12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos: The multi-million copy bestseller.

"Everyone must read 12 Rules for Life. And then pass it on to a friend."
Chris Evans

"Genuinely extraordinary... unmatched by any other modern thinker... a prophet for our times."
Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Mail

"Brilliant... The truth can set you free."
Sunday Times

"The most influential public intellectual in the Western world right now."
The New York Times

"Masterful... He's filling the hole out of which my generation has just clambered."
Amol Rajan, New Statesman

"A recipe for salvation."
Daily Telegraph

"A pathway to a nobler life is within reach."
Wesley Yang, Esquire

"Electric and stimulating, fearless and impassioned."
Matthew D'Ancona, Guardian

“12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos” by Jordan B. Peterson is a bestselling self-help and psychology book that combines practical advice, philosophy, and psychology to help readers bring order, meaning, and stability into their lives. Drawing on mythology, religion, clinical practice, and personal anecdotes, Peterson offers a set of guiding principles for navigating the complexity of modern existence.

Each of the twelve rules provides a framework for responsibility, discipline, and self-improvement. Among them are lessons such as “Stand up straight with your shoulders back,” “Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping,” and “Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.” These rules encourage readers to face suffering with courage, pursue truth, and live with integrity.

Peterson explores how human behavior, morality, and meaning are influenced by both ancient wisdom and modern psychology. He highlights the importance of balancing order and chaos—two fundamental forces in life—arguing that true growth comes from finding harmony between them.

“12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos” is both a philosophical exploration and a practical manual, offering readers tools to overcome despair, build resilience, and create a purposeful life. Its blend of scientific insight, storytelling, and moral guidance has resonated with millions worldwide, making it a modern classic in personal development and psychology.

CONTENT

Foreword by Norman Doidge
Overture
Rule 1 - Stand up straight with your shoulders back
Rule 2 - Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping
Rule 3 - Make friends with people who want the best for you
Rule 4 - Compare yourself to who who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today
Rule 5 - Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them
Rule 6 - Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world
Rule 7 - Rursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)
Rule 8 - Tell the truth - or, at least, don't lie
Rule 9 - Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don't.
Rule 10 - Be precise in your speech
Rule 11 - Do not bother children when they are skateboarding
Rule 12 - Pet a cat whe you encounter one on the street
Coda
Acknowledgements
Endnotes
Index