Secrets of Adulthood, Gretchen Rubin
Secrets of Adulthood, Gretchen Rubin
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Secrets of Adulthood
Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives

Author: Gretchen Rubin

Narrator: Gretchen Rubin

Unabridged: 1 hr 14 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/01/2025


Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before distills her key insights into simple truths for living with greater satisfaction, clarity, and happiness.

The right idea, invoked at the right time, can change our lives. Drawing from her long studies of happiness, and also from the challenges she’s faced herself, writer Gretchen Rubin has discovered the “Secrets of Adulthood” that can help us manage the complexities of life. To convey her conclusions, she turned to the aphorism—the ancient literary discipline that demands that a writer convey a large truth in a few words.

Perhaps you’re paralyzed by indecision, struggling to navigate a big change, fighting a temptation, or puzzled by the behavior of someone you love; whatever you face, the right aphorism can help. From procrastination to the pursuit of happiness, Secrets of Adulthood is filled with witty and thought-provoking reflections such as:

“Recognize that, like sleeping with a big dog in a small bed, things that are uncomfortable can also be comforting”“Accept yourself, and expect more from yourself”“Easy children raise good parents” “What can be done at any time is often done at no time”
For anyone undergoing a major life transition, such as graduation, career switch, marriage, or moving, or for those just encountering everyday dilemmas, these disarming aphorisms will inspire you by articulating truths that you may never have noticed but instantly recognize.

About The Author

Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential observers of happiness and human nature. She’s the author of many books, including the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers The Happiness Project, The Four Tendencies, Better Than Before, and Life in Five Senses. Her books have sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide, in more than thirty languages. She hosts the top-ranking, award-winning podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, where she explores practical solutions for living a happier life. Raised in Kansas City, she lives in New York City with her family.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Brandi on December 15, 2024

I think this would be a great gift for kids graduating from HS or college. I can also seeing it being a good book for the coffee table. I saw a few anecdotes I could use as a daily affirmation, or a way to help myself destress. It sits around 70 pages, so it’s best to digest in little chunks. Thank y......more

Goodreads review by Samantha on March 24, 2025

I absolutely love Gretchen Rubin's work, and am very excited every time she releases a new book! That said, this book was a bit of a disappointment for me, because it was not truly a book from her persepective about her "life experiments," or even a book about the theory of something (like the Four......more

Goodreads review by SusanTalksBooks on February 20, 2025

This is a short book by a very successful author and podcaster to indulge her interest in and collection of aphorisms (def: a pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as, “if it ain't broke, don't fix it.”), due to be released just before graduation season, April 1, 2025. Thank you to N......more

Goodreads review by Diane on March 08, 2025

I love Gretchen Rubin, and to love Gretchen Rubin is to love her aphorisms. I have read many of her books and listened to the Happier podcast. So I often find myself reciting at least a handful in my daily life. I can see myself re-visiting each section or aphorism as needed... definitely a good nig......more

Goodreads review by Deb (Readerbuzz) on April 14, 2025

I'm keeping a book of wise aphorisms I've found helpful in life. Rubin does that, too. In addition, she has come up with this book of aphorisms she has created herself. Many of them offer the truth to be found in opposites; many others offer the truth to be found in parallel thought. Some I found to......more


Quotes

“[Gretchen Rubin] returns with a collection of pithy, practical aphorisms. . . . The author’s pragmatic, down-to-earth approach lends itself especially well to such guidance, and to aphorisms that enliven familiar insights with a touch of wry humor (‘We can be very wrong for a very long time without noticing. Bloodletting was a common medical treatment for two millennia’). Rubin’s fans will want to snap this up.”Publishers Weekly