The Idiot Factor: The 10 Ways We Sabotage Our Life, Money, and Business

by Larry Winget

Read Larry Winget's posts on the Penguin Blog

The Pitbull of Personal Development and New York Time bestselling author is back with advice on the dumb things people do to sabotage their success

What do people really want? They want what they've got. It's a simple formula. You have what you want because your actions produced your results. Not your words and certainly not your wants.

In his signature caustic yet lovable style, Larry Winget dishes out straight talk on what he calls "life's messes", and offers sound, simple solutions. Taking on business, family, health, being fat, being stupid, success, money, and more, Larry Winget points out exactly which changes have to take place in order for people to turn their lives around.

A little bit of business, a little bit of personal development, a little finance, a little parenting, a little health and wellness, The Idiot Factor will help anyone identify his or her own "areas of stupidity" and take action to finally achieve real success.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Personal Development, Psychology, Business, Finance, Reference

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 30, 2008

About the author

Larry Winget is a motivational speaker and writer on the topics of money, personal success and business.

Reviews

[Gela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes I read this book in one night. This guy is a complete asshole. Larry is blunt, can be harsh and a bit rude... and he is completely honest (to his beliefs). While I will agree with most of what he says there are some things I don't believe completely. Larry puts things out there in a black or white tone. There's no gray areas for him that I read about. Then again he is giving pointers. I don't think he would ever use a real personal "example" or anything real terrible to set examples for his readers. I believe this is part of his life and he said it best with the term "dittoheads," which I have called bobble heads for years now. Wingets books are refreshing. I think the fact that I can agree with this guy and at the same time want to sucker punch him tells me he hit something personal with me. He's right, I'm a freaking idiot.

[Juha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of the book are the short, plain slogans such as: "A promise to try is a promise to fail", "Stress comes from knowing what is right and doing what is wrong" or "Expect the best, Be prepared for the worst, Celebrate it all!" Good reminders of a life's basic principles. Generally the book is too school book -type and simplistic, however, for my taste.

[TC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Larry Winget is NOT a your typical motivational speaker, he actually refers to himself as an "Irritational Speaker". He aims to be the kick in the ass that gets you off the couch and gets you moving in the right direction. One of his favorite quotes is "the Truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off!" He fills this book with stories about how we are all idiots from time to time, but then he shows us how we can stop being idiots and start becoming successful in our pursuits. And just as he starts to tick you off with his "in your face" style he reminds you that sometimes he's an idiot two, since most of his knowledge has come from learning from his own stupid mistakes. And don't forget, a lot of the stories are not just instructive, they're also really funny!

[Darlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this "tough love" type of self-help book had some valid points to make, there were times that Winget went beyond blunt to downright rude & obnoxious. However, that may be what is needed for some. It's worth a read for the points that are made. I promise you won't be unmoved - be it gratitude, laughter, or anger - you will feel something.

[Marian Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Larry Winget may be an acquired taste, but he is brutally honest. Outside of the provocative title, this book tells it like it is on how to really get what you want and get over yourself. A quick read that is humorous and thought-provoking.

[Vinayak Joshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not for everyone. But there is some good common sense advice in this. Lots of over-simplification too.

[Ioana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Așa cum o recunoaște scriitorul însuși, cartea nu inventează noi proceduri sau metode de dezvoltare personală, ci se axează pe cele clasice, care nu dau greș, pe care însă le prezintă într-un mod inedit și atractiv. Prin stilul avangardist și unic, lectura este menită să te scoată din mediocritate și din starea de moleșeală pentru a te pune pe drumul către succes personal și profesional.

"Succesul este un proces de eliminare. Trebuie să elimini acele comportamente care nu aduc succesul, ca să faci loc comportamentelor care-l aduc."

[Loy Machedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

New York Times Bestselling author Larry Winget’s book, People Are Idiots and I Can Prove It!’ according to me is a book with a very distinctive and unique taste. After reading and listening to countless brain-numbing, sweet-talking, perky, polished and perfect sounding speakers Larry Winget comes across as a sincere breath of fresh air.

To be honest, his book was something I just could not put down. Right from the first page, he bashes, smashes and torches all the excuses we give to ourselves and to the world and proves without a shadow of a doubt that we are all indeed idiots. What I loved most about the book is the truth he shoved across my face the reality of things which I knew yet ignored – And I deeply appreciated it.

Larry states very clearly in his book – he is not going to tell you something you do not know. In fact, no guru, speaker or trainer is ever going to do that. All they do is re-package good old advice in a few fashionable manner. Larry is one of those ‘kick-your-butt’ coaches that you can either hate or love. I feel this is a masterpiece one should keep with himself and read once a while to remind themselves that they bloody excuses they give themselves and the world, is all nothing but crap.

We need more genuine and honest speakers and trainers like Larry Winget.

It would make our world a much better place.

I loved the book to death and I highly recommend this book as one of my all time favorites.

Overall rating – A perfect 10 out of 10.

[Mtbike40 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larry Winget is great. I absolutely love his no holds bared approach or telling you just how it is. This book makes you laugh because he hits you upside the head with the things that people do that cause them to achieve less than their full potential.

This book is a great read just to start your mind thinking about your goals and what you want to achieve in life. Larry tackles everything from finances, personal health and even tips on fashion. (ha ha)

This is a quick read, but will get you mind thinking about how you choose to live your life for a long time.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about dealing with your personal health and how to stop being an idiot -- very interesting and Larry Winget is entertaining as all get out!

"Folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." -- Abraham Lincoln

"Sometimes a laugh is the only weapon we have." -- Roger Rabbit

Stress comes from knowing what is right and doing what is wrong.

[Drebbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Larry Winget’s book “People are Idiots and I can Prove it” focuses on ten ways you are sabotaging yourself and shows you how to work to overcome those ways. He says that people are sabotaging themselves in these ways: people are ignorant; people are stupid; people are lazy; people don’t give a damn; people lack vision; people have low expectations; people don’t recognize the consequences of their actions; people have bad habits; people have poor role models; and people have no plan. Along with giving advice on how to stop sabotaging yourself, Winget also talks about and leaves space throughout the book to make lists on things like how to take responsibility; how to save money; how to be a better person; how to be healthier; how to deal with jerks; how to make a better world; and much more.

As the title “People are Idiots and I can Prove it” indicates, Winget’s book isn’t for everyone, something he points out early on in the book. He’s a tough talker and won’t take excuses from anyone, including himself. He also says early on that everything he says is not news; he is just presenting it in a different way. Personally, I like his no-nonsense style as he forces people to take a good look at themselves. He’s not offering a miracle cure, but wants you to look within yourself for answers. As he says, he wants to show you “a” way to be more successful, not “the” way. His style is blunt and harsh at times, but he is upfront with the fact that he is as hard on himself as he is on other people. He stops throughout the book to have people create lists based on what he has written about – something I found very helpful. If I have any gripes about this book it’s the fact that Winget frequently references other books he has written – I could do without the constant sales pitch.

“People are Idiots and I can Prove it” is a blunt book and may not be for everyone’s taste, but I did learn some things from it, which is what I’m looking for in a self-help book.

[Мариана Рангелова · Rating 3 out of 5]

Лари ме измъчваше с безкрайните си списъци, но все пак ми хареса колко директно може да "срита" човек в задника.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty standard personal success principles, but delivered in an in-your-face manner by a very entertaining author (he was his own reader of the audio book I "read"). As long as you are not thin-skinned or easily offended, that is.
I enjoyed his style, and was reminded of some tried and true principles.

[Dennis Littrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

No proof needed, but thanks

I like a lot of what Larry Winget says, and this book is clearly a notch or two above most self-help guru books. (Larry calls himself a "success guru" or at least he did once on page 89.) The thing I like about his spiel is that he emphasizes personal responsibility. This is his central argument, and it should be the central argument of anyone's life. You are responsible for what happens to you. And yes you can throw in, "It isn't what happens to the man that counts. It's how the man reacts to what happens to him."

I don't know who said that, but I bet Larry does. He studied just about every self-help guru and motivational speaker he could find, and he's read a slew of self-help books; and judging from some of the well-thought of people he quotes throughout the book, he's probably read many of the Great Works of humankind--actually I know he has because he says so. Or he listens to them being read on a CD in the car. Larry Winget does not wing it. He believes you can fake it some of the time especially when you're starting out, but when push comes to shove you better have the goods. Furthermore, Larry believes in reading. He harps on it. And he's right, but you can also watch what he calls quality television--and he's right there too. Television use to be a vast wasteland--57 channels and there's nothing on, according to the Springstein song--and that was right, but today with the Discovery Channel, NatGeo, the Science Channel, PBS, etc., there is a lot to learn just by watching the tube.

Larry also believes in getting out of denial. As he says, every 12-step program ever designed begins with admitting you've screwed up and need to change your ways. That seems simple but most people never get to that step. They wallow in their denial. They are actually blind to the fact that they're fat and lazy and addicted to constant consumption and gross mismanagement of their finances. Their kids are even fat but they are so deep into denial they can't see it. The school counselor or the school nurse has to tell them, and guess what? They are insulted.

And that's another thing Larry has right. If your kids are fat, chances are they got it from you. Take a look in the mirror. In fact one the best things you can do--and Larry is all about this--is take a good long look in the mirror next time you wonder why bad things happen to "good" people. Doors close and you don't even know it. You seem unlucky but taking out a mortgage on a house you couldn't afford and then maxing out your credit cards is not bad luck.

Larry doesn't like hypocrisy (which is probably the main reason he isn't a George W. Bush Republican). He says, you screwed up. Admit it! He tells how he loved watching Jimmy Swaggart break into genuine tears as he admitted that he screwed up (literally) with a hooker. Larry contrasts this with Bush's "Mission Accomplished" photo op. He writes, "That has to be one of most idiotic statements ever made to the American public. I don't know of one human being except George W. Bush who doesn't know what a mistake that statement was. Will he admit it? Nope. The whole world knows--yet he won't come clean and just say that perhaps, possibly, maybe that was a mistake to claim." (p. 86) In a bipartisan style, Larry also takes Bill Clinton to task for lying about the sex he had with that woman.

I also like some of the reasons Larry picks for saying people are idiots. For example, "People spend millions of dollars every year on psychics. Come on, people…psychics! No one can predict your future except you. Take control of your future and stop spending money with these frauds." (p 21)

"The human race is knowingly destroying the environment. We pretend there is nothing we can do about it, and that makes us all idiots." (p. 21) Actually, Larry, the average person is in denial about destroying the environment. But it amounts to the same thing.

Here's one I especially like: "The average cost of a wedding today is almost $30,000. Yet those couples who spend that much on the wedding (or have that much spent for them on the wedding) rarely have enough money to make a down payment on a house. How smart is that?" (p. 15)

But Larry isn't your usual motivational speaker. Styling himself as "The Pitbull of Personal Development"--yes, as in another business, you gotta have a gimmick--Larry first beats you up and then gives you a hand up. I suspect that his style works best with people who feel they have to hit bottom before they can reverse the trend. I would also say this style is eerily similar to the bullying style of people like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly who like to kick people around on their show so their audience can live vicariously. But I have to admire Larry Winget's ability to turn this style into something positive, although it and this book will not be to everyone's taste. And by the way, he calls people who listen to Rush Limbaugh "dittoheads." (p. xiii) And yes he's got that right too.

Bottom line: ninety percent right on. Larry Winget knows his business. He's done his homework, and I will not (as some reviewers inevitably will) say that one more proof that people are idiots is that they buy books like this.

--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this more than I initially expected. Contains a lot of common sense that is just not so common nowadays. Good motivation for the new year!

[Ventsislava Kotseva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Хубавото на тази книга е, че ти казва истината право в очите. Без значение дали това ще те накара да се почувстваш обиден или не. Авторът не пести нищо на читателя. Но както той казва "Хората се засягат тогава, когато им кажеш истината." Различна е от масовите книги за самоусъвършенстване и не на всеки би се харесала. Дава идеи как да промениш живота си във всеки един аспект - здраве, семейство, доходи, външен вид, взаимоотношения, работа и всякакви подобни навици, които човек не трябва да забравя да поддържа, и да развива себе си. Авторът дава примери и с хора от обкръжението си, които наистина имат или са имали труден живот, но въпреки всичко дават максимума от тях самите, за да бъдат най-добрата версия на себе си. ВСЕКИ ДЕН. Без оправдания и мързел. Давам 4/5⭐ защото имаше поленца, в които трябва да изреждаш какво искаш, защо го искаш и тн. И това малко или много беше досадно, но както казва и самият автор така по-лесно читателят усвоява информацията, която той ни поднася. И с четенето, и с писането след това, книгата ти дава храна за размисъл и осъзнаваш върху какво трябва да работиш. И най-важното - дава ти идеи КАК да постигнеш това, което искаш от себе си.

[Reni R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually liked this book. A lot! We all have heard 'you are the person standing between you and your dreams' at least a million times in our lives. I do know that and I'm still standing on my way. Nope. I'm not moving. But when Larry says 'you are an idiot' you think 'hey, wait a minute, who were you to tell me that, who were you to tell me what to do'... but few minutes later you are realising that you really are an idiot or at least I realised it for myself and that YOU are really that 'you' that's standing on the way. This book felt like a cold shower - so refresing. Larry showed me a different perspective and I deffinately like what I learnt from the book for myself. As he says the book is not for everyone and some people might get offended by his words. Honestly it doesn't matter that his words are harsh and blunt. Sometimes people need a shock, a disapproval, a kick in the a$# to wake them up.

[Iain · Rating 2 out of 5]

I might have given this a higher rating, but for the fact that the author insists you have a pencil and paper with you to write things down. This is not a book that you can just read and there are better self-help books on the market.

I have to say I don't think the book is really aimed at me. That is not to say I am not one of the "idiots", but it is really aimed at American idiots. There are some useful nuggets of information, but this is really for a lowest common denominator audience for self help - there will be something here to help you, but there will be an awful lot of times you are going over things you know already. The author claims that common sense is not so common, and I get that, but unless you are starting from scratch, there is probably a book that is more appropriate for whatever you want to learn.

[Maria Todorova-Takucheva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Книгата е добра! Накара ме да се замисля в кои аспекти от живота си съм идиот и какво мога да направя, за да променя идиотщината си и да я превърна в нещо, което да ми носи успехи. Странното е, че според книгата не съм чак такъв идиот, за какъвто се имах. :D Според нея излиза, че всъщност се справям доста добре. Обаче ми звучеше като написана за класическия американец: дебел, грозен и тъп и вечно намиращ оправдания за всичко. В интерес на истината, напоследък наблюдавам, че и ние, българите, започваме да придобиваме глупавия начин на мислене на средно статистическия американец, което не е добре.
Обаче въпреки всичко, в книгата могат да се открият полезни неща. Препоръчвам я! :)

[PJ Jelének · Rating 3 out of 5]

I despise most self-help books. While searching in my local library I found this one in sociology section. People are idiots- who wouldn’t agree with that. And so I read it and altought the message is nothing new (and author even admits that on the first page that the point of the whole book is nothing groundbreaking) it’s great slap on the face even though you don’t need self-help. Larry Winget is funny guy who tells things as they are. He might be harsh (but not really), he might be naughty but he’s original and he is definitely someone.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great quick read. Really highlights the idiotic things we do that highlight the fact we want to make positive changes but are unwilling to put the work in. I laughed several times. The book is a chapter after chapter of lists and gets a little annoying to read so many bullet point type lists.but the great tips and comedy kept me reading on.

[Калоян Енчев · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I've read recently. Love the passive-aggressive tonality. It completely sums up my way of thinking about how people are idiots and I am definitely going to read more of Larry's books.
I recommend it to everyone who needs a kick in the ass. You will not regret reading this book!

[Krzych · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, easy, short and worthwhile. I did not hear about Larry before, but he is a very cool dude.
What shocks me most, is the plentitude of advanced, precise pieces of information aligned with current psychological studies. The author spills multiple golden nuggets of knowledge like it's nobody's business. How does he know all this shit about people?
Sadly, the last part consisting of bold-pointed advice was in my opinion out of the overall theme, and not really necessary. It distorted my fellings about an otherwise brilliant book.

[Lily Padua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had some good ideas, but mostly common sense & motivation. Nothing earth shattering.

[Мария Коцева · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book for starters. Basically for anyone who wants to start making his life better. There are many lists "How to" in the book.

[TakeABreak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richtiges Buch zur richtigen Zeit.
>>Fang an über dich selbst nachzudenken.<<
Mir hat das Buch sehr dabei geholfen.

[Joker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Książka motywacyjna. Po 40 stronach miałem chęć do wyrzucenia jej do kosza (czytam na telefonie, tak btw). Na każdej stronie "ludzie to idioci", bo nie potrafią jeździć, mówią o byciu fit, a wpieprzają na potęgę w Macu. Status "idioty" można uzyskać/stracić. Autor przytaczając sporą dawkę antyprzykładów ma nadzieje, że weźmiemy się do roboty i zaczniemy działać. Mi jakoś nie przypadła do gustu, pewnie z tego względu, że realizuje już podobny plan z innej książki.

[Joseph Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grabbed this book hoping it would be a comedy tape, but found it to be a self-improvement audio.

Starts off interesting. The author is obviously a fairly intelligent man, but suffers from the insecurity of having to justify himself too much, probably brought upon by criticisms of the way he looks and his accent.

His style is abrasive, as warned both from the title and in the text itself. Unfortunately, he spends so much time treating you as if you are an idiot, that it becomes tiring and wearisome. If you are someone who is doing relatively well in your life, and want to make incremental changes, even if the criticisms do not apply to you, you can find yourself worn down by his idiocy.

Most of the things he suggest are right, common sense that people take for granted. However, on some of the things, he is way out of left field. His suggestion offer a way to make success in a purely grinding way, but lacks building the social connections that are often necessary in most areas; his advice is sometimes social poison. His book starts off interesting, but degenerates into lists which aren't anything special.

Cannot help but disagree vehemently with much of his later lists, which seems like minor griping and dealing with the unimportant.

Suggestion: listen to only the first 2 cds (of the 5). The last few are too negative to have an overall positive influence.

Would not recommend this book to most of my friends, as they are decent self-starters who don't need the abuse.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Larry Winget pertence a uma classe profissional muito conhecida nos EUA, os oradores motivacionais. Em Portugal, não existe muito essa cultura. Neste sentido, este é um livro de auto-ajuda. Não se deixem enganar pelo título, Winget vai dar-vos várias dicas em como melhorar a vossa vida em todas as áreas. Tudo o que diz não é novo, ele próprio assume que o que resulta é o que já está mais que estabelecido, pelo que a sua abordagem é mais no sentido de obrigar a pensar sobre porque é que precisamos do que queremos atingir e o que é que se está a fazer de errado.
Qual a piada do livro? A piada principal é o facto de Winget ser um apologista de “tough love”. Fartei-me de rir com alguns do exemplos dados. Para muitos, ele será considerado extremamente mal-educado, mas as suas opiniões são bastante válidas.
Se me perguntarem se aprendi alguma coisa de novo, a resposta é não. Não houve nada que tivesse sido dita que tenha sido uma revelação, mas discurso motivacional é mesmo trabalharmos estratégias para se fazer o que tem de ser feito. Não há milagres.

[Margaret Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larry Winget is an abrasive misogynist who thinks a woman is unattractive unless she's walking around in stiletto heels ruining her feet and hips just so she can look good for him.
And he dishes out advice as if he's in the ring delivering a one-two knock-out punch.
He gives great examples, like people who buy gym memberships and a) never use them and then b) drive when they could walk somewhere and get free exercise.
When I became a widow recently one of the first things I did was park my car and start walking and taking relatively cheap public transit, thanks to--oh no! do I have to say it?--Larry Winget.
It's a great read, and hopefully you won't recognize yourself in the book as often as I did. This book is awesome and helpful and as irritating as pair of ill-fitting shoes on a long hike.
Read it. You'll love it.