His appeal is very much to the high-flyer, looking for a cause that will give the fullest moral satisfaction ... Yet he is also admirably realistic about the need to park one's own desire for a certain kind of sainthood, to accept the need for ordinary self-care so as to avoid falling victim either to burnout or – worse – to one's own mythology, and to remain clear about what measurable differences might look like ... Offers a bracingly hopeful perspective, insisting on the necessity of doing all you can to allow yourself to be sensitised and resensitised to that which eats away at the dignity not only of humanity but (an important element in Bregman's argument) of the entire living environment

Guardian

An impassioned call on those who can to leave 'bullshit jobs' and tackle society's most pressing challenges. Presented as a 'how to guide' to changing the world… studded with insights and calls to action. In pithy pen portraits, Bregman sketches a cast of characters who challenge us to do more, be better and build coalitions for change... A paean to self-actualization and the idea that a small group of committed citizens can, indeed, change the world

Times Literary Supplement

A brisk and persuasive case for ditching “mind-numbing, pointless, or just plain harmful jobs” and doing something more meaningful instead ... Bregman's un-preachy and persuasive writing style makes profound change look easy

Financial Times

Bregman's ambitions are admirable. If even a small percentage of those who pick up this book are spurred to action, whether that's a charity run or a complete change in career, it's hard to disagree that it will have been worth his effort

Telegraph

A welcome antidote to self-help books that give readers 12 rules for life, seven habits for success, or surefire methods to achieving that most fatuous of goals, personal happiness

Observer

What an inspiring book! A tremendous trumpet call to clear our heads of the current inward looking obsessions with self-realisation and all those selfish life-coaching motivational goals, aims and targets that we are told will bring us happiness, and to think instead about satisfying that part of us that can make a difference to the world. And as Rutger Bregman brilliant demonstrates, that, in the end, is where our true happiness and fulfilment is most likely to be found in the first place

Stephen Fry