The five works in this collection are an introduction for the lay reader, to the insights of the Russian thinker, P.D. Ouspensky. Memory teaches the reader how to attain true self-consciousness and appreciation of being alive. Surface Personality bids the reader to shed such superficialities and acquire a centre of gravity instead. Self-Will, usually a recipe for disaster, is best replaced by mindfulness and responsibility. Negative Emotions can be destroyed, first by limiting them and then by getting to their roots. Notes on Work warns the reader of the commitment and self-discipline needed if one earnestly desires to change one's life.