The best way to advise young people is to find out what they really want to do and then advise them to do it. The advice itself is good, and addresses a mix of settings - from the practical (choice of tools) to the philosophical. Yet as cliche as this sounds, there's a new original gem for every expected recycled quote - and that's what makes it interesting enough to read. To avoid the annoyance of leaving things behind while on the road, keep your possessions visible and grouped together where possible. Your flavor of childhood “weird” won’t be the ultimate answer, but it can certainly point you in the right direction.

Often, that wisdom comes so simply worded as to appear trite — but it is the simplicity of a children’s book, or of a Zen parable: unvarnished elemental truth about what it means to be alive, hard-won and generously offered. Hovering between the practical and the poetic, his learnings are sometimes seemingly obvious reminders of what we know but habitually forget, sometimes pleasingly contrarian, always unselfconsciously sincere. We’re fortunate that Kevin Kelly has taken the time to put so much of his wisdom and excellent advice in this amazing new book!And one hundred years from now, when so much of the nonsense of our age is forgotten, people will still remember Kevin Kelly and his wisdom.

As a result, learning how to relate well with others can make your path to a better life much smoother. Gretchen Rubin, via Twitter"One hundred years from now, when so much of the nonsense of our age is forgotten, people will still remember Kevin Kelly and his wisdom. The newfound appreciation this can generate for your own backyard is just as valuable as any exotic introduction.

Kevin Kelly has managed to pack a lifetime’s worth of well-earned, practical and thought-provoking advice into this short gem of a book. Now, if firehoses are your type of thing…or you don’t have time to read only a little bit at a time this book is a top candidate for re-reading at routine (annual? That is precisely what Kevin Kelly gathers in Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I’d Known Earlier ( public library) — an herbarium of learnings that began as a list he composed on his 68th birthday for his own young-adult children, a list to which he kept adding with each lived year. I read this book regularly and the advice is short, simple, and easy to remember, which means it comes up in my day to day all the time and helps give me a good framework for making better choices.

Ultimately, people would prefer you didn’t commit in the first place than have you say yes initially, only to pull out at the last minute. Life will become lighter if you prioritize being considerate over being correct in your conversations with others. I’m an interconnector across all those humans and many more—an "independent, inquiring, interdisciplinary integrator" (in other words, it's just me over here, asking questions, crossing disciplines, and making connections).

Kevin Kelly is a fascinating person and has accumulated truly helpful and actionable pieces of advice in this short book. Yet, you’d be hard pressed to go more than a couple pages without finding some truly excellent advice that necessitates stopping to ponder and really ingest. If this labor makes your own life more livable in any way, please consider aiding its sustenance with a one-time or loyal donation.