What was the moment you realised that you were becoming famous?
The first celebrity who talked about [The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck] publicly was Chris Hemsworth. That was absolutely mind-blowing to me. I remember he did a big post on Instagram, holding the book, talking about how much he loved it, and I was like, ‘What the hell is going on?’
I sent him a signed book and a note thanking him and saying a bunch of nice stuff, but I never heard back. Such is life.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Very early in my career, I wrote a piece that I was very, very proud of. This is back when I was an obscure blogger and a very prominent person basically ripped off the idea, rewrote it as his own and got a lot of attention and accolades. I was very depressed about this. I was talking to my dad about it and he told me, “Mark, there are two types of people in the world. There are people who spend their whole lives trying to get golden eggs, and then there are a few people who learn how to lay golden eggs. And if you learn how to lay a golden egg, you’ll never care if somebody takes one from you.” I took that to heart. That’s one of the core values in my career, in my life.
Do you have a nemesis? I feel like you might have just answered it.
I do. My industry is rife with hucksters, charlatans, fake gurus, people making obscene promises, pretending to be things that they’re not. And it drives me crazy because, ultimately, everybody just wants some simple advice to get through their lives a little bit easier. It’s easy to seduce people with grand visions and false promises, but it’s unethical and I don’t like that.
Who is the most famous person in your phone?
What is the most recent thing that has changed the way you think?
I quit drinking a couple years ago. I always drank quite a bit but I never would have considered myself an alcoholic. I vastly underestimated the knock-on effects of not drinking – the changes in my personality, my disposition, my physical health, my relationships with people, my hobbies. It has been so profound. I originally just stopped because I needed to lose some weight and then I just never started again. It has been very eye-opening.
What book do you always return to?
Denial of Death by Ernest Becker. It’s existentialist philosophy, I think it won a Pulitzer in the 60s. It’s probably been the most influential book on my personal philosophy. I’ve read it three or four times.
But for enjoyment, I love David Foster Wallace’s nonfiction. He’s gone out of favour the last 10 years, but some of his essays, like the one on the cruise ship, are such a joy to read.
What’s your most controversial pop culture opinion?
I have been on the anti-superhero movie train for a long time. I was done with superhero movies by the first Avengers. I felt like I was on an island for 10 years, telling all my friends to stop going to these movies. They’re not good. Let’s bring back old cinema. I’m like the old man shaking his fist at the cloud. It’s coming around now, but it took a long time.
If you could get people around the world to delete one app from their phones, which app would you choose?
TikTok. Shady practices by the Chinese government aside, I don’t think it has had a good impact on people’s mental health, their attention spans, their expectations for entertainment and media. It has set a precedent that is very corrosive to people thinking clearly and well. I think the For You feed is subtly really problematic.
What’s the oldest thing you own, and why do you still have it?
On my dad’s side of the family, all of the Mansons in the 1700s and 1800s were ship captains. There are a number of items that are still held by the family that were actually used on the ships in the 18th and 19th century. My dad has a gold pocket watch that my great-great-great-grandfather owned. It still works too, which is crazy. My dad gifted that to me for my 40th birthday.
If you had a sandwich named after you, what would be in it?
The Manson special would definitely be a burger. It would have a lot of meat and a lot of sauces – I like a lot of sauces. Just imagine the most gluttonous American thing you can imagine. Like, three meat patties, four different types of cheeses, three different sauces, and barely a hint of a vegetable.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck Live with Mark Manson is touring Australia and New Zealand 4-15 November. See here for dates
