:12 Rules for Life

Peterson's interest in writing the book grew out of a personal hobby of answering questions posted on Quora; one such question being "What are the most valuable things everyone should know?", to which his answer{{cite web |title=Jordan B Peterson's answer to What are the most valuable things everyone should know? - Quora |url=https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-most-valuable-things-everyone-should-know/answer/Jordan-B-Peterson |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190824110858/https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-most-valuable-things-everyone-should-know/answer/Jordan-B-Peterson |archive-date=August 24, 2019 |access-date=July 22, 2018 |website=www.quora.com |language=en}} comprised 42 rules. The early vision and promotion of the book aimed to include all rules, with the title "42".{{cite web|title=Jordan Peterson on His New Book |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20omcnzM27Y |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201223449/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20omcnzM27Y |archive-date=February 1, 2013 |access-date=February 11, 2021 |website=YouTube|language=en |publisher=The Agenda with Steve Paikin }}{{cite episode |title=The Death of the Oceans (1) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE29TM_YtR0&t=493 |date=November 10, 2014 |time=8:13 |series=The Death of the Oceans |access-date=February 11, 2021 |website=YouTube |language=en |publisher=JordanPetersonVideos |archive-date=December 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221234253/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE29TM_YtR0 |url-status=live }} Peterson stated that it "isn't only written for other people. It's a warning to me."

The book is divided into chapters with each title representing one of the following twelve specific rules for life as explained through an essay.

1. "Stand up straight with your shoulders back."
2. "Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping."
3. "Make friends with people who want the best for you."
4. "Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today."
5. "Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them."
6. "Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world."
7. "Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)."
8. "Tell the truth – or, at least, don't lie."
9. "Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don't."
10. "Be precise in your speech."
11. "Do not bother children when they are skateboarding."
12. "Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street."{{cite web |date=January 28, 2018 |title=12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B Peterson – digested read |url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/28/12-rules-for-life-an-antidote-to-chaos-by-jordan-b-peterson-digested-read |access-date=November 18, 2022 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}

The book's central idea is that "suffering is built into the structure of being" and, although it can be unbearable, people have a choice either to withdraw, which is a "suicidal gesture", or to face and transcend it. Living in a world of chaos and order,{{cite news|last=Brooks|first=David|author-link=David Brooks (cultural commentator)|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/opinion/jordan-peterson-moment.html|title=The Jordan Peterson Moment|work=The New York Times|date=January 25, 2018|accessdate=January 31, 2018|archive-date=January 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130102616/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/opinion/jordan-peterson-moment.html|url-status=live}} everyone has "darkness" that can "turn them into the monsters they're capable of being" to satisfy their dark impulses in the right situations. Scientific experiments like the Invisible Gorilla Test show that perception is adjusted to aims, and it is better to seek meaning rather than happiness. Peterson notes:{{blockquote|It's all very well to think the meaning of life is happiness, but what happens when you're unhappy? Happiness is a great side effect. When it comes, accept it gratefully. But it's fleeting and unpredictable. It's not something to aim at – because it's not an aim. And if happiness is the purpose of life, what happens when you're unhappy? Then you're a failure.}}

The book advances the idea that people are born with an instinct for ethics and meaning, and should take responsibility to search for meaning above their own interests (Rule 7, "Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient"). Such thinking is reflected both in contemporary stories such as Pinocchio, The Lion King, and Harry Potter, and in ancient stories from the Bible. To "Stand up straight with your shoulders back" (Rule 1) is to "accept the terrible responsibility of life," to make self-sacrifice,{{cite news|url=https://www.christianpost.com/voice/christ-vs-the-crowd-my-interview-with-jordan-b-peterson.html|title=Christ vs. the Crowd: My Interview with Jordan B. Peterson|first=David|last=Gornoski|date=January 29, 2018|work=The Christian Post|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=April 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402035842/https://www.christianpost.com/voice/christ-vs-the-crowd-my-interview-with-jordan-b-peterson.html|url-status=live}} because the individual must rise above victimization and "conduct his or her life in a manner that requires the rejection of immediate gratification, of natural and perverse desires alike." The comparison to neurological structures and behavior of lobsters is used as a natural example to the formation of social hierarchies.{{cite news|url=http://theconversation.com/psychologist-jordan-peterson-says-lobsters-help-to-explain-why-human-hierarchies-exist-do-they-90489|title=Psychologist Jordan Peterson says lobsters help to explain why human hierarchies exist – do they?|first=Leonor|last=Gonçalves|date=January 24, 2018|work=The Conversation|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207005453/https://theconversation.com/psychologist-jordan-peterson-says-lobsters-help-to-explain-why-human-hierarchies-exist-do-they-90489|url-status=live}}

The other parts of the work explore and criticize the state of young men; the upbringing that ignores sex differences between boys and girls (criticism of over-protection and tabula rasa model in social sciences); male–female interpersonal relationships; school shootings; religion and moral nihilism; relativism; and lack of respect for the values that built Western society.{{cite news|last=Rubenstein|first=Adam|url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/jordan-peterson-i-dont-want-people-falling-down-in-an-ideological-abyss/article/2011777|title=Jordan Peterson: 'I Don't Want People Falling Down in an Ideological Abyss'|work=The Weekly Standard|date=March 1, 2018|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-date=March 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302143424/http://www.weeklystandard.com/jordan-peterson-i-dont-want-people-falling-down-in-an-ideological-abyss/article/2011777|url-status=dead}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/05/jordan-petersons-gospel-of-masculinity|title=Jordan Peterson's Gospel of Masculinity|date=March 5, 2018|first=Kelefa|last=Sanneh|author-link=Kelefa Sanneh|magazine=The New Yorker|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=March 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308021518/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/05/jordan-petersons-gospel-of-masculinity|url-status=live}}

In the last chapter, Peterson outlines the ways in which one can cope with the most tragic events, which are very often out of one's control. In it, he describes his own personal struggle upon discovering that his daughter, Mikhaila, had a rare bone disease. The chapter is a meditation on how to maintain a watchful eye on, and cherish, life's small redeemable qualities (e.g., to "pet a cat when you encounter one"). It also outlines a practical way to deal with hardship: to shorten one's temporal scope of responsibility (e.g., by focussing on the next minute rather than the next three months).{{cite interview |last=Jordan |first=Peterson |author-link=Jordan Peterson |interviewer=Dave Rubin |title=Jordan Peterson LIVE: 12 Rules for Life - An Antidote to Chaos |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJJClhqGq_M |publisher=The Rubin Report |location=Los Angeles, California |date=November 1, 2017 |work=website |access-date=April 1, 2018 |archive-date=April 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425205431/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJJClhqGq_M |url-status=live }}

Canadian psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge wrote the book's foreword, with the help of Anuar Kul-Mukkhamed, a student at the University of Chicago.Mukhtar Kul-Mukhammed

File:Jordan Peterson (42026118365).jpg speaking at an event in Dallas, Texas, in June 2018]]

To promote the book, Peterson went on a world tour, initially from January 14, 2018, to February 17, 2018, including events in England, Canada, and the United States.{{cite web|url=https://jordanbpeterson.com/events/|title=Jordan Peterson Events|work=jordanbpeterson.com|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=March 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317094912/http://jordanbpeterson.com/events/|url-status=live}} The sold-out venues included 1,000-seat conference hall Emmanuel Centre in London,{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/jordan-peterson-canadian-psychologist-snowflake-millennial-a3742586.html|title=Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson: the 'anti-snowflake' crusader speaks out|first=Katie|last=Law|date=January 20, 2018|work=London Evening Standard|access-date=January 20, 2018|archive-date=January 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121071215/https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/jordan-peterson-canadian-psychologist-snowflake-millennial-a3742586.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/01/the-curious-star-appeal-of-jordan-peterson/|title=The curious star appeal of Jordan Peterson|first=Douglas|last=Murray|author-link=Douglas Murray (author)|date=January 20, 2018|work=The Spectator|access-date=January 20, 2018|archive-date=January 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120104601/https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/01/the-curious-star-appeal-of-jordan-peterson/|url-status=live}} and 2,000-seat Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.{{cite news|url=http://nymag.com/selectall/2018/02/jordan-peterson-reddits-new-favorite-philosopher.html|title=Talking Basement-Dwellers With Jordan Peterson, Reddit's New Favorite Philosopher|first=Max|last=Read|date=February 4, 2018|work=New York|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-date=March 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301043137/http://nymag.com/selectall/2018/02/jordan-peterson-reddits-new-favorite-philosopher.html|url-status=live}} The February 11 event at Citadel Theatre in Edmonton was cancelled by the theatre's board of directors and management, for which they later apologized, and instead was held at a sold-out Hyatt Place.{{cite news|url=https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/david-staples-edmonton-should-welcome-home-jordan-peterson-not-shun-him|title=David Staples: Dark day as Citadel Theatre snubs controversial author|first=David|last=Staples|date=January 18, 2018|work=Edmonton Journal|access-date=January 22, 2018|archive-date=January 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122184625/http://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/david-staples-edmonton-should-welcome-home-jordan-peterson-not-shun-him|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/3977194/jordan-peterson-citadel-theatre-university-of-toronto-12-rules-of-life-edmonton/|title=Edmonton's Citadel Theatre apologizes over how it handled Jordan Peterson event|first=Phil|last=Heidenreich|date=January 20, 2018|work=Global News|access-date=January 20, 2018|archive-date=January 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120065945/https://globalnews.ca/news/3977194/jordan-peterson-citadel-theatre-university-of-toronto-12-rules-of-life-edmonton/|url-status=live}} The second part included three sold-out events in March in Australia,{{cite news|last=Albrechtsen|first=Janet|author-link=Albrechtsen|url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/jordan-peterson-six-reasons-that-explain-his-rise/news-story/2466de41292be34e26e6c29041688eba|title=Jordan Peterson: six reasons that explain his rise|work=The Australian|date=February 24, 2018|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=September 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923051739/https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnews%2Finquirer%2Fjordan-peterson-six-reasons-that-explain-his-rise%2Fnews-story%2F2466de41292be34e26e6c29041688eba&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&nk=abf03e300db0806d2c63e58ac2bd31c9-1600838259|url-status=live}} continuing at Beacon Theatre in New York, and the third part held between early May and June initially numbering ten events in the US and Canada and one in the UK.{{cite news|url=http://markets.on.nytimes.com/research/stocks/news/press_release.asp?docTag=201802201700PR_NEWS_USPRX____TO18794&feedID=600&press_symbol=3744685|title=Dr. Jordan Peterson Announces 12 Rules for Life Tour|date=February 20, 2018|work=The New York Times|accessdate=March 5, 2018|archive-date=April 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180403234804/http://markets.on.nytimes.com/research/stocks/news/press_release.asp?docTag=201802201700PR_NEWS_USPRX____TO18794&feedID=600&press_symbol=3744685|url-status=dead}} Until June, the tour visited 45 cities in North America, Europe and Australia, reaching an audience of over 100,000 people.{{cite magazine|magazine=Claremont|url=https://www.claremont.org/crb/article/the-jordan-peterson-phenomenon/|title=The Jordan Peterson Phenomenon|author=Glenn Ellmers|date=August 1, 2018|publisher=Claremont Review of Books|volume=XVIII|issue=3|accessdate=October 24, 2018|quote=Peterson said that nearly 200,000 people have already come to see him "with no danger, and very little controversy."|archive-date=October 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024073605/https://www.claremont.org/crb/article/the-jordan-peterson-phenomenon/|url-status=live}} According to Peterson, nearly 200,000 people attended the live events until late July.{{cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/4353534/jordan-peterson-calgary-arts-commons-open-letter/|title=Jordan Peterson responds to open letter calling for Calgary appearance to be cancelled|first1=Heide|last1=Pearson|first2=Lauren|last2=Pullen|first3=Kaylen|last3=Small|date=July 25, 2018|publisher=Global News|accessdate=October 24, 2018|quote=Peterson said that nearly 200,000 people have already come to see him "with no danger, and very little controversy."|archive-date=October 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024035749/https://globalnews.ca/news/4353534/jordan-peterson-calgary-arts-commons-open-letter/|url-status=live}}

As part of the tour, Peterson had an interview on Channel 4 News that went viral, receiving considerable attention and nearly 49 million views on YouTube.{{cite news|last=Doward|first=Jamie|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/21/no-excuse-for-online-abuse-says-professor-in-tv-misogyny-row|title='Back off', controversial professor urges critics of C4 interviewer|date=January 21, 2018|work=The Observer|accessdate=January 21, 2018|archive-date=January 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121012603/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/21/no-excuse-for-online-abuse-says-professor-in-tv-misogyny-row|url-status=live}} He also appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC's HARDtalk;{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06gh65z|title=HARDTalk, Jordan Peterson, There is 'a backlash against masculinity'|date=August 6, 2018|publisher=BBC|accessdate=October 24, 2018|archive-date=January 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130201215/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06gh65z|url-status=live}} LBC's Maajid Nawaz radio show; Fox & Friends and Tucker Carlson Tonight;{{cite news|url=http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/02/06/jordan-peterson-justin-trudeau-peoplekind-mankind-remark-gender-neutral-language|title=Professor on Trudeau's 'Mankind' Objection: Canada Will 'Pay' for This Leftist Ideology|date=February 6, 2018|work=Fox News|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=March 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302094907/http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/02/06/jordan-peterson-justin-trudeau-peoplekind-mankind-remark-gender-neutral-language|url-status=live}} ABC's 7.30;{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/jordan-peterson-says-hate-speech-will-be-policed-by-last-people-in-the-world-you-would-want-to/news-story/4a37ae224fcc96986dac176374d817ae|title=Jordan Peterson says hate speech will be policed by 'last people in the world you would want to'|author=Frank Chung|date=March 14, 2018|work=news.com.au|accessdate=April 21, 2018|archive-date=April 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422070850/http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/jordan-peterson-says-hate-speech-will-be-policed-by-last-people-in-the-world-you-would-want-to/news-story/4a37ae224fcc96986dac176374d817ae|url-status=live}} Sky News Australia's Outsiders;{{cite news|url=https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_5753454974001|title=Governments should not 'mandate' gender speech|work=Sky News Australia|accessdate=April 21, 2018|archive-date=April 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422062213/https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_5753454974001|url-status=live}} HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher;{{cite news|url=https://www.mediaite.com/tv/jordan-peterson-clashes-w-maher-panel-about-political-divide-you-need-to-have-respect-for-trump-voters/|title=Jordan Peterson Clashes w/ Maher Panel About Political Divide: 'You Need To Have Respect' For Trump Voters|date=April 21, 2018|work=Mediaite|accessdate=April 21, 2018|archive-date=April 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421102732/https://www.mediaite.com/tv/jordan-peterson-clashes-w-maher-panel-about-political-divide-you-need-to-have-respect-for-trump-voters/|url-status=live}} and The Dr. Oz Show, among others.{{cite news|url=https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2018/10/14/dr_jordan_peterson_shares_personality_quiz_to_help_you_accomplish_your_goals.html|title=Dr. Jordan Peterson Shares Personality Quiz to Help You Understand Yourself, Accomplish Your Goals|author=Tim Hains|date=April 14, 2018|work=RealClearPolitics|accessdate=April 24, 2018|archive-date=October 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024035454/https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2018/10/14/dr_jordan_peterson_shares_personality_quiz_to_help_you_accomplish_your_goals.html|url-status=live}}

Penguin Allen Lane published the book on January 16, 2018, in the UK.{{cite book|url=https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/309610/12-rules-for-life/|title=12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson|publisher=Penguin|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=April 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406164723/https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/309610/12-rules-for-life/|url-status=live}} Random House Canada published it on January 23 in Canada.{{cite web|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/258237/12-rules-for-life-by-jordan-b-peterson--foreword-by-norman-doige-md-illustrated-by-ethan-van-sciver/9780345816023/|title=12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson|publisher=Penguin Random House|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=March 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307011157/https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/258237/12-rules-for-life-by-jordan-b-peterson--foreword-by-norman-doige-md-illustrated-by-ethan-van-sciver/9780345816023/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://publishingperspectives.com/2017/12/rights-roundup-agency-reports-sweden-spain-germany-greece-canada-australia/|title=Rights Roundup: Reports From Sweden, Spain, Germany, Greece, Canada, Australia|date=December 14, 2017|first=Porter|last=Anderson|publisher=Publishing Perspectives|accessdate=October 22, 2018|archive-date=October 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022073805/https://publishingperspectives.com/2017/12/rights-roundup-agency-reports-sweden-spain-germany-greece-canada-australia/|url-status=live}} {{As of|2018|September|lc=y}}, the book was slated to be translated into 45 languages.{{cite news |title=About Dr. Jordan B Peterson - Clinical Psychologist, Professor, Author |url=https://jordanbpeterson.com/about/ |accessdate=October 29, 2018 |work=jordanbpeterson.com |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927023726/https://jordanbpeterson.com/about/ |archivedate=September 27, 2018}}

The 12 Rules for Life audiobook was number one on Audible in Canada, and number three in the US.{{cite news|url=https://edmontonjournal.com/news/canada/could-jordan-peterson-become-the-best-selling-canadian-author-of-all-time/wcm/46d59986-21ef-4b18-a7c6-b0edfd4b75ae|title=Could Jordan Peterson become the best-selling Canadian author of all time?|first=Tristin|last=Hopper|date=March 7, 2018|work=Edmonton Journal|access-date=March 12, 2018|archive-date=March 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314102550/http://edmontonjournal.com/news/canada/could-jordan-peterson-become-the-best-selling-canadian-author-of-all-time/wcm/46d59986-21ef-4b18-a7c6-b0edfd4b75ae|url-status=live}} In Canada, since its debut, it topped The Globe and Mail{{'s}} and the Toronto Star{{'s}} nonfiction bestsellers lists.{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/bestsellers/bestsellers-hardcover-non-fiction-feb-3-2018/article37816346|title=Bestsellers: Hardcover Non-Fiction, Feb. 3, 2018|work=The Globe and Mail|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=March 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302025032/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/bestsellers/bestsellers-hardcover-non-fiction-feb-3-2018/article37816346/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/bestsellers/bestsellers-hardcover-non-fiction-march-3-2018/article38160757/|title=Bestsellers: Hardcover Non-Fiction, March 3, 2018|work=The Globe and Mail|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=March 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303065423/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/bestsellers/bestsellers-hardcover-non-fiction-march-3-2018/article38160757/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2018/02/08/toronto-star-bestsellers-for-the-week-ending-feb-10.html|title=Toronto Star bestsellers for the week ending Feb. 10|work=Toronto Star|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=February 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210034847/https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2018/02/08/toronto-star-bestsellers-for-the-week-ending-feb-10.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2018/03/08/toronto-star-bestsellers-for-the-week-ending-march-10.html|title=Toronto Star bestsellers for the week ending March 10|work=Toronto Star|accessdate=March 12, 2018|archive-date=March 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327023802/https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2018/03/08/toronto-star-bestsellers-for-the-week-ending-march-10.html|url-status=live}} According to CBC Books, it was the 4th-bestselling Canadian book of the year.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/the-top-10-bestselling-canadian-books-of-2018-1.4948874|title=The top 10 bestselling Canadian books of 2018|date=December 26, 2018|work=CBC|accessdate=January 5, 2019|archive-date=October 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002001948/https://www.cbc.ca/books/the-top-10-bestselling-canadian-books-of-2018-1.4948874|url-status=live}} According to the Toronto Star, it was the "biggest Canadian book success story of the year", topping original nonfiction and Canadian nonfiction categories, with only Canadian poet writer Rupi Kaur having similar sales.{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2018/12/26/big-bestsellers-list-the-books-you-bought-in-2018.html|title=Big bestsellers list: the books you bought in 2018|author=Sarah Murdoch|date=December 26, 2018|work=Toronto Star|accessdate=January 6, 2019|archive-date=January 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107072054/https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2018/12/26/big-bestsellers-list-the-books-you-bought-in-2018.html|url-status=live}} According to Publishers Weekly, Kobo Inc. reported that it was the 2nd-bestselling audiobook of 2018 in Canada,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/international-book-news/article/78804-a-j-finn-is-kobo-s-bestselling-author-of-2018.html|title=A.J. Finn is Kobo's Bestselling Author of 2018|author=Ed Nawotka|date=December 12, 2018|magazine=Publishers Weekly|accessdate=January 6, 2019|archive-date=January 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107072304/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/international-book-news/article/78804-a-j-finn-is-kobo-s-bestselling-author-of-2018.html|url-status=live}} whereas per BookNet Canada and BNC SalesData the print book was 3rd and Peterson was the bestselling Canadian author of the year.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/international-book-news/article/79008-canadian-print-book-sales-stayed-flat-in-2018.html|title=Canadian Print Book Sales Stayed Flat in 2018|author=Ed Nawotka|date=January 15, 2019|magazine=Publishers Weekly|accessdate=January 17, 2019|archive-date=January 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115222135/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/international-book-news/article/79008-canadian-print-book-sales-stayed-flat-in-2018.html|url-status=live}}

In the UK the book enjoyed five weeks at the top of The Sunday Times{{'s}} bestsellers list for general hardcover (February 18 – March 25,{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/books-the-sunday-times-bestsellers-february-18-mclf8b002|title=Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers, February 18|work=The Sunday Times|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=February 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220085448/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/books-the-sunday-times-bestsellers-february-18-mclf8b002|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/books-the-sunday-times-bestsellers-february-25-gwvqw83wd|title=Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers, February 25|work=The Sunday Times|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=February 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225103251/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/books-the-sunday-times-bestsellers-february-25-gwvqw83wd|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/books-the-sunday-times-bestsellers-march-4-rfsqclhbr|title=Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers, March 4|work=The Sunday Times|accessdate=March 5, 2018|archive-date=March 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304220157/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/books-the-sunday-times-bestsellers-march-4-rfsqclhbr|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-sunday-times-bestsellers-march-11-wtnwx22f9|title=Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers, March 11|work=The Sunday Times|accessdate=March 12, 2018|archive-date=March 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311101805/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-sunday-times-bestsellers-march-11-wtnwx22f9|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-sunday-times-bestsellers-march-25-kmjqj69px|title=Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers, March 25|work=The Sunday Times|accessdate=March 26, 2018|archive-date=March 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325203516/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-sunday-times-bestsellers-march-25-kmjqj69px|url-status=live}} again on April 15),{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/books-the-sunday-times-bestsellers-chart-april-15-l8hbvxs3h|title=Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers, April 15|work=The Sunday Times|accessdate=May 22, 2018|archive-date=May 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522183434/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/books-the-sunday-times-bestsellers-chart-april-15-l8hbvxs3h|url-status=live}} selling over 120,000 copies by September 16.{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/books-the-sunday-times-bestsellers-september-16-9wjcqvjjq|title=Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers, September 16|work=The Sunday Times|accessdate=October 22, 2018|archive-date=October 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022232455/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/books-the-sunday-times-bestsellers-september-16-9wjcqvjjq|url-status=live}} According to The Sunday Times, the hardback edition was the year's 4th-biggest seller in the "general hardbacks" category with 153,160 copies sold by end of the year.{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/books-the-sunday-times-bestsellers-of-the-year-2018-k9wn67tw6|title=Books: The Sunday Times Bestsellers of the Year, 2018|date=December 30, 2018|work=The Sunday Times|accessdate=January 6, 2019|archive-date=January 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107072228/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/books-the-sunday-times-bestsellers-of-the-year-2018-k9wn67tw6|url-status=live}} According to The Guardian, the Nielsen BookScan reported sales of 147,899 copies made it only the 32nd bestselling book of the year.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/dec/29/100-bestselling-books-of-the-year-from-eleanor-oliphant-to-michelle-obama#comments|title=The 100 bestselling books of the year: from Eleanor Oliphant to Michelle Obama|first=John|last=Dugdale|date=December 29, 2018|work=The Guardian|accessdate=January 6, 2019|archive-date=November 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130014214/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/dec/29/100-bestselling-books-of-the-year-from-eleanor-oliphant-to-michelle-obama#comments|url-status=live}}

According to The Guardian, the Nielsen BookScan reported sales of over 10,000 copies until March 12 in Australia.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/12/not-all-he-says-is-defensible-but-jordan-peterson-deserves-to-be-taken-seriously|title=Not all he says is defensible, but Jordan Peterson deserves to be taken seriously|first=Gareth|last=Hutchens|date=March 12, 2018|work=The Guardian|accessdate=March 12, 2018|archive-date=March 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312071435/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/12/not-all-he-says-is-defensible-but-jordan-peterson-deserves-to-be-taken-seriously|url-status=live}} According to The Irish Times, in Ireland it was the 23rd-bestselling book of the year with 14,408 copies.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/ireland-s-bestselling-books-of-2018-revealed-1.3737156|title=Ireland's bestselling books of 2018 revealed|first=Martin|last=Doyle|date=December 19, 2018|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=January 6, 2019|archive-date=December 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220165711/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/ireland-s-bestselling-books-of-2018-revealed-1.3737156|url-status=live}}

In the US, the book became the number-one nonfiction book and e-book on The Wall Street Journal{{'}}s Best-Selling Books list.{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/best-selling-books-week-ended-feb-11-1518813119|title=Best-Selling Books Week Ended Feb. 11|date=February 16, 2018|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|accessdate=March 2, 2018|archive-date=February 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228015534/https://www.wsj.com/articles/best-selling-books-week-ended-feb-11-1518813119|url-status=live}} It also topped The Washington Post{{'s}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/best-sellers/2018/02/11/national-nonfiction/|title=Bestsellers: National nonfiction|date=February 11, 2018|newspaper=The Washington Post|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=April 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406163842/https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/best-sellers/2018/02/11/national-nonfiction/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/best-sellers/2018/02/25/national-nonfiction/|title=Bestsellers: National nonfiction|date=February 25, 2018|newspaper=The Washington Post|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=April 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406163840/https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/best-sellers/2018/02/25/national-nonfiction/|url-status=live}} and Reuters's US bestsellers list,{{cite news|url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/usa-books-bestsellers/table-hannahs-the-great-alone-again-tops-u-s-best-sellers-idUKL2N1QJ2IC|title=Table-Hannah's 'The Great Alone' again tops U.S. best-sellers|date=March 1, 2018|work=Reuters|access-date=March 4, 2018|archive-date=April 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406163759/https://uk.reuters.com/article/usa-books-bestsellers/table-hannahs-the-great-alone-again-tops-u-s-best-sellers-idUKL2N1QJ2IC|url-status=dead}} reached number two on USA Today{{'}}s overall list,{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/06/21/12-rules-for-life-an-antidote-to-chaos/2444877/isbn/9780345816023/|title=12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos charting|work=USA Today|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=February 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224074856/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/06/21/12-rules-for-life-an-antidote-to-chaos/2444877/isbn/9780345816023/|url-status=live}} and topped the hardcover nonfiction and top 10 overall category for Publishers Weekly,{{cite news|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/79055-breaking-down-the-bestsellers-of-2018.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119060028/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/79055-breaking-down-the-bestsellers-of-2018.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 19, 2019|title=Publishers Weekly Best-Sellers|date=January 18, 2019|work=Miami Herald|accessdate=March 3, 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/nielsen/HardcoverNonfiction.html|title=Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists – Hardcover Nonfiction|work=Publishers Weekly|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303025420/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/nielsen/HardcoverNonfiction.html|archive-date=March 3, 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/nielsen/top100.html|title=Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists – Top 10 Overall|work=Publishers Weekly|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303063139/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/nielsen/top100.html|archive-date=March 3, 2018|url-status=dead}} selling over 559,000 copies by September 24, 2018.{{cite news|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/nielsen/HardcoverNonfiction.html|title=Publishers Weekly Bestseller Lists – Hardcover Nonfiction|work=Publishers Weekly|accessdate=July 9, 2018|archive-date=March 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303025420/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/nielsen/HardcoverNonfiction.html|url-status=live}} In the category it replaced Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/life/rules-to-live-by-from-a-grumpy-old-man-36634342.html|title=Rules to live by from a grumpy old man|date=February 25, 2018|work=Irish Independent|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=February 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227213859/https://www.independent.ie/life/rules-to-live-by-from-a-grumpy-old-man-36634342.html|url-status=live}} At the end of the year the hardcover version was the 11th-bestselling book, with 692,238 copies.{{cite news|author=Jim Milliot|date=January 4, 2019|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/78941-becoming-is-top-selling-title-in-2018.html|title='Becoming' Is Top-Selling Title In 2018|work=Publishers Weekly|accessdate=January 5, 2019|archive-date=January 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105034509/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/78941-becoming-is-top-selling-title-in-2018.html|url-status=live}} Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle said in late March that the book had already sold over 700,000 copies in the US.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/76447-prh-has-stable-2017.html|title=PRH Has Stable 2017|author=Jim Milliot|date=March 27, 2018|magazine=Publishers Weekly|accessdate=April 17, 2018|archive-date=April 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418035113/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/76447-prh-has-stable-2017.html|url-status=live}} The book did not chart on The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and IndieBound bestsellers list. According to Toronto Star books editor Deborah Dundas, the New York Times stated it was not counted because it was published by a Canadian company.{{cite news|first=Deborah|last=Dundas|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2018/02/09/jordan-petersons-book-is-a-bestseller-except-where-it-matters-most.html|title=Jordan Peterson's book is a bestseller – except where it matters most|date=February 9, 2018|work=Toronto Star|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-date=March 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303003913/https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2018/02/09/jordan-petersons-book-is-a-bestseller-except-where-it-matters-most.html|url-status=live}} According to Random House Canada, the book was handled properly for the US market.{{cite news|first=Brian|last=Stelter|author-link=Brian Stelter|url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/04/16/media/trump-new-york-times-best-selling-books/index.html|title=Every top New York Times best-seller this year has been about Trump|date=April 16, 2018|work=CNN|access-date=April 17, 2018|archive-date=April 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418032439/http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/16/media/trump-new-york-times-best-selling-books/index.html|url-status=live}}

Peterson announced the book had sold over 2 million copies (August 6, 2018),{{Citation|last=Jordan B Peterson|title=August 2018 Patreon Q & A|date=August 6, 2018|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VpxJg6jeMo|access-date=August 7, 2018|archive-date=August 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810090948/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VpxJg6jeMo|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/straw-gods-a-cautious-response-to-jordan-peterson/#!|title=Straw Gods: A Cautious Response to Jordan B. Peterson|author=Guy Stevenson|date=October 1, 2018|magazine=Los Angeles Review of Books|accessdate=October 22, 2018|quote=shifted two million books|archive-date=October 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001170401/https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/straw-gods-a-cautious-response-to-jordan-peterson/#!|url-status=live}} then 3 million copies (January 13, 2019),{{Citation|last=Jordan B Peterson|title=January 2019 Q & A|date=January 13, 2019|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXPmLZRAPSo|access-date=January 13, 2019|archive-date=January 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190113144941/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXPmLZRAPSo|url-status=live}} and later that work had begun on a sequel (January 2019).{{cite web|url=https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/podcast/episode-61/|title=The Jordan B Peterson Podcast - #61 - January 2019 Q&A|date=January 22, 2019|publisher=JordanBPeterson.com|accessdate=March 20, 2019|archive-date=June 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190613235010/https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/podcast/episode-61/|url-status=live}} The book reached 5 million sales by November 2020.{{cite web | url=https://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/announcements/dr-jordan-b-peterson-announces-the-follow-up-to-his-global-bestseller-12-rules-of-life/ | title=Dr. Jordan B. Peterson Announces the Follow-Up to His Global Bestseller 12 RULES OF LIFE }} By May 2023 the book had sold over 10 million copies.

In March 2019, Whitcoulls, one of New Zealand's leading book retailers, temporarily removed the book from their stores and online catalogue, apparently in reaction to the Christchurch mosque shootings. The withdrawal of the book was prompted by social media photos of Peterson posing with a fan wearing a T-shirt saying "I'm a proud Islamophobe." Peterson and his supporters strongly criticized Whitcoulls's decision because Whitcoulls continued to sell Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf and Henry Malone's Islam Unmasked. The book was reinstated six days after it was removed.{{cite news|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/111472744/whitcoulls-removes-jordan-petersons-books-from-sale|title=Whitcoulls appears to have removed Jordan Peterson's books from sale|accessdate=March 22, 2019|work=Stuff.co.nz|date=March 22, 2019|archive-date=March 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321173853/https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/111472744/whitcoulls-removes-jordan-petersons-books-from-sale|url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Rutledge |first1=Daniel |title=Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life removed from Whitcoulls following Christchurch terror attack |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2019/03/jordan-peterson-s-12-rules-for-life-removed-from-whitcoulls-following-christchurch-terror-attack.html |access-date=March 22, 2019 |publisher=Newshub |date=March 22, 2019 |archive-date=March 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321194723/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2019/03/jordan-peterson-s-12-rules-for-life-removed-from-whitcoulls-following-christchurch-terror-attack.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite magazine |last1=Crowe |first1=Jack |title=New Zealand Retailer Pulls Jordan Peterson Book after Mosque Shootings |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/news/new-zealand-retailer-pulls-jordan-peterson-book-after-mosque-shootings/ |accessdate=March 22, 2019 |magazine=National Review |date=March 22, 2019 |archive-date=March 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322094052/https://www.nationalreview.com/news/new-zealand-retailer-pulls-jordan-peterson-book-after-mosque-shootings/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Flood |first1=Alison |title=Jordan Peterson book returns to New Zealand bookshops after Christchurch attack |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/mar/27/jordan-peterson-12-rules-for-life-new-zealand-bookshops-christchurch-attack |website=The Guardian |accessdate=March 27, 2019 |date=March 27, 2019 |archive-date=March 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327140445/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/mar/27/jordan-peterson-12-rules-for-life-new-zealand-bookshops-christchurch-attack |url-status=live }}

The book was received with mixed reviews.{{cn|date=January 2025}} Melanie Reid, for The Times, said the book is "aimed at teenagers, millennials and young parents...If you peel back the verbiage, the cerebral preening, you are left with a hardline self-help manual of self-reliance, good behaviour, self-betterment and individualism that probably reflects [Peterson's] childhood in rural Canada in the 1960s."{{cite news|url =https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/review-12-rules-for-life-anantidote-to-chaos-by-jordan-b-peterson-hv3dx0rwz|title =Review: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B Peterson|first =Melanie|last =Reid|work =The Times|date =January 12, 2018|url-access =subscription|access-date =March 2, 2018|archive-date =April 7, 2018|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180407124830/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/review-12-rules-for-life-anantidote-to-chaos-by-jordan-b-peterson-hv3dx0rwz|url-status =live}} Bryan Appleyard, also in The Times, describes it as "a less dense and more practical version of Maps of Meaning...a baggy, aggressive, in-your-face, get-real book that, ultimately, is an attempt to lead us back to what Peterson sees as the true, the beautiful and the good – i.e., God."{{cite news|url =https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/12-rules-life-antidote-chaos-jordan-b-peterson-review-zg0kfq9wv|title =Book review: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B Peterson|first =Bryan|last =Appleyard|work =The Times|date =January 13, 2018|url-access =subscription|access-date =March 2, 2018|archive-date =January 20, 2018|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180120235845/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/12-rules-life-antidote-chaos-jordan-b-peterson-review-zg0kfq9wv|url-status =live}}

Hari Kunzru of The Guardian said it collates advice from Peterson's clinical practice with anecdotes, accounts of his academic work as a psychologist and "a lot of intellectual history of the 'great books' variety", but the essays are explained in an overcomplicated style. Kunzru called Peterson sincere, but found the book irritating because he considers Peterson failed to follow his own rules.{{cite web|url =https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/18/12-rules-for-life-jordan-b-peterson-review|title =12 Rules for Life by Jordan B Peterson review – a self-help book from a culture warrior|first =Kari|last =Kunzru|website =The Guardian|date =January 18, 2018|access-date =March 2, 2018|archive-date =April 15, 2018|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180415005608/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/18/12-rules-for-life-jordan-b-peterson-review|url-status =live}} In an interview with Peterson for The Guardian, Tim Lott called the book atypical of the self-help genre. For The Scotsman, Bill Jamieson praised it as "richly illustrated and packed with excellent advice on how we can restore meaning and a sense of progression to our everyday lives", describing it as "verbal waterboarding for supporters of big government".{{cite news|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/bill-jamieson-i-ve-found-two-antidotes-to-our-cult-of-unhappiness-1-4694153|title=Bill Jamieson: I've found two antidotes to our cult of unhappiness|first=Bill|last=Jamieson|date=February 22, 2018|work=The Scotsman|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-date=April 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406163607/https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/bill-jamieson-i-ve-found-two-antidotes-to-our-cult-of-unhappiness-1-4694153|url-status=live}} The New York Times{{'s}} David Brooks wrote, "The Peterson way is a harsh way, but it is an idealistic way – and for millions of young men, it turns out to be the perfect antidote to the cocktail of coddling and accusation in which they are raised". Joe Humphreys of The Irish Times argued people should not be stopped "from reading what is a veritable powerhouse of a book: wise, provocative, humorous and also maddeningly contradictory...".{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/the-gospel-according-to-jordan-b-peterson-1.3463372|title=The gospel according to Jordan B Peterson|first=Joe|last=Humphreys|date=April 21, 2018|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=April 29, 2018|archive-date=April 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423204411/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/the-gospel-according-to-jordan-b-peterson-1.3463372|url-status=live}} Glenn Ellmers in Claremont Review of Books wrote that Peterson "does not shrink from telling readers that life means pain and suffering. His deft exposition, however, makes clear that duty is often liberating and responsibility can be a gift".

Dorothy Cummings McLean, writing for The Catholic World Report, called the book "the most thought-provoking self-help book I have read in years", with its rules reminding her of those by Bernard Lonergan, and content "serving as a bridge between Christians and non-Christians interested in the truths of human life and in resisting the lies of ideological totalitarianism".{{cite news|first=Dorothy Cummings|last=McLean|url=http://www.catholicworldreport.com/2018/02/11/jordan-b-petersons-12-rules-for-life-is-not-the-usual-fluff-filled-self-help-book/|title=Jordan B. Peterson's "12 Rules for Life" is a call to clarity in an age of chaos|date=March 4, 2018|work=The Catholic World|accessdate=March 4, 2018|archive-date=February 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221105607/http://www.catholicworldreport.com/2018/02/11/jordan-b-petersons-12-rules-for-life-is-not-the-usual-fluff-filled-self-help-book/|url-status=live}} In a review for the same magazine, Bishop Robert Barron praised the archetypal reading of the story about Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden with Jesus representing "gardener" and the psychological exploration of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and The Gulag Archipelago, but did not support its "gnosticizing tendency to read Biblical religion purely psychologically and philosophically and not at all historically", or the idea that "God ... [is] simply a principle or an abstraction". It is "valuable for the beleaguered young men in our society, who need a mentor to tell them to stand up straight and act like heroes", Barron wrote.{{cite news|first=Robert|last=Barron|author-link=Robert Barron (bishop)|url=http://www.catholicworldreport.com/2018/02/27/the-jordan-peterson-phenomenon/|title=The Jordan Peterson Phenomenon|date=February 27, 2018|work=The Catholic World|accessdate=March 4, 2018|archive-date=March 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302001058/http://www.catholicworldreport.com/2018/02/27/the-jordan-peterson-phenomenon/|url-status=live}} Adam DeVille took a very different view, calling 12 Rules for Life "unbearably banal, superficial, and insidious" and saying "the real danger in this book is its apologia for social Darwinism and bourgeois individualism covered over with a theological patina" and that "in a just world, this book would never have been published".{{cite web |last1=DeVille |first1=Adam A. J. |title=Jordan Peterson's Jungian best-seller is banal, superficial, and insidious – Catholic World Report |url=https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2018/04/03/jordan-petersons-jungian-best-seller-is-banal-superficial-and-insidious/ |website=www.catholicworldreport.com |accessdate=June 3, 2018 |date=April 3, 2018 |archive-date=June 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180608202916/https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2018/04/03/jordan-petersons-jungian-best-seller-is-banal-superficial-and-insidious/ |url-status=live }}

Ron Dart, for The British Columbia Review, considered the book "an attempt to articulate a more meaningful order for freedom as an antidote to the erratic ... chaos of our age", but although "necessary" with exemplary advice for men and women it is "hardly a sufficient text for the tougher questions that beset us on our all too human journey and should be read as such."{{cite news|first=Douglas|last=Todd|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/review-of-one-of-the-most-popular-books-ever-written-by-a-canadian|title=Review of one of the most popular books ever by a Canadian|date=March 3, 2018|work=The Vancouver Sun|accessdate=March 3, 2018|archive-date=March 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303231045/http://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/review-of-one-of-the-most-popular-books-ever-written-by-a-canadian|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=Ron|last=Dart|author-link=Ron Dart|url=https://thebcreview.ca/2018/10/03/251-the-stupid-mans-smart-person/|title=The stupid man's smart person|date=February 23, 2018|work=The Ormsby Review|issue=251|accessdate=March 4, 2018|archive-date=March 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308112643/https://thebcreview.ca/2018/10/03/251-the-stupid-mans-smart-person/|url-status=dead}} For the Financial Times, Julian Baggini wrote, "In headline form, most of his rules are simply timeless good sense.... The problem is that when Peterson fleshes them out, they carry more flab than meat".{{cite web|url =https://www.ft.com/content/40c05b84-f7a7-11e7-a4c9-bbdefa4f210b|title =12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson – back to basics|first =Julian|last =Baggini|website =Financial Times|date =January 19, 2018|access-date =March 2, 2018|archive-date =April 4, 2018|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180404004218/https://www.ft.com/content/40c05b84-f7a7-11e7-a4c9-bbdefa4f210b|url-status =live}} In The Spectator, Peter Hitchens wrote that he did not like the "conversational and accessible" style and amount of "recapitulation", but believed it had "moving moments", "good advice" with a message "aimed at people who have grown up in the post-Christian West" with special appeal to young men.{{cite news|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/02/jordan-peterson-doesnt-go-nearly-far-enough/|title=Jordan Peterson doesn't go nearly far enough|first=Peter|last=Hitchens|date=February 10, 2018|work=The Spectator|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-date=April 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406230114/https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/02/jordan-peterson-doesnt-go-nearly-far-enough/|url-status=live}} Park MacDougald of New York shared a similar view, writing that on paper Peterson lacks the "coherence, emotional depth" of his lectures but "still, he produces nuggets of real insight."

Pankaj Mishra's review in The New York Review of Books called 12 Rules a repackaged collection of pieties and late 19th-century Jungian mysticism, that has been discredited by modern psychology. Mishra compared the book, to historical authors who influenced Peterson, but whose serious moral failings, including racism and fascism, Peterson fails to address. He criticized Peterson's book for failing to recognize how traditionalism and myth can be used in support of demagoguery and anti-democratic ideas, and asserts that Peterson's work is a symptom of the problems it attempts to cure.{{cite news|first=Pankaj|last=Mishra|author-link=Pankaj Mishra|url=http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2018/03/19/jordan-peterson-and-fascist-mysticism/|title=Jordan Peterson & Fascist Mysticism|date=March 19, 2018|work=The New York Review of Books|accessdate=April 29, 2018|archive-date=April 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430175311/http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2018/03/19/jordan-peterson-and-fascist-mysticism/|url-status=live}} Peterson responded to the review on Twitter, taking umbrage at Mishra's description of Peterson's friendship with First Nations artist Charles Joseph as "the latest in a long line of eggheads pretentiously but harmlessly romancing the noble savage"; Peterson responded, "If you were in my room at the moment, I'd slap you happily."{{cite magazine|first=Jeet|last=Heer|author-link=Jeet Heer|url=https://newrepublic.com/minutes/147570/jordan-peterson-joins-club-macho-writers-thrown-fit-bad-review|title=Jordan Peterson joins the club of macho writers who have thrown a fit over a bad review|magazine=New Republic|accessdate=April 29, 2018|archive-date=April 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429222631/https://newrepublic.com/minutes/147570/jordan-peterson-joins-club-macho-writers-thrown-fit-bad-review|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=Clara|last=Fox|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/04/jordan-peterson-racism-accusations-misguided-views-mischaracterized/|title=The Rush to Condemn Jordan Peterson as Racist|date=April 20, 2018|work=National Review|accessdate=April 29, 2018|archive-date=April 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421202032/https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/04/jordan-peterson-racism-accusations-misguided-views-mischaracterized/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=James|last=Varney|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/mar/26/jordan-peterson-clinical-psychologist-and-scholar-/|title=Jordan Peterson's refusal to kowtow to modern liberal pieties makes him a star — and a marked man|date=March 26, 2018|work=The Washington Times|accessdate=April 29, 2018|archive-date=April 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429093636/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/mar/26/jordan-peterson-clinical-psychologist-and-scholar-/|url-status=live}}

For Psychology Today, philosopher Paul Thagard called the book flimsy and said Peterson's views fail to stand up to philosophical scrutiny, "If you go for Christian mythology, narrow-minded individualism, obscure metaphysics, and existentialist angst, then Jordan Peterson is the philosopher for you. But if you prefer evidence and reason, look elsewhere."{{cite news|first=Paul|last=Thagard|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/hot-thought/201802/jordan-peterson-s-flimsy-philosophy-life|title=Jordan Peterson's Flimsy Philosophy of Life: Peterson's claims about morality, reality, and the meaning of life are dubious.|date=February 14, 2018|work=Psychology Today|accessdate=September 7, 2018|archive-date=April 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427013124/https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/hot-thought/201802/jordan-peterson-s-flimsy-philosophy-life|url-status=live}} Psychologist John Grohol, in PsychCentral, said the advice was sound, self-evident, and harmless, but could not recommend it because Peterson justified his advice with rambling tangential anecdotes and religious dogma instead of scientific data.{{cite web |last1=Grohol |first1=John M. |title=Book Review: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos – Psych Central |url=https://psychcentral.com/lib/book-review-12-rules-for-life-an-antidote-to-chaos/ |website=PsychCentral |accessdate=October 29, 2018 |date=September 25, 2018 |archive-date=October 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181030035739/https://psychcentral.com/lib/book-review-12-rules-for-life-an-antidote-to-chaos/ |url-status=dead }}

In the Los Angeles Review of Books, Guy Stevenson wrote that Peterson's work is ignored by serious academics, in part because of his inflated claims targeting a conspiracy of "postmodern neo-Marxists", but that his level of celebrity had not been seen for a public intellectual since Marshall McLuhan in the 1960s. According to Stevenson, Peterson's practical advice and Jungian mysticism reflect a new counterculture movement similar to that of the 1960s. He called 12 Rules aggressive and overeager to blame problems on "bogeymen", and recommended as an alternative the work of John Gray, who has addressed the same issues.

Kelefa Sanneh of The New Yorker noted:

{{Blockquote|some of his critics might be surprised to find much of the advice he offers unobjectionable, if old-fashioned: he wants young men to be better fathers, better husbands, better community members. In this way, he might be seen as an heir to older gurus of manhood like Elbert Hubbard, who in 1899 published a stern and wildly popular homily called A Message to Garcia ...

At times, Peterson emphasizes his interest in empirical knowledge and scientific research—although these tend to be the least convincing parts of 12 Rules for Life.}}

David French of National Review called the book a "beacon of light" for the current time, with a simple but profound purpose "to help a person look in the mirror and respect the person he or she sees."{{cite news|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2018/03/19/jordan-peterson-12-rules-for-life-book-times/|title=A Book for Our Times|first=David A.|last=French|author-link=David A. French|date=March 1, 2018|work=National Review|access-date=April 17, 2018|archive-date=January 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190118222700/https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2018/03/19/jordan-peterson-12-rules-for-life-book-times/|url-status=live}} Some critics, such as National Review{{'s}} Heather Wilhelm{{cite news|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/01/outrage-culture-backlash-jordan-peterson-12-rules-life-antidote-chaos/|title=The Last Gasps of Outrage Culture?|first=Heather|last=Wilhelm|date=January 26, 2018|work=National Review|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-date=August 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819222444/https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/01/outrage-culture-backlash-jordan-peterson-12-rules-life-antidote-chaos/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-wilhelm-0129-story.html|title=Commentary: The last gasps of America's outrage culture|first=Heather|last=Wilhelm|date=January 29, 2018|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-date=March 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316200205/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-wilhelm-0129-story.html|url-status=live}} and Toronto Star{{'s}} James Grainger, were critical of negative reviews they believed had misinterpreted Peterson.

In September 2018, Peterson threatened to sue Cornell University philosopher Kate Manne for defamation after she called his work misogynistic in an interview with Vox. Manne called Peterson's threat an attempt to chill free speech. Vox considered the threat baseless and ignored it.{{cite news|url=https://www.thecut.com/2018/09/jordan-peterson-threatened-to-sue-feminist-critic-kate-manne.html|title=Exclusive: Jordan Peterson Threatened to Sue Author for Calling Him a Misogynist|last=Carmon|first=Irin|work=The Cut|access-date=September 21, 2018|language=en|archive-date=September 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920224720/https://www.thecut.com/2018/09/jordan-peterson-threatened-to-sue-feminist-critic-kate-manne.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Ensor |first1=Jamie |title=Professor Jordan Peterson threatens to sue after critic calls him misogynist |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2018/09/professor-jordan-peterson-threatens-to-sue-after-critic-calls-him-misogynist.html |access-date=November 1, 2018 |work=Newshub |date=September 22, 2018 |language=en |archive-date=October 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004145833/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2018/09/professor-jordan-peterson-threatens-to-sue-after-critic-calls-him-misogynist.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |last1=Illing |first1=Sean |title=A feminist philosopher makes the case against Jordan Peterson |url=https://www.vox.com/conversations/2018/6/6/17409144/jordan-peterson-12-rules-for-life-feminism-philosophy |accessdate=November 1, 2018 |work=Vox |date=June 6, 2008 |archive-date=November 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181101095708/https://www.vox.com/conversations/2018/6/6/17409144/jordan-peterson-12-rules-for-life-feminism-philosophy |url-status=live }} In a critique often shared by prominent intellectual Noam Chomsky,{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Nathan |title=A Chat With Chomsky |url=https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2019/06/a-chat-with-chomsky |website=Current Affairs |access-date=September 2, 2019 |date=June 24, 2019 |archive-date=September 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901194012/https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/06/a-chat-with-chomsky |url-status=live }} Nathan Robinson of Current Affairs called Peterson a "charlatan" who gives "the most elementary fatherly life-advice" while adding "convolutions to disguise the simplicity of his mind."{{cite journal |last1=Robinson |first1=Nathan |title=The Intellectual We Deserve |url=https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2018/03/the-intellectual-we-deserve |journal=Current Affairs |access-date=September 2, 2019 |date=March 14, 2018 |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101083752/https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/03/the-intellectual-we-deserve |url-status=live }}

In an article published in 2020 in the International Journal of Jungian Studies, "Carl Jung, John Layard and Jordan Peterson: Assessing Theories of Human Social Evolution and Their Implications for Analytical Psychology", Gary Clark offers a sustained critique of Peterson's thought as outlined in 12 Rules for Life.Clark, Gary. [https://brill.com/view/journals/ijjs/12/2/article-p129_1.xml?rskey=t520Um&result=1 {{prime}}Carl Jung, John Layard and Jordan Peterson: Assessing Theories of Human Social Evolution and Their Implications for Analytical Psychology.'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224135424/https://brill.com/view/journals/ijjs/12/2/article-p129_1.xml?rskey=t520Um&result=1 |date=December 24, 2020 }} International Journal of Jungian Studies 12 (2020) 129–158. The article asserts that Peterson fails to take account of research in paleoanthropology, evolutionary anthropology and ethnographic studies of egalitarian societies. Such societies, which are believed to represent the ancient forager adaptation of H. sapiens, are matrilineal and lack social hierarchy. The author argues that a major sociocultural transformation occurred from this ancient adaptive complex with the onset of agriculture giving rise to modern patrilineal and hierarchical cultures. This view contrasts with Peterson's, which postulates modern social and economic structures are an outgrowth of the hierarchical impulses of our premammalian, mammalian and primate ancestors. This led the author to conclude that Peterson seems to have "projected his own cultural biases back into the deep past".Clark, Gary. [https://brill.com/view/journals/ijjs/12/2/article-p129_1.xml?rskey=t520Um&result=1 {{prime}}Carl Jung, John Layard and Jordan Peterson Assessing Theories of Human Social Evolution and Their Implications for Analytical Psychology.{{prime}}] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201224135424/https://brill.com/view/journals/ijjs/12/2/article-p129_1.xml?rskey=t520Um&result=1 |date=December 24, 2020 }} International Journal of Jungian Studies 12 (2020) p. 136.

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/books/ JordanBPeterson.com] – Peterson's website
• [https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/309610/12-rules-for-life/ 12 Rules for Life] – Penguin United Kingdom
• [https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/258237/12-rules-life#9780345816023 12 Rules for Life] – Penguin Random House Canada
• [https://penguin.co.in/thepenguindigest/12-rules-for-life-by-jordan-b-peterson-an-excerpt/ 12 Rules For Life by Jordan B. Peterson: An Excerpt] – Penguin Random House India

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