Symbol, Status, And Personality Paperback – October 19, 1966

I remember Dr. Hayakawa's writing from a Semantics class I took years ago. His book, Language in Thought and Action,was our textbook. The class helped me understand a lot about the difference between an individual instance of something and a class of something. His explanation of "Cow A is not Cow B" stuck in my head and helped me avoid leaping to hasty conclusions and bruising my assumptions.Recently, I heard of this book and ordered it. Yesterday, I found myself depressed and despondent about a project that wasn't going well. Needing some distraction from my worries, I picked up the book and started reading.It turned out to be just what I needed. Dr. Hayakawa has a way of focusing attention on things you already know and getting you to recognize them for the first time. In a couple of hours, my head was spinning with realization of why I felt awful, what assumptions I might question, and why I was defending myself against anything that might improve my perspective. Like the Rosetta Stone, which accidentally allowed a "lost language" to be translated, a few words by a total stranger helped introduce me to myself. I strongly recommend this book.

Everything went well.

All of S.I.Hayakawa's books are intriguing, thought-provoking works of art. Like good art which stimulates much more than just the eye, Hayakawa's written symbols penetrate to the very soul. Want to find self/no self? Go sit on a mountaintop with a Zen guru. Or sit down with S.I.Hayakawa.