The author has delved deep into, with profound insights, on what really causes unhappiness in our life. He asserts that it is precisely in avoiding our problems and hurdles that we suffer in our life; it is the pain and suffering caused by difficulties in life that we have to meet in order to grow mentally and spiritually. We cannot solve life's problems except by solving them.


The following were the key-takeaways:

* LIFE IS DIFFICULT. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult--once we truly understand and accept it--then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.

* Without discipline we can solve nothing. With only some discipline we can solve only some problems. With total discipline we can solve all problems.

* A person who has the ability to delay gratification has the key to psychological maturity, whereas impulsiveness is a mental habit that, in denying opportunities to experience pain, creates neuroses.

* Most large problems we have are the result of not facing up to earlier, smaller problems, of failing to be 'dedicated to the truth'. The great mistake most people make is believing that problems will go away of their own accord.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants to open their eyes up to what love truly is, and how to give that love to yourself as well as those around you. I already know I will be re-reading in the future as I feel necessary.

Turbūt reiktų orientuotis į knygos turinio apžvalgą, nu bet - taip netikusiai sudėliotos knygos aš jau seniai neskaičiau. Pagal išskirstymą ir išdėliojimą sunku suprast, kur skyrius, o kur poskyris, o kur dar kažkas. Atrodo, kad smulkmena, tačiau ta smulkmena mane erzino ir bent jau knygos pradžioje, autoriui pristatant savidrausmės ugdymo dalis, trukdė greičiau ir paprasčiau susivokti, kas ir prie ko čia.

O su turiniu viskas gerai, gal kad mano kartai labiausiai rašyta :) Patiko, kaip išplėtota mintis, jog dvasinis tobulėjimas yra nuolatinis kasdienių pastangų dalykas, o ne vienkartinio nušvitimo rezultatas.

Odlična, čitaću ponovo da podvučem delove. Preporuka kao kuća!

Wonderful book filled with great explanations on life in general. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to consuming more of Dr. Peck’s works

If I want to recommend a book which can teach you something, my suggestion would be this! It has made a huge impact on me on how I view relationships, with so many flaws I have as a person yet irony is how I seek perfection. It is with this book that I finally learned the meaning of discipline.
Everything every person spoke to me, made more sense, I became a better listener.

It was difficult for me to grasp everything in book. The concepts the author talks regarding the fears, insecurities and how childhood is the prime place to look for the answer, was enlightening. How author connects spirituality and love , how love is not just a good feeling but an enabler which makes you grow spirtually. How maintenance is what one requires when one purchases a car to be new all the time, this is what we need in relationships. I was humbled to know that I was a whiner.

If I can tell one takeaway from this book , it would be this : Delayed Gratification is the only decent way to live life. It can ease the pains, promotes hope. And pain is there to INSTRUCT.

It has taught me something which I couldn't learn from people around me. Thats what books do, they become teachers! I love this book! It was recommended to me from another friend in my difficult times.This definitely made a space in my goto books.

This book is about psychology. There are a lot of interesting stories in this book. However in some parts, I found it difficult to follow. It might not be the fault of the book, it's just me who don't understand the real meaning. I would suggest you need to quiet place to digest what the author want to tell. It is still recommended.

I wish I had read that book in earlier stage of my life! I wouldn't have suffered that much from dealing with neurotics & unstable characters that I've met & almost affected me badly!!
It focuses on 4 areas: [ Discipline, Love, Religion & Grace]..
While I was enjoying & benefited from the first 2 parts , I wasn't convinced of the 3rd & finally I almosr lost my interest in the last part of the book "Grace" ..
Useful to read though!

This book has a very high insight-to-text ratio (or interesting propositions).

Here are some of my favorite points made in the book:

1) The tendency to avoid problems is the psychological basis of all mental illnesses—"neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering."
2) Four tools for mental health discipline: delayed gratification, acceptance of responsibility, dedication to truth, and balance.
3) Most people can solve most problems if they give them enough time.
4) Most of our biggest problems in life come from avoiding problems and hoping they will go away—delaying gratification is choosing to suffer now in the hope of future gratification rather than choosing to continue present gratification under the hope that future suffering will not be necessary.
5) A life of dedication to truth means a constant willingness to be challenged
6) The best decision-makers are those who are willing to suffer the most over the decisions while retaining the capacity to be decisive.
7) Love is the will to extend oneself for the purpose of nurturing another's spiritual growth—real love is often a choice to act lovingly when the feeling of love is lacking.
8) When you fall out of love, your limits snap right back to where they were, but when you consciously love people with effort, you expand yourself
9) A true acceptance of you and your partners' own individuality is the only basis for real love
10) To fail to confront when it is required is a passive failure to love
11) Spiritual growth requires that we actively seek the threatening and unfamiliar. The path to holiness requires questioning everything.
12) Most of us are not fully aware of our own worldviews and the uniqueness of the experience from which they are derived.
13) Evil is laziness carried to its extreme—the evil actively avoid to extend themselves, doing anything to escape the discomfort of spiritual growth

Really interesting insights that I haven’t read about before.

True love is not a feeling by which we are overwhelmed. It is a committed, thoughtful decision.

And that decision takes work, time, patience—dedication, in other words—to uphold every single day. It's a struggle to love, a struggle that becomes more beautiful, if no less painful, over time. If the road that Peck advocates seems too difficult to travel, you're sure to find your own path based on his thinking.

To be read at least once a decade. Preferably, to be read every year.

"The Road Less Traveled" will make you realize that you CAN take charge of your life and your destiny. It is a journey toward self-acceptance that will affirm that life is worth living. It is one of the best books I have ever read.

I was introduced to the book when I first began 12-step recovery over twenty years ago. I have had a long road to travel in coming to terms with my past and learning to accept myself. This is a powerful book for anyone who has come from a troubled background and who wants to achieve self-esteem.

I have built a wonderful new life for myself and I can thank the author for providing practical insights that have led toward my self transformation. I am now an author myself.

My life journey has been one of discovering and affirming my spirit. The Road Less Traveled was an important stepping stone for me. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is on a spiritual quest.

Davis Aujourd'hui, author of "The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude"