The Courage To Be Disliked

The whole book is two people talking late into the night. Who is the person in your life you'd most love to have a long, unhurried conversation like that with?

Was there a moment while reading when you put the book down, took a breath, and thought, 'oh, that's me'? What were you doing or feeling right then?

The book suggests we don't have to live to meet other people's expectations. Did that idea feel freeing, scary, or a bit of both? Where in your life would you most like to feel that freedom?

The idea of 'separating tasks' (knowing what's yours to carry and what belongs to someone else) is at the heart of the book. Is there a worry you've been holding that might not actually be yours to hold?

The book talks about feeling a sense of belonging and contributing to others. When have you felt most at home in a group of people, and what made it feel that way?

The young man pushes back on the philosopher a lot. Did you find yourself cheering him on, feeling protective of him, or wanting him to just listen? What does that say about how you took the book's ideas?

The book invites us to see that our past doesn't have to decide who we are now. Did that feel comforting to you, or did it feel hard to accept? Is there a part of your own story you'd like to see a little differently?

By the time you finished, did anything shift in how gently (or how harshly) you treat yourself? What's one small, kind change you might carry out of this book and into your week?