The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. If you are copying these guys, you aren’t learning from them. It’s easier to copy a model than to make something new: doing what we already know how to do takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of something familiar. Every new creation goes from 0 to 1. This book is about how to get there.
2. Confessions of an Advertising Man - David Ogilvy
David Ogilvy was considered the "father of advertising" and a creative genius by many of the biggest global brands. First published in 1963, this seminal book revolutionized the world of advertising and became a bible for the 1960s ad generation. It also became an international bestseller, translated into 14 languages. Fizzing with Ogilvy's pioneering ideas and inspirational philosophy, it covers not only advertising, but also people management, corporate ethics, and office politics, and forms an essential blueprint for good practice in business.
He is one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court – but from early childhood Andre Agassi hated the game. Read how Andre Agassi became Andre Agassi and learn from his challenges.
Fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed fifty dollars from his father and launched a company with one simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his car in 1963, Knight grossed eight thousand dollars that first year. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In this age of start-ups, Knight’s Nike is the gold standard, and its swoosh is one of the few icons instantly recognized in every corner of the world. But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always been a mystery. In Shoe Dog, he tells his story at last.
5. Losing My Virginity - Richard Bransson
"Oh, screw it, let's do it." That's the philosophy that has allowed Richard Branson, in slightly more than twenty-five years, to spawn so many successful ventures. Richard Branson is a famous British businessman, investor and founder of the Virgin Group. He attended Stowe School where he obtained poor grades due to dyslexia. The school headmaster predicted his future by saying that he would either land up in prison or would become a millionaire. He started his career with a record business and today has an estimated net worth of about 5 billion dollars. This is his story!
Malcolm Gladwell writes well researched, analysed commentary on social psychology. His books talk about interesting concepts that influence our daily lives. In Blink, Gladwell talks about the science behind making smart and "right" decisions. How can an art expert differentiate between a fake and an original piece of art within seconds? How can a marriage analyst know within minutes whether the couple will stay together or not? Some ideas like this and much more gain a true resolution in Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Gladwell. The best selling author dissects and discusses the art of human intuition and elaborates on how humans can, by developing it to perfection, be able to make quick yet accurate and effective decisions. We recommend this book not only because it will help you in your prep, but also because it provides invaluable advice on decision making!
7. What the Dog Saw - Malcolm Gladwell
What is the difference between choking and panicking? Why are there dozens of varieties of mustard-but only one variety of ketchup? What do football players teach us about how to hire teachers? What does hair dye tell us about the history of the 20th century? These are just some of the hidden extraordinary things this book touches upon.
In this book, read the bittersweet tale of the inventor of the birth control pill, and the dazzling inventions of the pasta sauce pioneer Howard Moscowitz (not he of the Big Bang Theory guys!). Gladwell sits with Ron Popeil, the king of the American kitchen, as he sells rotisserie ovens, and divines the secrets of Cesar Millan, the "dog whisperer" who can calm savage animals with the touch of his hand. He explores intelligence tests and ethnic profiling and "hindsight bias" and why it was that everyone in Silicon Valley once tripped over themselves to hire the same college graduate. Sounds like a pretty fun read right?!
8. Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell
On of Gladewell's most famous works, in this stunning read, Malcolm takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? Brilliant and entertaining, Outliers is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.
9. Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely
Why do our headaches persist after we take a one-cent aspirin but disappear when we take a fifty-cent aspirin? Why do we splurge on a lavish meal but cut coupons to save twenty-five cents on a can of soup? When it comes to making decisions in our lives, we think we're making smart, rational choices. But are we? Dan Ariely refutes the common assumption that we behave in fundamentally rational ways. From drinking coffee to losing weight, from buying a car to choosing a romantic partner, we consistently overpay, underestimate, and procrastinate. Yet these misguided behaviors are neither random nor senseless. They're systematic and predictable—making us predictably irrational.
10. When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi
At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade's worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi's transformation from a naïve medical student "possessed," as he wrote, "by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life" into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality. In this book, he tries to answer the question, 'What makes a life worth living?'
11. Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
A memoir that reads like a story and is a delight to go through. An intensely articulate and moving memoir of self-discovery, Eat, Pray, Love is about what can happen when you claim responsibility for your own contentment and stop trying to live in imitation of society’s ideals. It is certain to touch anyone who has ever woken up to the unrelenting need for change. We also recommend Elizabeth Gilbert and other speakers' TED Talk on feeling overwhelmed in this state of a global pandemic and what next.
12. A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking
Quantum mechanics, Quantum physics, Cosmology, History, Mathematics, Statistics and Economics, this book touches upon all these subjects. At times a monologue, at times a really high level lecture being presented by a prodigy, at times a simplified version of concepts like relativity theory, wormholes, space time and the big bang, this book will leave you feeling more intelligent and more stupid at once. It's not always easy to read this one. Or stay on the same tangential mindset Prof. Hawking was when he wrote this book. Chances are, you'll feel exhausted after reading a single chapter. But there's beauty in this book too. Because Stephen Hawking is talking about Physics one minute and the next he goes on to discuss the brevity of human life and existence. It's wild, beautiful and extremely messed up. But we love this book anyway. You don't have to be a science geek to understand this book. Just someone who wants to understand the vastness, importance and insignificance of life will do!
13. Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom
Mitch Albom rediscovered his old college professor and mentor in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final “class”: lessons in how to live. Tuesdays with Morrie is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie's lasting gift with the world.
14. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Stephen R. Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, continues to be a best seller for the simple reason that it ignores trends and pop psychology and focuses on timeless principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity.
15. The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama
In this unique and important book, one of the world's great spiritual leaders offers his practical wisdom and advice on how we can overcome everyday human problems and achieve lasting happiness. For the many who wish to understand more about the Dalai Lama's approach to living, there has never been a book which brings his beliefs so vividly into the real world.
16. Joker in the Pack by Neeraj Pahlajani and Ritesh Sharma
This work is an attempt to provide an answer to the paramount question every prospective student asks, "What is business school really like?"
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Intermediate
Books you'll probably not read at one go. In fact, it'll take you time and patience to read them. But these are eye opening reads, sometimes giving you simple, actionable advice!
1. The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
Political science, economics and liberal arts students are usually familiar with the Machiavellian mindset. Just like the Arthashastra by Chanakya or The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Prince has achieved treatise status.
There have been many political philosophies published throughout the time of literate man, but few have made such an impact in so few words as Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince. This eminently quotable treatise on the nature of rulers is unsettling in that it does not merely discuss the specific political geography of 16th century Europe, a world comprised of kings and nobles who ruled absolutely; it has endured for nearly 500 years because it is an all-encompassing understanding of men in power, and the common traits, motives and struggles which have characterized leaders from Roman emperors to modern-day presidents.
Written almost 2500 years ago by Chinese General, Sun Tzu, The Art of War is a widely acclaimed book on military strategy that has influenced and shaped the idea of Western and Eastern nations military philosophy. It presents complete instructions on how to win battles and manage conflicts.
The Art of War has established its significance not just as a valuable book for military strategies but it also gives lesson in diplomacy and public administration and planning. It stresses on the need for healthy and friendly relations with other nations. In the context of changing world politics and rising interest in foreign policy affairs, The Art of War is a valuable read to understand about what idea goes behind shaping the strategies and policy with our neighbouring nations. This book is an ideal read if you are looking out for some inspiration to win over daily battles in your life. This book will be of special interest to people who want to read philosophy, the amazing quotes about life, winning battles and how to tide over daily struggles then it’s a must read for you.
3. The Greatest Salesman In The World by Og Mandino
The Greatest Salesman in the World is essentially a self help book written like a story. Og Mandino in this book tells us the story of Hafid, a poor camel boy who is trying hard to raise his standard of living. He is taken under the tutelage of a wealthy caravan trader and dispatched to Bethlehem to sell a single robe. He fails to sell the robe and on his way back, gifts the robe to a poor child instead. Ashamed at his act, he returns to his master but he is startled to find that his masters in on his death bed and leaves behind for him, ten scrolls which were given to him by another wealthy man.
Written by Og Mandino using a beautiful style of prose, the book has helped change the lives of millions of people including actors like Matthew McConaughey. The book serves as a self help guide by narrating the story of a poor camel boy who goes on to become rich and the story highlights the importance of following certain principles for a successful life.
4. The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi started out penning down his own experiences with racism, colonialism and non violence to chronicle his growth from being incensed and angry at the injustice to finding a way to deal with it all. He did not set out to write an autobiography. But that's what it reads as today.
This book is a window to the workings of Mahatma Gandhi’s mind – a window to the emotions of his heart – a window to understanding what drove this seemingly ordinary man to the heights of being the father of a nation – India. Starting with his days as a boy, Gandhi takes us through his trials and turmoils and situations that molded his philosophy of life – going through child marriage, his studies in England, practicing Law in South Africa – and his Satyagraha there – to the early beginnings of the Independence movement in India. This is not a book most will be able to read at once. There are aspects of Gandhi's mind you probably won't understand or agree with. But that's what makes this story of perseverance and adherence to one's own will so interesting!
5. Guns, Germs, And Steel - Jared Diamond
Why has human history unfolded so differently across the globe? Jared Diamond puts the case that geography and biogeography, not race, moulded the contrasting fates of Europeans, Asians, Native Americans, sub-Saharan Africans, and aboriginal Australians. An ambitious synthesis of history, biology, ecology and linguistics, Guns, Germs and Steel is a ground-breaking and humane work of popular science. Check out an interesting book summary for this tough treatise here.
6. Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari
If there's one book you must, absolutely MUST read from this list, it's Sapiens. Supposedly a Brief History of Humankind according to the title. Not so Brief after all. It'll take you some time to assimilate all the sheer insight this book possesses. But here's the thing. The Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it: us (humans!) In this bold and provocative book, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here and where we’re going. And does it brilliantly.
Featuring on the book lists of Bill Gates and Barack Obama, among others, this book is written in an engaging manner, capturing your attention and imagination at once. You'll know. Just pick up the book or start reading a few pages! You'll know exactly what we mean!
This Pulitzer Prize winner is basically a black American's deep dive into the past to find where you came from and how he came to be in 'the brave new world.'
Tracing his ancestry through six generations – slaves and freedmen, farmers and blacksmiths, lawyers and architects – back to Africa, Alex Haley discovered a sixteen-year-old youth, Kunta Kinte. It was this young man, who had been torn from his homeland and in torment and anguish brought to the slave markets of the New World, who held the key to Haley's deep and distant past.
8. Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media by Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman
Students of Political Science and Journalism know these 2 names by heart - the name of this book, and Noam Chomsky. Is News always true? Is everything we are told real? Is the political, economic and social climate of our society, country or world truly our opinion? History is written by the victors. But what if we were to tell you that the victory was also orchestrated by the same victors? That's what this book is about, in a way.
Based on a series of case studies—including the media’s dichotomous treatment of “worthy” versus “unworthy” victims, “legitimizing” and “meaningless” Third World elections, and devastating critiques of media coverage of the U.S. wars against Indochina—Herman and Chomsky draw on decades of criticism and research to propose a Propaganda Model to explain the media’s behavior and performance.
9. The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir, French author, is famous for many things, one of them being Jean Paul Sartre's 'partner.' But this work of hers, that began as an essay and coalesced into a long 800 page case of how women are 'The Other Sex,' can be a challenging read. Written originally in French in 1949, and later translated to English, this is a wonderfully messy, at times scary, at times erudite, at times strange and at times an extremely relatable read.
Especially today, when we have instances like the Locker Room happening, this portrayal of women as the 2nd and therefore somehow painted as inferior sex becomes a poignant read. Simone de Beauvoir did her utmost to break the mold women were cast in. She did not marry, abhorred the idea of motherhood, lived in with her lover, took on more than one lover - both male and female, even enjoyed menages a trois at times and wrote about sex and pleasure openly and boldly. Which is what makes the Second Sex an interesting read. Mind you, you'll not be able to read it all at once. It'll take time. But it will provide perspective on how and why women are seen through the lens of the male gaze.
10. Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb
This book is about luck–or more precisely, about how we perceive and deal with luck in life and business. Set against the backdrop of the most conspicuous forum in which luck is mistaken for skill–the world of trading–Fooled by Randomness provides captivating insight into one of the least understood factors in all our lives. Writing in an entertaining narrative style, the author tackles major intellectual issues related to the underestimation of the influence of happenstance on our lives.
Moneyball is a quest for the secret of success in baseball. In a narrative full of fabulous characters and brilliant excursions into the unexpected, Michael Lewis follows the low-budget Oakland A's, visionary general manager Billy Beane, and the strange brotherhood of amateur baseball theorists. They are all in search of new baseball knowledge—insights that will give the little guy who is willing to discard old wisdom the edge over big money.
There's also a film based on this story starring Brad Pitt.
12. The Big Short - Michael Lewis
With a film adaptation of this book that will be a great watch, this book reads brilliantly as well. Delving into the market crash that happened because of the USA housing bubble in the 2000s, this book throws light on how such one of the most interesting financial happenings of the new millennium.
The real story of the crash began in bizarre feeder markets where the sun doesn't shine and the SEC doesn't dare, or bother, to tread: the bond and real estate derivative markets where geeks invent impenetrable securities to profit from the misery of lower- and middle-class Americans who can't pay their debts. The smart people who understood what was or might be happening were paralyzed by hope and fear; in any case, they weren't talking. This is their story.
13. Liar’s Poker - Michael Lewis
Liar's Poker is a non-fiction, semi-autobiographical book by Michael Lewis describing the author's experiences as a bond salesman on Wall Street during the late 1980s.
From mere trainee to lowly geek, to triumphal Big Swinging Dick: that was Michael Lewis's pell-mell progress through the dealing rooms of Salomon Brothers in New York and London during the heady mid-80s when they were probably the world's most powerful and profitable merchant bank. Funny, frightening, breathless and heartless, Liar's Poker is the original story of hysterical greed and excessive ambition, one that is now more potent and enthralling than ever.
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Advanced
These are tough reads. You can't really classify them purely as non fiction books either. But these are those pearls of literature that help you sharpen opinion, fine tune perspective and gain understanding of the world we live in and our interactions therein.
1. The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck
Confronting and solving problems is a painful process which most of us attempt to avoid. Avoiding resolution results in greater pain and an inability to grow both mentally and spiritually. Drawing heavily on his own professional experience, Dr M. Scott Peck, a psychiatrist, suggests ways in which facing our difficulties - and suffering through the changes - can enable us to reach a higher level of self-understanding. He discusses the nature of loving relationships: how to distinguish dependency from love; how to become one's own person and how to be a more sensitive parent.
This is a book that can show you how to embrace reality and yet achieve serenity and a richer existence. Hugely influential, it has now sold over ten million copies - and has changed many people's lives round the globe. It may change yours.
Very apt to be read in these times of uncertainty and irrational behaviour, Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged is a book that will take some serious focus to read. The plot of the book is structured as a mystery story with binding elements of science fiction and romance and is stamped with Rand's trademark philosophical beliefs. A book of two mysteries, with the stories closely related, readers follow the journey of a steel magnate and railroad executive, as they attempt to solve both the mysteries in the collapse of an increasingly collectivist and irrational world.
The way Rand writes, you're sure to get lost into one of her myriad observations about the world, her characters, or situations. Meandering from philosophy to the tangible quite seamlessly, Rand's works make you think and question your own beliefs as well as beliefs held collectively by the world. That is what makes her works so fascinating to read. But the challenge is maintaining focus!
3. The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
Howard Roark, the protagonist of the story is an architect and a firm opposer of collectivism. It is his firm belief than only an individual's vision can be effective in producing genuine art. Mediocrity in art may get rampant if interference by committees and councils is allowed. The Fountainhead is his journey against tradition and his fight against the system.
Peter Keating, Howard's arch rival has beliefs that are the opposite of Howard.'s There are also others that stand in Howard's way. Dominique Francon, the heroine of the story is shown to emerge as a strong, independent woman as the story develops.
Through much of the book the author has expressed her strong personal views against collectivism through the protagonist. It is a journey of a single person against an entire tradition and system to break free. Will Howard survive the war or will be forced to accept the system?
Championing Ayn Rand's personal belief and philosophy of 'Objectivism,' this book paints an interesting picture of how individual beliefs can shape the world, and how ritualistic adherence to tradition can slow us down.
4. Devil In The White City - Erik Larson
Based on true events, this book reads like a fictional story.
The Devil in the White City draws the reader into a time of magic and majesty, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. Erik Larson’s gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both.
5. The Intelligent Investor - Bill Graham
An intelligent investor always analyzes the long-term evolution and management principles of a company before investing. An intelligent investor always protects him- or herself from losses by diversifying investments. An intelligent investor never looks for crazy profits, but focuses on safe and steady returns.
These are just some of the insights you'll learn from this book. Written by one of the greatest investment advisers of twentieth century, the book aims at preventing potential investors from substantial errors and also teaches them strategies to achieve long-term investment goals.
Black Swan Theory - The black swan theory or theory of black swan events is a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalized after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. Let's take an example. Look at COVID 19 and coronavirus. It was not expected and completely random. In hindsight, we may say that the signs were there and xyz reasons orchestrated it. We may be right or wrong. But in the natural order of things, an unexpected, unpredictable event can occur leaving us in the lurch. Rationalizing the event won't help. What will aid us is how we deal with it. Do we perish? Or do we survive, better, more fearless, more ready to accept impossibilities after it happens? Do we become antifragile the opposite of fragile? That is sort of what this book is about. Here's an interesting summary that will help you see why you must read this book.
7. Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman
Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives―and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble. Winner of the National Academy of Sciences Best Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and selected by The New York Times Book Review as one of the ten best books of 2011, Thinking, Fast and Slow is destined to be a classic.
Every day we make choices—about what to buy or eat, about financial investments or our children’s health and education, even about the causes we champion or the planet itself. Unfortunately, we often choose poorly. Nudge is about how we make these choices and how we can make better ones. Using dozens of eye-opening examples and drawing on decades of behavioral science research, Nobel Prize winner Richard H. Thaler and Harvard Law School professor Cass R. Sunstein show that no choice is ever presented to us in a neutral way, and that we are all susceptible to biases that can lead us to make bad decisions. But by knowing how people think, we can use sensible “choice architecture” to nudge people toward the best decisions for ourselves, our families, and our society, without restricting our freedom of choice.
Election year in the USA means a lot of things to a lot of people. But there's some hot debates that plague the modern American citizen, which seem to have no end. These hot topics have been used by various candidates obver the years to influence voters and win (or lose) elections. Issues like abortion, terrorism, torture, WikiLeaks, immigrants, etc are candidly spoken about by Ron Paul, who served as the representative for Texas during 2011 USA elections.
Dr. Paul writes that to believe in liberty is not to believe in any particular social and economic outcome. It is to trust in the spontaneous order that emerges when the state does not intervene in human volition and human cooperation. It permits people to work out their problems for themselves, build lives for themselves, take risks and accept responsibility for the results, and make their own decisions. It is the seed of America.
10. Capitalism and Freedom - Milton Friedman
How can we benefit from the promise of government while avoiding the threat it poses to individual freedom? In this classic book, Milton Friedman provides the definitive statement of his immensely influential economic philosophy—one in which competitive capitalism serves as both a device for achieving economic freedom and a necessary condition for political freedom. The result is an accessible text that has sold well over half a million copies in English, has been translated into eighteen languages, and shows every sign of becoming more and more influential as time goes on.
11. Buffet: The Making of an American Capitalist - Roger Lowenstein
Everyone knows about Warren Buffet, arguably called the richest man in the world. Buffett: The Making of An American Capitalist is a book that has been written with the intent of showing its readers just how Warren Buffett was able to amass the phenomenal wealth that he generated throughout his life, making him worth a mammoth $10 billion and counting. The book shows you how he started froM. Sc.ratch and kept picking up stocks and companies that he could invest in. This led to him becoming the owner of fortunes that are worth many millions.
His achievements led to him becoming a cult figure of sorts, who is looked upon as one who lives a life of various contradictions. The first of these is his phenomenal wealth against the modest lifestyle that he has. Being an incredibly successful investor, he still chooses to avoid the trading methods of modern Wall Street, which are considered to be a rage. Despite being a successful dealmaker, he still chooses to maintain the aura of a homely person.
12. Man's Search For Meaning - Viktor Frankl
What is the purpose of my life? Have you ever asked this question? Imagine being secreted away against your will, in a containment camp by the Nazis. Imagine being forced to live in horrible conditions just because of the circumstance of your birth. The one thing that no one can take away from you in this scenario? Your mind, your attitude and your will. At least that's what Frankl believed.
Man's Search for Meaning was first published in 1946. Victor Frankl was a leading psychologist in Vienna when he was arrested for being a Jew during the Nazi regime. He survived holocaust and used his experiences to write this book. He propounded the theory that it is Man's constant search for meaning that allows him to survive even the most brutal, the most degrading situations in his life. He said there are only two races in the world, the decent and indecent. They will maintain their innate beliefs, no matter which side they are on. The decent ones will try to help the fellow human beings and the indecent ones will be selfish and serve themselves at the cost to the others.
This book will help you understand the idea of motivation and drive, that which makes us go on and helps us grow. Read this article to get a flavour of Frankl's writing.
13. Made In America - Sam Walton, John Huey
Meet a genuine American folk hero cut from the homespun cloth of America's heartland: Sam Walton, who parlayed a single dime store in a hardscrabble cotton town into Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world. The undisputed merchant king of the late twentieth century, Sam never lost the common touch. Here, finally, inimitable words. Genuinely modest, but always sure if his ambitions and achievements. Sam shares his thinking in a candid, straight-from-the-shoulder style.
In a story rich with anecdotes and the "rules of the road" of both Main Street and Wall Street, Sam Walton chronicles the inspiration, heart, and optimism that propelled him to lasso the American Dream.
From the founders of the trailblazing software company 37 Signals, here is a different kind of business book, one that explores a new reality. Today, anyone can be in business. Tools that used to be out of reach are now easily accessible. Technology that cost thousands is now just a few bucks or even free. Stuff that was impossible just a few years ago is now simple. That means anyone can start a business. And you can do it without working miserable 80-hour weeks or depleting your life savings.
You can start it on the side while your day job provides all the cash flow you need. Forget about business plans, meetings, office space, you don't need them. With it's straightforward language and easy-is-better approach, Rework is the perfect playbook for anyone who's ever dreamed of doing it on their own. Hardcore entrepreneurs, small-business owners, people stuck in day jobs who want to get out, and artists who don't want to starve anymore will all find valuable inspiration and guidance in these pages. It's time to rework work. Even more relevant now that coronavirus is changing the way we operate. Even non entrepreneurs and corporate hopefuls will find this an enlightening read.
15. Seeking Wisdom - Peter Bevelin
Peter Bevelin begins his fascinating book with Confucius' great wisdom: "A man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it, is committing another mistake." Seeking Wisdom is the result of Bevelin's learnings about attaining wisdom. His quest for wisdom originated partly from making mistakes himself and observing those of others. He also learnt from the philosophy of super-investor and Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charles Munger. A man whose simplicity and clarity of thought was unequal to anything Bevelin had seen. In addition to naturalist Charles Darwin and Munger, Bevelin cites an encyclopedic range of thinkers: from first-century BCE Roman poet Publius Terentius to Mark Twain, from Albert Einstein to Richard Feynman, from 16th Century French essayist Michel de Montaigne to Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffet.
In the book, he describes ideas and research findings from many different fields. This book is for those who love the constant search for knowledge. It is in the spirit of Charles Munger, who says, "All I want to know is where I'm going to die so I'll never go there." There are roads that lead to unhappiness. An understanding of how and why we can "die" should help us avoid them. We can't eliminate mistakes, but we can prevent those that can really hurt us. Using exemplars of clear thinking and attained wisdom, Bevelin focuses on how our thoughts are influenced, why we make misjudgments and tools to improve our thinking. Bevelin tackles such eternal questions as: Why do we behave like we do? What do we want out of life? What interferes with our goals? Read and study this wonderful multidisciplinary exploration of wisdom. It may change the way you think and act in business and in life.
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