// Book comparison
How to Win Friends and Influence People vs The Laws of Human Nature
Which should you read? A side-by-side comparison of How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie and The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
by Dale Carnegie
★ 4.9/5
The Laws of Human Nature
by Robert Greene
★ 4.9/5
At a glance
| How to Win Friends and Influence People | The Laws of Human Nature | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ★ 4.9/5 | ★ 4.9/5 |
| Pages | 288 | 624 |
| Reading time | ~7.2 h | ~15.6 h |
| Published | 1936 | 2018 |
| Author | Dale Carnegie | Robert Greene |
| Category | Leadership | Leadership |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster | Viking |
Choose How to Win Friends and Influence People if…
- → You're interested in leadership.
- → You want the higher-rated book (4.9/5).
- → You prefer a shorter read (~7.2 hours).
Choose The Laws of Human Nature if…
- → You're interested in leadership.
- → You want the more recent perspective (2018).
Key takeaways — How to Win Friends and Influence People
- ✓ Practice Radical Appreciation by identifying and acknowledging the sincere strengths of your team members, which is the most effective way to inspire high performance and loyalty.
- ✓ Master Empathetic Perspective-Taking by always seeking to understand the motives and needs of your stakeholders before attempting to persuade them to your strategic viewpoint.
- ✓ Avoid Direct Criticism and instead use indirect methods to point out errors, ensuring that you preserve the other person’s dignity and maintain a collaborative work environment.
Key takeaways — The Laws of Human Nature
- ✓ Master the Law of Irrationality by recognizing your own emotional biases, ensuring that your strategic decisions are based on objective evidence rather than impulsive feelings.
- ✓ Utilize Social Decoding to identify the hidden motives of your stakeholders, allowing you to anticipate conflicts and build more effective, reality-based professional alliances.
- ✓ Develop Strategic Empathy by looking beneath people’s outward behavior to understand their core insecurities and needs, which is the key to influencing diverse groups.
The verdict
If you want the higher-rated, shorter read, start with How to Win Friends and Influence People. If you want a different angle on the same topic, The Laws of Human Nature is the better fit. Both summaries are free — no signup required.
❓ FAQ
Is How to Win Friends and Influence People or The Laws of Human Nature better? +
How to Win Friends and Influence People has the higher reader rating (4.9/5 vs 4.9/5), but "better" depends on your goal. How to Win Friends and Influence People focuses on leadership, while The Laws of Human Nature focuses on leadership. See the verdict below.
Which is shorter, How to Win Friends and Influence People or The Laws of Human Nature? +
How to Win Friends and Influence People is shorter (288 pages, ~7.2 hours) compared to The Laws of Human Nature (624 pages, ~15.6 hours).
Should I read How to Win Friends and Influence People or The Laws of Human Nature first? +
If you want the quicker, higher-rated read, start with How to Win Friends and Influence People. Otherwise read whichever matches your current goal — both summaries are free on BookHubs.