The 21 Best Motivational Books of All Time (2024)

The Power of Habits by Charles Duhigg is a deep dive into the science of how habits work. If you want to change your habits but don't know where to start, this book can help you. It provides a simple 3-step formula called "The Habit Loop" to break bad habits and build better ones.

Why should you read it? Charles Duhigg's book first popularized the habit loop - the idea that all our habits follow a cycle of "cue-routine-reward." More importantly, he gave practical ways we can "hack" the steps of this loop to take back control of our habits and our lives. Before Atomic Habits, this was THE go-to book on habits and it is still well worth reading. (For psychology nerds, the habit loop was actually based on the psychologist B.F. Skinner's work that described a 3-step process of stimulus, response, and reinforcement. Basically, his theory explains why your dog turns into a slobber machine the second you rustle their treat bag. 🐶

As a Man Thinketh says our thoughts set the course our life, not our circumstances. James Allen says thoughts are seeds for actions, so our mind is a garden where we must cultivate the right seeds. This short, inspiring book still influences many modern self-help teachers.

Man's Search for Meaning was written after Viktor Frankl survived the concentration camps of WW2. He noticed that his fellow prisoners who could find purpose and meaning in their suffering found the strength to survive, while others perished. This book is also a guide to finding meaning in your life.

Will is the life story of Will Smith, one of the biggest Hollywood actors. You'll hear about his tense childhood in Philadelphia, how his father taught Will self discipline, his rise to wealth and fame, and his quest for happiness (through solitude, counselling, reading, and psychedelics).

The 10X Rule challenges us to set targets 10X larger than before and then take 10X the action we believe is necessary. Grant Cardone says achieving success always takes exponentially more effort, time and money than we think. We always set our goals too low and underestimate the challenges we'll face.

Why should you read it? If you're ready to supercharge your goals for business and life, then Grant Cardone may be just the rocket fuel you need. The man is basically a walking billboard for success. And his book is a motivational call to action to multiply our efforts and think bigger. It's a fun read if you want to stop walking on the threadmill of "average" and strap on a jetpack to larger goals than you'd ever imagined.

The War of Art explains how you can do more creative work and overcome your procrastination, distraction, and paralysis. Steven Pressfield says inside all of us is Resistance, a tricky enemy that sabotages our dreams, and it is the source of our fears, doubts, excuses, and poor habits.