Excellent Advice for Living

Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier

By: Kevin Kelly

Narrated by: Philip Hernandez

“A shorthand manual for living with kindness, decency, and generosity of spirit.” —Maria Popova

“I love aphorisms, proverbs, and Secrets of Adulthood . . . Excellent Advice for Living includes wise, practical advice for life.” —Gretchen Rubin, via Twitter

“One hundred years from now, when so much of the nonsense of our age is forgotten, people will still remember Kevin Kelly and his wisdom.” —Seth Godin

“All will benefit from [Kelly's] idiosyncratic wit and wry humor.” —People

Wise, practical, optimistic life advice from author and leading technology thinker Kevin Kelly

On his 68th birthday, Kevin Kelly began to write down for his young adult children some things he had learned about life that he wished he had known earlier. To his surprise, Kelly had more to say than he thought, and kept adding to the advice over the years, compiling a life’s wisdom into these pages.

Kelly’s timeless advice covers an astonishing range, from right living to setting ambitious goals, optimizing generosity, and cultivating compassion. He has wisdom for career, relationships, parenting, and finances, and gives guidance for practical matters ranging from travel to troubleshooting.

Excellent Advice for Living is aimed primarily at young people, but speaks to all ages. This is the ideal companion for anyone seeking to navigate life with grace and creativity.

Critic reviews

Praise for Excellent Advice for Living:

The Marginalian's Favorite Books of 2023

“Hover[s] between the practical and the poetic . . . sometimes pleasingly contrarian, always unselfconsciously sincere. What emerges is a shorthand manual for living with kindness, decency, and generosity of spirit.” —Maria Popova, The Marginalian

“A collection of inspiring insights from a wise technology writer . . . [a] wonderful collection of 450 useful aphorisms . . . fresh, inspiring, even exhilarating . . . The title really says it all. Buy more than one, or people will keep stealing it out of your bathroom.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“In this insightful entry, Kelly, a founding editor of Wired, collects pearls of wisdom for all stages of life . . . the entries are genuinely thought-provoking, and Kelly’s earnestness is leavened with refreshing humor. The result is an unapologetically upbeat offering.” —Publishers Weekly

“The non-linearity of this list is part of its magic. And one hundred years from now, when so much of the nonsense of our age is forgotten, people will still remember Kevin Kelly and his wisdom.” —Seth Godin

“If you don’t find at least seventeen golden nuggets of advice from Kevin Kelly’s list, you’re not awake.” —Daniel Pink

“Life essentials from a skilled navigator in an uncertain time.” —Steve Silberman, author of Neurotribes

Absolutely incredible. It’s more than 5 stars but that’s all I can give

Every so often books come along with a lot of info you already know, but the reminder is necessary. The info in this book will be relevant in 100 years. I look at it as a modern day “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”

Small bits of wisdom

I had heard of this book in an interview with Tyler Cowen. Given the fascinating life of the author, I thought it would be full of anecdotes and stories. I was wrong—the wisdom is in form of small sayings and advice rather than self contained narratives about how the author reached that conclusion. It makes for a fun quick read/listen that I’ll perhaps revisit later on.

Wow!

What a practical read/audible! Highly recommended for both young and old! Wow wow wow!!!!

Surprisingly Excellent

This was a surprisingly excellent book of advice ranging from the practical to the philosophical and everything in between. A surprising 10/10 that I highly recommend…especially for younger listeners as it offers advice that will save YEARS of frustration.

Good Stuff

I liked listening to the consistent reminders offered by the author.. positive mindset starter for everyone