Arguably one of the most famous names in the self-help field, Dale Carnegie (no relation to the steel magnate) was born in 1888 on a Missouri farm, took an early interest in public speaking, graduated from a teacher’s college, and developed lectures on self-improvement. His 1936 book How to Win Friends and Influence People launched the self-help industry and has sold 30 million copies, including multiple revised editions. Another of his books, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, also proved popular. Carnegie taught that people become successful when they focus on helping others fulfill their needs. He died in 1955. 

Lincoln was a favorite hero of Carnegie, who published a biography of the president. The author believed Lincoln had great insights into human behavior and set examples for wisdom and kindness that are still studied today. Lincoln appears more than once in How To Win Friends for his thoughtfulness toward others. 

A student of the author’s self-improvement courses, Knaphle is the book’s chief example of someone who won over a reluctant customer by asking him to explain his work and its importance. In the process, Knaphle transformed his own attitude from belligerence to empathy; his angry suspicions evaporated in the warmth of the customer’s enthusiasm for and pride in his own work and career.