12 Rules for Life - Jordan Peterson - Book Cover

12 Rules for Life

An Antidote to Chaos

Jordan Peterson

Overview

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson has cultivated a breadth of knowledge throughout his lifetime. His pursuit of knowledge goes far beyond any undergraduate and graduate degree he has obtained. Instead, he seeks to deeply understand the tenets that make up the arguments he explores. Jordan displays a passion for discovering the truth, whatever that may be, with a willingness to challenge his own presuppositions. I find his ability to distill meaning, both logical and profound, to be uniquely compelling. To do so, he blends scientific data, historical accounts, religious text, life experience, and wisdom from great minds of the past.

Key Insights

  • The author proposes we each have an important role to play.
  • The reader is challenged to have honest internal dialogue and to then act from this new place of truth and understanding.
  • We are encouraged to aim upward, while also acknowledging the darkest parts of our personalities.
  • The book provides eye opening accounts of the horror mankind is capable of, while also outlining the beliefs and behaviors that were responsible.
  • Filled with compelling arguments supporting the tenants and path to living a life of meaning.
  • Although much focus is on personal responsibility, Dr. Jordan Peterson also delves into the areas of relationship and parenting.

So Good I'd Read It Again And That's Exactly What I Did!

This is my second time reading “12 Rules For LIfe” and I can honestly say that I am up for a third run in a future year. Jordan’s writing is eloquent and entertaining. He brings sarcasm to sensitive topics and is not afraid to share his “shadow” in his work. Along with anecdotal stories from his life, there is something very raw and real to what he shares. Of note: His vocabulary is immense, so be prepared to whip the ol’ dictionary if you read to understand… which why would you read otherwise!

A few of my favorite quotes from the book!

That which we subjectively experience can be likened much more to a novel or a movie than to a scientific description of physician reality.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
Chaos is the domain of ignorance itself. It’s unexplored territory.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
In its positive guise, chaos is possibility itself, the source of ideas, the mysterious realm of gestation and birth.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
We are low-resolution (“kenotic”) versions of God. We can make order from chaos – and vice versa – in our way, with our words. So, we may not exactly be God, but we’re not exactly nothing, either.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
You have some vital role to play in the unfolding destiny of the world. You are, therefore, morally obliged to take care of yourself.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
Make friends with people who want the best for you.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
Winning at everything might only mean that you’re not doing anything new or difficult.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
Perhaps happiness is always to be found in the journey uphill, and not in the fleeting sense of satisfaction awaiting at the next peak.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
You can know that something is wrong or right without knowing why. Your entire Being can tell you something that you can neither explain nor articulate.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
Life is short, and you don’t have time to figure everything out on your own. The wisdom of the past was hard-earned, and your dead ancestors may have something useful to tell you.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
To share means, properly, to initiate the process of trade.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
Do what is meaningful, not what is expedient.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
The past is not necessarily what it was, even though it has already been.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life
You have to consciously define the topic of a conversation, particularly when it is difficult – or it becomes about everything, and everything is too much.
Jordan Peterson: 12 Rules for Life

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