Customer Reviews

How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World

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Though I haven't read this book in 20 yrs. (I lost the old one, and plan on buying another copy.) I remember thinking at the time, that this book would've saved me a lot of emotional trauma had I only had it ten years earlier. To the point, this book looks at things with a no nonsensense approach when it comes to relationships and obligations. It looks below the the surface of the 'social contract" and asks what obligations do we truly have to ourselves, each other, and society at large? And whether you choose to accept Mr. Brownes' options or not, at least you've been made aware of the fact that these choices exist.

Many people have a vested interest in keeping the status quo, especially those people we sometimes refer to as "takers". Mr. Browne points out that we are in no way obligated to support anyones addiction, neurosis, or world view, except our our own.

I found this book refreshing, informative, and relevent to my life. I strongly reccomend it to anyone who needs a little freedom in their life.

My father passed away when I was at the age of 6. In his will he left this book,"How I found freedom in an unfree world" to be given to me at the age of 18. This book is the only thing that I have that may tell me how my father would have offered advice to me in growing up. Every sentence I read feels like it is coming from the lips of my father. Thank you Harry Brown for your contribution and completion to my life.

I read this book at a tender age, and realize after twenty-five years that my life was shaped largely by the lessons I got from Harry Browne. I teach a self-actualization/creativity class, which owes much of its enormous success to principles first introduced to me in this wonderful book.

This book correctly asserts that we have more liberty than we often consider. In it, Harry outlines important freedom-enhacing principles that propel the reader toward self-determination and thus a fully-actualized life. This valuable book merits my highest possible recommendation. It is a virtual handbook on personal freedom.

I have owned this book for twenty years, and I still read it regularly. The opinions and guidelines on dealing with other people are the most usefull that I have ever found.

I first heard Harry Browne speak in the early 70s on NBC's Today Show, where he was promoting his book, How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World. I had never heard someone speak with such clarity, rationality, and insight. I bought the book and found it so remarkable that I have never stoppped rereading it. In fact, despite the book's being slightly dated now (and the original is out of print), I continue to have my students read, analyze, and react to Browne's ideas in the courses I teach at the the Pennsylvania State University. I was therefore thrilled to read the following announcement I just received about a re-issuing of the book:

"LiamWorks Publishing: 387 pages, $24.95, hard cover. This 1997 edition contains a new Foreword and Afterword by Harry -- both written following his 1996 Libertarian presidential campaign."

Although this book can be hard to find, it's well worth seeking out. Having read quite a few other excellent books by Anthony Robbins, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dr. Maxwell Maltz ("Cybernetics"), etc., I keep coming across the same general ideas in scores of self-help titles. And while those authors have written some wonderful things, this book by Harry Browne is truly unique! When I first read his revelations, I knew deep within me that I had always shared his ideas, but never really knew how to put them into words. You may find what he says shocking, even traitorous to our way of life in this civilized, governed society of ours. He tells you how to change *your* world, not anyone else's. You may not agree with everything that Browne says, but I guarantee that you will not find a better, more reliable, and happier way to become FREE. Highly recommended. (Avon Books - please re-release this title!

Contrary to the "Don't live in my community" social fundies, one of the most significant points of Browne's book is that the forced (or brow-beaten) endless transfer of goods and services from one person to another never really benefits anyone, and cannot do so by the very nature of the process. Someone must selfishly receive such benefits.

And then in come the professional negators to condemn them for doing so, substituting coercion and unwarranted obligation as the only salvation. For the recipients of benevolence must also deny themselves and give to others, who in turn must not receive but give to yet others, and so on without end.

The ideal unselfish world would be for everyone to be totally miserable, having lived only for others who never are benefitted on pain of being social sinners against the universal unselfishness doctrine.

Those who review this book as anti-marriage, anti-children, and anti-responsibility assume as a necessary universal truth of their social fundamentalism that self-interest necessarily precludes generosity, benevolence, charity, or any thought of the rest of the world. Such indidividuals have their own vested self-interests in pushing such a narrow-minded bigoted stereotype. Notice the annoyance they cause in the people around them. But they sure do have a glorious set of commandments to bible-thump at the rest of humanity, don't they.

In this truly seminal work on personal happiness, the myths and vested interests of those who would stereotype rational self-interest as evasive of responsibilities to others in the world are thoroughly exposed. In fact, ignoring such duties are shown to be the end result of the Unselfishness Myth and other forms of grasping collectivism, whether in government or in the diluting of incentive in the private sector.

The preachers of unselfishness and forced love are apparently too busy lusting to scold the rest of us with their prescriptive dogmas to be careful readers.

Help yourself first and you'll not only be happier---you'll find yourself kinder to others, less angry, more benevolent, all fueled by your own choices and values. In other words, religious and social guilt will be out of business in your life. Rationally selfish individuals just don't have those duty-grudges to use to whip everyone else into line (for "community" of course).

Besides, if you only live unselfishly, you'll spend your whole life vicariously preoccupied with the self-interest of others, whereas if they did the same for themselves, you'd consider them evil!

Forced love is rape. Whether from forcing money from you to benefit someone else (as in taxes and other forms of extortion), or in pressuring you to benefit others because of some assumed "duty" (as in corporate United Way pressure, certain religious groups, political parties, etc.). Coercion causes hate and resentment like nothing else can. It is virtually a formula for human misery.

Only freedom gives purpose, conviction, enthusiasm, and genuinenness to acts of benefiting others. And only freedom rewards you as well, through the incentive of satisfying your own desires and choices in those acts, instead of being brow-beaten by some social authoritarian or religious type, lusting to condemn you for any perceived deviations from their little god-like rules.

Preachers of unselfishness are following their own self-chosen and self-valued beliefs, and for mentally/intellectually selfish reasons. They want you to submit to their values, rules, and reasons, and forget the ethical relativism until and unless they are talking about your views, not theirs.

They hate themselves, except when they are busy hating you for not flattering them with agreement. "Don't be selfish", cry the would-be exploiters just before they demand that you put their interests or values ahead of your own.

Absolute universal egalitarian and unselfishness doctrines still require individual interpretation, a fact mentioned only when adherents to such views are busy criticizing other people's views or judging them for non-compliance.

Advocates of obligatory or forced self-sacrifice and unselfishness almost invariably have their hand in someone else's pocket, perhaps yours. And they are quite willing and eager to sacrifice you for their values.

"Notice how the small come running with their tongues hanging in lasciviousness to live off the little secret sores of the great.!" --F.N. 1888

Only when you are rationally and circumspectly selfish can you be genuinely happy, loving, giving, and kind. We become attached to people and want them to be different. This produces anger and resentment. Or we try to conform to what they want. This creates anxiety and tension. This book strikes a chord in what is good and positive based on what each person involved really wants, thereby avoiding frustration and strife.

Self-reliant individualism is the key to avoiding life's traps and being a sufficiently enriched person to have something to offer those you might want to help. If you aren't rationally selfish, you'll never be enough of a person to help a single soul.

Those I know who have practiced these principles are the most open, generous, productive, and happy people I've known.

If you're really interested in living for others, make choices that empower you. You'll have a lot more to give. And your life will be much happier and easier to deal with.

Browne, by trading his unique ideas for money, he has helped to enrich immeasurably the lives and thinking of individuals from all walks of life.

This is a very grounding book to refer to through out your life. Easy to read. Full of clarity, rationality, and insight. Delivered in beautifully clear and simple prose. Simple, straightforward and motivating. Marvelously open-ended, dazzlingly anti-authoritarian. A gold mine of great ideas to focus your life on what really counts.

Once you decide how you're going to be free---nothing can stand in your way.

This book has revolutionized the lives of almost everyone I know who has read it. If Harry Browne had done nothing in his life other than writing this book, I would still consider him one of the greatest human beings that ever lived.

Browne's book is one of the finest things you can ever give to someone you care about. It has radically changed the lives of many I have given it to, sometimes literally overnight. His thinking clarified my own, and I found the freedom and happiness I sought.

With this book, you can recognize some of the ways in which we allow ourselves to be enslaved. Yes, we ALLOW ourselves to be enslaved. Nobody can do it to us, short of actually putting us in prison, but millions upon millions passively allow the opinions and mores of society to limit us, FOR NO REASON!!! This books shows us the traps, and the way out, and can lead us to a better, healthier, happier life. My attitude changed from the first day I read it.

I was introduced to this book in 2006 by someone who truly lives what it teaches.

Most of us are raised to feel guilty if we do almost ANYTHING for ourselves rather than for others.

Try getting a loan from a bank with no money. When we don't recognize and use our own resources, we are a money-less bank attempting to give loans to others. It just doesn't work.

Not Christian? I wonder how much the bible has been altered over the decades to increase guilt and compliance. Jesus himself did not encourage guilt. As I remember what he said was "Go and sin no more." Not go and feel guilty for the rest of your life.

So many Christians have been far more unkind to others than this man, Harry Browne. When you feel strong and centered within yourself, you are more free to respond in the moment without all the baggage we acquire throughout our lives.

Read the book and then go over it again and again. Chances are new ideas about how to best use it in your own life will come with each reading.

Also check out Harry's web site, harrybrowne.org. There is useful information there.