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Self and Self-Management
Excerpt from Self and Self-Management: Essays About Existing
How much wiser, you say, and indeed we all say, is that other young woman who has chosen the part of content. She has come to terms with the universe. She is not for ever gadding about in search of something which she has not got, and which not one person in a hundred round about her has got. She has said The universe is stronger than I am. I will accommodate myself to the universe.'
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
How much wiser, you say, and indeed we all say, is that other young woman who has chosen the part of content. She has come to terms with the universe. She is not for ever gadding about in search of something which she has not got, and which not one person in a hundred round about her has got. She has said The universe is stronger than I am. I will accommodate myself to the universe.'
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Hardcover
First published November 8, 2010
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About the author
Arnold Bennett
874 books307 followersEnoch Arnold Bennett was an English author, best known as a novelist, who wrote prolifically. Between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays (some in collaboration with other writers), and a daily journal totalling more than a million words. He wrote articles and stories for more than 100 newspapers and periodicals, worked in and briefly ran the Ministry of Information during the First World War, and wrote for the cinema in the 1920s. Sales of his books were substantial, and he was the most financially successful British author of his day.
Born into a modest but upwardly mobile family in Hanley, in the Staffordshire Potteries, Bennett was intended by his father, a solicitor, to follow him into the legal profession. Bennett worked for his father before moving to another law firm in London as a clerk at the age of 21. He became assistant editor and then editor of a women's magazine before becoming a full-time author in 1900. Always a devotee of French culture in general and French literature in particular, he moved to Paris in 1903; there the relaxed milieu helped him overcome his intense shyness, particularly with women. He spent ten years in France, marrying a Frenchwoman in 1907. In 1912 he moved back to England. He and his wife separated in 1921, and he spent the last years of his life with a new partner, an English actress. He died in 1931 of typhoid fever, having unwisely drunk tap-water in France.
Many of Bennett's novels and short stories are set in a fictionalised version of the Staffordshire Potteries, which he called The Five Towns. He strongly believed that literature should be accessible to ordinary people and he deplored literary cliques and élites. His books appealed to a wide public and sold in large numbers. For this reason, and for his adherence to realism, writers and supporters of the modernist school, notably Virginia Woolf, belittled him, and his fiction became neglected after his death. During his lifetime his journalistic "self-help" books sold in substantial numbers, and he was also a playwright; he did less well in the theatre than with novels but achieved two considerable successes with Milestones (1912) and The Great Adventure (1913).
Studies by Margaret Drabble (1974), John Carey (1992), and others have led to a re-evaluation of Bennett's work. The finest of his novels, including Anna of the Five Towns (1902), The Old Wives' Tale (1908), Clayhanger (1910) and Riceyman Steps (1923), are now widely recognised as major works.
Born into a modest but upwardly mobile family in Hanley, in the Staffordshire Potteries, Bennett was intended by his father, a solicitor, to follow him into the legal profession. Bennett worked for his father before moving to another law firm in London as a clerk at the age of 21. He became assistant editor and then editor of a women's magazine before becoming a full-time author in 1900. Always a devotee of French culture in general and French literature in particular, he moved to Paris in 1903; there the relaxed milieu helped him overcome his intense shyness, particularly with women. He spent ten years in France, marrying a Frenchwoman in 1907. In 1912 he moved back to England. He and his wife separated in 1921, and he spent the last years of his life with a new partner, an English actress. He died in 1931 of typhoid fever, having unwisely drunk tap-water in France.
Many of Bennett's novels and short stories are set in a fictionalised version of the Staffordshire Potteries, which he called The Five Towns. He strongly believed that literature should be accessible to ordinary people and he deplored literary cliques and élites. His books appealed to a wide public and sold in large numbers. For this reason, and for his adherence to realism, writers and supporters of the modernist school, notably Virginia Woolf, belittled him, and his fiction became neglected after his death. During his lifetime his journalistic "self-help" books sold in substantial numbers, and he was also a playwright; he did less well in the theatre than with novels but achieved two considerable successes with Milestones (1912) and The Great Adventure (1913).
Studies by Margaret Drabble (1974), John Carey (1992), and others have led to a re-evaluation of Bennett's work. The finest of his novels, including Anna of the Five Towns (1902), The Old Wives' Tale (1908), Clayhanger (1910) and Riceyman Steps (1923), are now widely recognised as major works.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 31, 2025
I am post-processing this book for DistributedProofreaders and Project Gutenberg will publisg pretty soon.
CONTENTS
RUNNING AWAY FROM LIFE 3
SOME AXIOMS ABOUT WAR-WORK 25
THE DIARY HABIT 45
A DANGEROUS LECTURE TO A YOUNG
WOMAN 65
THE COMPLETE FUSSER 85
THE MEANING OF FROCKS 103
CONTENTS
RUNNING AWAY FROM LIFE 3
SOME AXIOMS ABOUT WAR-WORK 25
THE DIARY HABIT 45
A DANGEROUS LECTURE TO A YOUNG
WOMAN 65
THE COMPLETE FUSSER 85
THE MEANING OF FROCKS 103
October 26, 2012
Arnold Bennett was an early writer on various subjects, best known now perhaps for stingingly public arguments with Virginia Woolf. In this book, he considers how to find work which is satisfying. His book is, in part, written to women doing war work, and seems to be an expression of his frustration about their complaints that the work is not personally rewarding. He’s an early exponent of the idea of psychological reframing. Not as good as some of his other books, and a little dated, but an interesting look at the mindset of war workers.
February 4, 2016
I have the 1918 edition.
I read this as a youngster in Junior High,
along with 'Mental Efficiency' 1911 edition &
'How to Live on 24 Hours a Day' 1910 edition.
I referred back to them all the way through college.
They helped me stay 'on track' and achieve.
I read this as a youngster in Junior High,
along with 'Mental Efficiency' 1911 edition &
'How to Live on 24 Hours a Day' 1910 edition.
I referred back to them all the way through college.
They helped me stay 'on track' and achieve.
November 7, 2015
Another fun self-help book by Arnold Bennett. He was wrong about high heels going out of fashion, and a number of other things as well, but right about many others, and entertaining in the bargain. He was a thinking man and good writer, a winning combination as far as I'm concerned. Fine audio reading by Librivox volunteer Ruth Golding.
November 15, 2019
I just love Arnold Bennett. He always makes me feel so called out, but in a nice way. Light-hearted tone about the serious business of living.
Two particularly strong entries here -- "Some Axioms About War-Work" (which applies to any volunteer scenario, war or otherwise) and "A Dangerous Lecture to a Young Woman"
The Librivox edition of this is great, by the way.
Two particularly strong entries here -- "Some Axioms About War-Work" (which applies to any volunteer scenario, war or otherwise) and "A Dangerous Lecture to a Young Woman"
The Librivox edition of this is great, by the way.
January 29, 2019
This is a collection of essays rather than a coherent work on a single theme like How to Live on 24 Hours a Day or The Human Machine.
The essays included are as follows:
Running Away From Life
Some Axioms About War-Work
The Diary Habit
A Dangerous Lecture To A Young Woman
The Complete Fusser
The Meaning OF Frocks
Some of the essays seem more dated than the above books as well, though most of them are still interesting. A Dangerous Lecture To A Young Woman, in which he responds to a young lady who tells him his many self-improvement books have failed her, is my favorite of the bunch.
The essays included are as follows:
Running Away From Life
Some Axioms About War-Work
The Diary Habit
A Dangerous Lecture To A Young Woman
The Complete Fusser
The Meaning OF Frocks
Some of the essays seem more dated than the above books as well, though most of them are still interesting. A Dangerous Lecture To A Young Woman, in which he responds to a young lady who tells him his many self-improvement books have failed her, is my favorite of the bunch.
April 21, 2016
Interesting essays. The ones that stood out the most for me were "Running away from life", "The diary habit", "A dangerous lecture to a young women" and "The complete fusser".
August 17, 2016
A series of rather witty essays by Bennett focusing on the individual...
December 5, 2018
It really doesn't do us any good to "Know Thyself" if one can't "Control thyself".
October 27, 2022
After writing 48 book reviews in 5 weeks, im a bit bored with reviewing this one. Yes was a bit boring, mainly becouse it's the kind of book I could give my teen daughters to read, i.e., not manly enough.
Nevertheless, the two chapters contained good advice. The practice of keeping a diary is a self-improvement method—something I was doing in the past and restarted recently. A journal can save good statistics on your mood, energy level that day, and achievements. My diary template also contains three things that im grateful for, tasks to be completed, etc. I keep all secrets in my head, but sometimes I add issues that affect me heavily.
The other important chapter is related to dressing. Victorian England and even now, the dress-to-impress rule is still valid back then. Im not going into details over the arguments used but surely dressing up nicely is one way of doing life business.
A good gift for teen girls, this book was; you can find a copy for free in Librivox
Nevertheless, the two chapters contained good advice. The practice of keeping a diary is a self-improvement method—something I was doing in the past and restarted recently. A journal can save good statistics on your mood, energy level that day, and achievements. My diary template also contains three things that im grateful for, tasks to be completed, etc. I keep all secrets in my head, but sometimes I add issues that affect me heavily.
The other important chapter is related to dressing. Victorian England and even now, the dress-to-impress rule is still valid back then. Im not going into details over the arguments used but surely dressing up nicely is one way of doing life business.
A good gift for teen girls, this book was; you can find a copy for free in Librivox
February 23, 2023
I found the collection of these essays to be somewhat overwhelming with information but very thoughtful and insightful. One quote that really stuck out to me was “Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste. The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labour is immense.”
February 6, 2017
Quaintly dated advice for finding fulfillment in life, circa early 20th century. Also, an unnecessarily academic essay regarding the psychology of fashion.
January 25, 2019
Was able to get a bunch of notes of wisdom and the character archetypes he speaks of are easily seen today.
February 6, 2022
Witty and interesting book
Some of the advice applies well to modern time, some have aged out
Some parts are sexist, product of its time
Some of the advice applies well to modern time, some have aged out
Some parts are sexist, product of its time
February 17, 2025
I adore Bennett. So delightfully interesting, humorous, observant of human nature. The Complete Fusser, The Diary Habit...so good.
I always enjoy a reread. Even just after finishing.
I always enjoy a reread. Even just after finishing.
June 15, 2025
4.75 ⭐
March 13, 2023
Meaningful, nice :)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews