David Goggins…
…unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ve probably come across this man…whether you’ve realized it or not.
He’s the guy who broke the world pull-up record (which I think has since been broken again, but whatever), run a bunch of insanely long and intense races, served for decades as a Navy SEAL, the list goes on.
It’s just as probable that you know him for his pretty remarkable transformation with this picture likely being the best summation of this (remarkably fast) journey:
As impressive as Goggins’ numerous accolades are, his workout regimen (which, admittedly, has underdone a number of changes over the years) has also drawn a lot of attention, largely due to the sheer volume of work that he puts in each day.
…but is there more to the man than just thousands of pull-ups and gruelling ultramarathons? How could someone be so driven to take on U.S. Army Ranger School and Delta Force Selection and SEAL “Hell Week” three times?
Almost as importantly, what can I learn from his experiences?
Thankfully, the David Goggins books (Can’t Hurt Me and Never Finished) combine captivating story telling with practically applicable content. The books are similar in a lot of ways, but are also pretty difference. Let me know tell you all about my experience with each of them.
Table of Contents
Why I Decided to Read the David Goggins Books: Can’t Hurt Me and Never Finished
Like most people, I came across the “legend” of Goggins before I knew anything about his book(s). However, even when I learned about his first book, I wasn’t all that interested. Even then, I remember a buddy of mine mentioning how he read Can’t Hurt Me in 2019 and recommended it to me. Still nothing.
Last year I posted an article that went into depth about his workout routine. In putting this together, I did a bit more research about Goggins’ background and watched a bit of his famous (infamous?) Rogan podcast. It’s a real treat if you like F— words.
I’m not the biggest fan of the cussing, but I’ll admit that I find the man intriguing. Combine this with my love of intense physical activity, interest in military training, and my soft spot for “origin stories” (all of those Spider-Man comics as a kid!) and, looking back, I’m a bit surprised it took me this long to crack them…
…especially considering that I finished them both within 4 days of their arrival!
Length/Layout
Neither of the David Goggins books are particularly long reads…but neither appear to be quick and easy reads. Can’t Hurt Me clocks in at 364 pages (357 on Kindle, of which ~345 are “substantive” pages) while Never Finished is 312 (299 on Kindle).
There aren’t a ton of pictures and there are very few figures, tables, etc. to speak of (outside of Goggins raw footage of his weekly training volume tables). Nevertheless, each book reads much faster than the page counts would suggest.
For the most part, each book follows a similar layout. They both have relatively long chapters where Goggins expands upon a specific period in his life, challenge, or preparatory phase with much shorter “call to action” sections (or “Evolutions” to be specific) following each one, ordering the reader to implement a certain habit referenced in the preceding chapter.
Within each chapter, there are some non-linear components where Goggins will deviate from this story to expand upon a particular concept (all in the vein of “don’t quit” or “no excuses”) before resuming the story. This format somewhat tracks in a longer-form style with sections of some chapters backtracking to earlier periods.
To be honest, things are pretty straightforward and consistent and there is very little fluff and filler. I really appreciated this about each of the David Goggins books.
Tone
I don’t include this in most of my book reviews, but this seems to be a polarizing area that many have criticized Goggins for. After reading some others’ reviews and watching his Rogan podcast, I was expecting a lot of swearing and a very raw writing style.
Yeah, the man cusses quite a bit…but there isn’t as much super heavy swearing in the David Goggins books as I was expecting. However, you do get some…interesting descriptions like this one that, while crude, I found to be much more amusing than “bothersome”…
Overall, I found the tone to be very on point and appropriate throughout. You can actually hear Goggins voice in your head as you’re reading…not some filtered version of him or some ghostwriter’s preferred writing style or voice.
In all honesty, I don’t think these books would have worked any other way.
Main “Objectives”/Message
To be honest, amidst all of heartbreaking backstory and mind-boggling training volume, I would have to stop myself for a second and try to figure out what the point of it all was.
I mean, his exploits are incredible; the writing style and the manner in which they’re portrayed is captivating…but it’s kind of hard to understand “why”.
Eventually, Goggins gets a bit more specific about his objectives and rationale for it all. More and more he begins to state (either directly or indirectly) that his goal was to be “the baddest motherf—er”…
…but I could never find out exactly what he wanted to be the baddest dude at. To a degree, I found this to be a bit upsetting.
Not because I expected “more” from the man. His efforts to bolster the SEALS’ numbers, not to mention the overall Navy’s, to encourage people to be physically fit, raise millions of dollars for charities, serve his nation and community in a number of different contexts confirm that he puts it on the line for others more than 99.999 percent of the population.
…but because I personally wanted him to be more explicit about all of his time, energy, focus, blood, sweat, and tears being channeled into something…I don’t know…other than being a really bad dude.
Of course, it’s not my life and I haven’t experienced anywhere close to the trials and tribulations he has. I don’t know how many other readers have and, as a result, would be able to relate better to this sentiment and somewhat vague message. However, while simplifying it to “never give up” or “don’t make excuses for yourself” would probably be easier to digest for most people, it would really discount Goggins’ story.
Main Differences
One of the benefits of reading the David Goggins books immediately after one another is being more attuned to the slight, but significant differences between the works. I won’t pretend to be some amateur psychologist, but the man definitely seems to be in a different place during each book’s writing process.
Can’t Hurt Me seems almost like a slow, cathartic experience where Goggins is bearing his soul. All of the abuse, pain, hardships, and challenges (both those that others presented to him and those that he bestowed upon himself) of his life are laid bare. His mood is triumphant, but in more of a “betcha didn’t expect that” manner.
In contrast, in Never Finished, Goggins comes off as a man who is at much greater peace both with his past as well as with his numerous accomplishments. He confidently accepts his successes and problems as they arise with less bitterness. The overall tone of the book is more positive, even if the stories are less grandiose.
The “call-to-action” sections in Never Finished are a bit more substantive and organized than they are in Can’t Hurt Me, implying to me that there is more of a focus on lifting everyone up than there is in the first book.
I definitely found Can’t Hurt Me to be more entertaining, but it’s the kind of book that can also make you sick in places (particularly the opening chapters of his initial upbringing). For those looking for a more positive tone (and more, for a lack of a better term, “self-help” components) Never Finished is probably more up your alley.
Conclusion/My Take
I know I’m late to the party with the David Goggins books (especially the first one), but am glad that I finally took the time to read the man’s story. To be honest, they wouldn’t be my first choices of “fitness”, “military training”, or “origin story” books, but I thoroughly enjoyed them, nevertheless.
If you’re into gritty (and in a lot of cases it gets really gritty) detail of extreme determination, you’ll probably really enjoy these books. Also, if you’re looking for something to light a fire under you, these don’t disappoint (I’m not normally the type, but after reading these, I immediately wanted to go work on some weak areas).
However, if you’re more into, for lack of a better term, “long-term self-improvement” types of books, I don’t think the calls to action sections will really satisfy. These are generally a bit rushed (especially in Can’t Hurt Me) and many would probably find them hard to adapt to their personal circumstances.
Still, these are, if nothing else, very entertaining books. If you have an 8-hour flight coming up and you want the time to fly (ha!) by, you could pick these two up and be across the pond before you realized it. That’s enough for me…and for Fred!
