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Greenlights

By: Matthew McConaughey
Narrated by: Matthew McConaughey
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Summary

From the Academy Award®-winning actor, an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction.

I've been in this life for 50 years, been trying to work out its riddle for 42, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last 35. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel, and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me.

Recently, I worked up the courage to sit down with those diaries. I found stories I experienced, lessons I learned and forgot, poems, prayers, prescriptions, beliefs about what matters, some great photographs, and a whole bunch of bumper stickers. I found a reliable theme, an approach to living that gave me more satisfaction, at the time, and still: If you know how, and when, to deal with life's challenges - how to get relative with the inevitable - you can enjoy a state of success I call 'catching greenlights.'

So I took a one-way ticket to the desert and wrote this book: an album, a record, a story of my life so far. This is fifty years of my sights and seens, felts and figured-outs, cools and shamefuls. Graces, truths, and beauties of brutality. Getting away withs, getting caughts, and getting wets while trying to dance between the raindrops.

Hopefully, it's medicine that tastes good, a couple of aspirin instead of the infirmary, a spaceship to Mars without needing your pilot's license, going to church without having to be born again, and laughing through the tears.

It's a love letter. To life.

It's also a guide to catching more greenlights-and to realising that the yellows and reds eventually turn green too.

Good luck.

The audiobook now includes an exclusive interview with Matthew McConaughey which was recorded during his book tour in 2021.

©2020 Matthew McConaughey (P)2020 Penguin Audio
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Critic reviews

"Unflinchingly honest and remarkably candid, Matthew McConaughey's book invites us to grapple with the lessons of his life as he did - and to see that the point was never to win, but to understand." (Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck)

"McConaughey is a talented actor and a fine writer, but a total genius at living. He attacks life with an exhilarating ferocity. This is a wildly unexpected and delightful book you can't just read, you have to experience." (Lawrence Wright, author of The End of October)

"It shouldn't surprise you that this book is good, but it will surprise you just how good it is. Wise and entertaining, this is an inspiring memoir and how-to from one of the great outlaw philosophers and artists of our time." (Ryan Holiday, author of The Daily Stoic)

What listeners say about Greenlights

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    5 out of 5 stars

Best book I read/listened in a looong time

I enjoyed this so much I didn’t want it to end! I laughed, I cried, and most importantly I listen, learned and got inspired! Matthew you are an inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing your story. Please give us more 🙏🏻🙌🏻❤️

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32 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

Keep with it

So this was a weird one for me. I love autobiographical books and Matthew mcconaughey so thought this would be a nice easy listen, honestly after the first ten minutes I nearly turned it off as he seemed to have turned into his character from wolf of Wall Street and it was just insane ramblings of a madman screaming “green light” & “bumper sticker” randomly, I’m glad I did keep with it as it was such an awesome book, there were times when I had pulled up on the drive and just sat listening until the end of the current story as it was so captivating. This isn’t a juicy “tell all” autobiography so if that’s what you are after you are in the wrong place, this is more following someone and listening in on the spiritual journey they have taken during their life. If that’s for you then take a listen…green light

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2 people found this helpful

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Thoroughly enjoyable!

I’ve been listening to this book everywhere, in the van going to work, in the kitchen whilst cooking, doing my exercises...
Not only is this book entertaining but Matthew McConaughey’s delivery of it is excellent.
For myself, there were many amusing and life-affirming moments throughout which I found relatable.
What a guy!
Highly recommend.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Hilarious!

I am so happy to get to know Mr McConaughey! This book is not only entertaining, but has real depth. Taking life serious, but still having fun.
Thank you sir, keep it on!

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1 person found this helpful

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An ode to life, love, experiences and the funny stories

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook! It was made even better because Matthew himself is reading it. Great stories full of little pearls of wisdom and big life lessons.
I never liked autobiographies but this book has changed my attitude towards it!
Would highly recommend!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Effortless...

a beautiful journey through McConaugheys life. zipped through this as its so easy to listen and very engaging.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Matthew did not disappoint:-)

I loved the storytelling in this book, and this was brought to life by Matthew’s reading. I couldn’t wait to get through it and could listen to it all again now.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Binged in a day!

Honestly the minute I started listening to this book I was hooked. It had me laughing, contemplating, learning and progressing, progressing in a way that it help give me clarity on what I need to appreciate MY life, to live without regrets and to instead move forwards to a place I can “Look back and enjoy the view”
As much as this book isn’t actually a self help book, it really does that in a way that lets the reader decide for them self if they want or need any help or guidance, if they do there are subtleties you need to pay attention to better yourself and not because Matthew McConaughey did it a certain way, but because your soul and the person you ultimately want to be needs it doing a certain way.
Love it, I will no doubt listen to it again!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Entertaining

An easy listen. I recommend it. No dull moments. Consistently good. Uplifting and fun. Worth a listen.

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Book just got better and better

I rate this a 5 because it was funny, deep, emotional, personal, honest and some fantastic sayings that will stay with me.
Green light!

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