The World's Best Book Summaries
In 12 Rules for Life, Jordan Peterson cites philosopher Nietzsche often. And no surprise – Nietzsche had plenty of guidance on how best to live your life. Here are Jordan Peterson’s 3 best quotes from Nietzsche.
12 Rules for Life is one of the bestselling books in recent times. Famous author Jordan Peterson lays out 12 simple rules on how to conduct your life. The key point: individual responsibility. Take responsibility for your own life. Don’t worry about other problems – fix your own first. If everyone did this, many society-level problems would be solved. Learn the key points of the 12 Rules for Life rule list, and get a summary of each of the 12 Rules below.
In 12 Rules for Life, Rule #1 is “Stand Up Straight With Your Shoulders Back.” What does this mean? Do you stand up straight physically? Or is this more of a metaphor for being confident? It turns out Jordan Peterson’s Rule 1 means both. We’ll discuss what he meant by stand up straight, and how your physical posture affects your mental state.
Jordan Peterson is often associated with lobsters. What is the deal? What do lobsters have to do with 12 Rules for Life? In summary, it has to do with science experiments with lobsters and social status. Lobsters jockey for social hierarchy, and they signal that to other lobsters. And this is relevant to you, because humans behave the same way. Learn more here.
One of Phil Knight’s key partners at Nike was Bill Bowerman, a star Olympic track coach and Phil’s former running coach from college. Bowerman was the mad scientist of the group, experimenting with new shoe designs and rubber formulations to produce a better running shoe. In one landmark experiment, he squeezed rubber in his wife’s waffle iron, producing the waffle sole. Learn more about Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman’s partnership here, with an excerpted summary of Phil Knight’s autobiography, Shoe Dog.
In 12 Rules for Life, Rule #12 is “Pet A Cat When You Encounter One On The Street.” What does Jordan Peterson even mean here? Like most of Jordan Peterson’s 12 rules, this is more of a metaphor for how to live life. In summary, life is tough. It hurts at times. This pain gives life meaning. Take time to enjoy the little pleasures in life. Pet a cat when you see one on the street. We’ll cover Rule 12 in Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life in much more detail.
At Nike, one of Phil’s key partners was Bill Bowerman, a star Olympic track coach and Phil’s former running coach from college. Bowerman was the mad scientist of the group, experimenting with new shoe designs and rubber formulations to produce a better running shoe. In one landmark experiment, he squeezed rubber in his wife’s waffle iron, producing the waffle sole. Learn about the history of Nike’s waffle shoes here.
In 12 Rules for Life, Rule #2 is “Treat Yourself Like Someone You Are Responsible for Helping.” What does this mean? Why would you not treat yourself like you’re helping yourself? Why do you treat other people better? This is what Jordan Peterson’s Rule 2 covers.
In 1965, Nike founder Phil Knight hires his first full-time employee, a fellow Stanford runner named Jeff Johnson who will sell shoes in Los Angeles. Jeff Johnson has a messianic view on running—believing running done right is akin to enlightenment—and Phil hasn’t met anyone with his passion for running. This is the story of Jeff Johnson and Nike, from Phil Knight’s book Shoe Dog.
In 12 Rules for Life, Rule #11 is “Do Not Bother Children When They Are Skateboarding.” What does this mean? Why should you leave skateboarding kids alone? Like many of Jordan Peterson’s rules, this goes deeper than literally leaving skateboarding kids alone. Learn the true meaning of Jordan Peterson’s Rule 11.