ANSWERS: 66
  • Yes I think so. Many would claim the bible as a source of profound change. Or any other religious book. I wouldn't state any individual book but my life has been changed by the concepts encountered in many books. Balance of opinion and all that. Books give knowledge and options to consider but you make the final decision. :)
  • Hell even one scene in a sitcom can change your outlook if it alters a strong belief of yours.
  • Very much so. Books contain ideas and knowledge. Ideas and knowledge can rock your outlook to the core. Some of the books I've found the most transformative in my life are listed in my profile for that very reason.
  • Absolutely. Books can explain things in a way sometimes that people cannot do when speaking. A person also tends to be more open to changing their mind about something if they have chosen to read about that topic I would think.
  • So far nothing I have ever read has changed my outlook on life..I am still curious, optimistic and prefer to focus on the doughnut and not the doughnut hole. Books have provided me with information to answer questions I have..other times they have piqued my curiosity and left me with more questions, which in turn prompts doing more reading. But I would say that I am the same person I always was, except that I hope I am less judgmental and more willing to be helpful. The main thing that has changed with age are my tastebuds..my inner being is the same. :)
  • Only if you read them.
  • Ive read several self help books that made me really sit back and think about my life and the options that are out there for me. If that counts then yes some have changed my outlook to an extent.
  • I've been studying historiography for my university entrance exams and one of the books i decided on reading was Edward Carr's What Is History, while it deals pretty much with historical fact, historiography, etc, I believe it applies to society as well, so it has changed my outlook on perspectives, government and on the nature of truth and fact
  • Only you can change your outlook on life, but even one line in a book can provide the impetus for that change.
  • Yes , i read IT by Stephen King and I'm now s*** scared of clowns.
  • Absolutely! And, how great is that? Books have provided intellectual stimulus for me throughout my life and I have rethought my positions, opinions, and beliefs on many things based on the information I've gleaned from them. An example that immediately comes to mind, in my case, is when I read 'The Burning Bed'. Until that time I had no understanding of the mentality of battered women. That book so affected me that I still, to this day, give all my United Way charity money to a women's shelter. Enlightenment comes from many sources, but books are near the top of my list.
  • No they can't. For example: book on how to be a millionaire. Heck. That book only applies to the author who has earned millions from that book.
  • They can give you information that you can use to change your outlook on lie, but you are the one who has to make the change.
  • For me it was the Last day by Glen Kleier... A very powerful book.
  • Illusions, by Richard Bach. It showed me that much of life is how we perceive it.
  • The book called "The Secret".
  • confederacy of dunces
  • The Way of the Tao The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying Awaken Healing Light of the Tao __________ Those three changed me immensely ... "No one person can ever change the truth, but the truth, once learned, can and will change the person."
  • The Holy Bible, even though I've never finished it but that one stands out in my mind first.
  • The bible without a doubt.
  • What really humbled me was this book; The Lone Survivor By: Marcus Luttrell I have read many books but this one really got to me.
  • I really think that all of them have. I have gained a little bit from every book I have ever read. Something in them will stick with me as a memory, an idea, an understanding, . . . there is always some change in my perception when I am done.
  • The Bible,and you can read over and over and still find new things to think about,its an amazing book,tryit!!
  • Here are a few: Connections by James Burke --- about how were are all dependent upon a vast technology network and how that came to be. . http://www.amazon.com/Connections-James-Burke/dp/0743299558/ . . Secrets of the Temple by William Greider --- about the history of monetary policy and the US Federal Reserve. . http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Temple-Federal-Reserve-Country/dp/0671675567/ . . Quantum Reality by Nick Herbert --- about the philosophical implications of describing "reality" using the mathematics of quantum mechanics and several competing explanations about those questions. . http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Reality-Beyond-New-Physics/dp/0385235690/
  • THE LAW OF NATURE By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Why is one person rich and another poor, one an exploiter and another the exploited, one a victim and another the victimizer? In The Laws of Nature: An Infallible Justice,we learn who's pulling the string and why. Karma and the laws governing nature are a baffling and entangling force that shackles us to this world. Understand the workings of the laws and the Lawmaker, get free of the restraints and attain real freedom. This absorbing book explores the age-old mysteries of karma and reincarnation, free will and destiny, enlightenment and liberation. http://www.indiabbt.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=22&osCsid=ddcfa47d696110ce5bd4819a70908640
  • One book I really liked was - How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie, it was a really big eye opener (at least for me). Another book I really liked was Freakonomics by Steven Levitt - very interesting read. Great question!
  • 1984. Big Brother is watching you.
  • Two books: 1) A collection of short stories called Labyrinths by an argentinian writer - Jorge Luis Borges http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Luis_Borges 2) A collection of poems called Crow by Ted Hughes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crow_%28poetry%29 Both of these changed the way I read. And because that's such an important part of who I am, they changed me.
  • No, because there is no book that could do that to me or for me. What changes my view on life is experience..successes let me know I'm on the right path..failures tell me in no uncertain terms that something isn't working and I need to change. Interacting with others and learning about their lives helps in that regard as well..but as for a book..nope. First of all, how do I know the person writing it believes it and isn't just jumping on another popularity bandwagon to make big bucks? If it's a "true" life story, how do I know everything really happened as stated, and was not "juiced" up to sell more copies? We humans are not always honest, you know. We write books hoping to make money from it. When money comes from an effort, sometimes people veer from the truth to "go for the gold"! :(
  • Two other books that I read over and over are: "The 48 laws of Power" and "the 33 stragegies of war" both by Robert Greene.
  • purpose driven life
  • I despise those self help books myself and I don't bother to read them. I have high self esteem and financially i'm doing great so I have no need of them. My career is going good. I'm in college and am not looking for direction. I read books to broaden my knowledge. The books that I named weren't aimed to change someone's life but they have. It doesn't have to be something with a motive behind it to change your life. It could be something as simple as seeing a water fall for the first time.
  • 2 books by Paulo Coelho: The Alchemist The Manual of the Warrior of the Light
  • The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
  • Every book that I read changes my outlook on life in some way, shape, or form.
  • the oxford dictionary.
  • bukowski- hot water music, and women(only read these if you want to become an asshole) kerouac- on the road(glorifies my wanderlust and encourages me to get out and do something with my life)
  • no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! books suck
  • Wuthering Heights - shows just how evil and manipulative people can be once they have been through evil themselves. Very depressing book.
  • Persuasion by Jane Austen, Kokoro by Natsume Soseki, Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh and Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy.
  • Stranger In a Strange Land (Robert a Heinlein) - Because it gave me a new perspective on Christianity and allowed me to reconcile it with my own views. I actually feel happy each time I'm reading it. 1984 9George Orwell)- Bit of a dry read but vital if you want to understand media/corporate speak Bluebeard (Kurt Vonnegut)- Can't say exactly why but it resonates with me. Good reading :)
  • the original Grimm's Fairy Tales as a child.....they taught me that life is not always beautiful and ideal, and people are not always what they seem. You had to watch out for those who mean to do you harm. As for books I read now as an adult, I like to think I take away something from each.
  • There have been books that have got me thinking about life for sure. Some of these books include: - Lord of the Flies. - The Outsiders. - The Great Gatsby.
  • Yes, The Bible.
  • Apart from the books already mentioned by enforced bliss, a book that had a profound effect on me was "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists" by Robert Tressel. Another was "The Manufacture of Consent" by Noam Chomsky. "Sombrero Fallout" by Richard Brautigan is also fantastic.
  • The bible.
  • That's so cool! I've given out at least a dozen copies each of Stranger and 1984 - on the terms of "I don't care if I ever see it again so long as you swear you'll read it." Vonnegut is my favourite American author of the 20th century. I think he has better books than Bluebeard but BLuebeard is by far my favourite. Guess there is such a thing as a free lunch ;) Bliss
  • One the Road, by Jack Kerouac had an impact on my outlook on life.
  • journey of hope by lurlene mcdonald
  • The road less traveled, by M. Scott Peck.
  • The Book Of Mormon.
  • I read Into the Wild about Chris McCandless recently, and it really changed my view on nature and the world in general. I would recommend it to anyone.
  • The Bible.
  • Gandhi's Autobiography "the story of my experiments with truth"......it really has changed my life, i think about things in such a different way now......
  • Definitely "To Kill a Mockingbird". I was really touched by Scout trying to see the world from the porch of Boo Radley at the end of the book. It made me want to see the world through the eyes of other people.
  • The Plague. Albert Camus
  • Hmm, definatley the Bible.
  • ny times have a read a book and had a new outlook on a subject. If you ask me i think people that have faith in books such as the bible are intitled to their opinions. But why change your lifde for something you have no physical proffe egsist. I think people put such effert in believing these word in fear of going to "hell". For they are scard of repotishion if torcherus acts apon their dead greedy souls. If you can leave me a comment i would love to know what you think on this subject. remember i believe you are intitled to your opinion so please dont hold back but dont be rude. Sincerly, envy
  • Depending on the book but yes, books can change your outlook and life.
  • Yes,but you have to be impressionable.
  • No. YOU change your life.
  • Yes, reading an "interesting book" can safely test how you feel about certain issues, but only without having to experience something directly.
  • depends on what youre reading
  • Generally speaking no. It has to be something very profound to do that. I do not include the bible. Even that is usually more by events or preaching or the direct result of someone talking to them and encouraging them to read it and disvussing with them. You ask 100 people what made them change their life amd youd be lucky to find 2 who would say it was a book they read. Its more likely an event or a person. Why did the person quit drinking was likely do to the fact they lost everything they loved not because of AAs little blue book.
  • They can help to reveal and articulate your outlook.
  • Yes,you would find out what you're missing in real life and get outside more.

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