(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.)
Hitori Saito is a prominent Japanese businessperson who established a company that develops and sells health foods and cosmetics.
He only graduated from junior high school, but he became a leading Japanese entrepreneur. He has written many books, sharing ways to become financially successful, ways to become spiritually fulfilled, and ways to live a joyful life.
I enjoy reading his books and have read more than 20 of them. In these books, he strongly recommends two particular books, so I want to write about them.
Saito recommends a book called “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. He writes that he has read thousands of books, but none of them is better than this one.
He writes that this book contains the basics of everything. He also writes that this book is better than his own books, so people should read Carnegie’s book.
For example, consider a sport called bowling. Players try to knock down all the pins with a ball. If you hit the very front pin, you can knock down many pins.
He writes that “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is like the very front pin in work or life — it’s the most important thing.
He advises that when you read this book, you must be humble. If you read it humbly, you can learn a lot.
Sometimes, you may not agree with Carnegie’s opinions. However, this book is a world-renowned masterpiece, and you must be humble to truly learn from it.
Saito writes that if you read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” 50 times each and master the techniques in those books, you will be successful in any field.
If you read the same book 50 times, you learn its content at a subconscious level. Then you can act accordingly.
If you think it’s difficult to read both books 50 times each, why not read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” seven times? Saito writes that reading it seven times is as useful as studying at university for four years, three times.
“How to Win Friends and Influence People” is a book about human relationships, while “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” is about how to stop worrying.
Both books were written about 90 years ago by Dale Carnegie. They are considered the origins of self-help books and have sold more than 20 million copies in total.
I haven’t read both books 50 times yet, but I want to. I’m looking forward to seeing the changes in myself after doing so.
Saito has some disciples who are company presidents. They also read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” many times.
If you haven’t read this book yet, why not give it a try? If you have, why not read it seven times?