Looking for deeper meaning and clarity in life? This 14-day challenge explores the best philosophy books, distilling timeless lessons on decision-making, resilience, and personal growth.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is a classic of Stoic philosophy and shows us how to become more self-disciplined, stop caring what people think, and control our emotions.
The author was a powerful Roman Emperor about 2,000 years ago and wrote down these ideas in a private journal to himself.
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.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a simple yet profound story about a shepherd boy named Santiago who follows his dreams, going on a journey to find treasure in Egypt.
Along the way, he finds love, danger, and wisdom.
The book inspires readers to listen to their hearts, risk adventure, and seek life's meaning.
Ikigai is about finding our life purpose and living longer, according to wisdom from Japan where people do live longer than average.
The key ideas include: doing activities that make us feel 'flow', nurturing enjoyable relationships, keeping busy after retirement, and daily light eating and exercise.
Why read it?
This book sends you on a heroic quest to uncover your life's secret mission—minus the tights and cape.
Your ultimate purpose is *spoiler alert* probably not binge-watching the latest series, but finding that sweet spot where your passion, mission, and other people's needs intersect.
Sounds intimidating?
You don't need to cure cancer.
It's just about finding a reason to jump out of bed in the morning, even if it's about feeling joy in the little things with a community you belong to. 🕺
Letters from a Stoic is about how to stop feeling unsatisfied in life or worried what people think.
Seneca says we must first reduce our desire for pleasure, wealth and social approval.
Then we can become less fearful and hesitant with techniques like remembering that we're all gonna die.
12 Rules for Life is about putting your life in order and taking responsibility for what happens.
Jordan Peterson begins each chapter with a simple Rule like "Stand up straight" then he launches into thought provoking lessons from science, religion, history and psychology.
Sapiens is about how we went from being simple primates 2.5 million years ago... to walking on the moon.
Yuval Noah Harari explores the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions, which made us who we are today.
He says common myths like money, laws and nations hold human societies together.
The Black Swan is about understanding unpredictable extreme events like the 9/11 attacks, rise of the internet, and stock market crashes.
Nassim Taleb says we are unprepared for the next big event like this because we rely too much on incomplete theories, limited models and flimsy historical narratives.
Discourses of Epictetus is a compilation of lectures on Stoic philosophy from almost 2,000 years ago.
The book delivers timeless wisdom that continues to be intensely practical, guiding us on how to stabilize our emotions, become more self-disciplined, and live a good virtuous life.
Homo Deus offers a thought-provoking look into humanity's future; It talks about how advances in technologies like artificial intelligence and genetic engineering could radically transform us.
Yuval Noah Harari proposes the uncomfortable notion that we may try to become like gods to avoid death and unhappiness.
The Power of Myth explores how stories shape our perception of the world, and why myths continue to be relevant in providing direction to our lives in modern times.
Joseph Campbell explains universal lessons from myths, like discovering our personal "Hero's Journey" and following our bliss.
Civilization and Its Discontents was written by Sigmund Freud, possibly THE most influential psychologist of all time.
He said people are unhappy in modern society because they are forced to suppress many of their instincts for sex and aggression.
The Way of Zen is a comprehensive introduction to Zen Buddhism, including the history and practices.
Alan Watts explains how the ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism combined with Indian Buddhism to form Zen.
He also shares many practices of Zen such as meditation, koans, and arts.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** is like your smart but impolite friend explaining some great lessons from philosophy.
Mark Manson shows how to live by your values so you can act with less hesitation, do what's most important to you, and stop worrying what people think.
1984 is a novel about a terrifying future where everyone is controlled by a totalitarian political "Party" led by "Big Brother." George Orwell predicted many real-life methods of government overreach including: strict censorship, mass surveillance, "Thought Police," manipulation of language, and rewriting history.
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene is a self-help book that explains how powerful people have gained and maintained their control over the centuries.
While controversial for its manipulative tactics, this book also shares eye-opening insights into history, strategy, and human nature.
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.
Thinking, Fast and Slow explains how people make decisions using two mental systems: "fast" thinking is instinctive and emotional, while "slow" thinking is deliberate and logical.
Daniel Kahneman helps us understand our when our mind fall into common biases and irrational shortcuts, so we can make better decisions in the future.
Maps of Meaning says that myths have a tremendous unseen value.
They laid the foundation for large, stable and successful civilizations that lasted thousands of years.
Myths also provide time-tested wisdom to help us eradicate evil in the social world, and move past unpredictable catastrophes in our personal lives.
The True Believer shows how the same human frustrations drive all mass movements—whether social, political or religious.
People join mass movements to escape their ineffectual and helpless individual self.
Eric Hoffer wrote this book 70 years ago, but it's still frighteningly relevant today.
