12 rules for life : an antidote to chaos / Jordan B. Peterson ; foreword by Norman Doidge ; illustrations by Ethan Van Sciver.

Over 10 million copies sold

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Rule 1. Stand up straight with your shoulders back -- Rule 2. Treat yourself like you are someone you are responsible for helping -- Rule 3. Make friends with people who want the best for you -- Rule 4. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today -- Rule 5. Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them -- Rule 6. Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world -- Rule 7. Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient) -- Rule 8. Tell the truth — or, at least, don’t lie -- Rule 9. Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t -- Rule 10. Be precise in your speech -- Rule 11. Do not bother children when they are skate-boarding -- Rule 12. Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street.

Gripping, thought-provoking and deeply rewarding, 12 Rules for Life offers an antidote to the chaos in our lives: eternal truths applied to our modern problems. Jordan Peterson's work as a clinical psychologist has reshaped the modern understanding of personality, and now he has become one of the world's most popular public thinkers, with his lectures on topics ranging from the Bible to romantic relationships drawing tens of millions of viewers. In an era of polarizing politics, echo chambers and trigger warnings, his startling message about the value of personal responsibility and the dangers of ideology has resonated around the world. In this book, he combines ancient wisdom with decades of experience to provide twelve profound and challenging principles for how to live a meaningful life, from setting your house in order before criticising others to comparing yourself to who you were yesterday, not someone else today.