Person

Every book Ray Dalio recommended on podcasts

3 books · 3 episodes across 3 podcasts

Ray Dalio appears on interview programs such as The Diary Of A CEO and Interesting Times, where he shares macroeconomic insights, predictions regarding the decline of major empires, and principles for personal success. Drawing from history, biology, and philosophy, Dalio examines cyclical patterns in human societies and individual growth. Among his frequent recommendations, Dalio highlights Richard Dawkins's book River Out of Eden to explore evolutionary biology, and Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces—a book gifted to him by his son—to illustrate the universal framework of the hero's journey in personal development. When discussing political theory and the structural flaws inherent in governance, Dalio frequently references classical philosophy, specifically citing Plato's The Republic to explain historical cycles of democracy and the inherent vulnerabilities when populations vote against their long-term interests. Through these selections, Dalio connects grand historical and evolutionary patterns with practical guidance on navigating personal evolution and understanding the macro-level shifts currently destabilizing global superpowers and modern democratic institutions.

Books recommended by Ray Dalio

  1. The Hero with a Thousand Faces

    Joseph Campbell · Recommended · 2 episodes

    The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell is a landmark work of comparative mythology that investigates the universal pattern of the monomyth, tracing the archetypal hero's journey across global cultures and ancient traditions.

    Recommended
    “And then um Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey. Is it the the hero with a thousand faces? Yes, that’s it. Hero with a thousand faces.”
    Where to get it
  2. River Out of Eden

    Richard Dawkins · Recommended · 1 episode

    River Out of Eden by Richard Dawkins is a popular science book that explores evolutionary biology, natural selection, and the materialistic view of life.

    Recommended
    “There are three books. There’s a book on evolution but written by Richard Dawkins. Uh River from Eden, I think it’s called.”
    Where to get it
  3. The Republic

    Plato · Discussed · 1 episode

    The Republic by Plato is a foundational philosophical and political treatise that explores the nature of justice, the ideal society, the human mind, and political structures.

    Discussed
    “Plato talked about this cycle. And no. In the Republic. And he talked about the democracy and the problems with the democracy, because the people don’t vote for what is good for them.”
    Where to get it

Books Ray Dalio wrote

Appearances

EpisodePodcastDateBooks
Ray Dalio’s Theory of American Decline | Interesting Times with Ross DouthatInteresting Times2026-05-071
Ray Dalio: We’re Heading Into Very, Very Dark Times! America & The UK’s Decline Is Coming!The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett2025-09-112
BILLIONAIRE REVEALS His 5 Simple Steps To SELF-MADE SUCCESS | Ray Dalio & Jay ShettyOn Purpose with Jay Shetty2021-04-021
Other mentions (4: passing, ad reads, own books)
Own book How Countries Go Broke
“I wrote my most recent book to explain how it works with 35 examples was called How countries go broke.”
Own book Principles
“I mentioned in my book principles and describe the process in a more complete way than we're gonna be able to go here”
Own book Principles for Success
“so I did a another book on principles principles of big debt crisis that go into that and it's free by the way I met put it free online on as a PDF”