BEST Melody Beattie Books & Quotes of All Time (March 2023)

by Arthur Worsley
M.A. Psychology, Oxford. McKinsey Alum. Founder & Editor at TAoL.

Looking for the best Melody Beattie books and quotes of all time?

You're in the right place!

Here's what you'll find on this page...

Contents

1. Who Is Melody Beattie?

2. The Best Melody Beattie Books of All Time

3. More Books Like Melody Beattie's Books

4. Best Melody Beattie Quotes

5. Wish There Was a Faster/Easier Way?

Who Is Melody Beattie?

Melody Beattie (Born July 2, 1948) is one of America’s most beloved self-help authors and a household name in addiction and recovery circles. Her international bestselling book, Codependent No More, introduced the world to the term “codependency” in 1986.

Learn more about Melody Beattie

The Best Melody Beattie Books of All Time

Why these best Melody Beattie books and not others? To stay objective, I rank all my book recommendations by a combination of what’s most loved (Goodreads rating), what’s most popular (Goodreads review count) and what’s proven timlessly relevant (first publication date).

This isn’t a whimsical list. It’s a data-driven, crowdsourced collection of the best Melody Beattie books ever published as decided by book lovers like you.

And if you think something's missing? I LOVE book recommendations so if there are any other books by Melody Beattie that you think deserve mentioning, email me and I’ll be sure to include them in the next round of updates.

Until then, here are the best Melody Beattie books of all time...

Best Melody Beattie Books: Journey to the Heart

1. Journey to the Heart - Melody Beattie

Daily Meditations on the Path to Freeing Your Soul

Published 1996 // 384 pages // Rated 4.5 over 1,900 reviews on Goodreads

Best Melody Beattie Books: The Language of Letting Go

2. The Language of Letting Go - Melody Beattie

Daily Meditations on Codependency

A restorative collection of daily meditations for those who struggle to let go of their codependent tendencies — by self-help author and codependent, addiction, and recovery expert Melody Beattie. This book provides rejuvenating inspiration and motivation that reminds us to own our responsibility of self-care — perhaps one of the most important components of breaking codependency.

Published 1990 // 408 pages // Rated 4.3 over 7,600 reviews on Goodreads

Best Melody Beattie Books: Beyond Codependency

3. Beyond Codependency - Melody Beattie

And Getting Better All the Time

The book to pick up after you’ve finished Codependent No More and are ready to learn how to master self-care and walk into self-sufficiency — by self-help author and codependent, addiction, and recovery expert Melody Beattie. This book takes her previous work one step further and provides practical ways to release old, self-defeating survival tactics so that you can step into life and live.

Published 1989 // 276 pages // Rated 4.2 over 3,100 reviews on Goodreads

Best Melody Beattie Books: Codependent No More

4. Codependent No More - Melody Beattie (FREE Summary)

How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself

Codependent No More is the definitive book on codependency, clarifying what it is, why so many struggle with it, and most importantly, how to overcome it — by former codependent and beloved self-help author Melody Beattie.

Published 1986 // 276 pages // Rated 4.1 over 31,200 reviews on Goodreads

Best Melody Beattie Books: Codependents' Guide to the Twelve Steps

5. Codependents' Guide to the Twelve Steps - Melody Beattie

New Stories

The New York Times Bestselling self-help book on how to find the right recovery program for you — because Alcoholics Anonymous is not the only program available to us. This book takes the famous 12 steps we’ve all heard of and specifically tweaks them for codependents to apply at home or in a group setting. — by self-help author and codependent, addiction, and recovery expert Melody Beattie, this is the book to turn to for practical, applicable ways to end the cycle.

Published 1990 // 224 pages // Rated 4.3 over 700 reviews on Goodreads

Best Melody Beattie Books: More Language of Letting Go

6. More Language of Letting Go - Melody Beattie

366 New Daily Meditations

Published 2000 // 432 pages // Rated 4.5 over 400 reviews on Goodreads

Best Melody Beattie Books: Finding Your Way Home

7. Finding Your Way Home - Melody Beattie

Soul Survival Kit - Tools For Discovering Your Emotional And Spiritual Power

Published 1998 // 176 pages // Rated 4.2 over 300 reviews on Goodreads

8. Gratitude - Melody Beattie

Inspirations

Published 1992 // 112 pages // Rated 4.2 over 100 reviews on Goodreads

Best Melody Beattie Books: 52 Weeks of Conscious Contact

9. 52 Weeks of Conscious Contact - Melody Beattie

Meditations for Connecting with God, Self, and Others

Published 2003 // 280 pages // Rated 4.4 over 100 reviews on Goodreads

10. The Language of Letting Go - Melody Beattie

Hazelden Meditation Series

Published 2009 // 408 pages // Rated 4.6 over <100 reviews on Goodreads

See all Melody Beattie's books on Amazon
Visit Melody Beattie's Goodreads profile

More Books Like Melody Beattie's Books

Enjoyed these Melody Beattie books? You might also like...

Best Codependency Books: The 20 BEST Books on Codependent Relationships

Best Communication Books: 70 Top Books On Social Skills

Best Emotional Intelligence Books: The 40 BEST Books on EQ

Best Relationship Books: The 20 BEST Books on Love and Lust

Best Sex Books (Nonfiction): The 30 BEST Books About Sex

Best Tantra Books: 15 TOP Books on Tantra & Tantric Sex

See all TAoL's book recommendations →

Best Melody Beattie Quotes

Here are some of the best Melody Beattie of all time...

"Worrying about people and problems doesn't help. It doesn't solve problems, it doesn't help other people, and it doesn't help us. It is wasted energy."

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

"Codependents are reactionaries. They overreact. They under-react. But rarely do they act. They react to the problems, pains, lives, and behaviors of others. They react to their own problems, pains, and behaviors."

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

"We don’t have to take rejection as a reflection of our self-worth. If somebody who is important (or even someone unimportant) to you rejects you or your choices, you are still real, and you are still worth every bit as much as you would be if you had not been rejected. Feel any feelings that go with rejection; talk about your thoughts; but don’t forfeit your self-esteem to another’s disapproval or rejection of who you are or what you have done. Even if the most important person in your world rejects you, you are still real, and you are still okay. If you have done something inappropriate or you need to solve a problem or change a behavior, then take appropriate steps to take care of yourself. But don’t reject yourself, and don’t give so much power to other people’s rejection of you. It isn’t necessary"

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

"Ever since people first existed, they have been doing all the things we label "codependent." They have worried themselves sick about other people. They have tried to help in ways that didn't help. They have said yes when they meant no. They have tried to make other people see things their way. They have bent over backwards avoiding hurting people's feelings and, in so doing, have hurt themselves. They have been afraid to trust their feelings. They have believed lies and then felt betrayed. They have wanted to get even and punish others. They have felt so angry they wanted to kill. They have struggled for their rights while other people said they didn't have any. They have worn sackcloth because they didn't believe they deserved silk."

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

"We don’t have to take things so personally. We take things to heart that we have no business taking to heart. For instance, saying “If you loved me you wouldn’t drink” to an alcoholic makes as much sense as saying “If you loved me, you wouldn’t cough” to someone who has pneumonia. Pneumonia victims will cough until they get appropriate treatment for their illness. Alcoholics will drink until they get the same. When people with a compulsive disorder do whatever it is they are compelled to do, they are not saying they don’t love you—they are saying they don’t love themselves."

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

"Most codependents are obsessed with other people."

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

"It’s okay to feel afraid of closeness and love, but it’s also okay to allow ourselves to love and feel close to people."

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

"I believe we codependents need to be gentle, loving, and forgiving with ourselves before we can expect to forgive others."

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

"Martyrdom can interfere with our ability to feel good long after the alcoholic has stopped helping us feel miserable."

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

"Suffering can become habitual, but so can enjoying life and being good to ourselves. Try it."

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

"Codependents need boundaries. We need to set limits on what we shall do to and for people. We need to set limits on what we will allow people to do to and for us."

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

"Just keep doing the things [you] know [you] need to do. It will get better. Don’t stop taking care of [you] no matter what happens."

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

"The only difference between codependents and the rest of the world is that the other people don’t pick on themselves for being who they are."

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

"We need to be good to ourselves. We need to be compassionate and kind to ourselves. We need to refuse to enter into an antagonistic relationship with ourselves."

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

"Acceptance is the ultimate paradox: we cannot change who we are until we accept ourselves the way we are."

- Melody Beattie, Codependent No More

Wish There Was a Faster/Easier Way?

Whenever you’re ready, here are four ways I can help you be more productive, find more balance and live life more on purpose…

Curious? Discover how productive you really are… Take this free, 2-minute assessment to unlock your PQ and discover the top 25 habits you need to get big things done. Take the 2-minute quiz →
Overwhelmed? Get a free chapter of my book… Let me show you how to beat procrastination, permanently, with this free sneak peek inside TAoL’s ultimate productivity primer. Download your free chapter →
Stuck? Grab a 90-Day TRACKTION Planner… Get the tool thousands trust to help them take control of their time, master their habits and hit goals in every part of their lives. Order your 90-day planner →
Burned out? Join the TRACKTION Community… Take the 6-week masterclass, get weekly group coaching, find accountability partners and connect with like-minded self-starters. Get started FREE →