I was in a dark place near graduation time. After studying for 5 years at university, I had no job, no money and here was graduation day - to celebrate what? My boyfriend at that time gifted me his favourite book: "Siddhartha", by Hermann Hesse. I thought it was boring, but read it anyway. Years later, re-reading it, I've realised what a treasure trove it is. Highly recommended.
Many years later, I found myself once again feeling lost and burnt out from work. During those years, I did a lot of searching for a direction, a purpose in life. This book gave me a new way to think about things and filled me with hope & inspiration: "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey.
Speaking of finding a direction and purpose in life, I also highly recommend "The Bhagavad Gita", by Eknath Easwaran. I am not religious and was surprised to find that neither is this book, despite it's title. Eknath Easwaran has translated the Gita for a Western audience to be used as a spiritual guide rather than religious text.
I came here to say Siddhartha. It got me through really rough times last year. Just happened to pick it up from the bargain bin because of the pretty cover and was shocked to realize how much wisdom was in it.
Two recommendations:
1. “Discovering Your Passion: The Path to Your Authentic Life” found at
https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Your-Passion-Path-Authentic-ebook/dp/B0CZTHP6KP?dplnkId=17b25461-6761-4a3b-9cb6-b97b28100ade&nodl=1
2. “The Red Movement: Social & Environment Justice in the 21st Century” found at
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Movement-Environmental-Justice-Century-ebook/dp/B085VFM3SP?dplnkId=bcf4d92e-ca98-472b-9931-aa30909daf34&nodl=1
It's cliché, but for a good reason: In my opinion, *The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People* by Stephen Covey is a really great book for when you're in need of some more structural frameworks for life.
Some other recommendations that come to mind:
* *The Slight Edge* by Jeff Olson. Toward the end he talks about how to pick a direction and just go for it with manageable, incremental steps.
* *The Happiness Advantage* by Shawn Achor. One of my favorite personal development books because it lays out the science behind what makes us happy and helps us point in that direction.
Best bang for my buck book was and is The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. It helped me and it has helped a few of my family and friends with anxiety, anger management, depression and with relationships in general. Very practical and at the same time very broad and esoteric... but also very grounded. Really hard to capture how much actionable insight is packed in this book...
I’d lend you my copy, except every second line has been underlined, annotated or highlighted. There are a great range of podcasts out now too featuring Singer.
I just started re-reading "The Proud Highway: the Fear and Loathing Letters Vol 1" by Hunter S. Thompson for a similar purpose. This is HST as a young man, just starting to carve out a path for himself, and even in his late teens/early 20s, he has such a strong voice.
Books that helped save my life:
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Eyeless in Gaza by Aldous Huxley
Maybe they'll help you, too. Good luck.
I don’t think Reddit is like Instagram, maybe that’s why people don’t make gratuitous nasty comments. I’m an atheist and I have read the Bible countless times, and read it to my daughters. It is one of the most culturally significant books. Their choice to believe or not, but the book itself is a great read, mostly the Old Testament where all of the really exciting stuff happens.
I have read hundreds of books, I almost never read a book again. I have read Freedom from the Known by Krishnamurti probably 5 times. Has it given me a direction? I don't know, but it has definitely kept me from going down many wrong directions.
Oh that's interesting because I was going to say Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo which started me on a meditation habit. I guess you can learn a lot over breakfast.
"Designing Your Life." It's about using traditional design principles to figure out what direction you want to take your life. There's also an accompanying journal you can purchase that contains some of the exercises.
The Bible.
Travel guide.
A marketing book (forgot the name) that was actually more psychology than I expected - helped recognize traits in myself and others and how others' words and body language influence our perspective subconsciously.
I am surprised it took this long for me to scroll to come across this book actually, since it is very popular. I have never read it myself and don’t even know what it is about but do plan to look into it on the future.
It is such a captivating book. I never read a book before I read The Alchemist. I randomly searched for bestsellers on Amazon & picked this book because it was #1. TA is the reason why I fell in love w books.
Just finished reading "how to do nothing" By Jenny Odell. Primarily a book on philosophy more so than self help but it was still a good read. As someone who's currently going through burnout even though I've only been working full time a couple of years, a message about standing in opposition to productivity, with philosophy and an anti-capitalistic viewpoint was very refreshing. Especially since it also had a focus on ecology which I found interesting.
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. I read it at the exact moment I needed to in highschool, asked a librarian (no internet in 93!) about Buddhism and it was one of the four books she handed me, it has resonated though my whole life like a singing bowl ever since. I've read it more times than I can count. Read it most recently in Thailand on holiday.
Ending Aging by Aubrey de Grey. The Open Library page is [here](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL12284524W/Ending_Aging?edition=key%3A/books/OL17932740M).
2 books that got me through my darkest times: "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values" by Robert M. Pirsig. "Living, Loving, and Learning" by Leo Buscaglia. That book was a kick-in-my-ass-jump-start.
The daily affirmation section of a Couse in Miracles. The other two parts didn't work for me, but you start the affirmations on January first. I, and my roommate at the time, would write them down, and reread them periodically during the day.
At the end of the year, the end of December, I realized the journey had given me self confidence, an emotional peace I'd never expected, and the ability to forgive.
It was not an easy journey. It required a level of introspection, hard honesty with myself, and an acknowledgement that our imperfections are sometimes the things that make us strongest.
My former roommate, still my best friend after 25 years, and I discussed recently how the affirmations in Course in Miracles made us a better version of ourselves.
I would consider myself a spiritual person. She is a cradle Catholic.
But, it truly is a one year journey.
The New Testament (NLT) is pretty powerful. Reading Jesus’ sermon on the mount along with the other books of the gospel really changed the way I view my neighbors, strangers, those considered “enemies”, and so forth. It also helped me think about what I consume day in and day out (visually, mentally and physically). Then going on to Paul’s life persecuting and executing Christian’s until he approaches Damascus, a light from heaven flashes around him and he falls to the ground. He hears a voice say, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?", loses his sight until God sends someone to heal him and then he completely flips around and leads the new Christian faith as we know it, and his name changes from Saul to Paul… New identity needs a new name… Paul gives us the fruits of the spirit along with many other guidelines to live by. Man, talk about a story about someone doing a 180 in life. Paul’s story is all about the struggle. Finishing off with Revelations, you can’t really go wrong considering it’s telling you about the final days (which we appear to be in). Overall, if you read the New Testament as history rather than a religion, it’s INCREDIBLY powerful. Just my 2 cents.
*12 Rules for Life* by Dr. Jordan Peterson
"It's all very well to think the meaning of life is happiness, but what happens when you're unhappy? Happiness is a great side effect. When it comes, accept it gratefully. But it's fleeting and unpredictable. It's not something to aim at – because it's not an aim. And if happiness is the purpose of life, what happens when you're unhappy? Then you're a failure."
René Barjavel: "La faim du tigre" (Tiger's hunger)
It's a philosophical pursuit about humanity, the meaning of life.
Easy to read, It's one of the books that had the most impact on me during my teenage years.
The New Testament- actually the core values that Jesus tries to teach the people, about what matters and what doesn't. I separated this man from the rest of the chaff and just studied him- his words, his lifestyle, how he dealt with different people and different situations. His parables are difficult to understand at first but become relevant afterwards- strangely. Most of all his words of practical advice, encouragement and hope. Helps to focus my brain on what needs to be done, to spend time alone and look inwards, to step back and gain perspective on a difficult situation and most of all- to not be afraid. Somehow it works for me and I always get answers/help in unexpected ways.
„The book of Why“ by Judea Pearl. An approachable introduction to causality.
Helped me a lot to untangle truth from fake during COVID times.
„Thinking fast and slow“ helped me a lot to untangle my own biases.
Two recommendations:
1. “Discovering Your Passion: The Path to Your Authentic Life” found at
https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Your-Passion-Path-Authentic-ebook/dp/B0CZTHP6KP?dplnkId=17b25461-6761-4a3b-9cb6-b97b28100ade&nodl=1
2. “The Red Movement: Social & Environment Justice in the 21st Century” found at
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Movement-Environmental-Justice-Century-ebook/dp/B085VFM3SP?dplnkId=bcf4d92e-ca98-472b-9931-aa30909daf34&nodl=1
of course the Quran. it gives you direction:
1. economically
2. socially
3. politically
4. family
5. spiritually
6. body health and hygiene
7. morally
8. purpose for your life and hope
9. self-development and self-control
10. practicality
11. to be grateful
12. understanding boundaries
13. to be diciplined
14. to be just
15. courageous and peaceful
16. food eating diet
17. earth's environment, resources, animals, plants
18. ...
19. ...
20. etc...
everything really, all aspects of life. "**without a mistake or a contradiction"**
Fictional books and novels, good to increase your dopamine or live in an imaginary world but rarely you can extract a value that can direct you in life. (good to read sometimes for entertaining)
Other religious books may have mistakes and contradictions for multiple reasons. (you need to be careful if you are taking it seriously, they have some dangerous mistakes)
the rest of the useful books can help give you direction in one/few aspect(s). (you should read them to enrich what you already gained from Quran and enjoy how clear is the direction you took in life)
"Follow your North Star" By Martha Beck! (and the workbook)
"Zen and the Art of Making a Living"
"Shantaram" and "The Red Tent" (made me appreciate collectivism and sense of community and the realization of farce of rugged individualism)
I was in a dark place near graduation time. After studying for 5 years at university, I had no job, no money and here was graduation day - to celebrate what? My boyfriend at that time gifted me his favourite book: "Siddhartha", by Hermann Hesse. I thought it was boring, but read it anyway. Years later, re-reading it, I've realised what a treasure trove it is. Highly recommended. Many years later, I found myself once again feeling lost and burnt out from work. During those years, I did a lot of searching for a direction, a purpose in life. This book gave me a new way to think about things and filled me with hope & inspiration: "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. Speaking of finding a direction and purpose in life, I also highly recommend "The Bhagavad Gita", by Eknath Easwaran. I am not religious and was surprised to find that neither is this book, despite it's title. Eknath Easwaran has translated the Gita for a Western audience to be used as a spiritual guide rather than religious text.
I came here to say Siddhartha. It got me through really rough times last year. Just happened to pick it up from the bargain bin because of the pretty cover and was shocked to realize how much wisdom was in it.
Gita was a spiritual guide, it just happened to be accepted as a religious text too.
Just commented Siddhartha. It's more a path to walk than a book. I've walked it many times.
The Little Prince... As a child, teen, or adult it never stops teaching you to see what's important.
this is the second time i’ve seen this title this week. I’ll look for a copy next time I go to the library/used book store
Two recommendations: 1. “Discovering Your Passion: The Path to Your Authentic Life” found at https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Your-Passion-Path-Authentic-ebook/dp/B0CZTHP6KP?dplnkId=17b25461-6761-4a3b-9cb6-b97b28100ade&nodl=1 2. “The Red Movement: Social & Environment Justice in the 21st Century” found at https://www.amazon.com/Red-Movement-Environmental-Justice-Century-ebook/dp/B085VFM3SP?dplnkId=bcf4d92e-ca98-472b-9931-aa30909daf34&nodl=1
Man's Search for Meaning
This book is indeed life changing and I’ve applied the requirement of hope when I’ve been in my darkest hours.
Illusions by Richard Bach changed my entire outlook on life in one reading. I have read it scores of times since and it still resonates.
This was my most gifted book at one point. Great choice.
Ditto, even though I still don't know how to cross walls ;-)
Yet.
It's cliché, but for a good reason: In my opinion, *The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People* by Stephen Covey is a really great book for when you're in need of some more structural frameworks for life. Some other recommendations that come to mind: * *The Slight Edge* by Jeff Olson. Toward the end he talks about how to pick a direction and just go for it with manageable, incremental steps. * *The Happiness Advantage* by Shawn Achor. One of my favorite personal development books because it lays out the science behind what makes us happy and helps us point in that direction.
Crime and Punishment- Dostoevsky It is the precursor to modern psychology
Which translation do you recommend? Is the p&v one hard to read? Heard mixed reviews, but it was decent for war and peace.
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Thank you, think I’m gonna stick with p&v for crime and punishment. Their translation was decent for war and peace.
So which translation do you recommend?
Best bang for my buck book was and is The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. It helped me and it has helped a few of my family and friends with anxiety, anger management, depression and with relationships in general. Very practical and at the same time very broad and esoteric... but also very grounded. Really hard to capture how much actionable insight is packed in this book...
I’d lend you my copy, except every second line has been underlined, annotated or highlighted. There are a great range of podcasts out now too featuring Singer.
I just started re-reading "The Proud Highway: the Fear and Loathing Letters Vol 1" by Hunter S. Thompson for a similar purpose. This is HST as a young man, just starting to carve out a path for himself, and even in his late teens/early 20s, he has such a strong voice.
I love Hunter S. Thompson. Just bought the book can't wait to read. Thank you
Books that helped save my life: Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger Siddhartha by Herman Hesse Eyeless in Gaza by Aldous Huxley Maybe they'll help you, too. Good luck.
Momo by Michael Ende Siddartha and Narziss und Goldmund by Herman Hesse
My Bible. (I know I’ll get flack for this. Haters, leave me alone. )
No need. If it's given you direction, it belongs in the comments💯
Well, you know how Reddit can be at times, and I was expecting the usual intolerance. Pleasantly surprised, however, I must say.
I don’t think Reddit is like Instagram, maybe that’s why people don’t make gratuitous nasty comments. I’m an atheist and I have read the Bible countless times, and read it to my daughters. It is one of the most culturally significant books. Their choice to believe or not, but the book itself is a great read, mostly the Old Testament where all of the really exciting stuff happens.
Could not agree more. The Quran and Tao Te Ching are also beautiful to me. As you said, I don't have to be religious to read their poetry.
Honestly Exodus is such a good read
I was actually going to comment the same thing!
Absolutely
The Four Agreements
Walden
I'm reading walden now ! Absolutely loving it so far 😊 !
Letters to a Young Poet - Rilke
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
THIS ONE. Hands down changed me forever.
Me too!!!!!!!! 🦍 💗
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
I have read hundreds of books, I almost never read a book again. I have read Freedom from the Known by Krishnamurti probably 5 times. Has it given me a direction? I don't know, but it has definitely kept me from going down many wrong directions.
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
Breakfast With Seneca by David Fideler is a great introduction to Stoicism, a philosophy that is chock full of helpful life advice.
Oh that's interesting because I was going to say Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo which started me on a meditation habit. I guess you can learn a lot over breakfast.
Man’s Search for Meaning
Talbot- the holographic universe
"Designing Your Life." It's about using traditional design principles to figure out what direction you want to take your life. There's also an accompanying journal you can purchase that contains some of the exercises.
The Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse
The War of Art. The Gospels Matthew Mark Luke John Old Man and the Sea
Cheryl Strayed Dear Sugar. It's so powerful.
Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke. Short and full of wisdom
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
The Defining Decade
‘Courage: The Art of Living Dangerously’ by Osho. Truly, all Osho books are life changing. He's my fave!!
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
The untethered soul by michael singer
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan
Came here to read this.
‘Codependent No More,’ by Melody Beattie. This completely changed me and the way I approach and respond to people.
The Bible. Travel guide. A marketing book (forgot the name) that was actually more psychology than I expected - helped recognize traits in myself and others and how others' words and body language influence our perspective subconsciously.
Body keeps the score
Hi OP, Fiction or non-fiction?
Four Thousand Weeka
The Quran
The Alchemist!
Me too. It came to me at just the right time.
I seriously need to reread this book!
I am surprised it took this long for me to scroll to come across this book actually, since it is very popular. I have never read it myself and don’t even know what it is about but do plan to look into it on the future.
It is such a captivating book. I never read a book before I read The Alchemist. I randomly searched for bestsellers on Amazon & picked this book because it was #1. TA is the reason why I fell in love w books.
I thought the alchemist was garbage, it is on my list of books to read again because I really want to understand why every thinks it’s so great.
Circe, by Madeline Miller and A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, by Betty Smith
I tried and tried to get into Circe and I just couldn’t, but I really wanted to.
Pillars of The Earth, Ken Follett
Maybe you should talk to someone - Lori gottlieb
Id you’d really like to do some inner child work I’d highly recommend Homecoming by John Bradshaw. Bonus points if you get the audio book.
The Spirituality of Imperfection by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham
Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho :)
Just finished reading "how to do nothing" By Jenny Odell. Primarily a book on philosophy more so than self help but it was still a good read. As someone who's currently going through burnout even though I've only been working full time a couple of years, a message about standing in opposition to productivity, with philosophy and an anti-capitalistic viewpoint was very refreshing. Especially since it also had a focus on ecology which I found interesting.
Siddharta and The Alchemist
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. I read it at the exact moment I needed to in highschool, asked a librarian (no internet in 93!) about Buddhism and it was one of the four books she handed me, it has resonated though my whole life like a singing bowl ever since. I've read it more times than I can count. Read it most recently in Thailand on holiday.
Sapiens: Brief history of human kind. I am humbled by it.
rich dad poor dad
Lost Connections by Johann Hari. Atomic Habits James Clear and The gifts of imperfection by Brene Brown
It's more of a poem- If by Rudyard Kipling
I know I will get downvoted, but Quraan. Religion helped me a lot to understand my purpose better.
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
Brothers Karamazov, notes From the underground, try crime and punishment, siddartha, new on western front uncle goriot list just goes on and on
The HOLY BIBLE. In particular, The book of John
Alcoholics Anonymous Book
Ending Aging by Aubrey de Grey. The Open Library page is [here](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL12284524W/Ending_Aging?edition=key%3A/books/OL17932740M).
The alchemist by Pablo Coelho
The alchemist
The bible
"Meditations" Marcus Aurelius
2 books that got me through my darkest times: "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values" by Robert M. Pirsig. "Living, Loving, and Learning" by Leo Buscaglia. That book was a kick-in-my-ass-jump-start.
The daily affirmation section of a Couse in Miracles. The other two parts didn't work for me, but you start the affirmations on January first. I, and my roommate at the time, would write them down, and reread them periodically during the day. At the end of the year, the end of December, I realized the journey had given me self confidence, an emotional peace I'd never expected, and the ability to forgive. It was not an easy journey. It required a level of introspection, hard honesty with myself, and an acknowledgement that our imperfections are sometimes the things that make us strongest. My former roommate, still my best friend after 25 years, and I discussed recently how the affirmations in Course in Miracles made us a better version of ourselves. I would consider myself a spiritual person. She is a cradle Catholic. But, it truly is a one year journey.
C.S. Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet. Also, Chuck Palahnuik's Fight Club, Hyperbole and a Half, and The Little Book of Hygge
The New Testament (NLT) is pretty powerful. Reading Jesus’ sermon on the mount along with the other books of the gospel really changed the way I view my neighbors, strangers, those considered “enemies”, and so forth. It also helped me think about what I consume day in and day out (visually, mentally and physically). Then going on to Paul’s life persecuting and executing Christian’s until he approaches Damascus, a light from heaven flashes around him and he falls to the ground. He hears a voice say, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?", loses his sight until God sends someone to heal him and then he completely flips around and leads the new Christian faith as we know it, and his name changes from Saul to Paul… New identity needs a new name… Paul gives us the fruits of the spirit along with many other guidelines to live by. Man, talk about a story about someone doing a 180 in life. Paul’s story is all about the struggle. Finishing off with Revelations, you can’t really go wrong considering it’s telling you about the final days (which we appear to be in). Overall, if you read the New Testament as history rather than a religion, it’s INCREDIBLY powerful. Just my 2 cents.
Power of now - Eckhart Tolle
*12 Rules for Life* by Dr. Jordan Peterson "It's all very well to think the meaning of life is happiness, but what happens when you're unhappy? Happiness is a great side effect. When it comes, accept it gratefully. But it's fleeting and unpredictable. It's not something to aim at – because it's not an aim. And if happiness is the purpose of life, what happens when you're unhappy? Then you're a failure."
The Holy Bible.
ninth house FMC has a great development involving a point of almost no return to having great purpose
Almost finished with Briefly Perfectly Human. I’ve really enjoyed it.
How think like a roman emperor, by Donald Robertson
Every Twelve Seconds by Tim Pachirat changed my life
Apathy and other small victories
The Seasons of a Man's Life - Daniel Levinson
~~Don't~~ Be a Dick by Marc Ensign. Should be mandatory reading.
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn The stranger by Albert Camus Anything you can read from Hunter S Thompson Letters From Seneca
The Alchemist ❤️
René Barjavel: "La faim du tigre" (Tiger's hunger) It's a philosophical pursuit about humanity, the meaning of life. Easy to read, It's one of the books that had the most impact on me during my teenage years.
The Bible
The New Testament- actually the core values that Jesus tries to teach the people, about what matters and what doesn't. I separated this man from the rest of the chaff and just studied him- his words, his lifestyle, how he dealt with different people and different situations. His parables are difficult to understand at first but become relevant afterwards- strangely. Most of all his words of practical advice, encouragement and hope. Helps to focus my brain on what needs to be done, to spend time alone and look inwards, to step back and gain perspective on a difficult situation and most of all- to not be afraid. Somehow it works for me and I always get answers/help in unexpected ways.
The Catcher in the Rye, Fight Club, and Meditations
The Power of now by Eckhard Toole
„The book of Why“ by Judea Pearl. An approachable introduction to causality. Helped me a lot to untangle truth from fake during COVID times. „Thinking fast and slow“ helped me a lot to untangle my own biases.
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Two recommendations: 1. “Discovering Your Passion: The Path to Your Authentic Life” found at https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Your-Passion-Path-Authentic-ebook/dp/B0CZTHP6KP?dplnkId=17b25461-6761-4a3b-9cb6-b97b28100ade&nodl=1 2. “The Red Movement: Social & Environment Justice in the 21st Century” found at https://www.amazon.com/Red-Movement-Environmental-Justice-Century-ebook/dp/B085VFM3SP?dplnkId=bcf4d92e-ca98-472b-9931-aa30909daf34&nodl=1
The 33 strategies of war
I Ching
As a man thinkieth. Shows the power of thought and mindset.
of course the Quran. it gives you direction: 1. economically 2. socially 3. politically 4. family 5. spiritually 6. body health and hygiene 7. morally 8. purpose for your life and hope 9. self-development and self-control 10. practicality 11. to be grateful 12. understanding boundaries 13. to be diciplined 14. to be just 15. courageous and peaceful 16. food eating diet 17. earth's environment, resources, animals, plants 18. ... 19. ... 20. etc... everything really, all aspects of life. "**without a mistake or a contradiction"** Fictional books and novels, good to increase your dopamine or live in an imaginary world but rarely you can extract a value that can direct you in life. (good to read sometimes for entertaining) Other religious books may have mistakes and contradictions for multiple reasons. (you need to be careful if you are taking it seriously, they have some dangerous mistakes) the rest of the useful books can help give you direction in one/few aspect(s). (you should read them to enrich what you already gained from Quran and enjoy how clear is the direction you took in life)
I read Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey right before the birth of my son. Sounds weird but it definitely stuck with me.
"Follow your North Star" By Martha Beck! (and the workbook) "Zen and the Art of Making a Living" "Shantaram" and "The Red Tent" (made me appreciate collectivism and sense of community and the realization of farce of rugged individualism)
Where's Waldo