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Mo Gawdat books: every book Mo Gawdat wrote and recommended
Books by Mo Gawdat
Mo Gawdat's podcast appearances, particularly on The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett, present him as a prominent voice bridging artificial intelligence, existential philosophy, and personal well-being. Drawing from his background as a former tech executive, Gawdat frequently integrates philosophical literature and dystopian warnings into his discussions on the future of humanity. Among his key literary references is Stephen Jenkinson's 'Die Wise', which Gawdat invokes to champion a fearless, realistic approach to human mortality and suffering. Examining the darker implications of modern political narratives and institutional control, he references George Orwell's classic dystopian novel '1984' to illustrate how authority figures manipulate language and reality. On the topic of personal purpose and happiness, Gawdat reflects upon his own written contributions, including 'Solve for Happy' and 'That Little Voice in Your Head', while also citing Paulo Coelho's beloved novel 'The Alchemist' to reinforce the idea that the universe aligns to support those who pursue their true life purpose. Through this mix of personal philosophy, fiction, and existential writing, Gawdat encourages listeners to confront harsh realities while actively cultivating internal peace and purpose.
Books recommended by Mo Gawdat
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Die wise
Die wise by Stephen Jenkinson is a profound philosophical exploration of mortality, grief, and how society's avoidance of death diminishes the human experience.
Recommended“He's you know, he worked 30 years with dying people. He wrote a book called Die Wise and I was I love his work and I asked him about Die Wise and he said it's not just someone dying.”
Where to get it
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1984
George Orwell's classic dystopian novel 1984 presents a chilling vision of a totalitarian society characterized by perpetual surveillance, historical denial, and severe psychological manipulation.
Discussed“You you remember 1984 and the Orwellian approach of like you know freedom is slavery and war is peace”
Where to get it
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Solve for happy
Solve for happy by Mo Gawdat is a book written by a former Google executive that offers a practical framework for engineering personal joy and understanding the root causes of unhappiness following a profound personal tragedy.
Discussed“One of them was a you know, what what we spoke about the first time we met, you know, my work on happiness and you know, being 1 billion happy and my mission and so on. That's my second life.”
Where to get it
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That Little Voice in Your Head
That Little Voice in Your Head by Mo Gawdat offers practical strategies and psychological insights for retraining the human brain to achieve maximum happiness and emotional stability.
Discussed“when when I write for example, I'm not I'm not saying I'm intelligent, but when I write uh something like uh you know, The Happiness Equation uh in in my first book, this was something that's never been written before, right?”
Where to get it
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The Alchemist
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a celebrated philosophical novel about a young Andalusian shepherd named Santiago who travels across the desert in search of a hidden Egyptian treasure, ultimately discovering his true personal legend.
Discussed“And you know, if if you've read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, you know, when you when you know your life's purpose the universe conspires to make it happen.”
Where to get it
Questions about Mo Gawdat’s book recommendations
What book does Mo Gawdat recommend most?
Die wise by Stephen Jenkinson. Mo Gawdat recommended it in 1 episode.
How many books has Mo Gawdat recommended on podcasts?
We have found 5 books Mo Gawdat recommended or discussed, across 3 episodes of 1 podcast. Ad reads and passing mentions are not counted.
What books are on Mo Gawdat's reading list?
The books Mo Gawdat has recommended most on podcasts are Die wise by Stephen Jenkinson, 1984 by George Orwell and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The full book list below has all 5.
What books has Mo Gawdat written?
Solve for happy (2016), Scary Smart (2021), That Little Voice in Your Head (2022) and Unstressable (2023).
What did Mo Gawdat recommend on The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett?
Die wise, 1984 and Solve for happy, among 5 books in all.
What is the latest book Mo Gawdat recommended?
1984, discussed on The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett (2025-08-04).
People who recommend the same books
Appearances
Other mentions (14: passing, ad reads, own books)
“One is remember when we spoke about scary smart I was still saying that there are things we can do to change the course.”
“So, scary smart to me uh was that moment where I realized not that we are certain to go either way.”
“we were having an easy conversation i wrote sulfur happy at a time where ali had just left our world and he helped me really really figure things out”
“what struck me and really really puzzled me was that i realized when i wrote scary scarysmart and you know scarysmart was entirely about technology and where technology is going and so on i realized that we humans have the ultimate technology in our heads”
“It seems that Solve for Happy needed to be written, okay? And I had the notes for it in 2011”
“And then things roll and roll and roll to the point that I came here in the UK after literally a week after the the publication of Soul for Happy and I had that interview very famous with Channel 4 news.”
“And so, I basically wrote it with the intention of, "Okay, I'm going to make him everywhere and part of everyone. And I told you when I wrote Soul for Happy, it was the most selfish thing you can ever do.”
“Uh in Solve for Happy, I had a sentence on page 11 that basically said exactly what you said, "Happiness is a choice."”
“And I did a an interesting analysis in Solve for Happy where I listed down the majority of human emo- emotions and plotted them across where they are anchored in time and across if they're positive or negative.”
“It came to and this is one of the conclusive points in my book was that you can create so much more with gratitude what you already have.”
“Part of my my of Soul for Happy, I talk about a concept I call look down.”
“So so that he is in for Scary Smart, my book is entirely around that that there are so many people out there that have no clue that have they have interacted today, whatever time of the day it is for you, what whatever you are, whatever you do in life, you've already interacted with 10 to 12, 15, 20,”
“Now, Scary Smart is written in a very unusual way, because it's not a book about artificial intelligence only. It's a It's a book about the role of humanity in the age of the machines.”
“And you know, and this is truly the core of of of Scary Smart is an explanation that we're no longer building computers.”