Imagine a city with one million inhabitants. It has everything you would expect from a city of that size: some skyscrapers, a decent transport system, and all the usual public and social infrastructure.
There is, however, a catch: Everyone in this city can only read the same 10 books. It’s a simple literary restriction, but what consequences might it have? If all of those books are mainly concerned with inequality and societal problems, chances are, the city’s citizens will spend most of their time bickering and fighting. But what if those books are instead filled with stories about community and kindness? Probably, people will be inclined to help one another, and everyone will get along on most days.
Regardless of their effect and how strong you believe this effect might be, however, with only 10 books, the people in that city will inevitably stop learning. Thinking, creativity, innovation — eventually, these pillars of progress will come to a screeching halt. Why? Because the pool of ideas is too limited! Try as hard as they may, the best those citizens can do is to rehash the same ideas from the same 10 books, over and over again. Sooner or later, to create more and better output, they’ll need more and better input. The same is true for you as an individual.
Haruki Murakami famously wrote that “if you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”
Popular books are usually popular because they’re agreeable. They’ll get you social credit and remind you of what’s common sense, but they’ll rarely truly stretch your brain. There’s nothing wrong with reading these books, but they shouldn’t be the only ones you consume. If you and your friends all read the same few bestsellers each year, and you all agree on their premises, none of you will learn anything new! Where’s the discussion? The thinking? The sparring of ideas? If you all read different books, however, everyone has something to teach to everyone else.
Over the last ten years, I’ve read hundreds of nonfiction books. Without fail, the lesser known ones have been the most satisfying in terms of new ideas, memorable lessons, and, yes, I’ll admit it, making me look smart in front of my friends. So for more than one reason, I agree with Murakami: Don’t run the risk of becoming like the people in that city — set in your ways, a rusty thinker. Read the obscure, the questionable, the forgotten. Read what no one else is reading.
Here are 12 titles I believe will fit that mark. Even if you’re an avid nonfiction reader, I’m confident you won’t have heard of most of them. But if you give them a try, maybe they’ll enter the ranks of your all-time favorites. They sure have done so for me.
Here’s a little more about each book and why I think it’s special. You can also jump to any one title that calls out to you via this table of contents:
Table of Contents
- 1. The Practicing Mind by Thomas M. Sterner
- 2. How to Live by Derek Sivers
- 3. Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse
- 4. Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill
- 5. The Dip by Seth Godin
- 6. Ikigai by Yukari Mitsuhashi
- 7. Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker
- 8. The Little Book of Contentment by Leo Babauta
- 9. The Authentic Swing by Steven Pressfield
- 10. Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ravikant
- 11. The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey
- 12. On the Shortness of Life by Seneca
1. The Practicing Mind by Thomas M. Sterner
This short book is the best guide on how to combine mindfulness and ambition that I’ve ever read. If you want to be great at what you do, be it writing, a corporate job, or being a parent, you need to master the process — and truly mastering anything takes decades.
Sterner explains how, when we humbly focus on that process without obsessing over the results, we’ll do better work almost instantly. Yet, simultaneously, we’ll also find the patience we need to take the long-term view. It’s paradoxical, and yet, the book somehow manages to combine these opposing ideas in a way that makes perfect sense.
This book is simple, inspiring, calming, fun, and to the point. I rarely see it talked about anywhere, yet I’d recommend it to anyone.
“The problem with patience and discipline is that it requires both of them to develop each of them.”
—Thomas M. Sterner
2. How to Live by Derek Sivers
Derek Sivers is a well-known figure in the entrepreneurship world, but unless you’re on his newsletter, you likely won’t know that he’s now mainly writing books. How to Live is his magnum opus.
The book provides 27 focused, highly compressed answers to one single question: “How should you live your life?” Each answer is fully convinced of itself and, in only a few pages, tries to sell you on its lifestyle. Travel the world! Make lots of money! Renounce everything! Be a hermit, make a million friends, or build useful things.
The genius of this book lies in the fact that each chapter contradicts the next — and therefore forces you to think hard about what it suggests. Sivers condensed this book from an original 1,000+ pages down to just around 100, packing everything he’s learned over several decades into a 2-hour read.
More than just providing stock answers to life’s biggest question, this book truly makes you see: Life is not “either/or.” It is “and” — and you can always change your mind.
“You don’t see things as they are. You see them as you are.”
—Derek Sivers
(PS: After you’ve read it, I’d love to know what you think about my meta analysis of the book’s themes.)
3. Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse
Originally published in 1986, this book provides an entire worldview that’s both deeply spiritual and entirely rational. The central idea is that humans play many different games in life, all of which can be neatly separated into two categories: finite games and infinite ones.
Finite games are clearly defined in their rules, time frame, and space. Winners require losers to exist and vice versa. Think about sports, stock trading, or political elections. Infinite games, on the other hand, extend forever. The goal is not to win but to keep playing — and to keep playing, the players must continue changing the rules! Love is an infinite game. So is business. So is life itself. Anything that can — and ideally should — last for generations is likely an infinite game.
The book is filled with hundreds of clever metaphors and word plays to help you see this distinction in various areas. The writing style is not for everyone, but do give this book a chance. Mastering and applying these two mindsets could change how you view the world forever.
“Finite players play within boundaries; infinite players play with boundaries.”
—James P. Carse
4. Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill
It’s a shame that, often, an author’s best work never makes it out of the shadow of their most popular one. With Napoleon Hill, that’s definitely the case. Everybody knows Think and Grow Rich, but few have even heard of Outwitting the Devil — a much more intriguing book, if you ask me.
Hill wrote this book in 1938, one year after the release of Think and Grow Rich. For the former, he claimed to have interviewed over 500 extraordinary people. In the latter, he interviews just one: the devil himself. Despite the book obviously being fiction, Hill’s wife found it too controversial for its time, and so it only saw the light of day in 2011, a casual 73 years later.
Initially completely outmatched by the lord of evil himself, Hill eventually manages to wring certain truths from him. Slowly but surely, the devil accidentally reveals how exactly he keeps humans from fulfilling their potential. Along the way, Hill also shares his personal struggles and how he finally found the courage to honestly share his story, which is a fascinating chapter all on its own.
This book is fun, insightful, and awe-inspiring. Plus, it was way ahead of its time, and I find there’s always a lot to learn from those kinds of books. Definitely make some soothing tea to go with this one. It’s one hell of a read (pun fully intended).
“Your only limitation is the one which you set up in your own mind.”
—Napoleon Hill
5. The Dip by Seth Godin
Like Napoleon Hill, Seth Godin is a famous author. You might know some of his 22 bestsellers on business, marketing, work, creativity, and many other topics. The Dip, however, is unlike most of them. It’s about how to decide when to stick with something and when to quit.
The dip is a simple concept: When we start a new endeavor, we learn a lot quickly. We see early results fast and have fun. Soon, however, it gets hard. Why does it always have to get hard? Welcome to the dip. Seth explains the dip exists to separate average from extraordinary. It’s the trough we must traverse if we want to get a top 1%-job, build a top 1%-business, or live a top 1%-life, however we might define those things.
More than just telling you to keep pushing, however, the book lays out a framework for deciding again and again: Is this the point where I quit strategically, or is this where I grit my teeth and pursue excellence?
It’s a powerful concept you’ll probably remember for the rest of your life, and it only takes around two hours or so to read the whole thing.
“Winners quit all the time. They just quit the right stuff at the right time.”
—Seth Godin
6. Ikigai by Yukari Mitsuhashi
Ikigai is a Japanese concept blending meaning and happiness. It is now well-established in the West, and many people are vaguely familiar with it. The problem is that our discourse around the idea is completely dominated by one book. That book was written by two Spanish guys, and though it’s a good book, it misrepresents ikigai, indicating it has to do with your career, whether you can make money at doing what you love, and so on.
If you want to actually understand ikigai—and it’s a pretty valuable concept — read Ikigai by Yukari Mitsuhashi. Mitsuhashi was born and raised in Japan, which gives her a better, more authentic understanding of the language and culture. In just over 100 pages, she explains that, actually, ikigai is simple and democratic. It could be work-related, but it doesn’t have to be. It could be the song of birds in the morning, the smell of fresh coffee, or making your grandma laugh.
Mitsuhashi also provides some useful questions for finding your ikigais (yes, you can have multiple!) big and small. She even shares stories from fellow Japanese citizens explaining how they found their own. Another short but underrated read.
“When you find anything even remotely interesting, try not to dismiss it so easily.”
—Yukari Mitsuhashi
7. Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker
Peter Drucker, “the father of modern management,” isn’t a nobody by any means. But once again, compared to his magnum opus, The Effective Executive, this short read gets lost in the noise — yet it is a phenomenal guide to self-awareness at work and in your career.
Someone gifted me the Managing Oneself audiobook 11 years ago, and I remember my first 45-minute listen to this day. Drucker shares a list of simple but profound questions, like “How do I perform?” “Am I a reader or a listener?” and “What are the strengths I can double down on?” Pair them with a pen and piece of paper, and you have a potentially life-changing book on your hands. I’d recommend it to anyone trying to make a difference at and through their work.
“It takes far more energy and work to improve from incompetence to mediocrity than it takes to improve from first-rate performance to excellence.”
— Peter F. Drucker
8. The Little Book of Contentment by Leo Babauta
Leo Babauta is the blogger behind Zenhabits, an early and popular blog covering mindfulness, minimalism, and behavior change. He’s published several books over the years, but this little below-the-radar gem has stuck with me the most. Best of all? It’s free. You can download it on his website.
In around 100 pages, Babauta explores why discontentment is the root of all suffering, how we can get our inner peace back, and why happiness will naturally follow once we find it. It’s a fantastic, concise guide to developing and then securing our emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
I’ve read it more than once, and I recommend that whenever you feel inner turmoil is brewing, you reach for this book.
“Contentment actually is a much better place from which to start making changes than an unhappiness with who you are.”
— Leo Babauta
9. The Authentic Swing by Steven Pressfield
You know how this goes by now. Steven Pressfield is famous for both his novels and nonfiction works on creativity, perhaps most notably The War of Art. The concept he introduces in that book, Resistance — the invisible force keeping us from achieving our dreams — is brilliant — but discovering your “authentic swing” is even better.
Pressfield first “made it” by writing a popular novel about golf, The Legend of Bagger Vance, which was even turned into a Hollywood movie starring Matt Damon, Will Smith, and Charlize Theron. The Authentic Swing tells the story behind the story. Along the way, Pressfield gives advice on writing and creativity — but really, it’s advice on how to be your truest, most authentic self.
This is an extremely clever, multi-layered book which will show you how to live life on your terms and succeed in your own way. Plus, it’s highly entertaining. Do give this one a swing!
“Faldo didn’t defeat Norman. Norman defeated Norman. The golfer’s greatest enemy is himself.”
—Steven Pressfield
10. Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ravikant
One day, Kamal Ravikant found himself unable to get out of bed. He wasn’t unable to move — he just didn’t see the point. His formerly successful Silicon Valley startup had imploded, his girlfriend had left him, and he barely had any money.
At some point, he got so fed up with his life, himself, and his thoughts, he staggered to his desk and scribbled a vow on a piece of paper: “I vow to love myself.” This book explains what happened next, and the results are nothing shy of magic. It contains a story, a practice, and a guide to making the practice a habit.
Ravikant rewrote and expanded the book in 2020, but I would recommend starting with the shorter, original 2012 edition, which is just 59 pages short. If you feel like you could use a beautiful story paired with a simple technique of deep self-compassion to beat adversity and find happiness, this one’s for you.
“If I loved myself truly and deeply, would I let myself experience this?”
—Kamal Ravikant
11. The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey
First published in 1974, you might wonder what an over-50-year-old book about tennis is doing on this list. Trust me, it has earned its place, because just like The Authentic Swing isn’t about golf or writing, this one’s not really about tennis — and Gallwey’s method is as sound as it’s ever been.
Gallwey himself never made it big in tennis, but he did coach the Harvard student tennis team for a while. Eventually, he developed his own way of teaching, which is almost 100% based on observation, visualization, and imitation. After revealing your two inner selves and how they get in each other’s way, Gallwey explains how you can use mindfulness to learn anything. He also makes some good points on why awareness is almost always a better approach than the usual tell-and-repeat we are subjected to in schools, sports, and offices around the globe.
This book is short but extremely dense. It took me a while to get through simply because I was highlighting so many lines, I frequently had to stop and let everything sink in for a while. What a treasure trove of personal development!
“The player of the inner game comes to value the art of relaxed concentration above all other skills, the secret to winning any game lies in not trying too hard.”
—Timothy Gallwey
12. On the Shortness of Life by Seneca
When we think of ancient Stoic philosopher Seneca, we may remember a few quotes or vaguely recall that he wrote a series of Moral Letters, but if you ask me, On the Shortness of Life is his greatest work.
“Life is long if you know how to use it.” “It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.” Phew. This one really pulls no punches. In a few dozen pages, written some 2,000 years ago, Seneca will completely change your perspective of time. He somehow manages to create urgency while still making the reader feel empowered and inspired.
Plus, it’s amazing to see that, two millennia ago, people were plagued by the same ills that keep us from doing what matters most today. An impactful yet at the same time surprisingly comforting book.
“You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire.”
—Seneca the Younger
There is one more reason to read widely: It indulges our natural curiosity — and only by satisfying our desire to learn can we sustain it.
Going back to the people in our city limited to ten books, it’s not just that they’ll soon run out of stimulating input. If that state persists, they’ll likely stop seeking stimulation at all — and there is nothing worse than losing our curiosity, for with it, we tend to lose our lust for life altogether.
So I hope these books have made you a little curious. I hope you’ll pick up at least one of them and read it in full. They’re all short reads, too. Here are 12 doors into unknown worlds full of wonder, insight, and inspiration. May you take them only to discover thousands more. Happy reading!