이렇게만 하면 인생을 망친다

Abstract

Ben Stein says that he has been studying how people ruin their lives since he was in elementary school. Stein, himself, seemingly has not ruined his own life. He graduated from Columbia University with honors, and from Yale Law School, where he was the class valedictorian. He went on to work as an attorney and taught at colleges and Pepperdine Law School. Stein was a speech writer for presidents Nixon and Ford, and then wrote a column for the Wall Street Journal. More recently, Stein became a successful actor and television writer. All this is not to mention that he has found the time to write seventeen books. Using ironic humor in this book, Stein passes on a wealth of tough advice. How to Ruin Your Life is a powerful self-help tool in the form of a work of humor. It is sardonic advice, presented with tongue in cheek, explaining how people can "ruin" their lives. The essays cover topics such as "Convince Yourself That You're All That Matters," "Think the Worst of Everyone," "Pour Salt on Those Wounds," and "You Can Change People." Seriously, though, to anyone who reads this book, it is an earnest warning against falling into traps of self-destructive behavior that can ruin any man or woman's life. More than that, it comprises 35 steps that-if read and understood-provide a road map to making life work in the most effective way possible. It is humor and self-help all in one, delivered by Ben Stein, a man who has witnessed more than his share of people who did ruin their lives-as well as those whose lives have been wildly successful.