Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym
Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym by Mark Divineby Mark Divine
Shares rank 16 of 22 self-help books by recommenders
People recommend it for practical advice that is easy to read, though the writing is bland and some examples feel dated.
People recommend it for practical advice that is easy to read, though the writing is bland and some examples feel dated.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 60%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Useful, good advice
“The writing style is pretty bland but it's easy to read and the only difference with most of self help books nowadays is that the advices are actually good.”
Comment from 6 May 2026 in “Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym” “it's still nothing more than a list of useful advices on the topic”
Comment from 4 May 2026 in “Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym” Easy to read
“The writing style is pretty bland but it's easy to read and the only difference with most of self help books nowadays is that the advices are actually good.”
Comment from 6 May 2026 in “Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym” Worth reading, strongly recommended
“It's definitely worth reading. I can't recommend it enough.”
Comment from 4 May 2026 in “Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym” “Ultimately I think it's great and I recommend it.”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Bland writing style
“The writing style is pretty bland but it's easy to read and the only difference with most of self help books nowadays is that the advices are actually good.”
Comment from 6 May 2026 in “Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym” Dated 1930s examples
“He uses a lot of examples and aphorisms from the 1930s, which sometimes come off as a little bit quaint or folksy”
Comment from 4 May 2026 in “Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym” “Some of the stories / aphorisms refer to things that just like, don't exist anymore.”
Comment from 4 May 2026 in “Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym” Mostly a list of advice
“it's still nothing more than a list of useful advices on the topic”
Comment from 4 May 2026 in “Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gym”
Other self-help books people recommend
The four most recommended other self-help books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How to Win Friends and Influence Peopleby Dale Carnegie | 67 | 25 | 73% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Atomic Habitsby James Clear | 20 | 2 | 91% | 11 | — | Approved |
| The Easy Way to Stop Smokingby Allen Carr | 9 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Feeling Goodby David Burns | 8 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Talking to 35 Strangers at the Gymby Mark DivineThis page | 3 | 2 | 60% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
All 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The writing style is pretty bland but it's easy to read and the only difference with most of self help books nowadays is that the advices are actually good.”
“Ultimately I think it's great and I recommend it.”
“He uses a lot of examples and aphorisms from the 1930s, which sometimes come off as a little bit quaint or folksy”
“Some of the stories / aphorisms refer to things that just like, don't exist anymore.”
“it's still nothing more than a list of useful advices on the topic”
“It's definitely worth reading. I can't recommend it enough.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.