Why people recommend it
Why people recommend it: Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life is a motivational guide by Arnold Schwarzenegger that offers practical rules for achieving success and personal fulfillment. During an appearance on People I (Mostly) Admire, Schwarzenegger linked a rule from his book about self-promotion to Ted Turner's advice on working hard and advertising. In the same episode, Steve Levitt quoted a striking line from the text regarding Schwarzenegger's cinematic body count to introduce the second chapter rule against thinking small. Schwarzenegger further explained on the podcast that his writings advise people to ignore naysayers when pursuing an ambitious vision. The title and its principles were also acknowledged warmly during an outro on SmartLess. On The Daily Stoic, the host discussed how the book addresses vagueness in fitness goals, while Schwarzenegger noted that he wrote the work to inspire achievement without requiring a strict blueprint. Jay Shetty welcomed Schwarzenegger on On Purpose, praising the opening rule about having a clear vision. Schwarzenegger reiterated to Shetty that every significant vision demands relentless, hard work, which he considers a form of pleasure.
Who recommended it
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 12
“I remember Ted Turner would always say, 'Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell, and advertise.' In my book, I say, 'You know, advertise, sell, sell, sell.'”
“So rule number two of your new book is 'Never Think Small,' and I'm holding your book and looking at it right now. I love how you start that chapter; it says, 'By the end of 1987, I'd killed 283 people, more than anyone else in Hollywood during that time, by far.'”
“That's why I said in my book, 'Don't listen to the naysayers,' because I realized very quickly anytime you have a vision that is very much out there, people say, 'This is impossible; this can't be done.'”
“Thank you for taking the time to talk to us and for all your success, including your amazing book, Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life.”
“In your book, you highlighted how many people enter the gym with the goal of getting in shape, but there’s often a lack of specificity around that. Still, I worked hard, and although it seems trivial now, that was my motivation, and it drove me to train every day.”
“That’s a key reason I wrote 'Be Useful': to inspire people to pursue success and achievement without a specific blueprint.”
“I love that you start the book with that rule: have a clear vision.”
“This is why in the book one of the things I talk about is to work your ass off because every single time when I had a vision about anything, I had to work my ass off, but it was pleasure.”
“And we're talking about one of the other rules in my book, which is to shoot for big goals.”
“I never believed in Plan B because I felt like one of the rules I have in my book is to never listen to naysayers.”
“But because of being governor, it's like the thing I talk about in the book about Hillary climbing Mount Everest.”
“Now, everyone listening or watching—the book is called Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life, and you can grab it right now.”