// Book comparison
How to Win Friends and Influence People vs The War of Art
Which should you read? A side-by-side comparison of How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
by Dale Carnegie
★ 4.9/5
The War of Art
by Steven Pressfield
★ 4.9/5
At a glance
| How to Win Friends and Influence People | The War of Art | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ★ 4.9/5 | ★ 4.9/5 |
| Pages | 288 | 192 |
| Reading time | ~7.2 h | ~4.8 h |
| Published | 1936 | 2002 |
| Author | Dale Carnegie | Steven Pressfield |
| Category | Leadership | Personal Effectiveness |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster | Black Irish Entertainment |
Choose How to Win Friends and Influence People if…
- → You're interested in leadership.
- → You want the higher-rated book (4.9/5).
Choose The War of Art if…
- → You're interested in personal effectiveness.
- → You prefer a shorter read (~4.8 hours).
- → You want the more recent perspective (2002).
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 War of Art
- ✓ Identify Resistance in your organization by recognizing the symptoms of procrastination and bureaucratic drama that often signal a team's fear of a transformative project.
- ✓ Transition from an Amateur to a Professional Mindset by requiring consistent, daily effort on core strategic goals, regardless of the fluctuating levels of individual inspiration.
- ✓ Maintain Territorial Focus by ensuring that your team members own and defend their specific areas of high-level expertise, protecting them from the 'Resistance' of mission creep.
The verdict
If you want the higher-rated, more acclaimed read, start with How to Win Friends and Influence People. If you specifically need personal effectiveness, The War of Art is the better fit. Both summaries are free — no signup required.
❓ FAQ
Is How to Win Friends and Influence People or The War of Art 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 War of Art focuses on personal effectiveness. See the verdict below.
Which is shorter, How to Win Friends and Influence People or The War of Art? +
The War of Art is shorter (192 pages, ~4.8 hours) compared to How to Win Friends and Influence People (288 pages, ~7.2 hours).
Should I read How to Win Friends and Influence People or The War of Art 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.