STFU

Please don't take this the wrong way, but Dan Lyons is here to tell you that you really need to shut the f*ck up.

What do Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jeff Bezos, and Anna Wintour all have in common? Yes, power, fame, and prestige, but they all know the importance of shutting up. RBG’s clerks learned to count for two seconds after asking her a question, allowing moments of quiet to fill the room before she chose her perfectly clear argument. Anna Wintour’s steely silences in meetings have earned her the nickname “Nuclear Wintour,” and Jeff Bezos handles any corporate complaints he receives with a direct email forward to the person at fault with an ominous single “?” These leaders know that in silence there is power, and in listening there is strength.

Talk less, get more. That’s what STFU is all about. It’s about inspiring people to speak with intention and engage with the world in ways that give us an advantage. We may not get appointed to the Supreme Court or become tech billionaires, but we can prevail in our own day-to-day battles. Buying a new car or house? Hoping to move up the ladder at work? Trying to win friends and influence people? Learn how to shut the f*ck up. By identifying the six types of overtalkers (don’t worry, Dan’s a recovering one, too) and the six principles to cure our babbling ways, STFU is a prescriptive, informative, and needed book that empowers us to become better at nearly every facet of our daily lives and in our most treasured relationships.

So crack STFU’s spine, turn the page, and enjoy the silence—it won’t be awkward.