Mistakes Were Made
Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts
by Carol Tavris
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“I'm talking about this book that I read over vacation: Some really good lessons! | Mistakes Were Made, But Not By Me is a bookabout cognitive dissonance, and it’s one of the few books that atthe moment I finished it, I not only reread it but I bought it forabout ten people. I think that the authors do such a great job of is really getting at the psychology ofwhy it is that we are simply not wired to acknowledge mistakeswhen we make them, look for weaknesses in our thinking. And I just think that how do I make sure I go throughlife without becoming too sure of myself Because on some levels I am sure of myself, but at other levels I have to realize, whatcan I do to make sure I’m not missing something that could allowme to do a better job And so I think it’s a fantastic book. | Read Ryan's list of 42 books that will change your life for the better?all described in one sentence. | Read Ryan's list of 42 books that will change your life for the better—all described in one sentence. | There's a great book on it that I highly recommend called Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)”
Source →“I'm talking about this book that I read over vacation: Some really good lessons! | Mistakes Were Made, But Not By Me is a bookabout cognitive dissonance, and it’s one of the few books that atthe moment I finished it, I not only reread it but I bought it forabout ten people. I think that the authors do such a great job of is really getting at the psychology ofwhy it is that we are simply not wired to acknowledge mistakeswhen we make them, look for weaknesses in our thinking. And I just think that how do I make sure I go throughlife without becoming too sure of myself Because on some levels I am sure of myself, but at other levels I have to realize, whatcan I do to make sure I’m not missing something that could allowme to do a better job And so I think it’s a fantastic book. | Read Ryan's list of 42 books that will change your life for the better?all described in one sentence. | Read Ryan's list of 42 books that will change your life for the better—all described in one sentence. | There's a great book on it that I highly recommend called Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)”
Source →Recommended by 4 notable people, including Ryan Holiday and Andrew Wilkinson
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Recommended by 4 sources and appears in Books Recommended by Ryan Holiday, Psychology, and Science.
Why do people dodge responsibility when things fall apart Why the parade of public figures unable to own up when they screw up Why the endless marital quarrels over who is right Why can we see hypocrisy in others but not in ourselves Are we all liars Or do we really believe the stories we tell Renowned social psychologists Carol Tavris and El...
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Why recommended
Recommended by 4 sources and appears in Books Recommended by Ryan Holiday, Psychology, and Science.
Recommended by notable people
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Recommendation Signals
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Ryan Holiday
Author and media strategist
“I'm talking about this book that I read over vacation: Some really good lessons! | Mistakes Were Made, But Not By Me is a bookabout cognitive dissonance, and it’s one of the few books that atthe moment I finished it, I not only reread it but I bought it forabout ten people. I think that the authors do such a great job of is really getting at the psychology ofwhy it is that we are simply not wired to acknowledge mistakeswhen we make them, look for weaknesses in our thinking. And I just think that how do I make sure I go throughlife without becoming too sure of myself Because on some levels I am sure of myself, but at other levels I have to realize, whatcan I do to make sure I’m not missing something that could allowme to do a better job And so I think it’s a fantastic book. | Read Ryan's list of 42 books that will change your life for the better?all described in one sentence. | Read Ryan's list of 42 books that will change your life for the better—all described in one sentence. | There's a great book on it that I highly recommend called Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)”
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Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. Recommended by 8 sources.
“Soft-spoken, heavily illustrated fable built from short dialogues and watercolor sketches. Each spread pairs a spare line of text with a loose drawing, so the pleasure is visual and aphoristic rather than narrative; readers collect felt-true sentences more than plot. Most useful when you want quick consolations, a prompt for conversation with a child, or a pause during a rough day. Limiting if you want sustained argument, concrete advice, or tightly plotted storytelling: the repetition of gentleness can feel sentimental or thin after a while.”
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Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.
Mistakes Were Made
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