Book · 2018
Can't Hurt Me
by David Goggins
A Navy SEAL turned ultra-runner narrates his own worst years first, then explains how he used them as training.
What does Reddit think of Can't Hurt Me?
33 of 49 mentions sit in r/selfimprovement, and a good chunk of them (↑207, ↑125, ↑110) are just the title and author, dropped as a complete answer with no argument attached, the same reflex pattern the subreddit shows toward Atomic Habits. r/getdisciplined (11 mentions) produces the one real comparison in this batch. The ↑135 comment tried this alongside 12 Rules for Life and found Peterson's book preachy and 'overengineered,' going from Adam and Eve to basic self-care, and stuck with Goggins instead. That's a specific verdict, not a vibe. The ↑106 comment adds a testimonial from someone who says they hate reading and still finished it, 5-10 minutes at a time, three nights a week, distilling the whole thing down to 'every day is a battle with your own self.' r/productivity and r/suggestmeabook barely register, two mentions each. 48 distinct account identifiers behind 49 total mentions is one of the flattest ratios in this catalogue.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Reflexive bare-title citation, minimal elaboration
- · Head-to-head win over 12 Rules for Life on readability
- · Testimonial from a self-described non-reader
- · Mental-toughness and discipline framing
- · Flat mentions-to-distinct-accounts ratio
Common praise
- + The ↑135 comment ran it against 12 Rules for Life directly and kept this one, calling Peterson's book preachy and overengineered by comparison.
- + The ↑106 commenter says they hate reading and still finished it in short sessions, crediting the book's own framing of 'every day is a battle with your own self.'
- + It gets cited as a bare, unqualified answer (↑207, ↑125, ↑110) often enough that r/selfimprovement seems to treat the title alone as sufficient.
Common criticism
- − Most of the highest-upvoted mentions are just the title and author with zero elaboration, which makes them citations, not endorsements you can examine.
- − Only one displayed comment (↑135) does the harder work of comparing it to an alternative; the rest assume the reader already agrees.
- − Three of five subreddits here contribute two mentions or fewer, so most of this book's Reddit footprint is really one subreddit's habit, not a fleet-wide consensus.
Who it's for
Tried 12 Rules for Life and bounced off the preachiness? The ↑135 comment made that exact swap and stuck with Goggins instead. Don't read much, or don't finish what you start? The ↑106 commenter says the same and still got through it in 5-10 minute sessions, three nights a week. If you want your self-help argued rather than just cited, look past the bare-title comments; most of this book's Reddit footprint is people naming it, not defending it. r/getdisciplined is where the actual reasoning lives, thin as it is.
Mentions over time
Which Reddit comments matter for Can't Hurt Me?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“Cant Hurt Me by David Goggins
“Alright, long version first: After posting in this subreddit about a week ago I went through 2 books: "12 rules for life" and "can't hurt me". 12 rules was too preachy and "overengineered" (going from Adam and Eve to how to treat yourself) so I ignored the walls of text and stuck with implementing t…
“Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins
“Hey there, if you haven't been bombarded with opinions and thoughts, I'd like to give my two cents. You and I share a few things in common from your list, though a definition to a "well paying job" is hard to find. I get by with my job, but it makes me suicidally anxious/depressed. Close to the en…
“Hell yeah, this is real dude. People don’t want overachievers around them, it makes them feel bad about themselves. If you are changing and getting better, people will be uncomfortable if they don’t want to change or improve. You changed your diet, fitness habits, and social lifestyle. Your friends …
“Cant Hurt Me - David Goggins
“Cant hurt me - David Goggins
“That 1st tip is super f****** important. I highly reccommend OP reads David Goggins' "Can't Hurt Me." I hate reading and I finished this book in only a few months after literally reading about 5-10 min 3 nights per week. He stresses that every f****** day is a battle with your own self. You're not …
“Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins
“It wasn't for me - the aspects I found beneficial were either common sense or bits and bobs that I've already come across. Some books I would recommend are: 'Mindset' by Carol Dweck, 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear*, Elastic Habits by Stephen Guise, '168 hours' by Laura Vanderkam, 'Dopamine Nation…
“Can't hurt me - David Goggins Disipline equals freedom - Jocko Willink My life previously consisted of laziness but after reading these books I took action and was able to get pretty healthy
“No joke, David Goggins is my single biggest inspiration, and a huge reason for why I have this mentality. I've listened to the Can't Hurt Me audiobook prob 5-10 times all the way through. HIGHLY recommend that book and Goggins in general.
“Hand down, Cant Hurt Me by Goggins. Even years later if I read or put on the audio book for like 10 mins, I'm going to be super productive for the next 4 days. Just pure productivity fuel
“Can't hurt me by David Goggins and also Atomic habits by James Clear. The latter helped me to develop better habits and get rid of the bad ones as I was living a pretty unhealthy lifestyle. The former helped me to push myself to my own limits and also healed wounds I had because of past traumas, Dav…
“Cant hurt me by David Goggins. Watch one of his podcasts to get an insight on what it’s about. Really helped me through tough times.
Convinced? Pick up Can't Hurt Me
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with Can't Hurt Me — counted from the comments, not curated.
Guides featuring Can't Hurt Me
Ranked best-of lists and editorial guides where this book's tracked mentions place it.
Can't Hurt Me — frequently asked
Is Can't Hurt Me better than 12 Rules for Life?+
Yes, according to one head-to-head comparison. The ↑135 r/getdisciplined comment tried both, found 12 Rules for Life 'preachy' and 'overengineered' for going from Adam and Eve to basic self-care, and stuck with Can't Hurt Me instead. That's one account's verdict, not a subreddit-wide ranking, but it's the only direct comparison in the data.
Is Can't Hurt Me worth reading if you don't like reading?+
Yes, per one specific testimonial. The ↑106 comment is a direct answer: someone who says they hate reading finished it in 5-10 minute sessions, three nights a week, and came away repeating its core line about every day being a battle with yourself. That's one account, but a specific and relevant one for exactly that hesitation.
Why does Can't Hurt Me get mentioned so often without explanation on Reddit?+
Several of the highest-upvoted mentions (↑207, ↑125, ↑110) are just the title and author dropped into a thread, no argument attached. r/selfimprovement treats it as a settled, reflexive answer rather than something that needs defending each time, which is a form of endorsement but not an argued one.
Does Can't Hurt Me actually help with discipline, according to Reddit?+
Yes, according to one specific account. The ↑106 comment credits it with reframing daily effort as 'a battle with your own self,' and says that reframing stuck. That's the clearest functional claim in the data. Most other mentions don't go into what changed, just that people cite it when discipline comes up.