Nothing You Don't Already Know

by Alexander Den Heijer

Nothing you don't already know is a brief guide to making the most of your life. It's for everyone who wants to take on the journey of fulfilling their potential and live a deeply meaningful life.

In 2015, the author started sharing his writings about life on his Instagram page. This book holds a selection of his most popular quotes and writings that have already positively impacted thousands of people. Alexander is a Dutch inspirational speaker who's teachings are about living with purpose, overcoming fear, transformation, and making a difference.

This concise handbook is full of remarkable reminders about meaning, purpose, and self-realization.

The title refers to the idea that if you learn something profound, it's not as if you have learned something new. Rather, it's as if something is being unveiled to you that you have always known.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Poetry, Philosophy, Personal Development, Psychology, Spirituality

150 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2019

Reviews

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feeling beyond inspired and rejuvenated after reading this book. It contains so many basic yet important themes about living your best life that I really needed to hear and remember to put into play. I will be reading this book over and over as the years go by. It’s applicable for parenting, careers, relationships and overall self-worth and purpose. I highly recommend!

[Salman hossain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that will shape your outlook on life.

Favorite line from the book -
"𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯."

[Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a short and great book. Its full of inspirational information for your life. I love books that make you think about your place in the world and your actions. This one does the trick.

[noe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring and mindful.

[João André Fernandes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book it’s a must ready for everyone who looks for understand the meaning and purpose of our life.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

to the point wisdom for reminding us everyday

I enjoyed the format with one headline plus a page explaining with examples. As the title suggests we already know most of these nuggets of wisdom. I appreciate being reminded. I want to give more when I read this.

[Ahmed Suliman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best reminders' books I've ever read in my entire lifespan, The author is Brilliant he knows how to get to his exact point in just units of lines, It's my first time to watch somebody writing an abstract for a non scientific topic and it is really great, he wrote it in an interesting way. Also, his brief for each life lesson was beyond the description, I read it in a couple days despite it's shortness just to pay attention for every single word he'd like to say,
• Overcome fear / Know yourself / Inspire others .. got the lion's share of my saved quotes, I loved his talk about ME and THE OTHERS, the ability and disability and how to react to frustration, Antonyms always grab my attention and I wish If he could have written extensively about them not just a glimpse of a talk.
There's toooooo much quotes I saved for me, I sent to friends, I wrote it down with my own hands to keep them always in-front of my mind's sight. Here's a bit of them :

• "The best way out is always through."

• "The way you see yourself is reflected in how you treat yourself."

•"The future is only scary for those who are unable to deal with the present ... Now is always the right time to deal with the present."

• "Stars don’t shine because they want to be seen; they shine because they are stars."

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book to have on standby to read a page or more when in need of good centring messages. I see myself turning back to Nothing You Don’t Already Know and its wisdom often in time to come.

[Nour Safei Aldin · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was one of the most mindful things that I've ever read! Beautifully written, minimal but valuable.

[Nurhuda Utami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a concise book that teach you how to deal with life. "Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise so I am changing myself." - Rumi

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro es un Must Read 😍

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this

[Khawla Al Fahim · Rating 4 out of 5]

simple and easy to read book.. enjoyed the little reminders that are in many cases inspirational

[Claudi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adapting an assortment of Buddhist teachings with Instagram philosophy, Den Heijer gently probes at his readers to focus on the present moment, embrace instability, and cultivate self acceptance. For instance, on p. 52, he writes: 'Stars don't shine because they want to be seen; they shine because they are stars'. For me, at least, this is reminiscent of the Maitrī, or loving kindness towards one's self, that the Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön encourages us to develop.

To the more cynical, 'Nothing you Don't Already Know' is a repackaged short collection of Den Heijer's (already very successful) Instagram captions. It doesn't help that every other page is entirely black save for a short quote. Thankfully, I am not that cynical - instead I enjoyed this eminently dippable collection of gnomic utterances.

'Nothing you Don't Already Know' might not be a detailed self-help 'FOLLOW ME AND BE CURED!' book, but if you have a spare half an hour, Den Heijer may help you to gently tap out a greater degree of self understanding.

[Joanna Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad choice to start the year with but I had expected something deeper. The book title says it well - there's nothing in the book that you don't already know. Still, I guess everyone can find some passages in there that one relates.

[Humza Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could give it 3.5 I would it's a really useful book but maybe not quite that valuable, still really good reminders

[Susana Brijandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro con consejos para la vida, es amigable de leerse, corto, concreto, directo, y creo que aborda temas de la vida diaria, de esos temas con los que cualquiera puede identificarse y justo analizar cómo nos sentimos respecto a eso. Tipo, el trabajo, nuestras pasiones, sentirnos plenos, evolucionar, los cambios a los que nos enfrentamos, nuestra identidad y/o quiénes somos o quiénes queremos ser, nuestra paz, la resistencia, los miedos, los retos, conocernos, aceptarnos y simplemente actuar para VIVIR, porque aquí estamos.

Un tema que me encantó es el de la INSPIRACIÓN ✨, cómo se ve, cómo se siente y cómo es cuando otros nos inspiran, pero lo más bonito es cuando nosotros inspiramos a otras personas, y la forma en la que se puede experimentar, que es cuando tenemos la capacidad de encontrar o ver, y hacer que las otras personas vean el potencial que hay en ellos mismos.

Qué importante y qué honesto saber ver las cualidades, habilidades y fortalezas en otros de una forma genuina, decirlo y hasta motivarles a que lo aprovechen o usen a su favor. Sin envidia, sin celos, sin enojo, sin comparaciones, al contrario.

[Adrian Perea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing you don't already know is exactly what it claims to be: nuggets of wisdom that you've probably heard before, but have tucked away in between the dusty nooks and crannies of your head. Author Alexander shines a light on them and reminds us simple truths that we tend to forget amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life: love yourself, know your valued and live them, find people to inspire and get inspired by people, just to name a few.

This book is a pitstop for a gasp of breathe in the non-stop cavalcade of life, something most people (including myself!) are of in dire need. Highly recommended!

[MatchaGreenReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely read non-fiction (as much as I'd love to read more, my attention span doesn't seem to think the same 😂), but man, this book is phenomenal. Although a lot of the things talked about are concepts you're probably already familiar with, the way the author reiterates the information is like a gentle reminder of the little (yet important) things we tend to forget about. If you're in a space where you need these little reminders (ranging from about success to happiness to comparisons with others), 'Nothing You Don’t Already Know' is the book to go for. 🏜

My rating: 4.5/5 ⭐

P.S: 'Nothing You Don't Already Know' is on Kindle Unlimited 😌😉

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really is nothing you don’t already know... for the most part. It’s filled with things we do know and are aware of, just may not necessarily actively practice or notice we are practicing. It is a book filled with reminders on how to live life better and how be a better person.
I enjoyed this read! I book marked several pages to go back to every now and then to remind myself. Also, this is the type of book you can read over and over again over the course of many years and keep being reminded.

[Richard Tubb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short book full of bite-sized, thought-provoking wisdom.

There are seven short chapters in the book, each focused on a different area of personal growth such as overcoming fear, transformation and inspiring others.

The contents of each chapter contains a collection of single pages with thoughts and wisdom.

The author draws on philosophy, spirituality and ancient wisdom to offer insights and ideas that are easy to read, but leave you thinking long after you've read the words.

I can see this being a book I return to again and again.

[QW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words that as cliche as they may seem, they are indeed everything you already know, yet seem to be forgotten. The words serve as much needed reminders about personal values and purposes, especially for someone undergoing trauma like myself, who are constantly drown in thoughts of frustration and helplessness. I love how Alexander divides the sections that flow through the journey of transformation, that you can pick up from anywhere that best represents your own journey. A modern day chicken soup whenever you are feeling low.

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literalmente no es nada que no sepas pero la forma en que esta escrito es muy llevadero, es cortito y fácil de leer.

Muchas frases te dejan reflexionando, en lo personal pude relacionarlo con varias situaciones. Habla del crecimiento personal, de como vemos el mundo y como el mundo nos ve a nosotros.

Gran libro motivacional para empezar el año! Lo super recomiendo. Me guarde muchas frases en el kindle para tenerlas a mano!

[Alejandro Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

a few things you need to know:

everything in this book you probably practice during your daily life and you don’t even know!
this book is an amazing reminder that life is more deep than you probably think.

I learned a lessons there and every day from now in gonna practique little by little every single one that resides in me.

Give it a try you won’t regret it because your life is the most important and this book will part of your life.
❤️

[J.P. Willson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, for me this tome lies somewhere between conjecture:(an opinion based on incomplete information) and contradiction:(1. the statement of a position opposite to one already made 2. a combination of things which are opposed to each other).
At present I am unable to decide which this leans more towards...
You decide.

[Devan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like the title implies, this book was full of things I already knew - I simply needed to be reminded of them. Full of inspiration and motivation to live with integrity and authenticity, I wrapped this up feeling encouraged and empowered. I will likely refer to this in the future whenever I need a quick reminder of how powerful I am

[Katie Churchill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant book! Very inspiring. I really enjoyed the quotes and references to other works to look in to. I only wish it were longer as 149 pages wasn’t that long and whole pages can be dedicated to short quotes. It would be great to have more discussion/ explanation on the quotes, but still a great read. Found on Instagram.

[Natalia Kasmeridi · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a reflective and uplifting read that gently nudges you towards deeper self-awareness and mindfulness. For those seeking inspiration or a reminder of what truly matters in life, this book offers thoughtful, concise reflections that can help realign your perspective. It’s a comforting, positive read that’s perfect for moments when you need a bit of guidance or reassurance.

[KP · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book with statments about life & their explanations by the author. Different statements can be inspiring to you depending on the phase of life you're in. One thing is certain: you'll gain at least some insights & knowledge about yourself & the world from this & how to be a better version of yourself.

[Andreea · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's pretty nice. Little pieces of wisdom for everyday life. Every "description" is a bit too short but I think each page would work nicely as subject for a separate meditation and I intend to do just that.