The Wisdom of Psychopaths by Kevin Dutton Summary
Overview of The Wisdom of Psychopaths
What if the most successful CEOs share traits with psychopaths? Kevin Dutton's provocative exploration reveals how fearlessness and focus - qualities found in saints, spies, and killers - might be the secret ingredients to thriving in modern society. The author even temporarily became a psychopath to prove it.
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Key takeaways
When Ruthlessness Becomes a Superpower
A market trader once sold eleven-month calendars missing January by spinning it as "a unique opportunity" with "an extra month thrown in next year for free." This man-charming, fearless, utterly shameless-possessed what most would call psychopathic traits. Yet these same qualities made him exceptionally successful, never panicking under pressure, always turning disaster into profit. This wasn't a criminal mastermind. This was Kevin Dutton's father. And this paradox sits at the heart of a provocative question: What if the personality traits we most fear could actually teach us something valuable about thriving in modern life? We've been taught to see psychopaths as monsters lurking in shadows-Hannibal Lecter with his fava beans, Ted Bundy with his victims. But what if psychopathy isn't a binary switch between normal and monster? What if it's more like a mixing board, with different dials calibrated to different levels in each of us? This reframing changes everything. Suddenly we're not talking about "them versus us" but about a spectrum we all inhabit, where the same traits that create serial killers might also create surgeons, soldiers, and successful entrepreneurs.
The Spectrum Nobody Talks About
The Boardroom Psychopath
The Ancient Art of Spotting Predators
Inside the Psychopathic Mind
Becoming a Psychopath for a Day
Learning from the Dark Side
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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