Book · 1997
The Power of Now
by Eckhart Tolle
A man on the verge of suicide has a single night that ends the self he thought he was and leaves behind a guide to living without it.
What does Reddit think of The Power of Now?
r/Meditation and r/selfimprovement agree here more than they disagree, which is unusual for this corpus. An ↑353 comment says it "fundamentally changed my perception of reality" during someone's early twenties. Several other displayed r/selfimprovement comments just name-drop it flatly as the answer to anxiety-adjacent questions, no elaboration required. The recommendations lean toward mental-health framing rather than productivity: an ↑128 comment tells someone anxious that they "see yourself only as a physical being" but are much more than that, framed as a way to calm the mind. r/getdisciplined's ↑163 comment pairs it with Atomic Habits as a two-book stack, but adds the one real caveat in this set, calling it "a bit more on the spiritual side" than James Clear's book, half warning and half recommendation in the same breath. The oddest displayed take, ↑124 in r/Meditation, connects it to being high, crediting it with explaining why weed makes everything feel more interesting.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · presence over productivity
- · recommended for anxiety
- · paired with Atomic Habits
- · the spiritual-side caveat
Common praise
- + An ↑353 r/selfimprovement comment says it fundamentally changed their perception of reality in their early twenties.
- + r/getdisciplined pairs it with Atomic Habits as a two-book stack for managing stress and anxiety.
- + An ↑124 r/Meditation comment credits it with explaining why being high feels like being fully present, after the fact.
Common criticism
- − The one hedge in this set comes from the same comment recommending it: r/getdisciplined calls it 'a bit more on the spiritual side' than Atomic Habits, its paired recommendation.
- − Several of the top comments just drop the title and author with no elaboration, which reads more like reflex citation than an actual case for the book.
- − None of the displayed excerpts push back on the substance, so the enthusiasm here hasn't been tested against real dissent in this sample.
Who it's for
Struggling with anxiety or stuck in your own head rather than trying to optimize your calendar? That's the actual context these recommendations keep showing up in, across both r/selfimprovement and r/Meditation. Pair it with Atomic Habits if you want one book for habits and one for the mental noise underneath them, the way r/getdisciplined does. Uncomfortable with spiritual framing instead of secular self-help? Go in expecting Eckhart Tolle's vocabulary, since even the commenters recommending it flag that side directly. Want a recommendation that's been stress-tested against real skeptics? This sample doesn't have one on record yet.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for The Power of Now?
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.
“E. Tolle "The Power of Now" fundamentally changed my perception of reality and had the biggest impact on my (mental) development in my early 20s.
“The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle It gives you ways to enjoy your existence more and be more observant about things when you've been absentminded about your surroundings and how you havent been in control of your own self
“For me, ""Atomic Habits"" by James Clear has been a game-changer. Another gem I'd recommend is ""The Power of Now"" by Eckhart Tolle. It's a bit more on the spiritual side, but the mindfulness techniques in there have helped me manage stress and anxiety better. I also stumbled upon this online t…
“It seems you have a lot of anxiety and see yourself only as a physical being but you are much more than that and so is everyone else. I would suggest checking out the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle it is a great way to learn to calm the mind.
“I highly recommend the book "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle, reading it made me realize why weed made everything more interesting and enjoyable. It's because we're fully in the Now. Our memories become hazy and we don't think about the future as much. It takes us back to a child-like glee and …
“Whatever you think the world is withholding from you, you are withholding from the world. Edit: This is a quote from Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth”. A New Earth and The Power of Now have had a profound impact on my life and have been a very important part of my self improvement journey. I would reco…
“I totally agree with your method. I started using it (very clumsily) many years ago after reading The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. I have been allowing these emotions to pervade me and now they last only a few seconds before the "black hole of the thought/emotion loop" dissolves and i return to a…
“The Power Of Now and Eckhart Tolle in general completely changed my life. I get sooo happy hearing other people moved by his words. You can watch tons of his talks on YouTube as well. Enjoy!
“The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle. Gives you a new perspective on life.
“The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle. He even writes himself that the first few pages are enough and you can put the book down if you simply live in the present. Everything else he writes is for the mind, to convince it of the power of the Now.
“Eckhart Tolle: The Power of Now, Stillness Speaks ​ Really, Power of Now is the book that changed my life, i've probably listened/read it 15 times. I still go back to it again, and again. It taught me to FEEL presence, and universal love - how to actually feel it (inner energy field) -…
“I’m reading this book now and it’s fantastic! What a goldmine of concepts, techniques, and aphorisms that help the reader live a more mindful life. Tolle’s writing in brilliant in its accessibility; he uses plain language that can open a lot of peoples’ eyes to the simple, life-changing concept of m…
“Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. The audio book if you can (or both), he has other people ask the questions and then he himself does the narration of everything else. His voice is so soothing, it's borderline meditation I kid you not. But yeah, I first listened to it about 2 years ago and use its t…
“Have you read The Power of Now by Erkhart Tolle? That will help massively. It's not for everyone and not your typical self help book, but I think it could help you based on what you've just said. It will show you why dwelling on the past (and future for that matter is futile). Hope it helps
“Hi. I would recommend you to read power of now. It may seem to have lot of jargons but over the time you ll understand and it will definitely help you (% also listen to Eckhart tolle
Convinced? Pick up The Power of Now
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with The Power of Now — counted from the comments, not curated.
Guides featuring The Power of Now
Ranked best-of lists and editorial guides where this book's tracked mentions place it.
The Power of Now — frequently asked
Is The Power of Now more spiritual than practical?+
Yes, by its own fans' account. An ↑163 r/getdisciplined comment recommends it alongside Atomic Habits but calls it 'a bit more on the spiritual side,' while still crediting its mindfulness techniques with helping manage stress and anxiety.
Does Reddit recommend The Power of Now for anxiety?+
Repeatedly. An ↑128 r/selfimprovement comment points it at someone experiencing anxiety directly, framing it as a way to calm the mind, and an ↑353 comment says it changed the commenter's perception of reality during a period of their own mental development in their early twenties.
Is The Power of Now similar to Atomic Habits?+
Not in content, but Reddit pairs them anyway. An ↑163 r/getdisciplined comment recommends both as a stack, Atomic Habits for habits and this one for the mindfulness side, while flagging that The Power of Now runs more spiritual than James Clear's more secular, tactical book.
Has anyone on Reddit criticized The Power of Now?+
Not in this displayed sample. Every scored excerpt across r/Meditation, r/selfimprovement, and r/getdisciplined lands positive, and the closest thing to pushback is a single comment noting its spiritual framing as a heads-up, not a complaint about the book's value.