The book is a classic, its advice looks sensible, but I always found the title dreadfully cynical.
Having a friend is something else than knowing someone you can influence. It seems to me that finding real friends is much harder than applying this sensible, but limited advice.
As someone above hinted at, I think the title is more a product of the times. When the book was written, "influence people" probably meant more like what "be influential" or "be a trusted source" means today.
Comments
The book is a classic, its advice looks sensible, but I always found the title dreadfully cynical.
Having a friend is something else than knowing someone you can influence. It seems to me that finding real friends is much harder than applying this sensible, but limited advice.
As someone above hinted at, I think the title is more a product of the times. When the book was written, "influence people" probably meant more like what "be influential" or "be a trusted source" means today.