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12 Rules for Life cover art

12 Rules for Life

By: Jordan B. Peterson
Narrated by: Jordan B. Peterson
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

The number one Sunday Times and Audible best seller from 'the most influential public intellectual in the Western world right now' (New York Times) - read by the man himself.

How should we live properly in a world of chaos and uncertainty?

Jordan Peterson has helped millions of people, young and old, men and women, aim at a life of responsibility and meaning. Now he can help you.

Drawing on his own work as a clinical psychologist and on lessons from humanity's oldest myths and stories, Peterson offers 12 profound and realistic principles to live by. After all, as he reminds us, we each have a vital role to play in the unfolding destiny of the world.

Deep, rewarding and enlightening, 12 Rules for Life is a lifeboat built solidly for stormy seas: ancient wisdom applied to our contemporary problems.

©2018 Jordan B. Peterson (P)2018 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about 12 Rules for Life

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Should come with warning - Contains Religion

I have nothing against religion and Christianity - I infrequently attend church.

However, I expect logical reasoning in books such as these to be predicated on science and rational argument.

In large parts of this book Peterson reads from long sections of the Bible and theologises for longer still.

It is in these sections that his delivery resembles a lay preacher not a professor of science.

A shame because the moral lessons do not require this religiosity- they are logical without faith.

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479 people found this helpful

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Hours of the guy banging on about religion, basically

Not what I expected, he turns to religion time and time again, as a “non-believer” it was tiresome and unhelpful.

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237 people found this helpful

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It was great until...

I was really looking forward to a meaty ‘question yourself and your life’ type of book, the author started the first chapter with wonderful and insightful psychological arguments...then he mentioned Jesus?
I thought this strange, but carried on the the next chapter, again, with some fantastic insights into humanism ...then it happened again...the bible??
I started seeing a pattern, by chapter 7 it was a full on bible lesson...which is when I called it a day.
A real shame as I thought his initial rules and thoughts were great, it just turned into a sermon.

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224 people found this helpful

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Long-winded and

very hard to understand the almost impeccable rating this book has gathered on Audible. I have returned the book after reading the first two chapters. Especially chapter 2 was badly written in my opinion. There are a lot of anectodes (quite often religious) and musings throughout both chapters which digress enormously from the topic (the rule) of the chapter; and the tying up of everything and coming full circle at the end is done hastily and not in a well written way.The narrative performance is also limited as is the case IMHO with most self-narrated audio books.

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132 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

I was disappointed in this book as I didn't get any sense of genuine insight. Some interesting things but a lot of truisms. Finishing it, I felt i had wasted my time, though i suspect that I did get something out of it. Overall, however, I couldn't recommend it. At nearly 16 hours way too long to communicate its various messages, with the result that I was left with the feeling that whatever was worthwhile in the book had become lost in the telling.

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Preachy, sanctimonious....

...and takes an age getting to the point. The author has a voice that grates - especially when explaining his holier than though examples. Also, be prepared for bible referencing, lots of biblical lessons! This is the only book that I have never finished!

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Terrible. Couldn't finish

Really thought I would enjoy this book especially after seeing so many good reviews but I only got 6 chapters in and couldn't bring myself to struggle through it anymore. The author just rambles on and I felt like I was just listening to stories about the Bible or parenting skills. Not for me.

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Loved it, changed my life immeasurably!

This book has genuinely changed my life, I stand up tall, I look people in the eye, I'm combative when need be. I would recommend this to anyone. My anxiety is gone. And the world is respecting me which has lead to a positive feedback loop of happiness.

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81 people found this helpful

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Long-winded, boring and a waste of a credit

I don't class myself as someone who finds it difficult to grasp ideas or understand 'big words', but this book is extreme. I love audio books and can consume a good one in a couple of days but this dragged on and I found it a chore to listen to. There didn't seem much of a point to the lengthy waffle and I took nothing from it at all. I only got a couple of chapters in and found myself fast-forwarding through large chunks out of boredom and lack of understanding. The narrator's voice (the author, I think?) was very dull and monotone and had no passion for the content at all. I wish I could get a refund as it was a waste of 1 credit.

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Definitely worth a listen

Every rule makes sense. I'm a firm believer that if you learn just one thing then the book was worth a read. Well I learned 100 things.
Very religious heavy in some points which is not my flavour but is not used irrelevantly.
Full on enthusiastic delivery by Peterson. And if you open your ears you can persuade yourself its Saul Goodman.

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59 people found this helpful

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  • Jarrod
  • 16-01-18

Easily accessible wisdom

Jordan Peterson presents a refreshing voice of wisdom in a crowd of shrill hysteria and politically correct drivel. I was impressed with the combination of common sense advice and surprising insights. There is lots to learn here. If you’re looking for a blueprint for a life well lived, you’ve come to the right place.

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38 people found this helpful

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  • M MENGEL
  • 01-02-18

Lit

A candle has been lit in the world to keep the dark at bay.

I’m in awe of Jordan’s capacity to ignore the nonsense hurled at him, and still speak with a white hot passion to help people. It humbles and makes you want to emulate.

Twelve simple rules that get into your subconscious so quickly it feels like they were always there.

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  • Oliver
  • 18-01-18

Deep and enjoyable experience

Peterson goes all in in his effort to lay out his philosophy in a form that resonates on many levels of analysis. The book is simultaneously a compelling map of reality, guide to a balanced and meaningful life, and a deep defence of Western culture, Christian values and healthy masculinity, which are all currently under attack. I think this book is not just an insightful thought provoker, but also a healthy vaccination against dangerous ideological viruses which are unleashed in the modern world.

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  • Sebastian
  • 11-07-18

Overrated

Not the new bible on how to live your life. It's all over the place even making it hard to remember the rules themselves. Struggled to finish and found my mind to wander.

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  • Melody
  • 27-03-18

most disappointing auidible book to date

I have been a member of audible for 10 years and this was my worst book to date.

I found the principles as statements to be interesting. But the rationales provided to support the principles incoherent, deeply conservative and somewhat random... i skipped several chapters for two reasons. First the book should be positioned as a defensive of conservative christian principles from an abstract perspective. This was not clear from the reviews. Despite the appearances of asking questions about the status quo, It is not multidisplinary or open minded. As a female non-christian I was rolling my eyes at several points.

Second, the extensive overuse of hypothetical questions makes it hard to follow an arguement.... leaving me wondering how the author came to his conclusions.

If there is an abridged version buy that. the principles are really interesting and worth considering, but the ramblings in between are not worth it

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  • pezet
  • 26-02-18

heading

50% of Christian bs, 20% of coaching, 20% of philosophy and 10% of interesting stuff :(
some words to reach fifteen words limit.

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  • Srikumar
  • 29-01-18

Went off on a tangent

Found myself rewinding every now and then because I seem to miss the point. Then realised he was on a rant that just didn't make sense. Amazon's return program for Audiobooks saves the day.

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  • Martin
  • 20-02-18

Life-changing in every sense of the word

This book has brought me joy, laughter and also tears, grief and profound sadness. Through the wisdom of ancient texts and personal anecdotes, doctor Peterson gave me courage to face my fear of responsibility, take my place in the world and improve the lives of those around me. The performance is deeply personal and precise as is the case with other Peterson's material. I hope I will return to this book for strength and inspiration whenever I need them most.

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  • hao
  • 05-09-19

Too much bible talk

Disappointed to see this book turned into a full-on bible study from chapter 6. Dr.Peterson introduced himself as a psychologist and a scientist, but I see little reasoning with genuine scientific knowledge instead this book is mostly about Dr.Peterson’s personal interpretation of the bible. He often ran off the topic and spend hours to praise and interpret Christianity, he also consistently to refer to the bible and not actual evidences to make his case, which significantly lowered his credibility.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 06-03-18

Tedious God bothering none sense

An utterly pointless audio that teaches and advises nothing regarding an antidote or any rules for life. I was hoping for some genuine and interesting insights into life but was left rolling my eyes thinking ‘oh FFS!!’ with everything biblical analogy...and there are many! Be warned... my fault for not doing further research into Peterson....worst audiobook I’ve listened to...zzzzzzzz...God botherers may enjoy it...

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9 people found this helpful