6 Things I Learned from the Book "Better, Stronger, Faster"

I read Better, Stronger, Faster:The Myth of American Decline and the Rise of a New Economy by Dan Gardner. It's a great book about how, and why, the 2008 recession will make the economy stronger in the long run, and why the pessimists are mostly wrong.

The book was published three years ago, but is still highly relevant to anyone curious about how recoveries out of deep financial crises work. Here are six things I learned.

1. America gets up and moves on faster than most after recessions because we embrace failure:

2. America recovered so much better than almost everyone else:

3. Recessions also supercharge businesses' desire to be more efficient:

4. Pessimism is the norm:

5. Predicting is hard because things always change and luck, accidents, and mistakes happen:

6. We still got it:

Go buy the book here. It's great.

The article 6 Things I Learned from the Book "Better, Stronger, Faster" originally appeared on Fool.com.

Morgan Housel has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.