"What Makes Me": A Book That Changed the Lives of Hundreds of Thousands of Readers
Due to a surge of reader requests, a revised and expanded edition has been published to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the publication!

A masterpiece that Adam Smith, the 'father of capitalism', treasured more than 'The Wealth of Nations'!
"What Makes Me Within": A Translation of "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" into Everyday Language
"Easy, fun, yet substantial!" A bestseller, proven by hundreds of thousands of readers!

Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations and known as the 'father of capitalism,' recognized early on the human nature of 'desiring to achieve a better life.'
The Theory of Moral Sentiments is a classic among classics, encompassing psychology, philosophy, and what is now called behavioral economics.
Throughout the book, Smith's rich insights into the pursuit of wealth and happiness, friendship, and virtue are evident.
Smith kindly provides readers with answers to two questions.


"What does it mean to live a happy and good life?" "How can we live such a life?"

He chose 'knowing yourself well' as the most important thing to create a better life and a better me.
And he has painstakingly included the brilliant answer to this question in his immortal masterpiece, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, which shines with insight into people and life.

This book is a reinterpretation of the core content of The Theory of Moral Sentiments, written 265 years ago, to fit the lives of modern people.
It contains the teachings of Adam Smith, who reveals the essence of various elements that create individuals and society, such as wealth, happiness, selfishness, altruism, justice, and relationships, and guides them in a good direction.
Hundreds of thousands of readers have raved about this book, saying it empowered them to create a new life that balances wealth, happiness, and relationships.
If you can properly instill in yourself the amazing values ​​about humanity and life that Adam Smith preached through "What Makes Me", you will surely be able to live a life different from before.

If I learned something about myself from Smith, you can learn something about yourself from Smith too.
So I can treat you the way you want me to, and you can know how to treat me the same way.
Above all, Adam Smith wanted to find out what makes people happy and what gives meaning to their lives.
And I can say with certainty that these are not abstract ideas, but rather useful things necessary for living in the world.

--- p.23~24

How can humans, so immoral and selfish, often behave so generously and noblely? It's an undeniable instinct that humans are far more influenced by what concerns them than by what concerns others.
But why, despite this, do we sacrifice our own interests for the benefit of others?
--- p.45

Why, he asked, are we not blindly immoral and selfish, even though our humanity is so weak? Smith answered that the reason lies in the impartial observer.
An impartial observer is an imaginary human figure, and according to Smith, human behavior is shaped by interactions with this impartial observer.
An impartial observer is a fair and objective person who engages in conversation with us and determines whether our actions are moral.
That is, when we have to judge whether an action is moral or right, we talk to this character.

--- p.46

How happy would I be if I knew I was loved and worthy of being loved? Conversely, how unhappy would I be if I knew I was hated and deserved to be hated? Smith also applies the impartial observer's perspective to why people avoid immoral acts.
That is, people's actions are judged by the judgment of objective observers.
Smith says we feel truly happy when people around us, observing our actions or our true selves, tell us, "You deserve to be loved."

--- p.68

Self-deception is a fatal weakness of human beings.
Half of the confusion that humans experience in life comes from this self-deception.
If only humans could see themselves from the perspective of others, they would not fall into the blind spot of self-deception.
If we continue to allow self-deception to continue, we will eventually become unable to tolerate our false selves.

--- p.96

We already have all the tools to satisfy our lives.
You don't have to conquer the Italian peninsula to enjoy life's basic pleasures.
Therefore, we must maintain our inner humanity and suppress the vile rat in our hearts.
Life is not a race, but a long journey to be savored and enjoyed.
Ambition, the persistent desire to have more, can consume us.

--- p.130

To accurately express the concept of matching emotional intensities, Smith used music as an analogy, saying that a semitone is lowered to create a harmony.
To soothe your emotions and harmonize with those around you, you need to lower your voice by a semitone from the original note.
--- p.184

As a better way to become a lovable person, Smith recommended living a virtuous life.
Virtue—what exactly does this ambiguous word mean? Smith's concept of virtue encompasses multiple meanings.
Among them, the three things he emphasized most were prudence, justice, and good deeds.
A person who possesses this becomes a lovable being and receives respect and praise from those around him.
In other words, these three are the qualifications necessary to become a loved person.

--- p.205

Maybe the best way to make the world a better place is simply to be the best husband, the best mother, the best neighbor.
Or maybe it's becoming a great company employee, manager, or businessman.
Sometimes people tend to dismiss their jobs as selfish.
Seeing a job as just a means to make money.
On the other hand, there is a misconception that only actions such as donating to charity, volunteering, or donating blood are altruistic.
But doing your own work well also helps others and contributes greatly to making the world a better place.
Why do people completely forget this fact?

--- p.237~238

Humans really have many flaws.
Not only do we not know ourselves well, we constantly make mistakes.
Among the many actions we do intentionally, there are many that are bad.
We are cruel, we exploit the weak, and we deceive the ignorant for our own gain.
But fortunately, at the same time, we also know how to fix it all.
The method is very easy.
All we have to do is discourage bad behavior and encourage good behavior.

--- p.272

"The Theory of Moral Sentiments" is a book about relationships with those closest to us, people with whom we can actively empathize, such as family, friends, and close neighbors.
In short, it deals with how other people perceive us in close relationships and how we relate to them.
This book is not intended for people who are completely unfamiliar with the subject.
This is a book about people we meet so often that we see them every day.
This book tells us how our relationships with those around us shape our emotions and behavior.

--- p.299