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Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion: How Ancient Rhetoric, Taylor Swift, and Your Own Soul Can Help You Change Your Life
Show yourself who's in charge using the original art of persuasion, backed by contemporary pop culture examples that make transforming your habits and achieving goals easy, even fun—from the New York Times bestselling author of Thank You for Arguing
Rhetoric once sat at the center of elite education. Alexander the Great, Shakespeare, and Martin Luther King, Jr., used it to build empires, write deathless literature, and inspire democracies. Now it will help you to take leadership over yourself; not through pop psychology or empty inspiration, but with persuasive tools that have been tested for more than three thousand years. In Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion, Heinrichs helps readers persuade their most difficult audiences—themselves—by using techniques invented by the likes of Aristotle and Cicero and deployed by our culture’s most persuasive characters. With their help, rhetoric can convert the most negative situations into positive ones.
Heinrichs brings in examples from history and pop culture—Winston Churchill, Iron Man, Dolly Parton, and the woman who serendipitously invented the chocolate chip cookie—to illustrate the concepts. But the core of the book tests the tools of self-persuasion and Can the same techniques that seduce lovers, sell diet books, and overturn governments help us achieve our most desired goals?
Filled with entertaining and scientific studies that showcase the power of what language can do for you, Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion will teach you how to be the most successful person you can be, just by talking to yourself.
Rhetoric once sat at the center of elite education. Alexander the Great, Shakespeare, and Martin Luther King, Jr., used it to build empires, write deathless literature, and inspire democracies. Now it will help you to take leadership over yourself; not through pop psychology or empty inspiration, but with persuasive tools that have been tested for more than three thousand years. In Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion, Heinrichs helps readers persuade their most difficult audiences—themselves—by using techniques invented by the likes of Aristotle and Cicero and deployed by our culture’s most persuasive characters. With their help, rhetoric can convert the most negative situations into positive ones.
Heinrichs brings in examples from history and pop culture—Winston Churchill, Iron Man, Dolly Parton, and the woman who serendipitously invented the chocolate chip cookie—to illustrate the concepts. But the core of the book tests the tools of self-persuasion and Can the same techniques that seduce lovers, sell diet books, and overturn governments help us achieve our most desired goals?
Filled with entertaining and scientific studies that showcase the power of what language can do for you, Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion will teach you how to be the most successful person you can be, just by talking to yourself.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published July 15, 2025
66 people are currently reading
3393 people want to read
About the author
Jay Heinrichs
13 books173 followersJay Heinrichs is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Thank You for Arguing, published in four editions and 14 languages. The leading modern work on rhetoric, it has been taught in more than 3,000 college rhetoric classes and countless AP English Language & Composition classes.
Jay maintains the popular rhetoric and language websites ArgueLab.com and websites Figarospeech.com. In addition, he holds frequent Skype-ins with classes that use his book.
When he’s not spreading the gospel of rhetoric, Jay conducts content strategies and persuasion workshops for clients as varied as the Wharton School of Business and NASA. Middlebury College named him a Professor of the Practice of Rhetoric and Oratory. Bloomberg BusinessWeek magazine did a not altogether flattering portrait of him titled Jay Heinrichs’s Powers of Persuasion.
Jay maintains the popular rhetoric and language websites ArgueLab.com and websites Figarospeech.com. In addition, he holds frequent Skype-ins with classes that use his book.
When he’s not spreading the gospel of rhetoric, Jay conducts content strategies and persuasion workshops for clients as varied as the Wharton School of Business and NASA. Middlebury College named him a Professor of the Practice of Rhetoric and Oratory. Bloomberg BusinessWeek magazine did a not altogether flattering portrait of him titled Jay Heinrichs’s Powers of Persuasion.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 15, 2025
I absolutely love Jay Heinrichs’ books. Reading about rhetoric is typically super boring, but Jay is entertaining with his writing. He even wrote a book called “How to Argue with a Cat”, teaching you rhetorical techniques by relating it to the behavior of cats. This book is a much different book than his others because it’s more of a self-help book, and it’s super interesting.
Jay is an older guy (I believe in his 50s or 60s), and he’s pretty active. Unfortunately, he randomly got a hip issue and was going to give up on trying, but his wife talked him into using rhetoric on himself. This book teaches you persuasion techniques, but rather than convincing others, you convince yourself to accomplish goals, and Jay used himself as a guinea pig. It’s awesome, and I loved every second of it.
Jay is an older guy (I believe in his 50s or 60s), and he’s pretty active. Unfortunately, he randomly got a hip issue and was going to give up on trying, but his wife talked him into using rhetoric on himself. This book teaches you persuasion techniques, but rather than convincing others, you convince yourself to accomplish goals, and Jay used himself as a guinea pig. It’s awesome, and I loved every second of it.
September 12, 2025
It gave some practical ways to convince yourself to tackle your goals. Some of them were really just common sense. Good writer
December 2, 2025
This book is easily classified as a help book. However, it wasn’t just that. It was a self help book that was backed by ancient philosophical evidence by Aristotle and other prominent Greek scholars. A lot can be said on how different topics have continued to transcend time over 2000 years later. The main focus is on the power of words and how the greatest thinkers of the western world challenged themselves through the power of rhetoric and how to bend your soul for the better. Jay Heinrichs uses not only ancient philosophy to cite his work, but also relates everything to modern day pop stars, movie characters, pop culture figures that have created very successful lives. Overall an excellent book. An easy read.
August 23, 2025
Okay yes, I must admit, I only picked up this book because I saw Aristotle & Taylor Swift in the same title so I was 100% clickbaited.
Book was a bit cumbersome to get through so you have to have grace & patience but super inspiring read. Packed with metaphors & examples apt to a young adult at this point of time. Touched on well-known philosophical viewpoints but gave you these viewpoints with relevant tools for self improvement.
🌟 3.5/5 - was hard to stay interested in at times but I’m assuming that’s a trait of self help books in general. It’s harder to stay engaged in material that we know would benefit us just by reading it, how ironic is that?
Book was a bit cumbersome to get through so you have to have grace & patience but super inspiring read. Packed with metaphors & examples apt to a young adult at this point of time. Touched on well-known philosophical viewpoints but gave you these viewpoints with relevant tools for self improvement.
🌟 3.5/5 - was hard to stay interested in at times but I’m assuming that’s a trait of self help books in general. It’s harder to stay engaged in material that we know would benefit us just by reading it, how ironic is that?
July 22, 2025
I love his trick for daylight savings time!
January 24, 2026
Jay Heinrichs' "Thank You for Arguing" is one of my all-time favorite nonfiction works. In fact, I used it as a supplemental text in a graduate-level argumentation course I taught years ago. So, I was excited to read this latest work of his. Unfortunately, I was disappointed in it.
The premise certainly was interesting. From the book jacket:
"Rhetoric once sat at the center of elite education. Alexander the Great, Shakespeare, and Martin Luther King, Jr., used it to build empires, write deathless literature, and inspire democracies. Now it will help you to take leadership over yourself; not through pop psychology or empty inspiration, but with persuasive tools that have been tested for more than three thousand years. In 'Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion,' Heinrichs helps readers persuade their most difficult audiences—themselves—by using techniques invented by the likes of Aristotle and Cicero and deployed by our culture’s most persuasive characters. With their help, rhetoric can convert the most negative situations into positive ones.
Heinrichs brings in examples from history and pop culture—Winston Churchill, Iron Man, Dolly Parton, and the woman who serendipitously invented the chocolate chip cookie—to illustrate the concepts. But the core of the book tests the tools of self-persuasion and Can the same techniques that seduce lovers, sell diet books, and overturn governments help us achieve our most desired goals?
Filled with entertaining and scientific studies that showcase the power of what language can do for you, 'Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion' will teach you how to be the most successful person you can be, just by talking to yourself."
However, basing this work on Aristotle's writings meant that Heinrichs had to overcome the ancient Greek philosopher's weaknesses. For while Aristotle's influence on Western thought is unarguable, his concepts are difficult to understand and his writing dense. And I think that transferred into Heinrichs' writing. This book just wasn't as enjoyable and entertaining as "Thank You for Arguing." In fact, I may have given it 2.5 stars had that been an option.
Still, there were some good sections, including Chapter 2 on Kairos (the art of grabbing a moment of opportunity before it disappears) and Chapters 13 (Joy) and 14 (Peroration). But they just weren't enough to carry the rest of the book, which was uncharacteristically dry and dense for Heinrich.
I'll wrap up this somewhat disappointing review with one of my favorite excerpts from the book. I wish more of it had been written this powerfully:
"An honest comparison of any of our traits with the rest of the animal kingdom makes us seem second-rate.
Except for one thing: words. Words make us human. They separate our species from any other and make us uniquely aware of our souls. Of all the creatures on earth, we are the ones with the stories, the animals who seek meaning. Through words we can erase time and discover what Aristotle was thinking thousands of years ago. We can erase space, seeing inside the minds of people unlike ourselves. Our disciplined use of words...can find likenesses even among abstractions, allowing us to invent democracy and iPhones. Words encode our thoughts and spread them abroad.
Most important, Aristotle would say, words let us bend our souls. Without words, we just wouldn't be human. The more we tap into their power, the more human we are. And the more human we are, the happier we find ourselves. This is why the ancients valued rhetoric, the art that taps the power of words, above all other education." [pp. 232-233]
The premise certainly was interesting. From the book jacket:
"Rhetoric once sat at the center of elite education. Alexander the Great, Shakespeare, and Martin Luther King, Jr., used it to build empires, write deathless literature, and inspire democracies. Now it will help you to take leadership over yourself; not through pop psychology or empty inspiration, but with persuasive tools that have been tested for more than three thousand years. In 'Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion,' Heinrichs helps readers persuade their most difficult audiences—themselves—by using techniques invented by the likes of Aristotle and Cicero and deployed by our culture’s most persuasive characters. With their help, rhetoric can convert the most negative situations into positive ones.
Heinrichs brings in examples from history and pop culture—Winston Churchill, Iron Man, Dolly Parton, and the woman who serendipitously invented the chocolate chip cookie—to illustrate the concepts. But the core of the book tests the tools of self-persuasion and Can the same techniques that seduce lovers, sell diet books, and overturn governments help us achieve our most desired goals?
Filled with entertaining and scientific studies that showcase the power of what language can do for you, 'Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion' will teach you how to be the most successful person you can be, just by talking to yourself."
However, basing this work on Aristotle's writings meant that Heinrichs had to overcome the ancient Greek philosopher's weaknesses. For while Aristotle's influence on Western thought is unarguable, his concepts are difficult to understand and his writing dense. And I think that transferred into Heinrichs' writing. This book just wasn't as enjoyable and entertaining as "Thank You for Arguing." In fact, I may have given it 2.5 stars had that been an option.
Still, there were some good sections, including Chapter 2 on Kairos (the art of grabbing a moment of opportunity before it disappears) and Chapters 13 (Joy) and 14 (Peroration). But they just weren't enough to carry the rest of the book, which was uncharacteristically dry and dense for Heinrich.
I'll wrap up this somewhat disappointing review with one of my favorite excerpts from the book. I wish more of it had been written this powerfully:
"An honest comparison of any of our traits with the rest of the animal kingdom makes us seem second-rate.
Except for one thing: words. Words make us human. They separate our species from any other and make us uniquely aware of our souls. Of all the creatures on earth, we are the ones with the stories, the animals who seek meaning. Through words we can erase time and discover what Aristotle was thinking thousands of years ago. We can erase space, seeing inside the minds of people unlike ourselves. Our disciplined use of words...can find likenesses even among abstractions, allowing us to invent democracy and iPhones. Words encode our thoughts and spread them abroad.
Most important, Aristotle would say, words let us bend our souls. Without words, we just wouldn't be human. The more we tap into their power, the more human we are. And the more human we are, the happier we find ourselves. This is why the ancients valued rhetoric, the art that taps the power of words, above all other education." [pp. 232-233]
August 9, 2025
This book takes Aristotle’s idea of the “soul” as your better self—the part of you that’s just, fair, courageous, prudent, and wise—and presents it as a practical tool for self-persuasion. The author shows how rhetoric, though often viewed as a dark art, can be used ethically to align your present actions with that higher identity. There are strong parallels to modern psychology, especially cognitive dissonance theory. The book invites you to think of your soul as having arete (excellence) and to see your better self as your identity or ethos. I found the discussion of shame particularly interesting—when it signals a gap between who you are and who you aim to be, it can be more constructive than guilt. I also liked the call to question your own preferences and values.
It’s a thoughtful and unique book (not sure anyone else could write it), but sometimes difficult to follow as it jumps quickly between Cicero, Homeric quotes, Etc, and personal anecdotes. But I do enjoy ancient philosophy as self-help, and there’s a lot here - tons, but without more background in rhetoric I may not have gotten as much out of it as other readers might.
It is 100% worth a read.
It’s a thoughtful and unique book (not sure anyone else could write it), but sometimes difficult to follow as it jumps quickly between Cicero, Homeric quotes, Etc, and personal anecdotes. But I do enjoy ancient philosophy as self-help, and there’s a lot here - tons, but without more background in rhetoric I may not have gotten as much out of it as other readers might.
It is 100% worth a read.
August 19, 2025
One of the most confusing, misleading, trap of a book I have ever laid my eyes on. I went into it with high hopes, expecting insight and clarity, only to end up completely disappointed. Instead of answers, it felt like a maze designed to frustrate the reader. What’s worse, it dresses itself up as something profound, but once you peel back the layers, there’s nothing but empty promises. Honestly, I wish I had never wasted my time on it.
August 30, 2025
I picked this book up because it had the name, Taylor Swift, on the cover but my God it was a drawn out read! I don’t feel like I learned anything and all the metaphors and examples were too broad for me to really get a hold of and their importances as well as explanations. I wish I can get the time back that I spent reading this book. I give it one star still becuase Taylor Swift was mentioned in it.
July 20, 2025
Heinrichs brings his wit and insight about rhetoric to a new audience: the self. If you're familiar with Thank You for Arguing, this book will feel like a remix, bringing up the concepts introduced there as a tool to help improve yourself. I appreciate Heinrichs' anecdotes, which brings a nice touch of personalization to the book.
November 3, 2025
If you've read his earlier Thank You For Arguing, you probably don't need to pick this one up. But if you have it, this is as good of a place as any to start. Not a long book, and entertaining, but don't expect to achieve enlightenment by the end. Maybe just some light aha's
August 20, 2025
I really appreciated the views into how I can better myself, whether it is puffing myself up (but not too much), faking myself, or finding the positives in the constant negatives.
November 12, 2025
The best and most accessible book on philosophy I've read!
December 29, 2025
Not worth reviewing sorry.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews