did you notice the typo on page 8, “destination” on line-from-bottom 8 is given as “designation.” Anyone have a different thought? I blame the proof-readers.

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