we can shift our posture, change our attitude about a situation, frame a mistake in a way that’s less self-destructive, understand ourselves and other people with a higher degree of empathy.

And with that in mind, we’re equipped with sharper mental models which we can use to override our default emotional reactions to situations that we didn’t expect.

Of course, only if we decide to use what we’ve put in our minds. What good is it to put something in our minds if we’re not going to use it? The point of a self-help book, or a how-to guide, or a piece of useful wisdom, is to use the information, not to trivialize it.

Learning is more than memorization.