Mark Manson
American author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and Everything Is F*cked. Writes essays and book reviews at markmanson.net.
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What they believe
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New Year's goals are merely the path toward a person's underlying purpose, not the destination itself.
People make this mistake of setting new goals every January 1st, but forget that goals are the path, not the destination.
markmanson.netSaid 26 Dec 2025This on korrents
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Choosing money over meaning burns you out and produces worse results
when you take money over meaning, you just burn yourself out and end up producing a worse result.
markmanson.netSaid 19 Dec 2025This on korrents
The bold line is korrents’ wording; the quote is theirs. These 2: what they wrote before what they said aloud, one per source, newest first.
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19 October
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9 October
26 December 2025
From one piece 4 Simple Steps to Change Your Life 2 beliefs · markmanson.net
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korrents.com
Every person has a purpose in life, and each person gets to define what that purpose is.Their words
The pretty truth is that you have a purpose on this planet. The gorgeous truth is that you get to define that purpose.
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korrents.com
New Year's goals are merely the path toward a person's underlying purpose, not the destination itself.Their words
People make this mistake of setting new goals every January 1st, but forget that goals are the path, not the destination.
19 December 2025
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Their words
when you take money over meaning, you just burn yourself out and end up producing a worse result.
12 December 2025
5 December 2025
From one piece The Problem With AI Life Coaching—and My Solution 2 beliefs · markmanson.net
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korrents.com
Living according to a genuine purpose brings sacrifice, stress and pain rather than constant enjoyment.Their words
Because when you believe in something, when you become obsessed with something, you sacrifice yourself to it. And that sacrifice actually feels like pain and stress and doubt. Not fun.
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Their words
ChatGPT, in particular, seemed to just want to validate me, tell me how great I was, reinforce any bad beliefs I might have had, and avoid saying anything uncomfortable.
9 May 2024
From one piece How to Conquer Your Biggest Fear 2 beliefs · markmanson.net
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korrents.com
A person's identity is essentially the sum of their accumulated associations and repeated habits.Their words
Take the sum total of those associations and you get a person's identity.
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korrents.com
The human mind functions as an association-forming machine, linking past experiences to present beliefs.Their words
Exposure therapy works because the human mind is an association machine.
9 March 2024
From one piece 40 Life Lessons I Know at 40 (That I Wish I Knew at 20) 3 beliefs · markmanson.net
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korrents.com
Most people are fundamentally good, which makes the risk of trusting them worth taking.Their words
Most people are good. And while you might get hurt or embarrassed sometimes, the alternative is just way worse.
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korrents.com
Life's most valuable things, like health, wealth and knowledge, compound slowly over long periods of time.Their words
The most valuable things in life compound over a long period of time
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korrents.com
How a person treats themselves determines who they let into their life and how those people treat them.Their words
If you treat yourself poorly, then you will also unconsciously seek out and tolerate others who treat you poorly.
22 February 2024
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Their words
But unfortunately, today, we know conclusively that it is simply not true. A great amount of people's personalities, dispositions, beliefs, and dysfunctions are genetically-driven.
25 January 2024
From one piece 5 Life-Changing Levels of Not Giving a Fuck 3 beliefs · markmanson.net
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korrents.com
Being willing to fail, take risks, and endure early incompetence is what leads to eventual success in lifeTheir words
life rewards the willingness to fail, life rewards the person who is willing to embarrass themselves a little bit, who's willing to take some risks, who's willing to be bad at something for as long as it takes to get good at it.
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Their words
criticism is part of the job description of success, that the respect and admiration you want will always come with a healthy serving of critics eager to tear you down.
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Their words
The Spotlight Effect says that we all tend to assume that people are paying far more attention to us than they actually are.
23 November 2023
9 November 2023
Nothing matches.
Beliefs
Korrents What they believe 14 beliefs — each backed by an exact quote.
Each is a — compiled by korrents.com, not by them: the one-line wordings are korrents', the quotes are theirs.
Recent
New Year's goals are merely the path toward a person's underlying purpose, not the destination itself.
People make this mistake of setting new goals every January 1st, but forget that goals are the path, not the destination.
4 Simple Steps to Change Your Life Said 26 Dec 2025
Every person has a purpose in life, and each person gets to define what that purpose is.
The pretty truth is that you have a purpose on this planet. The gorgeous truth is that you get to define that purpose.
4 Simple Steps to Change Your Life Said 26 Dec 2025
Choosing money over meaning burns you out and produces worse results
when you take money over meaning, you just burn yourself out and end up producing a worse result.
I Chose This Over $5 Million Said 19 Dec 2025
Show 11 more
ChatGPT tends to validate users and avoid uncomfortable truths, reinforcing their existing beliefs instead of challenging them.
ChatGPT, in particular, seemed to just want to validate me, tell me how great I was, reinforce any bad beliefs I might have had, and avoid saying anything uncomfortable.
The Problem With AI Life Coaching—and My Solution Said 5 Dec 2025
Living according to a genuine purpose brings sacrifice, stress and pain rather than constant enjoyment.
Because when you believe in something, when you become obsessed with something, you sacrifice yourself to it. And that sacrifice actually feels like pain and stress and doubt. Not fun.
The Problem With AI Life Coaching—and My Solution Said 5 Dec 2025
The human mind functions as an association-forming machine, linking past experiences to present beliefs.
Exposure therapy works because the human mind is an association machine.
How to Conquer Your Biggest Fear Said 9 May 2024
A person's identity is essentially the sum of their accumulated associations and repeated habits.
Take the sum total of those associations and you get a person's identity.
How to Conquer Your Biggest Fear Said 9 May 2024
How a person treats themselves determines who they let into their life and how those people treat them.
If you treat yourself poorly, then you will also unconsciously seek out and tolerate others who treat you poorly.
40 Life Lessons I Know at 40 (That I Wish I Knew at 20) Said 9 Mar 2024
Life's most valuable things, like health, wealth and knowledge, compound slowly over long periods of time.
The most valuable things in life compound over a long period of time
40 Life Lessons I Know at 40 (That I Wish I Knew at 20) Said 9 Mar 2024
Most people are fundamentally good, which makes the risk of trusting them worth taking.
Most people are good. And while you might get hurt or embarrassed sometimes, the alternative is just way worse.
40 Life Lessons I Know at 40 (That I Wish I Knew at 20) Said 9 Mar 2024
A substantial share of people's personalities, dispositions, and dysfunctions is genetically driven rather than purely a product of environment or trauma.
But unfortunately, today, we know conclusively that it is simply not true. A great amount of people's personalities, dispositions, beliefs, and dysfunctions are genetically-driven.
33 Powerful Books That Might Change Your Life Said 22 Feb 2024
People overestimate how much attention others pay to them
The Spotlight Effect says that we all tend to assume that people are paying far more attention to us than they actually are.
5 Life-Changing Levels of Not Giving a Fuck Said 25 Jan 2024
Achieving success and respect inevitably attracts harsh critics
criticism is part of the job description of success, that the respect and admiration you want will always come with a healthy serving of critics eager to tear you down.
5 Life-Changing Levels of Not Giving a Fuck Said 25 Jan 2024
Being willing to fail, take risks, and endure early incompetence is what leads to eventual success in life
life rewards the willingness to fail, life rewards the person who is willing to embarrass themselves a little bit, who's willing to take some risks, who's willing to be bad at something for as long as it takes to get good at it.
5 Life-Changing Levels of Not Giving a Fuck Said 25 Jan 2024
What is a korrent?
A korrent is a belief a person has stated in their own words: one sentence stating the claim, backed by a quote and a source, kept at korrents.com.
Under a name here, the quoted block is what they actually said. The korrent beneath it is the claim those words support, in korrents' wording — tap it to see the record, its source, and who else holds it.
Nobody here wrote their own korrents. They are compiled from public statements, and a person can change their mind, which is recorded too.
Recommends rcmnd
rcmnd What they recommend 19 things — each backed by an exact quote.
Compiled by rcmnd.app, not by them: the quotes are theirs, and each links to the post it was copied from.
Recent
Mixed on Becoming
Former first lady. Well written. Some really interesting parts. Some not-so-interesting parts. What else is there to say?
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
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Mixed on Educated
Don’t get me wrong, it’s very good and a great story. But much like Hillbilly Elegy a few years ago, I was left wondering, “What’s everyone going on about?”
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
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Recommends Greenlights
I was impressed with the depth and insight in this memoir. I hate to say it, but you rarely expect much from celebrity books. This one delivered though.
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
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Show 16 more
Mixed on Why We Sleep
A flawed but really useful book. Some of the data here is exaggerated, it appears.
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
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Recommends Shoe Dog
A must-read for anyone who wants to start a business, has started a business, wishes they started a business or has ever thought about starting a business.
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
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Loved Born a Crime
Loved The Three-Body Problem
It’s one of the best fiction experiences I’ve ever had in my life. A stunning achievement. And a must-read for anyone who is even remotely into sci-fi or nerdy space science stuff.
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
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Liked Thinking, Fast and Slow
Still the definitive book on cognitive biases and behavioral economics.
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
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Mixed on Why Liberalism Failed
Brilliant but flawed. Deneen tried to argue that the ideals of the western enlightenment are ultimately self-defeating. I think he was onto something, but I don’t think he totally got his argument straightened out.
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
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Mixed on Skin in the Game
Strangely, it’s in maybe Taleb’s worst book that I found him the most tolerable?
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
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Mixed on Lost Connections
Useful and interesting read. Touching at times. But as an academic work, it’s flawed.
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
affiliate link
Loved Isaac Newton
Just a really, really well-written biography. And of arguably the most important man in history.
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
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Liked Barking Up the Wrong Tree
A fun romp through a lot of counter-intuitive studies and data on success , happiness , relationships , etc.
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
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Disliked Enlightenment Now
Optimism porn. I’m a bona fide Pinker fanboy, but was disappointed with this, for a few reasons.
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
affiliate link
Disliked Obliquity
One of those business books (and there are many) that you can get the main idea within the first 20 pages and can stop reading there. I skimmed through most of it.
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
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Mixed on Payback
Brilliant for stretches but also kind of weird and rambly for stretches as well. A very uneven book, but the great moments make the others worth it
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
affiliate link
Mixed on The Righteous Mind
This is the only one I’m not crazy about. My academic BS detector got tripped a few times while reading it, and it turns out that there are a number of better measurements emerging in moral psychology.
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
affiliate link
Recommends Stillness Is the Key
But the book was great, the best out of all his stoicism books, in my opinion.
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
affiliate link
Loved Exhalation: Stories
And the title story, “Exhalation,” is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read.
markmanson.net 1 Mar 2021
affiliate link
Where they publish
Blog markmanson.net Mansons personal site: essays, book reviews and his best-books lists.
Recent
- 4 Simple Steps to Change Your Life 26 Dec 2025 If you want to change your life—like really, seriously, no bullshit, actually change your life—do this: Step 1: Write down everything you care about. Step 2: Arrange the list from most important to least important. Step…
- I Chose This Over $5 Million 19 Dec 2025 In 2023, my publisher offered me $5 million to write my next book. I said no. From 2016 to 2022, I was in full-blown author mode. Writing, touring, promoting. It felt like one never-ending deadline—and by the end of it,…
- Purpose, the Untold Story 12 Dec 2025 On a random night last January, I sat down next to a guy at a poker table. A month later, we decided to start a company together. Little did I know, it would completely change my life. The guy’s name was Raj. We started…
Show 7 more
- The Problem With AI Life Coaching—and My Solution 5 Dec 2025 This year has been one of the most important, yet challenging years of my life. And as we’ll see, that might not be a coincidence. As you probably know, I’ve been calling out some of the shady dealings and worst practic…
- How to Conquer Your Biggest Fear 9 May 2024 What is your biggest fear? What would it mean if you could overcome that fear, once and for all? In this article, I'm going to help you do exactly that by teaching you five tactics to conquer anything you might be afrai…
- 40 Life Lessons I Know at 40 (That I Wish I Knew at 20) 9 Mar 2024 Today is my 40th birthday. When I turned 30 a decade ago, I wrote an article sharing life lessons to survive your 20s and crowd-sourced advice on how to excel in your 30s. And apparently you guys loved it. So, here's mo…
- 33 Powerful Books That Might Change Your Life 22 Feb 2024 I've read over 1,000 nonfiction books in my life, and these 33 are the most powerful of them all. I can honestly say they changed my life, who's to say they won't change yours too? Don't just take my word for it though.…
- 5 Life-Changing Levels of Not Giving a Fuck 25 Jan 2024 Every day, hundreds of millions of people suffer from giving too many fucks. They spend their lives imprisoned by meaningless anxiety and unnecessary concerns. But it doesn't have to be that way. In this article, I'm go…
- 3 Hard Truths You Need to Hear 23 Nov 2023 Welcome to the realm of uncomfortable truths, where I, Mark Manson, will make you question everything you've ever believed in. Buckle up, buttercup. Let's dive into the rabbit hole of reality. https://youtu.be/ueDus1n3t…
- How to Be Successful in Life 9 Nov 2023 The internet is inundated with countless videos and advice columns promising to teach you how to become more successful than 99% of the world's population. Most of these claims revolve around setting goals, developing d…
Link verified 4 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
x.com @markmanson Mansons X account, linked from his own site.
Recent
- The smarter you are, the better the excuses. Sometimes it’s more useful to turn your brain off. 17 Oct 2026
- Strength isn’t being tough. It’s choosing not to turn into an asshole when you have every right to be. 16 Oct 2026
- Life’s not fair, people are messy, and pain is inevitable. Your peace depends on how fast you stop trying to fix everyone and how soon you start owning your response. 16 Oct 2026
Show 17 more
- If we were immortal, nothing would be special because nothing would be scarce or unattainable. Meaning requires endings. 15 Oct 2026
- By default, we typically don't want to hear the truth. We just want to hear confirmation of what we already believe is the truth. 15 Oct 2026
- Burnout is the natural result of failing to say “no,” of setting too few limits. 14 Oct 2026
- Acting only when you know the outcome means you can only do what's already been done. Innovation is impossible for people who need guarantees. 14 Oct 2026
- The primary purpose of therapy is to help us become aware of the unconscious parts of our mind, accept them, and then begin exerting control over them. 13 Oct 2026
- Some of the loneliest people have the most friends on social media. Because collecting connections is what you do when you can't maintain them. 13 Oct 2026
- Your relationships aren’t random. They’re emotional remixes of your childhood. But once you notice the same old melodies, you can stop auditioning for roles that keep breaking your fucking heart. 12 Oct 2026
- A true friend will risk your anger to help your future self. 12 Oct 2026
- Your body is a lagging indicator of the food you eat. Your knowledge is a lagging indicator of the information you consume. Your happiness is a lagging indicator of the people you care about. 11 Oct 2026
- “The information you consume is the soil from which your future thoughts grow.” – James Clear 10 Oct 2026
- Growth doesn’t threaten real friendships, only the fake ones. 9 Oct 2026
- "Follow your heart" is a marketing slogan, not life advice. Your heart wants tacos at midnight and drunk texts your ex. Try following your mind for once. 9 Oct 2026
- If you feel like you need encouragement in order to do something—then you never really wanted to do it, did you? 8 Oct 2026
- The longer you try to force what doesn’t feel right, the longer you delay finding what does. 8 Oct 2026
- Instead of asking “Why did this happen to me?” Try asking “What can I learn from it?” 7 Oct 2026
- Pain is part of life. Accept it. Live through it. Learn from it. Then growth will show up quietly, almost as if by accident. 7 Oct 2026
- The opposite of happiness isn’t unhappiness, it’s taking things for granted. 6 Oct 2026
Link verified 4 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
YouTube @IAmMarkManson Mansons YouTube channel, linked from his own site.
Recent
Link verified 4 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
About the English under a post
Some people here publish in a language other than English. Where they do, this site shows a machine translation beneath the post, in this typeface — the site's own, not theirs.
The post itself is never changed, moved or hidden: what is set in the serif above is exactly what the person published, and it is what to quote them on. A translation can be wrong in ways that matter, especially about tone.
Only the post's own words are translated. A quoted post, a linked article and a belief on korrents.com are left in their original language.