Episode · The Tim Ferriss Show · 2025-09-24
Books mentioned on #828: David Senra — How Extreme Winners Think and Win: Lessons from 400+ of History’s Greatest Founders and Investors (Including Buffett, Munger, Rockefeller, Jobs, Ovitz, Zell, and Names You Don’t Know But Should)
David Senra is the host of the Founders podcast. For the past nine years, David has intensely studied the life and work of hundreds of history’s greatest entrepreneurs.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Scientific Advertising
Scientific Advertising is a foundational marketing text written by Claude Hopkins that outlines principles of direct-response advertising and consumer psychology.
Discussed“I read scientific advertising. Yes. In the very beginning.”
Where to get it
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No Country for Old Men
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy is a bleak, suspenseful thriller set in West Texas involving a drug deal gone wrong, a hunter who stumbles upon a suitcase of cash, and a relentless hitman.
Discussed“The Road, No Country for Old Men. I saw the movie, first saw the book.”
Where to get it
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Extreme Ownership
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin is a military-inspired leadership manual that translates U.S.
Recommended“You can just get I'm like extreme ownership still highly highly highly recommend to everyone.”
Where to get it
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Musashi
Discussed“and if you want to hear me and Jago go uh sort of toe to toe not really toe to toe we're sort of shoulderto-shoulder with a book we did Mousashi I think it was episode 100 which was like four and a half five hours long going through this historical novel about the most famous swordsman in Japanese history.”
Where to get it
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Insisting On The Impossible
Insisting On The Impossible by Victor K.
Recommended“It's called Insisting on the Impossible. It's the most comprehensive biography of him.”
Where to get it
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Land's Polaroid
Land's Polaroid by Peter C.
Recommended“There is a book, I think it's called Land's Polaroid. That's the one I'd read because it's only 250 pages and it's written by a guy that worked for and with Edwin Lamb for like 20 years.”
Where to get it
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The Lessons of History
The Lessons of History by Will Durant and Ariel Durant is a remarkably concise, one-hundred-page condensation of five thousand years of human civilization and historical development.
Discussed“Me and you both love Will and Ariel Durant, right? Read the history of human civilization. read their 100page book, Lessons of History.”
Where to get it
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The Snowball
The Snowball by Alice Schroeder is the definitive and most comprehensive biography of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, detailing his business strategies, personal relationships, and unique philosophy on life and wealth.
Discussed“You read Snowball after his wife leaves him and he says the biggest mistake if I could go back and live life again.”
Where to get it
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Hard Drive
Hard Drive by James Wallace and Jim Erickson is a detailed biographical investigation chronicling the meteoric rise of Bill Gates and the founding of Microsoft.
Discussed“I reread Hard Drive, Overdrive, which is also written by the same guys that wrote Hard Drive.”
Where to get it
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The Psychology of Money
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel is a popular finance book that explores how people think about wealth, greed, and happiness through a collection of short stories.
Recommended“Psychology of money. Great book. Won't stop selling.”
Where to get it
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Vagabonding
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts is a comprehensive guide focused on the philosophy, preparation, and execution of long-term world travel and sabbatical living.
Recommended“So, if anybody wants a great book on the art of long-term world travel, if that's of interest, Vagabonding by Ralph Pots.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (8) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“And he wrote this book called How to Make a Few Billion Dollars.”
“The Road, Blood, Meridian. I mean, there are many other examples.”
“The Road, Blood, Meridian. I mean, there are many other examples.”
“All the Pretty Horses, the the Border Trilogy, just everything.”
“times it's just fun to see how I change over time with like the moral letters to Lucilius by Senica the Younger.”
“Maybe it's an email, but like along the lines of David Allen and getting things done.”
“Well, people would list like their favorite movies and favorite books and I think I was like looking at a girl's profile and under favorite books it said 4-hour work week.”
“early Ivon Shinard, you know, I think it's let my people go surfing, etc. Still have all those books.”