The origins of self-help writing are often traced back to ancient times. This episode talks through some early versions of it, the goal-setting advice of a founding father, and the beginnings of the modern self-help genre.

Research:
Brady, Diane. “Charles Manson’s Turning Point: Dale Carnegie Classes.” Bloomberg Businessweek. July 22, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130925204803/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-22/charles-mansons-turning-point-dale-carnegie-classes
Britannica Editors. "Lunyu". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Jan. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lunyu
Britannica Editors. "Norman Vincent Peale". Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 May. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Norman-Vincent-Peale
Carnegie, Dale. “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” London. Vermillion. Digital: https://dn720004.ca.archive.org/0/items/english-collections-1/How%20To%20Win%20Friends%20And%20Influence%20People%20-%20Carnegie%2C%20Dale.pdf
Fairbanks, Douglas. “Laugh and Live.” New York. Britton Publishing Company. 1917. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12887/pg12887.txt
Fontaine, Carole R. “A Modern Look at Ancient Wisdom: The Instruction of Ptahhotep Revisited.” The Biblical Archaeologist, vol. 44, no. 3, 1981, pp. 155–60. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3209606
Franklin, Benjamin. “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.” HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY. 1916. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20203/20203-h/20203-h.htm#X
Battiscombe G. “THE INSTRUCTION OF PTAH-HOTEP AND THE INSTRUCTION OF
KE'GEMNI: THE OLDEST BOOKS IN THE WORLD.” London. John Murray. 1906. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/30508/30508-h/30508-h.htm
Lilienfeld, Scott O. and Hal Arkowitz. “Can positive thinking be negative?” Scientific American. May 1, 2011. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-positive-thinking-be-negative/
Ray, J. D. “Egyptian Wisdom Literature.” Wisdom in Ancient Israel. Ed. John Day, Robert P. Gordon, and Hugh Godfrey Maturin Williamson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. 17–29. 
Stableford, Brian. “Samuel Smiles.” Ebsco. 2023. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/samuel-smiles
Seneca, Lucius Annaius, and Garth D. Williams (tr.). “On the Shortness of Life.” https://ia601705.us.archive.org/25/items/SenecaOnTheShortnessOfLife/Seneca%20on%20the%20Shortness%20of%20Life.pdf
Tabor, Nick. "Dale Carnegie". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Nov. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dale-Carnegie

The origins of self-help writing are often traced back to ancient times. This episode talks through some early versions of it, the goal-setting advice of a founding father, and the beginnings of the modern self-help genre.
Research:
<ul>
<li>Brady, Diane. &ldquo;Charles Manson&rsquo;s Turning Point: Dale Carnegie Classes.&rdquo; Bloomberg Businessweek. July 22, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130925204803/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-07-22/charles-mansons-turning-point-dale-carnegie-classes</li>
<li>Britannica Editors. "Lunyu".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Jan. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lunyu</li>
<li>Britannica Editors. "Norman Vincent Peale".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 May. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Norman-Vincent-Peale</li>
<li>Carnegie, Dale. &ldquo;How to Win Friends and Influence People.&rdquo; London. Vermillion. Digital: https://dn720004.ca.archive.org/0/items/english-collections-1/How%20To%20Win%20Friends%20And%20Influence%20People%20-%20Carnegie%2C%20Dale.pdf</li>
<li>Fairbanks, Douglas. &ldquo;Laugh and Live.&rdquo; New York. Britton Publishing Company. 1917. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12887/pg12887.txt</li>
<li>Fontaine, Carole R. &ldquo;A Modern Look at Ancient Wisdom: The Instruction of Ptahhotep Revisited.&rdquo;&nbsp;The Biblical Archaeologist, vol. 44, no. 3, 1981, pp. 155&ndash;60.&nbsp;JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3209606</li>
<li>Franklin, Benjamin. &ldquo;The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.&rdquo; HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY. 1916. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20203/20203-h/20203-h.htm#X</li>
<li>Battiscombe G. &ldquo;THE INSTRUCTION OF PTAH-HOTEP AND THE INSTRUCTION OF KE'GEMNI: THE OLDEST BOOKS IN THE WORLD.&rdquo; London. John Murray. 1906. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/30508/30508-h/30508-h.htm</li>
<li>Lilienfeld, Scott O. and Hal Arkowitz. &ldquo;Can positive thinking be negative?&rdquo; Scientific American. May 1, 2011. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-positive-thinking-be-negative/</li>
<li>Ray, J. D. &ldquo;Egyptian Wisdom Literature.&rdquo;&nbsp;Wisdom in Ancient Israel. Ed. John Day, Robert P. Gordon, and Hugh Godfrey Maturin Williamson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. 17&ndash;29.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Stableford, Brian. &ldquo;Samuel Smiles.&rdquo; Ebsco. 2023. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/samuel-smiles</li>
<li>Seneca, Lucius Annaius, and Garth D. Williams (tr.). &ldquo;On the Shortness of Life.&rdquo; https://ia601705.us.archive.org/25/items/SenecaOnTheShortnessOfLife/Seneca%20on%20the%20Shortness%20of%20Life.pdf</li>
<li>Tabor, Nick. "Dale Carnegie".&nbsp;Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Nov. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dale-Carnegie</li>
</ul>

Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

The origins of self-help writing are often traced back to ancient times. This episode talks through some early versions of it, the goal-setting advice of a founding father, and the beginnings of the modern self-help genre. 

Self-help Books Throughout History

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/8fe4d5df-6cc3-455b-a11f-b3bf0167588a/transcript

Advertisement