Have you ever lied awake, being unable to sleep because your thoughts were ruminating and worries kept you up? The premise of this book is about something that is very simple to understand, yet remarkably hard to master. Can you control your thoughts, or do your thoughts control you? If you've never had trouble sleeping because your thoughts kept you awake, I envy you - but for those in the same boat as me, there is a lot of practical and useful information and techniques in this book that can have a drastic positive effect on your quality of life, and ultimately teach you on how to use your mind as a tool if it were, rather than a tireless production machine of worries and pointless stress. I would say that this is the book's biggest strength - explaining the philosophy and the "why" behind his theory on why being present is the most important thing for human enjoyment, and to actually implementing it in your daily life. What does the term surrender really mean, and what is the difference between surrender and "giving up"? How can I use presence to improve my career or personal relationships? All these questions are answered in great detail with a lot of wisdom and insights. The book is formatted in a way where Eckhart's students ask him clever, relevant questions about how to stay present, how to control your mind rather than be controlled by it, and what that means in a practical sense. This makes it very enjoyable to read, because it feels like your own internal questions are constantly being asked - I found this very gratifying and it helped me understand the nuances much better. In fact, there were often moments where the question that was posed was so good, that I was sure that Eckhart was going to falter and fumble the answer... but he never does. He has a way of reasoning that is not judgemental, yet direct, and backed by common sense and philosophical themes. If you're into theology, he also provides interesting interpretations of well known works and historical teachings and teachers; from the Bhagavad Gita to the Buddha. I wouldn't consider myself a spritual person nor into New Age in the slightest - I don't have any crystals or dreamcatchers in my house - and yet I found this book to extraordinarily helpful in offering insight into my mind and being. Whether you're concerned about life enjoyment, your career, health, relationships, financial stress or family issues - there is a lot of wisdom in this book for everyone, regardless of what you're trying to achieve. I highly recommend it, and it's no surprise it's sold so well over the last few decades.