Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D.

Spencer Johnson, M.D. was one of the world's most respected thinkers and beloved authors. His 13 international bestselling books also include "An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change," "The One Minute Manager" co-authored with Ken Blanchard, and "The Present." Dr. Johnson is often referred to as "the best there is at taking complex subjects and presenting simple solutions that work." He was Chairman of Who Moved My Cheese? LLC, a company devoted to helping people and organizations change successfully.

Sometimes Things Change... And So Should We

"Who Moved My Cheese?" was written over two decades ago and still sells steadily around the globe. The book’s riotous success was an utter surprise to the publishing world, particularly after its slow start. But author Spencer Johnson, who died at the age of 78 in 2017, knew he had something special. He worked tirelessly giving presentations and talks about the book and word began to spread about the big promise contained in the pages of this little book." - Spencer Johnson

The Legacy

Executives started recommending it and companies started ordering the book for their employees, including Southwest Airlines who purchased nearly 30,000 copies. The book became a fixture on bestsellers lists with millions of copies sold in countries far and wide. Simple as the story may be, "Who Moved My Cheese?" has been credited with changing lives, saving marriages, and catapulting careers all over the world.

The Premise

This classic business parable aims to teach readers how to react to change in the most beneficial and meaningful way possible. The story features four characters:

• Sniff: a mouse who senses change early on
• Scurry: a mouse who springs into action as soon as change is noticed
• Hem: one of the Littlepeople characters who out of fear denies that change is happening
• Haw: the other one of the Littlepeople who adapts to change realizing it can lead to something better

These four funny characters find themselves in a Maze searching for Cheese, but changes keep happening that make finding the Cheese a challenge. The “Cheese” in the story represents the things that people look for, sometimes all of their lives: a big house, ample money, good health, peace within, freedom to do what they wish, or even just the time and energy to pursue a hobby.

The “Maze” represents where humans spend all of their time in pursuit of Cheese. It could be the place a person lives, where someone works, or the relationships they have. The characters represent the simple and complex parts of ourselves––both of which have advantages in different applications. Every person has their own Cheese and every person believes that getting the Cheese will lead to happiness. When we have the Cheese, we are very attached to it. When we do not, we are lost or even traumatized.

The Story

Johnson set the scene for his story by telling readers about the four little characters “who ran through a Maze looking for Cheese to nourish them and make them happy.” The mice, Sniff and Scurry and the Littlepeople, Hem and Haw, spent time in the Maze each and every day looking for their own special kind of Cheese.

Sniff and Scurry were simple-minded, as to be expected of mice. Hem and Haw were more complex with many emotions, beliefs, and desires when it comes to Cheese. Despite their differences, their early days in the Maze were very similar. They got up early every morning, outfitted themselves in jogging attire, and ran into the Maze looking for the right kind of Cheese.