The Common Denominator of Success
by Albert E. N. Gray
A 1940 speech to insurance agents, still in print as a pamphlet: successful people form the habit of doing the things failures do not like to do. Twenty pages, one idea, and it is the correct idea.
Read it if…
you want the single most compact statement of the habit principle.
Skip it if…
you want more than one idea; it has one.
Three things you will actually use
- Successful people do what failures do not like to do.
- Purpose must be strong enough to override preference.
- Habit is the bridge.
Do this first
Write the three things you dislike doing that your goal requires, and schedule them.
Our verdict
Twenty pages, one correct idea.
Compare with other Habits books
Atomic Habits
James Clear · Habits
The clearest operating manual for habits in print; read it once, then keep it near the desk.
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The Compound Effect
Darren Hardy · Habits
A short, sales-flavored classic whose tracking exercise is worth the cover price alone.
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