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Know Yourself: A path to self-knowledge
232 pages, Hardcover
Published April 7, 2026
About the author
The School of Life
175 books3,281 followersThe School of Life is a global organisation helping people lead more fulfilled lives.
We believe that the journey to finding fulfilment begins with self-knowledge. It is only when we have a sense of who we really are that we can make reliable decisions, particularly around love and work.
Sadly, tools and techniques for developing self-knowledge and finding fulfilment are hard to find – they’re not taught in schools, in universities, or in workplaces. Too many of us go through life without ever really understanding what’s going on in the recesses of our minds.
That’s why we created The School of Life; a resource for helping us understand ourselves, for improving our relationships, our careers and our social lives - as well as for helping us find calm and get more out of our leisure hours. We do this through films, workshops, books and gifts - as well as through a warm and supportive community.
We believe that the journey to finding fulfilment begins with self-knowledge. It is only when we have a sense of who we really are that we can make reliable decisions, particularly around love and work.
Sadly, tools and techniques for developing self-knowledge and finding fulfilment are hard to find – they’re not taught in schools, in universities, or in workplaces. Too many of us go through life without ever really understanding what’s going on in the recesses of our minds.
That’s why we created The School of Life; a resource for helping us understand ourselves, for improving our relationships, our careers and our social lives - as well as for helping us find calm and get more out of our leisure hours. We do this through films, workshops, books and gifts - as well as through a warm and supportive community.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 9, 2026
The sections on childhood, parenting styles, etc. are genuinely good, especially the impact on attachment styles and communication in relationships. That stuff makes it worth picking up.
The writing gets in its own way though. The book speaks in absolutes too often, leans on certain phrases too heavily, and some sentences ramble enough to warrant a reread.
It was research-heavy in a textbook kind of way - it’s informative, but don’t expect it to be super captivating or entertaining.
Thank you Edelweiss and publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
The writing gets in its own way though. The book speaks in absolutes too often, leans on certain phrases too heavily, and some sentences ramble enough to warrant a reread.
It was research-heavy in a textbook kind of way - it’s informative, but don’t expect it to be super captivating or entertaining.
Thank you Edelweiss and publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
July 4, 2026
As I navigate my second quarter life crisis and a multitude of ongoing health issues, this book at the bookstore checkout table immediately captivated my attention.
I’m not one to write in books, but for this one I did because there were so many sentences I loved. I’m listing only some of them here below, as I normally do in my reviews.
Deep on the central thesis that all behavior stems from parenting-childhood trauma.
Favorite lines
“The prerequisites for the task of self-knowledge are patience, guile and limitless humility.” - truth
“When we are truly closed to ourselves, our minds may feel they have no other option but to set off a bodily symptom.” - my somatic therapist and neurologist would agree
“We have been so good at surviving that cannot get in a position to thrive.” - wow this book is speaking the truth
“They can provide a clinically pristine Petri dish in which the antics we commonly manifest in the noisy, smudged realm outside an be isolated and addressed.” - love advocating for therapy, in which I am in multiple forms and truly appreciate
“Our partners may see what we no longer a see, both what is adorable and what is more perplexing and difficult.” - this is the reality with my twin, family, and close friends, though I realize would be different with a spouse/live-in partner
“No one has ever learnt anything about themselves in conditions of belittlement or humiliation.” - tell that to my former roommates and bosses
“The most tender thing we might hear from a lover is that we are weird yet interesting, a mess yet vibrant, silly yet charming. We want the deeper reasons behind our flaws to be taken into account.” - goals
“There’s nothing wrong with deciding a person isn’t for us. There is something substantially difficult with wasting another’s precious time while we continue to sidestep a piece of awkward news in our own minds.” - can think of some couple examples here, interesting to see it spelled out and addressed so
“It will, in order to stir us from our reverie, give us all manner of problems - breakdowns, illnesses, twitches, compulsions - in the hope of letting us know that there is something we would benefit from reckoning with.” - I struggle with a psychosomatic diagnosis for my various illnesses, because even with therapy and medication it’s not ‘reckoned with,’ I wish. But also nice to hear that I’m not alone in this
“Lack of awareness returns to haunt us as physical ailments.” - exactly what I have issue with, as I’m almost too aware
“The mind may be doing its best work precisely when we don’t ask too much of it too urgently.” - slow down, take a breath or a walk, let go mentally for a bit to plug back in later
Too much of the Society chapter resonated strongly for me to accurate notate it here.
“The only people we can ever think if as ‘normal’ are those we don’t yet know very well.” - wow this is deep. As someone who has been called ‘quirky’ and others all spoke up in agreement, when I didn’t know if I should take it as a compliment or not, this makes me feel seen.
“We don’t need to be poets or artists to digest our experiences more thoroughly, but we can learn from these disciplines about how to study the world and bottle and preserve its most valuable moments.” - I used to be more intentional in recording the small stuff, perhaps I need to pick it back up.
“We can at least strive to put ourselves in situations where we stand the highest chance of meeting with the occasional insight.” - I do some: therapy, walk with curious friends, read a lot, stare out windows. And I plan to do more very soon: train journeys across open distances, eat (out) alone, perhaps journal. But I know I can be better too about some: reflect, unpack anxiety and sorrow, listen to difficult feedback.
I’m not one to write in books, but for this one I did because there were so many sentences I loved. I’m listing only some of them here below, as I normally do in my reviews.
Deep on the central thesis that all behavior stems from parenting-childhood trauma.
Favorite lines
“The prerequisites for the task of self-knowledge are patience, guile and limitless humility.” - truth
“When we are truly closed to ourselves, our minds may feel they have no other option but to set off a bodily symptom.” - my somatic therapist and neurologist would agree
“We have been so good at surviving that cannot get in a position to thrive.” - wow this book is speaking the truth
“They can provide a clinically pristine Petri dish in which the antics we commonly manifest in the noisy, smudged realm outside an be isolated and addressed.” - love advocating for therapy, in which I am in multiple forms and truly appreciate
“Our partners may see what we no longer a see, both what is adorable and what is more perplexing and difficult.” - this is the reality with my twin, family, and close friends, though I realize would be different with a spouse/live-in partner
“No one has ever learnt anything about themselves in conditions of belittlement or humiliation.” - tell that to my former roommates and bosses
“The most tender thing we might hear from a lover is that we are weird yet interesting, a mess yet vibrant, silly yet charming. We want the deeper reasons behind our flaws to be taken into account.” - goals
“There’s nothing wrong with deciding a person isn’t for us. There is something substantially difficult with wasting another’s precious time while we continue to sidestep a piece of awkward news in our own minds.” - can think of some couple examples here, interesting to see it spelled out and addressed so
“It will, in order to stir us from our reverie, give us all manner of problems - breakdowns, illnesses, twitches, compulsions - in the hope of letting us know that there is something we would benefit from reckoning with.” - I struggle with a psychosomatic diagnosis for my various illnesses, because even with therapy and medication it’s not ‘reckoned with,’ I wish. But also nice to hear that I’m not alone in this
“Lack of awareness returns to haunt us as physical ailments.” - exactly what I have issue with, as I’m almost too aware
“The mind may be doing its best work precisely when we don’t ask too much of it too urgently.” - slow down, take a breath or a walk, let go mentally for a bit to plug back in later
Too much of the Society chapter resonated strongly for me to accurate notate it here.
“The only people we can ever think if as ‘normal’ are those we don’t yet know very well.” - wow this is deep. As someone who has been called ‘quirky’ and others all spoke up in agreement, when I didn’t know if I should take it as a compliment or not, this makes me feel seen.
“We don’t need to be poets or artists to digest our experiences more thoroughly, but we can learn from these disciplines about how to study the world and bottle and preserve its most valuable moments.” - I used to be more intentional in recording the small stuff, perhaps I need to pick it back up.
“We can at least strive to put ourselves in situations where we stand the highest chance of meeting with the occasional insight.” - I do some: therapy, walk with curious friends, read a lot, stare out windows. And I plan to do more very soon: train journeys across open distances, eat (out) alone, perhaps journal. But I know I can be better too about some: reflect, unpack anxiety and sorrow, listen to difficult feedback.
Read
April 10, 2026I’m always a little vulnerable to books like this - anything promising self-awareness and deeper understanding of myself is basically an automatic yes. And Know Yourself definitely fits the classic The School of Life style: calm, reflective, and gently therapeutic.
There’s a lot to appreciate here - I liked the the sections on childhood, attachment, and how our unconscious patterns shape our relationships. At its best, it feels like low-key therapy in book form. It's thoughtful, validating, and occasionally hitting on something that makes you pause.
That said, if you’ve read a lot in the self-development space, this might feel a bit familiar. I kept hoping for a new insight or perspective, but most of it covered ground I’d already seen before. It also leans a little dense and research-heavy at times, which can make it feel more like a textbook than something you can’t put down.
Thank you Netgalley and the School of Life for the ARC!
Overall, not a bad read, especially if you’re newer to this kind of work. But for seasoned self-reflection enthusiasts, it may feel more like a refresher than a revelation.
There’s a lot to appreciate here - I liked the the sections on childhood, attachment, and how our unconscious patterns shape our relationships. At its best, it feels like low-key therapy in book form. It's thoughtful, validating, and occasionally hitting on something that makes you pause.
That said, if you’ve read a lot in the self-development space, this might feel a bit familiar. I kept hoping for a new insight or perspective, but most of it covered ground I’d already seen before. It also leans a little dense and research-heavy at times, which can make it feel more like a textbook than something you can’t put down.
Thank you Netgalley and the School of Life for the ARC!
Overall, not a bad read, especially if you’re newer to this kind of work. But for seasoned self-reflection enthusiasts, it may feel more like a refresher than a revelation.
May 2, 2026
The book The School of Life is a meaningful gift for me. I really like how it touches on psychology in a thought-provoking way and goes into detail about understanding our inner lives. I agree that we all need to at least try to understand ourselves better.
However, this book wasn’t really a match for me. I found the reading somewhat difficult, and I think it might have been better with simpler explanations or more relatable examples. Also, as someone who has read many books by The School of Life, I felt that this one was a bit lacking and didn’t offer much that felt new.
Still, if you are looking for this specific topic, this book is useful and a good place to start.
Thank you to The School of Life and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC.
However, this book wasn’t really a match for me. I found the reading somewhat difficult, and I think it might have been better with simpler explanations or more relatable examples. Also, as someone who has read many books by The School of Life, I felt that this one was a bit lacking and didn’t offer much that felt new.
Still, if you are looking for this specific topic, this book is useful and a good place to start.
Thank you to The School of Life and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is not a bad book. It felt a little dense at times. Lots of facts and not so much narrative. There was some really nice text around love and attachment - for example - The most tender thing we might hear from a lover is that we are weird yet interesting, a mess yet vibrant, silly yet charming. Overall, I found it well researched but not a very entertaining read. Thanks to NetGalley and The School of Life for the ARC.
April 20, 2026
I find the 'School of Life' books really hit and miss. Usually the books that allow you to journal (like a workbook-style) are great, but the books about a specific topic I find quite dull and waffly.
This book was super interesting and really made me think. The prompts allow you to delve deeper into your thoughts and feelings. You get to know more about you!
I received this book as an electronic copy (ARC) but I will be buying a physical copy so I can take full advantage of the journaling.
I would definitely recommend as a fun project to allow you to do a deep dive into who you are!
This book was super interesting and really made me think. The prompts allow you to delve deeper into your thoughts and feelings. You get to know more about you!
I received this book as an electronic copy (ARC) but I will be buying a physical copy so I can take full advantage of the journaling.
I would definitely recommend as a fun project to allow you to do a deep dive into who you are!
July 8, 2026
I wouldn’t say this book was life changing, but it was a quick interesting read with good ideas to prompt reflection.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews