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© 2026 Juvoni Beckford

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Personal Development · 2008

Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts

Carol Tavris

Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts Cover
Rating
7.5/10
Difficulty
Moderate
Read time
8 hours
Best in
  • Kindle

292 pagesRead Jan 16, 2014Staying power: Lingering influence

by Juvoni Beckford·@juvoni

Before readingWhy I picked it up

Something I want to continue to improve upon is being able to take responsibility and ownership of a situation more readily. I grew up in a household where there was plenty of blame to go around. For the most part I kept quiet and accepted things, but I want to be able to spoke up while communicating the need from ownership on both sides. I wanted to better understand the psychology behind mistake and cognitive dissonance.

After readingPosted March 2, 2026

Tavris explains how Cognitive dissonance and Confirmation bias are at the root of people's hesitation and unwillingness to admit mistakes to others and themselves. We go through conflicting beliefs and selectively focus on evidence supporting the easier outcome. I really enjoyed the exploration into false memories. Overall a psychology book full of substance and lessons supported by great research and narrative.

Three reasons to read it

  1. 01Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) offers a fascinating explanation of self-deception
  2. 02Learn how it works, the harm it can cause, and how we can overcome it
  3. 03Better understand how the brain is wired for self-justification and what we can do to overcome it

Notes for this book are still being transcribed.

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Mistakes Were Made cover, this bookQuietThe Power of HabitThe War of ArtThis bookAlso in Personal Development

Quiet, The Power of Habit and The War of Art.

56 books in Personal Development →