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Maturity is the ability to reject good alternatives in order to pursue even better ones.
Ray Dalio
Principles: Life and Work
20,700 Kindle readers highlighted this
Seek out the smartest people who disagreed with me so I could try to understand their reasoning. 2. Know when not to have an opinion. 3. Develop, test, and systemize timeless and universal principles. 4. Balance risks in ways that keep the big upside while reducing the downside.
Ray Dalio
Principles: Life and Work
19,712 Kindle readers highlighted this
The success of this approach taught me a principle that I apply to all parts of my life: Making a handful of good uncorrelated bets that are balanced and leveraged well is the surest way of having a lot of upside without being exposed to unacceptable downside.
Ray Dalio
Principles: Life and Work
19,679 Kindle readers highlighted this
-
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Maturity is the ability to reject good alternatives in order to pursue even better ones.Ray DalioPrinciples: Life and Work20,700 Kindle readers highlighted thisMaturity is the ability to reject good alternatives in order to pursue even better ones.Ray DalioPrinciples: Life and Work20,700 Kindle readers highlighted this
-
Seek out the smartest people who disagreed with me so I could try to understand their reasoning. 2. Know when not to have an opinion. 3. Develop, test, and systemize timeless and universal principles. 4. Balance risks in ways that keep the big upside while reducing the downside.Ray DalioPrinciples: Life and Work19,712 Kindle readers highlighted thisSeek out the smartest people who disagreed with me so I could try to understand their reasoning. 2. Know when not to have an opinion. 3. Develop, test, and systemize timeless and universal principles. 4. Balance risks in ways that keep the big upside while reducing the downside.Ray DalioPrinciples: Life and Work19,712 Kindle readers highlighted this
-
The success of this approach taught me a principle that I apply to all parts of my life: Making a handful of good uncorrelated bets that are balanced and leveraged well is the surest way of having a lot of upside without being exposed to unacceptable downside.Ray DalioPrinciples: Life and Work19,679 Kindle readers highlighted thisThe success of this approach taught me a principle that I apply to all parts of my life: Making a handful of good uncorrelated bets that are balanced and leveraged well is the surest way of having a lot of upside without being exposed to unacceptable downside.Ray DalioPrinciples: Life and Work19,679 Kindle readers highlighted this
Maturity is the ability to reject good alternatives in order to pursue even better ones.
Ray Dalio
Principles: Life and Work
20,700 Kindle readers highlighted this
Seek out the smartest people who disagreed with me so I could try to understand their reasoning. 2. Know when not to have an opinion. 3. Develop, test, and systemize timeless and universal principles. 4. Balance risks in ways that keep the big upside while reducing the downside.
Ray Dalio
Principles: Life and Work
19,712 Kindle readers highlighted this
The success of this approach taught me a principle that I apply to all parts of my life: Making a handful of good uncorrelated bets that are balanced and leveraged well is the surest way of having a lot of upside without being exposed to unacceptable downside.
Ray Dalio
Principles: Life and Work
19,679 Kindle readers highlighted this
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Winner of the Axiom Business Book Award for 2018
“Mr. Dalio has long been an object of fascination. . . . His new book is more significant than the original list of principles: It is part memoir, part how-to guide. It is a deeply personal story, with Mr. Dalio wading into how he started his firm in 1975, internal conflicts inside the company, and strife early on in his career. The book is both instructive and surprisingly moving. . . . Underneath what may seem like a clinical, emotionless approach is something different and far more poignant: Mr. Dalio is preaching for individuals to have a sense of humility and introspection, an ability to open themselves to appreciate pointed criticism and use it to improve.”
—The New York Times
“If there was an ‘it’ book for businesses or careers in 2017, it was Ray Dalio’s Principles. The book, weighing in at nearly 600 pages, begins with the author’s own story, including the rise of Bridgewater Associates, Dalio’s highly successful investment firm. Part memoir, part strategic plan, Dalio uses his own history to provide suggestions on attaining success while always stressing the power of individuality and personal goals. This isn’t just a book for the power elite. Dalio’s highly detailed game plan focuses on what he calls ‘radical’ truths and transparencies, and are applicable to the careers of powerful CEOs, ladder-climbing executives, longtime grunts, and fresh-faced rookies.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Ray Dalio has provided me with invaluable guidance and insights that are now available to you in Principles.”
—Bill Gates
“I absolutely loved this book. It’s beautifully written and filled with such wisdom.”
—Arianna Huffington
“I found it to be truly extraordinary. Every page is full of so many principles of distinction and insights—and I love how Ray incorporates his history and his life in such an elegant way.”
—Tony Robbins
“Ray Dalio’s market acumen is legendary, but it was creating and living by a set of principles that allowed him to reach the top. Everyone with goals and dreams can learn from Ray’s approach.”
—Michael Bloomberg
“It’s important and instructive to share what you’ve learned in life with others, and Ray does this in an interesting and provocative way in this compelling work.”
—Jamie Dimon
“I was surprisingly moved by it. I found it to be remarkably engaging. It made me think about life and how we all deal with each other in pretty profound ways. And Mr. Dalio’s own story about how he came to these principles is fascinating.”
—Andrew Ross Sorkin
“The billionaire investor has created the strongest culture I’ve ever seen in an organization—one that prizes radical transparency over politics and meritocracy over democracy. In his long-awaited book, he describes the systems that he has designed to shape meaningful work, meaningful relationships, and the world’s most successful hedge fund.”
—Adam Grant
“I highly, highly recommend this book. It has already changed how I think about making decisions in my life and in my business.”
—Tim Ferriss
“It’s the book I wish I had as a young entrepreneur, stressing over not knowing what I didn’t know. Principles offers a bible to the greatest skill an entrepreneur can have, the ability to Learn How to Learn in any situation. Read it.”
—Mark Cuban
“Principles had a profound positive impact on my leadership style—through living more honestly.”
—Reed Hastings
“Ray brings unique analytic insights about how to think about complex issues. His Principles is a must read. It’s a gift to all of us.”
—Steve Schwarzman
“Among a handful of philosopher-investors known not only for moneymaking prowess but also for their distinctive take on life.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“What makes Dalio compelling is not just his track record but the way he goes about making money, and the rigorous analysis he applies to understanding markets, organizations, the economy, and life.”
—Fortune
“Mr. Dalio has long been an object of fascination. . . . His new book is more significant than the original list of principles: It is part memoir, part how-to guide. It is a deeply personal story, with Mr. Dalio wading into how he started his firm in 1975, internal conflicts inside the company, and strife early on in his career. The book is both instructive and surprisingly moving. . . . Underneath what may seem like a clinical, emotionless approach is something different and far more poignant: Mr. Dalio is preaching for individuals to have a sense of humility and introspection, an ability to open themselves to appreciate pointed criticism and use it to improve.”
—The New York Times
“If there was an ‘it’ book for businesses or careers in 2017, it was Ray Dalio’s Principles. The book, weighing in at nearly 600 pages, begins with the author’s own story, including the rise of Bridgewater Associates, Dalio’s highly successful investment firm. Part memoir, part strategic plan, Dalio uses his own history to provide suggestions on attaining success while always stressing the power of individuality and personal goals. This isn’t just a book for the power elite. Dalio’s highly detailed game plan focuses on what he calls ‘radical’ truths and transparencies, and are applicable to the careers of powerful CEOs, ladder-climbing executives, longtime grunts, and fresh-faced rookies.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Ray Dalio has provided me with invaluable guidance and insights that are now available to you in Principles.”
—Bill Gates
“I absolutely loved this book. It’s beautifully written and filled with such wisdom.”
—Arianna Huffington
“I found it to be truly extraordinary. Every page is full of so many principles of distinction and insights—and I love how Ray incorporates his history and his life in such an elegant way.”
—Tony Robbins
“Ray Dalio’s market acumen is legendary, but it was creating and living by a set of principles that allowed him to reach the top. Everyone with goals and dreams can learn from Ray’s approach.”
—Michael Bloomberg
“It’s important and instructive to share what you’ve learned in life with others, and Ray does this in an interesting and provocative way in this compelling work.”
—Jamie Dimon
“I was surprisingly moved by it. I found it to be remarkably engaging. It made me think about life and how we all deal with each other in pretty profound ways. And Mr. Dalio’s own story about how he came to these principles is fascinating.”
—Andrew Ross Sorkin
“The billionaire investor has created the strongest culture I’ve ever seen in an organization—one that prizes radical transparency over politics and meritocracy over democracy. In his long-awaited book, he describes the systems that he has designed to shape meaningful work, meaningful relationships, and the world’s most successful hedge fund.”
—Adam Grant
“I highly, highly recommend this book. It has already changed how I think about making decisions in my life and in my business.”
—Tim Ferriss
“It’s the book I wish I had as a young entrepreneur, stressing over not knowing what I didn’t know. Principles offers a bible to the greatest skill an entrepreneur can have, the ability to Learn How to Learn in any situation. Read it.”
—Mark Cuban
“Principles had a profound positive impact on my leadership style—through living more honestly.”
—Reed Hastings
“Ray brings unique analytic insights about how to think about complex issues. His Principles is a must read. It’s a gift to all of us.”
—Steve Schwarzman
“Among a handful of philosopher-investors known not only for moneymaking prowess but also for their distinctive take on life.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“What makes Dalio compelling is not just his track record but the way he goes about making money, and the rigorous analysis he applies to understanding markets, organizations, the economy, and life.”
—Fortune
About the Author
Ray Dalio is the founder and cochairman of Bridgewater Associates, which, over the last forty years, has become the largest and best performing hedge fund in the world. Dalio has appeared on the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world as well as the Bloomberg Markets list of the 50 most influential people. He is the author of Principles, Big Debt Crisis, and The Changing World Order. He lives with his family in Connecticut.
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Product details
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster; Illustrated edition (September 19, 2017)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 592 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1501124021
- ISBN-13 : 978-1501124020
- Item Weight : 1.82 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.6 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
9,010 global ratings
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Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
I know that many people love this book but I just could not find any value in it. I'm not the kind of person who will put down a book that I don't like. So I stuck it out and read the whole thing in hopes of finding value. The author has led a very impressive life and has made a boatload of money in his business. To me this book was more about the author explaining his success than it was about how I might achieve some additional success. Yes if I was a billionaire it would be easy to measure everything and surround myself with brilliant people. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people who read this book will not be able to put the methods in practice, primarily because they find themselves at the receiving end of these techniques.
834 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
The book LOOKS sharp. You look at the cover, see Bill Gates and Tony Robbins like it, and decide to open it up to see whats inside. Clearly there is a good graphic designer working with him. If you read the intro, you can tell the book is well written, and Ray Dalio has been very successful. That convinced me to purchase it and read it.
The book is split into his autobiography and his life and work principles.
The most salient points in his autobiography are that he wants you to think he is like Steve Jobs (but not as great) and that his life follows the story arc of a hero (but he's not a hero). Otherwise it's a pretty standard history of a baby boomer from New York who becomes Elite--he goes from talking about being part of the hippie culture of the 60s and 70s to brown-nosing China and their leaders. You wont learn anything new here if you are familiar with 20th century history and current events. To his credit, he has a great writing style (if he wrote this himself) and he appears to be a persuasive force (probably a key factor in his success).
His principles are meant to be the reason you bought the book, so let's give his autobiography a pass. Overall, his principles are strong, but they are recycled ideas. For example, one of his life principles is "Use the 5-Step Process to Get What You Want Out of Life" about having clear goals, recognizing your real problems, and finding solutions to overcome the problems and achieve your goals. Tony Robbins, Dale Carnegie, and I'm sure many others provide much more useful thought processes and examples to do the same thing. It's clear he's also out of touch in his examples: are you bad at accounting? Hire an accountant. Need to hire people? Find the right headhunter! He also seems to dabble in psychology for being a more effective/principled person. I agree with him that it's important. However, he doesn't seem to fully grasp how it works, and gets attached to pop psychology. For example, praising the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, which has received a lot of criticism from experts.
There's nothing seriously wrong with this book. There's just nothing in it that would make me recommend it to anyone. The book covers a lot of subjects, and for each subject I would recommend reading another book.
The book is split into his autobiography and his life and work principles.
The most salient points in his autobiography are that he wants you to think he is like Steve Jobs (but not as great) and that his life follows the story arc of a hero (but he's not a hero). Otherwise it's a pretty standard history of a baby boomer from New York who becomes Elite--he goes from talking about being part of the hippie culture of the 60s and 70s to brown-nosing China and their leaders. You wont learn anything new here if you are familiar with 20th century history and current events. To his credit, he has a great writing style (if he wrote this himself) and he appears to be a persuasive force (probably a key factor in his success).
His principles are meant to be the reason you bought the book, so let's give his autobiography a pass. Overall, his principles are strong, but they are recycled ideas. For example, one of his life principles is "Use the 5-Step Process to Get What You Want Out of Life" about having clear goals, recognizing your real problems, and finding solutions to overcome the problems and achieve your goals. Tony Robbins, Dale Carnegie, and I'm sure many others provide much more useful thought processes and examples to do the same thing. It's clear he's also out of touch in his examples: are you bad at accounting? Hire an accountant. Need to hire people? Find the right headhunter! He also seems to dabble in psychology for being a more effective/principled person. I agree with him that it's important. However, he doesn't seem to fully grasp how it works, and gets attached to pop psychology. For example, praising the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, which has received a lot of criticism from experts.
There's nothing seriously wrong with this book. There's just nothing in it that would make me recommend it to anyone. The book covers a lot of subjects, and for each subject I would recommend reading another book.
1,595 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2017
In the second part of the book, the author gets into the stuff that's incredibly important, but difficult to implement. In short, he provides a roadmap and tools (via algorithmic means) to accomplish anything you want in life. There's a ton of substance, definition, & practicality on how to action your objectives. He has a five-step process to achieve what you want out of life, and it couldn't be more understandable and reasonable. The tricky part for most people (in my humble opinion) is finding a goal or objective that they can focus and remain passionate about for an extended period. If that's not your problem, then Mr. Dalio's advice in the second part of the book is significantly profound.
In the third section of the book, the author teaches you how to build the mastermind group/organization that's going to achieve the goals/mission you outlined in the second part of the book. The knowledge and thought that went into these 300 pages of the book are quite impressive. In short, the reader needs to get the culture right, get the people right, and then build and evolve the protocols that run the organization at a fundamental level. There's so much granularity behind those core concepts that it'll keep you busy trying to absorb everything.
In my humble opinion, MBA programs should be designing management courses around the information contained in this book. It's extremely thorough, practical, and organized.
Negatives. The book is a long read. If you're looking for something that's quick and easy, you're in the wrong place. The book is so organized (which I personally liked) that some might find it too programmatic. If you're looking for surprises and adventurous stories with your learning, you won't get that in the last two parts of the book. Dalio is all business.
In general, I'm so impressed the author took the time and effort to teach the world everything he has learned. You can tell he truly wants to help others be successful. The book has taught me the importance of trying to understand the fundamental building blocks of my own life. I now have an appreciation for trying to understand how things work and how I can model success habits around those principles. I've started to list my own principles, but it's hard identifying unique ideas beyond those found in the book (because it's so thorough). But the important part is that I'm aware of developing my own list and co-opting or creating new principles. This book has had a profound impact on me - it's definitely worth more than 5 stars.
Verified Purchase
This book was fantastic and extremely organized. The author starts the book by giving the reader a background on who he is and how he arrived at the principles that were outlined. This part of the book is good for anyone that's not familiar with the author's backstory. It was somewhat astounding to learn that Mr. Dalio was literally broke in 1982 and has come-back to build a 150 billion dollar hedge fund.
In the second part of the book, the author gets into the stuff that's incredibly important, but difficult to implement. In short, he provides a roadmap and tools (via algorithmic means) to accomplish anything you want in life. There's a ton of substance, definition, & practicality on how to action your objectives. He has a five-step process to achieve what you want out of life, and it couldn't be more understandable and reasonable. The tricky part for most people (in my humble opinion) is finding a goal or objective that they can focus and remain passionate about for an extended period. If that's not your problem, then Mr. Dalio's advice in the second part of the book is significantly profound.
In the third section of the book, the author teaches you how to build the mastermind group/organization that's going to achieve the goals/mission you outlined in the second part of the book. The knowledge and thought that went into these 300 pages of the book are quite impressive. In short, the reader needs to get the culture right, get the people right, and then build and evolve the protocols that run the organization at a fundamental level. There's so much granularity behind those core concepts that it'll keep you busy trying to absorb everything.
In my humble opinion, MBA programs should be designing management courses around the information contained in this book. It's extremely thorough, practical, and organized.
Negatives. The book is a long read. If you're looking for something that's quick and easy, you're in the wrong place. The book is so organized (which I personally liked) that some might find it too programmatic. If you're looking for surprises and adventurous stories with your learning, you won't get that in the last two parts of the book. Dalio is all business.
In general, I'm so impressed the author took the time and effort to teach the world everything he has learned. You can tell he truly wants to help others be successful. The book has taught me the importance of trying to understand the fundamental building blocks of my own life. I now have an appreciation for trying to understand how things work and how I can model success habits around those principles. I've started to list my own principles, but it's hard identifying unique ideas beyond those found in the book (because it's so thorough). But the important part is that I'm aware of developing my own list and co-opting or creating new principles. This book has had a profound impact on me - it's definitely worth more than 5 stars.
In the second part of the book, the author gets into the stuff that's incredibly important, but difficult to implement. In short, he provides a roadmap and tools (via algorithmic means) to accomplish anything you want in life. There's a ton of substance, definition, & practicality on how to action your objectives. He has a five-step process to achieve what you want out of life, and it couldn't be more understandable and reasonable. The tricky part for most people (in my humble opinion) is finding a goal or objective that they can focus and remain passionate about for an extended period. If that's not your problem, then Mr. Dalio's advice in the second part of the book is significantly profound.
In the third section of the book, the author teaches you how to build the mastermind group/organization that's going to achieve the goals/mission you outlined in the second part of the book. The knowledge and thought that went into these 300 pages of the book are quite impressive. In short, the reader needs to get the culture right, get the people right, and then build and evolve the protocols that run the organization at a fundamental level. There's so much granularity behind those core concepts that it'll keep you busy trying to absorb everything.
In my humble opinion, MBA programs should be designing management courses around the information contained in this book. It's extremely thorough, practical, and organized.
Negatives. The book is a long read. If you're looking for something that's quick and easy, you're in the wrong place. The book is so organized (which I personally liked) that some might find it too programmatic. If you're looking for surprises and adventurous stories with your learning, you won't get that in the last two parts of the book. Dalio is all business.
In general, I'm so impressed the author took the time and effort to teach the world everything he has learned. You can tell he truly wants to help others be successful. The book has taught me the importance of trying to understand the fundamental building blocks of my own life. I now have an appreciation for trying to understand how things work and how I can model success habits around those principles. I've started to list my own principles, but it's hard identifying unique ideas beyond those found in the book (because it's so thorough). But the important part is that I'm aware of developing my own list and co-opting or creating new principles. This book has had a profound impact on me - it's definitely worth more than 5 stars.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exceptional Book - 6 Stars
By Preston Pysh on September 19, 2017
This book was fantastic and extremely organized. The author starts the book by giving the reader a background on who he is and how he arrived at the principles that were outlined. This part of the book is good for anyone that's not familiar with the author's backstory. It was somewhat astounding to learn that Mr. Dalio was literally broke in 1982 and has come-back to build a 150 billion dollar hedge fund.By Preston Pysh on September 19, 2017
In the second part of the book, the author gets into the stuff that's incredibly important, but difficult to implement. In short, he provides a roadmap and tools (via algorithmic means) to accomplish anything you want in life. There's a ton of substance, definition, & practicality on how to action your objectives. He has a five-step process to achieve what you want out of life, and it couldn't be more understandable and reasonable. The tricky part for most people (in my humble opinion) is finding a goal or objective that they can focus and remain passionate about for an extended period. If that's not your problem, then Mr. Dalio's advice in the second part of the book is significantly profound.
In the third section of the book, the author teaches you how to build the mastermind group/organization that's going to achieve the goals/mission you outlined in the second part of the book. The knowledge and thought that went into these 300 pages of the book are quite impressive. In short, the reader needs to get the culture right, get the people right, and then build and evolve the protocols that run the organization at a fundamental level. There's so much granularity behind those core concepts that it'll keep you busy trying to absorb everything.
In my humble opinion, MBA programs should be designing management courses around the information contained in this book. It's extremely thorough, practical, and organized.
Negatives. The book is a long read. If you're looking for something that's quick and easy, you're in the wrong place. The book is so organized (which I personally liked) that some might find it too programmatic. If you're looking for surprises and adventurous stories with your learning, you won't get that in the last two parts of the book. Dalio is all business.
In general, I'm so impressed the author took the time and effort to teach the world everything he has learned. You can tell he truly wants to help others be successful. The book has taught me the importance of trying to understand the fundamental building blocks of my own life. I now have an appreciation for trying to understand how things work and how I can model success habits around those principles. I've started to list my own principles, but it's hard identifying unique ideas beyond those found in the book (because it's so thorough). But the important part is that I'm aware of developing my own list and co-opting or creating new principles. This book has had a profound impact on me - it's definitely worth more than 5 stars.
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Top reviews from other countries
L. A. Puplett
3.0 out of 5 stars
Probably best for young adults
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2019Verified Purchase
The book, physically, is very nicely bound and produced. It's print is lovely, black and red ink, and is organised into three parts. It's essentially a huge bullet-pointed document with one or two paragraphs under each sub-point. There are black and red ribbons to mark pages, which I've always liked in books.
It's an unusual book. I find myself swinging between enjoying Ray's wisdom and feeling like I need to take it all with a huge pinch of salt because of the massive amount of survivorship, hindsight and outcome bias in play.
The book is also a contradiction, since it is largely about open-minded and different points of view and yet its entirely Ray's unchallenged points of view. I'm a software engineer and I remember once reading a programming principles book where maybe five programmers all chimed in with their own opinions and challenges on the assertions in the book, which was really cool.
Maybe another billionaire will say there's a case for close-mindedness, focus and shutting out opinion that will lead to analysis paralysis. Maybe there are books by leading psychologists that have devoted years to a topic that would be better to read, such as Thinking Fast and Slow. For older or more voracious or aspirational business, management or "self improvement" book readers, much of Ray's thinking will simply rhyme with what you may already believe.
It's probably wishful thinking to expect by reading a huge list of advice you'll magically be reprogrammed and have established a set of good thought patterns, esp. if you're trying to improve in isolation; you're not surrounded by people mirroring and modelling good practice. Though I rarely found myself disagreeing with anything Ray writes. There's a lot in the book to take in and I don't know how much will stick.
The biggest thing for me, and I say this as a "fan" of Ray, is that I struggle with the reviews of his company on Glassdoor and the _reality_ of people working under his principles vs. other companies that highly-successful while having much higher ratings and are anecdotally nicer places to work, such as Salesforce.
When other companies can achieve so much and foster happy, purposeful, creative and fulfilled people by taking a different approach, you have to ask whether his principles have really led to better lives, better outcomes for his employees or whether Ray conflates how well he's done with achieving his life goals with how well everyone else is doing?
It's an unusual book. I find myself swinging between enjoying Ray's wisdom and feeling like I need to take it all with a huge pinch of salt because of the massive amount of survivorship, hindsight and outcome bias in play.
The book is also a contradiction, since it is largely about open-minded and different points of view and yet its entirely Ray's unchallenged points of view. I'm a software engineer and I remember once reading a programming principles book where maybe five programmers all chimed in with their own opinions and challenges on the assertions in the book, which was really cool.
Maybe another billionaire will say there's a case for close-mindedness, focus and shutting out opinion that will lead to analysis paralysis. Maybe there are books by leading psychologists that have devoted years to a topic that would be better to read, such as Thinking Fast and Slow. For older or more voracious or aspirational business, management or "self improvement" book readers, much of Ray's thinking will simply rhyme with what you may already believe.
It's probably wishful thinking to expect by reading a huge list of advice you'll magically be reprogrammed and have established a set of good thought patterns, esp. if you're trying to improve in isolation; you're not surrounded by people mirroring and modelling good practice. Though I rarely found myself disagreeing with anything Ray writes. There's a lot in the book to take in and I don't know how much will stick.
The biggest thing for me, and I say this as a "fan" of Ray, is that I struggle with the reviews of his company on Glassdoor and the _reality_ of people working under his principles vs. other companies that highly-successful while having much higher ratings and are anecdotally nicer places to work, such as Salesforce.
When other companies can achieve so much and foster happy, purposeful, creative and fulfilled people by taking a different approach, you have to ask whether his principles have really led to better lives, better outcomes for his employees or whether Ray conflates how well he's done with achieving his life goals with how well everyone else is doing?
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Alok Kejriwal
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Divine Manifesto in the guise of a Book
Reviewed in India on August 11, 2018Verified Purchase
- This is NOT a book. It is a divine manifesto. This is the Gita part 2 for me. If you have a 'lifetime' fav book, then it's time to replace Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged with this one.
- I've been a huge fan of Ray for years, but this book details WHY he is so successful.
- The ability to separate results from causes & peek in between the gaps is the specialty of the book.
- Personally, what I love is the reinforcement of the principles of 'radical transparency & idea meritocracy' that are the solid pillars of this book.
- The truthfulness; the bare-knuckle punches that extoll the reader to be honest, truthful & REAL are the parts that make this book glow.
- The chapters that deal with people management with the focus to be empathetic yet demanding are special. Rarely do you come across a leader of such gravity writing about HOW to handle people
- I love the no-nonsense, 'non-negotiable' principles laid down in the book.
- The real encounters, cases studies & insights Ray shares are priceless.
THIS IS NOT A BOOK for folks who operate a Political, Bossy, "I am right" styled operation. This is a book that can turn you first into pixy dust & then into God.
Ratings : 100/10
- I've been a huge fan of Ray for years, but this book details WHY he is so successful.
- The ability to separate results from causes & peek in between the gaps is the specialty of the book.
- Personally, what I love is the reinforcement of the principles of 'radical transparency & idea meritocracy' that are the solid pillars of this book.
- The truthfulness; the bare-knuckle punches that extoll the reader to be honest, truthful & REAL are the parts that make this book glow.
- The chapters that deal with people management with the focus to be empathetic yet demanding are special. Rarely do you come across a leader of such gravity writing about HOW to handle people
- I love the no-nonsense, 'non-negotiable' principles laid down in the book.
- The real encounters, cases studies & insights Ray shares are priceless.
THIS IS NOT A BOOK for folks who operate a Political, Bossy, "I am right" styled operation. This is a book that can turn you first into pixy dust & then into God.
Ratings : 100/10
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Riderwave
2.0 out of 5 stars
Ray puts on a mask
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2020Verified Purchase
After reading the book I am left feeling that Ray is a brilliant business man, just like Jobs and other visionaries, but also, just like Jobs, Ray is a very dangerous person because he doesn't understand how relationships work. In essence, he tries to put on an ethical mask by saying that relationships are important to him, but in reality he is an excellent manipulator. He comes up with strategies and have spent countless hours to figure out people, not because he loves them, wants to help them, but because he was fed up with people and wanted to understand the "social code".
I think he does a great job at business, but really he should delete all the chapters about life principles and let people who are better than him at these topics lead the way. I expected a business oriented book, but in the end it felt like his redemtion story that he needed to write so all the people he hurt can understand why he hurt them and how it was their fault.
Ray reminds me of Gordon Geko in the new Wall Street film where he says he cares about family, but then has no awarness how to actually do it.
I think he does a great job at business, but really he should delete all the chapters about life principles and let people who are better than him at these topics lead the way. I expected a business oriented book, but in the end it felt like his redemtion story that he needed to write so all the people he hurt can understand why he hurt them and how it was their fault.
Ray reminds me of Gordon Geko in the new Wall Street film where he says he cares about family, but then has no awarness how to actually do it.
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JB
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ce livre a changé ma vie
Reviewed in France on January 9, 2018Verified Purchase
J'ai découvert la version PDF gratuite de Principles en 2011. A l'époque, Ray Dalio n'avait pas encore étoffé ce texte, et rajouté une mini-bio, ce qui a donné la version 2017 que j'ai aussi lue et dont je donne un avis ici.
Je suis tombé sur ce livre par hasard. J'avais lu dans une article de journal qu'une société du nom de "Bridgewater Associates" allait construire un siège social d'une valeur de 750 millions de dollars aux US. J'étais étonné de ne pas connaître cette société, car je m'intéresse de près à l'économie. Après recherches, j'appris que cette société était en fait le plus grand hedge-fund du monde, et que son fondateur, un homme d'une soixantaine d'années issu de la classe moyenne américaine, avait écrit un fascicule pour expliquer quels étaient les secrets de la réussite de son organisation selon lui. C'était la première version de Principles sortie gratuitement en 2011 en PDF.
Ce livre a changé ma vie car il donne des règles simples pour gérer efficacement à la fois sa vie professionnelle et sa vie personnelle. La thèse principale de l'auteur est que l'obstacle majeur de nos vies est de ne pas arriver à voir la réalité (par peur, ego, etc...) et que, si on fait l'effort de ne pas se la masquer même si elle fait parfois mal, et que partant de cette réalité on construit des raisonnements en se demandant toujours "est-ce vrai ?", alors rien n'est irréalisable. Bien sûr, je schématise à outrance, mais je vous recommande chaudement de lire ce livre car peut-être qu'il changera votre vie comme il a changé la mienne.
Points forts
- conseils simples et de bon sens qui peuvent changer votre vie professionnelles et personnelle
- crédibilité de l'auteur
Point faible
- commencez par trouver le PDF gratuit de 2011 qui est l'essence du livre de 2017
Je suis tombé sur ce livre par hasard. J'avais lu dans une article de journal qu'une société du nom de "Bridgewater Associates" allait construire un siège social d'une valeur de 750 millions de dollars aux US. J'étais étonné de ne pas connaître cette société, car je m'intéresse de près à l'économie. Après recherches, j'appris que cette société était en fait le plus grand hedge-fund du monde, et que son fondateur, un homme d'une soixantaine d'années issu de la classe moyenne américaine, avait écrit un fascicule pour expliquer quels étaient les secrets de la réussite de son organisation selon lui. C'était la première version de Principles sortie gratuitement en 2011 en PDF.
Ce livre a changé ma vie car il donne des règles simples pour gérer efficacement à la fois sa vie professionnelle et sa vie personnelle. La thèse principale de l'auteur est que l'obstacle majeur de nos vies est de ne pas arriver à voir la réalité (par peur, ego, etc...) et que, si on fait l'effort de ne pas se la masquer même si elle fait parfois mal, et que partant de cette réalité on construit des raisonnements en se demandant toujours "est-ce vrai ?", alors rien n'est irréalisable. Bien sûr, je schématise à outrance, mais je vous recommande chaudement de lire ce livre car peut-être qu'il changera votre vie comme il a changé la mienne.
Points forts
- conseils simples et de bon sens qui peuvent changer votre vie professionnelles et personnelle
- crédibilité de l'auteur
Point faible
- commencez par trouver le PDF gratuit de 2011 qui est l'essence du livre de 2017
Mr Eco
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book but create your own principles
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 12, 2018Verified Purchase
The book is very inspiring in terms of establishing guiding principles in life and work. Unfortunately I think Ray and many readers think that the principles are valid for everyone as they are. Ray Dalio and his hedge fund is in a very unique position in terms of decision making process, recruitment and how they work. This is definitely not applicable for everyone. Use the book as inspiration to create your own principles from scratch but don't use his as a starting point.
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