The Rules That Make Us

“From national culture to organizational culture, our lives are shaped by hidden rules that govern how we behave and what we believe. In this engaging new book, Sweet uncovers these rules and helps us understand how to recognize their influence. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand how the world really works.” 

“The Rules That Make Us is a clear, compassionate, and much-needed book for our time. In an age obsessed with data and individual psychology, it reminds us that human behavior is never just about the person—it’s about the patterns, rituals, and unspoken rules of culture that make us who we are. With the eye of an anthropologist and the clarity of a storyteller, Sweet helps us see the water we all swim in—the invisible systems that shape our choices, our communities, and even our sense of self. This book doesn’t just explain culture; it restores our ability to see it—to notice what we have stopped noticing. It’s an elegant argument for why understanding people requires understanding the world they inhabit. I read it with gratitude and a sense of recognition: this is how deep seeing begins.” 

“Sweet does something rare: he captures cultural complexity without flattening it into easy answers. The evidence is rigorous, the thinking is nuanced, and the whole thing feels genuinely contemporary. People will still be referencing this in a decade … and more!”