Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion

“I thought that there could never be another book about effective communication that could come close to Jay Heinrichs’s Thank You for Arguing. And then came this new book. I again gasped with new insight, but this time I was called to a more difficult challenge: how to persuade myself to live my best life. And Heinrichs, a teacher for the ages, gave me the tools. Astounding.”—Peter Heller, bestselling author of The Dog Stars and Burn“Jay Heinrichs is a witty guide to the lost art of self-persuasion, using the power of words to become our best selves. This book is a treasure.”—Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix and Heartbreak“I’ve never read a smart book that was this funny or a funny book that was this smart.”—Regina Barreca, author of They Used to Call Me Snow White … But I Drifted“Jay Heinrichs turns the self-help genre upside down with Aristotle’s Guide to Self-Persuasion. From coping with shame to navigating through change, love, and ego, this thought-provoking book probes into every aspect of our modern lives and is relatable to every one of us, on every page.”—Diana Nyad, author of Find a Way“Through clear explication of the rhetorical tools that are available to us, coupled with engaging anecdotes involving a diverse set of characters from Cicero to Taylor Swift and ‘the Dude,’ Heinrichs inspires readers to discover how they can use the power of words to transform both themselves and their world.”—Bishop Michael Curry, internationally known preacher and author of Love Is the Way, The Power of Love, and Songs My Grandma Sang“Combining cogent philosophical explanations with entertaining examples from popular culture (including how Taylor Swift and Muhammad Ali used the power of persuasion), Heinrichs provides … a spirited and innovative application of an ancient Greek art.”—Publishers Weekly“Heinrichs’s prose is everything one would expect from an expert on rhetoric: funny, charming, relatable.”—Kirkus Reviews

Jay Heinrichs is the New York Times bestselling author of Thank You for Arguing. He spent twenty-six years as a writer, editor, and magazine publishing executive before becoming a full-time advocate for the lost art of rhetoric. He now lectures widely on the subject, to audiences ranging from Ivy League students and NASA scientists to Southwest Airlines executives, and publishes the popular rhetoric newsletter on Substack, Aristotle’s Guide to Soul Bending. He lives with his wife in New Hampshire.