About Self-Help
What it's about
'Heaven helps those who help themselves.' Samuel Smiles collects true stories of people who rose by their own effort, shows that patience and hard work beat genius, and gives plain rules for money: live within your means and stay out of debt.
Who it's for
Readers who grew up with the Korean saying 하늘은 스스로 돕는 자를 돕는다 and want to see where it came from, and anyone looking for steady motivation.
- Level
- CEFR B2
- Length
- 3 parts · about 766 words
- Reading time
- about 6 minutes (~2 min per part)
- Author
- Samuel Smiles
If you liked this, read
- The Way to Wealth · B2
- The Art of Money Getting · B2
- Acres of Diamonds · B2
Looking for something easier or harder? See Easy English books by level (A1–B2).
Reading Self-Help in English: quick answers
- What English level is Self-Help on SeoJae Story?
- Self-Help by Samuel Smiles is retold in simplified English at CEFR B2 (upper-intermediate). It is split into 3 short parts, and every sentence has a Korean translation you can show or hide, so a learner at that level can follow the story without a dictionary.
- Is Self-Help hard to read in English?
- The original is written for native readers, with long sentences and older vocabulary, so most learners find it hard. This retelling keeps the story but uses simpler English at CEFR B2 (upper-intermediate), so if you read English at that level you can follow it, and the Korean translation is there for any line that stops you. If it feels too hard, start with an easier book one level down.
- How long does it take to read Self-Help in simple English?
- About 6 minutes of reading in total — roughly 2 minutes per part across 3 parts. Listening to the audio narration, reviewing the vocabulary and taking each part's comprehension check adds a little more.
- Is this the full, unabridged text of Self-Help?
- No. It is an abridged graded retelling written for English learners that follows the story of the original in 3 parts. Every part also lets you read the matching unabridged chapters from the original, split into short readings.
- Is Self-Help free to read here?
- Yes. All 3 parts are free to read online, with the Korean translation, audio narration, vocabulary flashcards and comprehension questions included.
- Is Self-Help in the public domain?
- Yes. Samuel Smiles's Self-Help is in the public domain, and the original text is freely available from Project Gutenberg (eBook #935). SeoJae Story's simplified retelling and Korean translation are original text written for learners.