Person
Dan Harris's book recommendations
Across 4 podcasts. Every show Dan Harris appears on, in one place — not just one.
Dan Harris’s most recommended books
- Waking Up by Sam Harris
- Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart by Mark Epstein, M.D.
- Buddhism without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- How to break up with your phone by Catherine Price
- Real Happiness by Sharon Salzberg
- The Overstory by Richard Powers
- Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright
- Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
- Tattoos on the Heart by Greg Boyle
Dan Harris recommended a variety of books across his podcast appearances focusing on self-growth, mindfulness, and meditation. On On Purpose with Jay Shetty, he recommended Catherine Price's How to Break Up with Your Phone as a practical tool to help people overcome phone addiction and prompt self-reflection regarding device usage. During an appearance on The Tim Ferriss Show, Harris shared several titles he frequently gifts and recommends to others interested in learning about Buddhism and mental well-being. These included Mark Epstein's Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart, Robert Wright's Why Buddhism is True, Sam Harris's Waking Up, Stephen Batchelor's Buddhism without Beliefs, and Sharon Salzberg's Real Happiness. He also mentioned receiving and reading Richard Powers's novel The Overstory. Furthermore, while speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, Harris highlighted Sam Harris's book Waking Up again, specifically noting it as his favorite among Sam's many written works because of its perspective on the robust intellectual and scientific culture developed in the West.
Books recommended by Dan Harris
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Waking Up
Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris is an insightful exploration of meditation, consciousness, and the secular aspects of spiritual practice, bridging scientific rationality with inner awareness.
Recommended“waking up by sam harris”
Where to get it
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Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart
Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart by Mark Epstein is a self-help and psychological book that integrates Western psychotherapy with Buddhist meditation practices to help readers navigate emotional distress and find inner balance.
Recommended“the book i started reading was going to pieces without falling apart and it was my total it's a great title it's a great and it's a great book i highly recommend it”
Where to get it
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Buddhism without Beliefs
Buddhism without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor is a guide to secular Buddhism that presents the tradition not as a dogmatic belief system, but as a practical set of actions and psychological tools for daily living.
Discussed“he's written a book called buddhism without beliefs and he describes buddhism not as something to believe in but as something to do”
Where to get it
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Think and Grow Rich
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is a classic self-help guide focused on mindset, motivation, and the psychological principles behind personal achievement rather than traditional financial literacy.
Critiqued“because there's there's a book called the show positive thinking there's another book called Think and Grow Rich I don't want people to go buy these books”
Where to get it
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How to break up with your phone
How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Price is a practical guide that offers strategies for reducing screen time and fundamentally changing one's relationship with digital devices.
Recommended“I get this from a woman named Katherine price who wrote a book that I recommend called how to break up with your phone and she encourages people to ask themselves”
Where to get it
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Real Happiness
Real Happiness by Sharon Salzberg is a foundational guide that introduces readers to practical meditation techniques and mindfulness practices designed to cultivate emotional well-being and inner peace.
Recommended“real happiness by sharon salzberg”
Where to get it
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The Overstory
The Overstory by Richard Powers is a sweeping, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that intertwines the lives of several Americans whose fates are connected to trees and environmental activism.
Recommended“she sent me a book recently and it was called the overstory”
Where to get it
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Why Buddhism is True
Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright is an exploration of evolutionary psychology and ancient Buddhist philosophy that examines how the human mind creates suffering and how mindfulness can alter our perception of reality.
Recommended“for people are interested in learning more about this i recommend why buddhism is true by robert wright”
Where to get it
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10% Happier
10% Happier by Dan Harris is a bestselling memoir and guide that chronicles a network news anchor's skeptical journey into meditation, mindfulness, and the neuroscience of emotional regulation.
Discussed“so a couple of years ago maybe two and a half years ago I got it in my head so not long after 10% happier came out”
Where to get it
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Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman is a seminal psychology book that explores the profound impact of emotional awareness on personal success, relationships, and workplace dynamics.
Discussed“and I got a very interesting phone call from a friend of mine Daniel Goldman who he wrote a seminal book called emotional intelligence”
Where to get it
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Tattoos on the Heart
Discussed“there's a book called tattoos on the heart which was written by the guy who wrote ran homeboy industries here in LA”
Where to get it
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The Power of Positive Thinking
The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale is a classic mid-century self-help manual advocating for optimistic faith, mental resilience, and the practical application of religious belief to overcome personal obstacles.
Critiqued“there's a book called the show positive thinking there's another book called Think and Grow Rich”
Where to get it
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The Secret
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne is a bestselling self-help book and film centered on the law of attraction, asserting that positive thinking and intentional visualization can directly manifest wealth, health, and happiness.
Critiqued“and I reminded everyone about Oprah and the secret Yes I'm like do you know how many people ruined their lives because they thought all they had to do is have a vision board and think positive”
Where to get it
Books by Dan Harris
Appearances
Other mentions (7: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I did this thing um a couple months ago I did I completely ginned up a reason to go on TV again because it was the 10th anniversary of the first book I wrote which was called 10% happier and I I got my publisher to put a like a a fancy new edition”
“I created a reason to go on TV again because it was the 10th anniversary of the first book I wrote, which was called '10% Happier.' I got my publisher to put out a fancy new 10th anniversary edition.”
“this is why i called the book 10 happier it's a hard thing to do and it will have benefits in your life”
“hence 10 and i wrote a book called 10 happier which i thought was going to be mildly embarrassing and go away and then it kind of led to a podcast where i interview meditation experts and then this meditation app”
“and I ended up covering a lot of these New Age gurus and that was why I ended my the first book I wrote was called 10% happier because I was trying to counter program”
“and that was why I ended my the first book I wrote was called 10% happier because I was trying to counter program against the howling sea of yeah that is America's 11 billion dollar a year self-help industry”
“as we were discussing Sam's about to start his meditation app which is going to be called what Sam waking up waking up um and I have mine which is called 10% happier”