Podcast
Ryan Holiday's book list: the books mentioned on The Daily Stoic
For centuries, all sorts of people—generals and politicians, athletes and coaches, writers and leaders—have looked to the teachings of Stoicism to help guide their lives. Each day, author and speaker Ryan Holiday brings you a new lesson about life, inspired by the thoughts and writings of great Stoic thinkers like Marcus Aurelius and Seneca the Younger. Daily Stoic Podcast also features Q+As with …
Books from the latest episodes
Inside Ryan Holiday’s $250K Reading List
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Meditations
at 1:30 -
Trillion-dollar Coach
at 2:15 -
What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars
at 2:33 -
Billion Dollar Lessons
at 2:52 -
How I Built this
at 3:00 -
Good to Great
at 3:19 -
Unreasonable Hospitality
at 3:23 -
Zero to One
at 3:31 -
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
at 3:44 -
The $100 startup
at 4:37 -
The Lean Startup
at 4:49 -
Thinking in Bets
at 4:53 -
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
at 5:00 -
Essentialism
at 5:07 -
The 33 Strategies of War
at 5:15 -
The 48 Laws of Power
at 5:27 -
Mastery
at 5:41 -
The Laws of Human Nature
at 5:41 -
The Art of Seduction
at 5:41 -
To Risk It All
at 6:10 -
Sailing True North
at 6:10 -
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor
at 9:24 -
The Wealth of Nations
at 9:58 -
Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot
at 10:26 -
Titan
at 11:06 -
Steve Jobs
at 11:43 -
Benjamin Franklin
at 11:46 -
Team of Rivals
at 12:21 -
The Fish That Ate the Whale
at 13:01 -
Shoe Dog
at 13:43 -
Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me)
at 14:29
Most recommended on The Daily Stoic
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Meditations
Marcus Aurelius's Meditations was frequently discussed on The Daily Stoic by host Ryan Holiday, who described it as a foundational, life-changing text that he first encountered at age twenty. Holiday praised the work as the most accessible and universal philosophy book ever written, noting that it functions as the private diary of a Roman emperor. He frequently recommended Gregory Hayes's modern translation and reflected on how the text grows with readers, recounting how he even lost his heavily annotated personal copy on a flight from London to Vancouver.
Recommended“My whole life was changed by a copy of Mark Sprelius' Meditations that I bought for $9 on Amazon. It changed me personally and also professionally.”
Where to get it
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The 48 Laws of Power
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday, Tim Ferriss, and Arthur Brooks discussed Robert Greene and Joost Elffers's The 48 Laws of Power. Holiday recommended the book to emphasize that people often resist its realistic portrayal of power, while Brooks and Ferriss cited its strategic insights on human behavior and leadership.
Recommended“I would also add in the 48 Laws of Power. You don't have to be one of the people in the book, but you want to be able to protect against...”
Where to get it
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The Obstacle Is the Way
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday's book The Obstacle Is the Way frequently emerged across multiple episodes. Ali Abdaal credited the book as an influential discovery that shaped his ten-year business goals. Robert Greene mentioned it as his favorite among Holiday's works, while Garland Robinette praised its principles and advised giving it to his daughter. Brooke Wells and Stefi Cohen also shared how impactful the book was for them. Additionally, Holiday discussed the radical nature of the book's simple idea during interviews.
Discussed“Now, when I read Obstacle is the Way, I was struck by how simple the idea is and yet how radical it also becomes when you actually try to live it.”
Where to get it
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The Daily Stoic
Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman's book The Daily Stoic was featured on multiple episodes of The Daily Stoic podcast. Guest Jaimie Alexander told Holiday that she reads a passage from the book every morning before her gratitude list and brought her physical copy for him to sign. In another episode, Ron Chernow discussed how Holiday's meditations and use of Seneca epigraphs influenced his perspective on historical figures such as Mark Twain and Alexander Hamilton.
Recommended“I read somewhere that you read like read a stoic passage every day. Okay, I do actually brought my daily stoic book because whether you like it or not, you're going to sign it.”
Where to get it
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The Odyssey
On The Daily Stoic across episodes in July, August, and October 2026, Ryan Holiday explored Homer's The Odyssey, describing it as the sum total of ancient wisdom rather than just a work of art. Holiday recommended reading and rereading the epic in multiple translations, discussed its central place in Stoic philosophy, and analyzed its themes of mentorship, hubris, and leadership.
Discussed“he was reading not just Epictetus and not just the Stoics, but he was reading the Odyssey and the Iliad because Epictetus had said that students needed to be familiar with those works, too.”
Where to get it
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Man's Search for Meaning
Viktor E. Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning was discussed and recommended across several episodes of The Daily Stoic. Guests such as Chip Conley and Michael Gervais cited it as a favorite book and the ultimate work of psychology to illustrate the space between stimulus and response and the power of personal case studies. Ryan Holiday recommended it as a stoic-driven philosophy resource, while Mel Robbins, Sharon McMahon, and Arthur Brooks referenced the book to discuss adversity, the difficulty of applying wisdom during stress, and the search for purpose.
Discussed“Every time you look at someone's story, I think of Victor Frankle. Yeah. You look at all these stories and you go, it's the same.”
Where to get it
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The War of Art
Steven Pressfield's The War of Art was frequently discussed and recommended on The Daily Stoic. Host Ryan Holiday recommended the book to various guests, including Camila Cabello and Brooke Wells, describing it as an exceptional guide to the creative process and noting that he rereads it when starting new projects. Christina Pazsitzky also named it her favorite book. Additionally, Steven Pressfield appeared as a guest to discuss his work, and Holiday referenced the book's concept of resistance in conversations with other guests.
Discussed“But then I have another one another sort of war of art type book that I'm starting on now.”
Where to get it
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The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, including its illustrated edition by Fred Fordham, was frequently discussed by host Ryan Holiday on The Daily Stoic. Holiday referenced the book across several episodes—such as during discussions on privilege, moral compromises, and publishing cycles—and noted that he had read it multiple times across different life stages. Other guests, including Ed Helms, also referenced the novel to draw literary parallels.
Discussed“in in Gatsby, there's this moment where Gatsby comes to Nick when he's trying to get in his good graces and he says like, "Hey, like I have maybe like I know you don't make a ton of money doing what you do. I have maybe this business opportunity you could help me with."”
Where to get it
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Gates of Fire
Across multiple episodes of The Daily Stoic between 2022 and 2026, Ryan Holiday, James Stavridis, and author Steven Pressfield discussed Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. Holiday and Stavridis praised the novel's timeless quality and recommended it for understanding combat and courage, while Pressfield reflected on writing the historical fiction to explore themes of honor.
Discussed“It's like for me writing Gates of Fire and setting a story in ancient Greece with the Spartans, the part of the reason I did that was so you could talk about honor with a straight face.”
Where to get it
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Ego Is the Enemy
On The Daily Stoic, guests and the host frequently discussed Ryan Holiday's book Ego Is the Enemy, reflecting on its core Stoic concepts, its impact on their personal lives, and how it helped them manage their egos.
Discussed“the stoic thing for you guys is like I was listening to ego's enemy a lot during it cuz I'm like got to keep the ego in check in a way like a bad audience is a good audience for you and a good audience is kind of a bad audience.”
Where to get it
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Atomic Habits
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday frequently recommended James Clear's book Atomic Habits, praising its focus on small choices that trigger explosive positive changes. Holiday highlighted the dual meaning of the title and recommended the work to guests like Brooke Wells, who noted it as a book that impacted her. Later episodes featured discussions on how the book's structure emerged during the writing process and its massive commercial success relative to other nonfiction titles.
Discussed“And I remember I was talking to James Clear like a year ago and I asked him when did he come to the four parts of Atomic Habits. It was like he had finished the book.”
Where to get it
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Mastery
On The Daily Stoic, Robert Greene's book Mastery was discussed and recommended across multiple episodes by hosts and guests such as Ryan Holiday, Sam Parr, Tim Ferriss, and Cal Newport. Contributors highlighted the book as a key to unlocking Greene's philosophy, praised its profound personal impact on career paths, and referenced its insights on finding a life's task and navigating the apprenticeship phase of a craft.
Recommended“It's one lesson a day from all of his books. 33 Strategy of War, Laws of Human Nature, 48 Laws of Power, Art of Seduction, Mastery.”
Where to get it
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Yes to Life
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday, Arthur Brooks, and Brad Stulberg discussed Viktor E. Frankl's posthumously published lecture and essay collection Yes to Life across several episodes. The hosts and guests recommended the book to listeners, highlighting its subtitle and exploring its perspective on finding joy, purpose, and tragic optimism amidst difficult circumstances like the pandemic.
Discussed“It made me think of the Victor Franco essay collection that they did a couple of years ago, which is called Yes to Life. And the subtitle is in spite of everything.”
Where to get it
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Stillness Is the Key
On The Daily Stoic, host Ryan Holiday discussed his book Stillness Is the Key with various guests and audience members. Guests including Tony Gonzalez, John Mackey, and Camila Cabello shared how reading the book helped them navigate personal mental health struggles, professional feedback, and life challenges.
Discussed“You had just finished Stillness. No, 2019. Stillness finished. Oh, Stillness came out in 2019.”
Where to get it
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A Farewell to Arms
On The Daily Stoic, host Ryan Holiday and guests such as Rich Cohen and Kevin Rose frequently discussed Ernest Hemingway's novel A Farewell to Arms. The speakers referenced the book to explore various topics, including Hemingway's extensive drafting process and alternate endings, his poetic writing style that resists AI replication, and his famous philosophical quote about how the world breaks everyone.
Discussed“Have you looked at the alternate endings for a farewell to arms?”
Where to get it
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The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday frequently brought up The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy across multiple episodes, including in September 2026, July 2025, August 2022, May 2022, and September 2021. Holiday shared that he liked reading the book to his children and carried it in his bookstore. He highlighted a specific line from the book to illustrate the themes of vulnerability and the importance of asking for help, noting that asking for help is a refusal to give up.
Recommended“I love the book, The Boy, The Fox, The Horse and the Mole by Charlie Mackesey who I had on the Daily Stoic podcast. And he has a great line in that book. He says, asking for help isn't giving up. It's actually refusing to give up.”
Where to get it
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A Selection from the Discourses of Epictetus with the Encheiridion
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday and guest Karen Duffy discussed Epictetus's Discourses. Holiday recommended the work as a more advanced text to follow the Enchiridion and noted its role as a life-changing book, while Duffy shared how receiving a copy from her husband sparked her appreciation for its enduring ancient wisdom.
Recommended“Like Epictetus, it's easier to start with the Enchiridion, which is sort of a summary of his teachings, but then you got to go to the Discourses.”
Where to get it
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Enchiridion
Epictetus's Enchiridion was discussed on several episodes of The Daily Stoic by host Ryan Holiday and various guests, including Sam Harris, Randy Blythe, and Maria Konnikova. Holiday recommended the work as an accessible starting point for Stoic teachings compared to the Discourses, while guests shared how discovering the manual impacted their personal lives and philosophical understanding.
Recommended“Like Epictetus, it's easier to start with the Enchiridion, which is sort of a summary of his teachings, but then you got to go to the Discourses.”
Where to get it
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Letters from a Stoic
Seneca's Letters from a Stoic was discussed on The Daily Stoic across multiple episodes. Ryan Holiday recommended Penguin Classics' translation of the book and frequently referenced the letters to illustrate Stoic discourse and the lifelong journey of exchanging ideas. Karen Duffy also brought up the work on the podcast, noting it as a key inspiration for writing her own book.
Discussed“Somebody that I know sent me a picture yesterday of their copy of letters of a Stoic that they'd bought at the painted porch.”
Where to get it
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Discipline Is Destiny
Ryan Holiday's book Discipline Is Destiny came up across several episodes of The Daily Stoic. Guest Steven Pressfield praised the work during the October 6, 2022 episode, referencing a quote and recommending that listeners purchase it. Later, in the June 2, 2023 episode, an audience member noted how surprised they were to find recovery themes in both Stillness Is the Key and Discipline Is Destiny. Additional mentions came from Ali Abdaal on March 7, 2024, regarding video titles, Alexander Ludwig on April 29, 2023, on Stoic themes, and Annie Duke on October 19, 2022, who mentioned reading an advanced copy.
Discussed“we were like okay cool we can't call it discipline as Destiny because that would be a bit weird”
Where to get it
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The Laws of Human Nature
Robert Greene's The Laws of Human Nature was discussed across multiple episodes of The Daily Stoic by host Ryan Holiday. Holiday examined the book's comprehensive exploration of what makes humans both rational and irrational, highlighting its themes on human denial and the tendency to blame others rather than accept reality. He also touched upon its commercial viability, its length of six hundred pages, and its suitability as an advanced read for younger audiences.
Recommended“It's one lesson a day from all of his books. 33 Strategy of War, Laws of Human Nature, 48 Laws of Power, Art of Seduction, Mastery.”
Where to get it
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Range
Range by David J. Epstein was frequently discussed and recommended on The Daily Stoic across multiple episodes between 2021 and 2026. Ryan Holiday repeatedly brought up the book to converse with guests like Chris Bosh and Adrian Grenier, describing it as one of his favorite works and characterizing it as a parenting book in disguise. Holiday highlighted the book's subtitle, which explores how generalists triumph in a specialized world, and praised its success as a major milestone for the author.
Recommended“There's a book behind you. I was just thinking about when I think of you, one of my favorite books range. Have you read range?”
Where to get it
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How to Think Like a Roman Emperor
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor by Donald Robertson was featured across several episodes of The Daily Stoic. Ryan Holiday recommended the recent work as a strong addition to stoic literature and cited it to vividly describe historical conditions and responses to plagues in ancient Rome. Additionally, guest Troy Baker discussed listening to the book, and Holiday referenced specific passages while interviewing Robertson about Marcus Aurelius and stoicism.
Recommended“How to Think Like a Roman Emperor. We had more leaders and business people who would think like a Roman emperor. They'd be more successful. This is Donald Robertson's book on Mark Shrullis.”
Where to get it
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Trust Me, I'm Lying
On multiple episodes of The Daily Stoic, guests and host Ryan Holiday frequently discussed the book Trust Me, I'm Lying. Comedian Drew Michael recommended it as a frequently gifted read, Judge Frederic Block recalled reading it after meeting the author, and Garland Robinette shared how his staff insisted he read it, prompting him to invite Holiday onto his show. Additionally, Ryan Holiday reflected critically on the book, noting that he might rewrite it or choose not to publish it given his young age when he wrote it.
Discussed“You know, trust me, I'm lying. I like the title. Yeah. So I read it.”
Where to get it
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Dying Every Day
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday and guest Brigid Delaney discussed James Romm's biography of Seneca, Dying Every Day, across several episodes. Holiday recommended the book for its insights into Seneca's dilemmas within Nero's court, while Delaney expressed her admiration for the extraordinary work, and Holiday reflected on how its themes of takeover and restructuring mirrored his own professional experiences.
Recommended“I mean, there are different accounts of how culpable Seneca was. I love the James Romm book 'Dying Every Day', it's extraordinary. What I love about Seneca is his humanness; he had this ideal that he tried to reach, and the reality was working for Nero.”
Where to get it
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Good to Great
Good to Great by Jim Collins was discussed and recommended across multiple episodes of The Daily Stoic. Ryan Holiday noted that copies were available at his bookstore and used the book's paradigm to discuss breaking through to success and to explain the Stockdale Paradox. Jim Collins appeared on the podcast to talk about the work and its impact on his life, while Les Snead mentioned reading the book when discussing leadership and putting the institution first.
Recommended“Jim Collins, good to great. This one's very important.”
Where to get it
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Team of Rivals
Ryan Holiday and Jefferson Fisher discussed Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals across several episodes of The Daily Stoic in 2024 and 2025. Holiday examined an epigraph used in the book and referenced Goodwin's writing on Abraham Lincoln's humor, while Fisher praised the book for illustrating Lincoln's political strategy of bringing rivals into his cabinet.
Recommended“And then Team of Rivals, absolute must-read, Lincoln's genius as a wielder of an unwieldy cabinet.”
Where to get it
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The Brass Check
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday frequently discussed and recommended Upton Sinclair's The Brass Check. Across multiple episodes between December 2022 and August 2025, Holiday described it as an all-time favorite about media and industrial propaganda, a 1913 expose on journalism that deeply influenced his understanding of media history, and a text illustrating conflicts of interest in journalism.
Discussed“I'd been deeply influenced by this book that I read, we still carry on the painted porch today, called The Brass Check by Upton Sinclair”
Where to get it
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The diary of a young girl
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday repeatedly brought up Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl across episodes between December 2021 and October 2026. Holiday referenced the diary to discuss the stress of journaling during frightening times, introduced Anne Frank's line about paper being patient, and used her story to illustrate how talented young people were wrongfully deprived of their opportunities due to systemic persecution.
Recommended“I'm sure many of you read Anne Frank's diary when you were in school. You've heard of it. She has this great line in her diary that I think about.”
Where to get it
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Catch-22
Ryan Holiday and Mark referenced Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22 across multiple episodes of The Daily Stoic. The hosts used a famous anecdote involving Heller and Kurt Vonnegut discussing wealth and enoughness to illustrate lessons on money and life.
Discussed“Like, yes, he wrote Catch-22, but that's not the only book that he wrote.”
Where to get it
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The Secret
On The Daily Stoic, Whitney Cummings mentioned reading Rhonda Byrne's The Secret while discussing her early ambitions and vision boards. Conversely, Ryan Holiday and Steven Pressfield critiqued the book as a mainstream self-help text, arguing against its manifestation and law of attraction concepts in favor of hard work.
Discussed“like i was very i was reading the secret”
Where to get it
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Good Inside
Dr. Becky Kennedy's Good Inside was discussed on multiple episodes of The Daily Stoic by host Ryan Holiday and author Dr. Becky Kennedy herself. Holiday recommended the book, shared how deeply its parenting and emotional regulation insights impacted him and his wife, and explored concepts like shifting perspectives on children's behavior and the optimistic theme that it is never too late to repair relationships.
Recommended“Have you read Dr. Becky's stuff? She wrote this book good inside. She's incredible.”
Where to get it
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Thinking in Bets
Annie Duke's book "Thinking in Bets" was repeatedly praised and recommended by Ryan Holiday across multiple episodes of The Daily Stoic, including "Poker World Champion Annie Duke On Choosing the Truth" and "Annie Duke on Knowing When to Quit." Holiday highlighted the book as an awesome read and noted that he carried copies at his bookstore, The Painted Porch. During her interview appearance, Annie Duke herself discussed the text, specifically addressing a study mentioned in the book regarding a result that only partially replicates.
Recommended“Andy Duke talking about this thinking in bets.”
Where to get it
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Deep Work
Cal Newport's book Deep Work came up across multiple episodes of The Daily Stoic. Ryan Holiday recommended it in the show's intro and discussed time blocking with Newport himself. Jonathan Haidt mentioned using the book in his flourishing class at NYU to teach focus and attention techniques. Additionally, H.R. McMaster talked about connecting with Sheikh Tanoon over the book, specifically regarding the practice of setting aside a dedicated space for deep concentration.
Discussed“um but we read in my in my flourishing class at NYU we we read his book deep work yeah amazing book”
Where to get it
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Sailing True North
On The Daily Stoic, host Ryan Holiday discussed Admiral James Stavridis's book Sailing True North: The Voyage of Character across multiple episodes. Holiday cited the book to share a leadership story about Chester Nimitz learning how to handle atypical mistakes, and he examined the book's portrayal of historical figures like William Bligh and his temper. Admiral Stavridis also appeared on the podcast to discuss the biographical work, which profiles ten different admirals.
Recommended“I really like Admiral James Stavridis, his book Sailing True North and To Risk It All.”
Where to get it
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The Nineties
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday and Robert Greene discussed Chuck Klosterman's book The Nineties across multiple episodes. They explored themes such as the passage of time, the cultural landscape leading up to September 11th, and how Klosterman defined the decade.
Recommended“Chuck cluster wrote a great book called The 9s and he was sort of talking about how”
Where to get it
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Zen in the Art of Archery
On The Daily Stoic across multiple episodes, Ryan Holiday and guests referenced Eugen Herrigel's Zen in the Art of Archery to discuss the importance of ignoring outcomes, setting targets out of one's mind, and focusing purely on the process.
Discussed“when people talk about you know effort not the you know outcome or in Zen In The Art of archery they talk about ignoring the target”
Where to get it
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So Good They Can't Ignore You
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday recommended Cal Newport's So Good They Can't Ignore You to emphasize the importance of focusing on getting skilled at one's work. During a subsequent episode featuring Cal Newport, both Holiday and Newport discussed the book while exploring concepts related to career autonomy and professional satisfaction.
Recommended“My friend Cal Newport has a book. I'll give it to you in there. It's called um So Good They Can't Ignore You.”
Where to get it
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What Made Maddy Run
Kate Fagan's book What Made Maddy Run was discussed on The Daily Stoic. In episodes from March and September 2022, Ryan Holiday brought up the book to examine the immense pressures placed on elite collegiate athletes and the severe difficulty of quitting activities they hate. In an episode from March 2022, Fagan joined the podcast to discuss her work, noting that while the book has a long shelf life, it is tethered to the specific era of social media. Holiday also referenced the text to highlight family communication failures surrounding mental health.
Recommended“i had kate fagan on the podcast who wrote this amazing book called what makes maddie run about this collegiate runner who ended up committing suicide the tragedy the book i felt when i was reading it was this girl is super talented i think running division one cross country and she hates it like she hates the program”
Where to get it
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The Creative Act
Ryan Holiday frequently recommended The Creative Act by Rick Rubin on The Daily Stoic, praising it as an incredible read. Rick Rubin also appeared on the podcast to discuss how many of the core principles in the book originated from his experimentation in the music studio.
Recommended“i thought his book uh the creative act a way of being is also really good”
Where to get it
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The 50th Law
Ryan Holiday referenced The 50th Law by 50 Cent and Robert Greene across multiple episodes of The Daily Stoic. Holiday cited the work to discuss maintaining a direct connection with an audience, noted Greene's collaboration on the book alongside his mentor's other titles, and touched on the book's introductory phrasing.
Discussed“Robert Green talks about this in the 50th law”
Where to get it
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The Road
On The Daily Stoic, guests and the host frequently brought up Cormac McCarthy's novel The Road across multiple episodes. Troy Baker mentioned the book while discussing emotional reading experiences, and Sebastian Junger noted that he reread the novel at the beginning of the pandemic. Ryan Holiday also discussed the book in conversation with Junger, noting that while he was a huge admirer of McCarthy, he did not consider The Road to be the author's best work.
Discussed“um believe it or not I didn't cry in the road um the book or the movie we don't talk about the movie we'll talk about the book”
Where to get it
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The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Dr. Jennifer Baker and Ryan Holiday discussed Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments across multiple episodes. They explored the philosophical concepts related to an impartial observer, the influence of stoicism on economic and moral philosophy, and Adam Smith's duality as both a pioneer of capitalism and an author focused on morality.
Discussed“it's like have you read um a theory of moral sentiments yeah it's so hard for me cu the stoicism comes in and out”
Where to get it
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A Calendar of Wisdom
On The Daily Stoic, Leo Tolstoy's 'A Calendar of Wisdom' was discussed on the February 29, 2024 episode featuring Morgan Housel. Host Ryan Holiday enthusiastically recommended the book, describing it as a popular collection of Tolstoy's favorite quotes from figures like Thoreau and the Stoics, and noting that he frequently has to keep restocking it in his bookstore.
Recommended“What's interesting too about that Tolstoy book is that A calendar of wisdom. That's right.”
Where to get it
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The inner citadel
Pierre Hadot's book The Inner Citadel came up across multiple episodes of The Daily Stoic. Ryan Holiday recommended the work while explaining stoic concepts and discussing how modern philosophy approaches Marcus Aurelius. Additionally, Brigid Delaney brought up the book to illustrate how to properly read Marcus Aurelius's meditations as a spiritual exercise.
Recommended“and then I went back to p p Hado who did did this great um did this kind of great sort of introduction as to how to read meditation this is the inner Citadel right”
Where to get it
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Papyrus
Irene Vallejo's Papyrus was discussed on The Daily Stoic. Ryan Holiday recommended the book to Ezra Klein and praised it as an incredible read about the history of literature and books. In another episode, guest Francis Ford Coppola referenced Vallejo's work while discussing the history of paper, early writings, and how ancient scrolls were stored in specific boxes.
Recommended“Well, so you the first one you already read. No, I'm not sure if I fully so I Uh, this book is great. Have you read this? Yeah. Okay. I thought this was incredible. So good. So good. All right, well then if you've read this one then the other one I would give you is papyrus by Irene Vallejo”
Where to get it
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The Great Influenza
On The Daily Stoic podcast, Ryan Holiday recommended John M. Barry's The Great Influenza across episodes on November 18, 2023, and December 4, 2021, praising it as an incredible book that helped him understand pandemics through historical parallels. Brad Stulberg also discussed the Spanish Flu book with Holiday during an episode on September 6, 2023.
Recommended“I've raved about a couple books that have really helped me. Speaking of pandemics, I've raved about The Great Influenza,”
Where to get it
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The Storm Before the Storm
The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan was highlighted on The Daily Stoic across episodes in December 2022, November 2023, and September 2024. Ryan Holiday frequently recommended the historical book to discuss the collapse of Roman Republic norms and the lesser-known events leading up to Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon.
Recommended“one of my favorite books is this book called The Storm before the storm and uh the idea is that we kind of just see Caesar Crossing the Rubicon one day as if it it just popped into his head as if there wasn't all this history and all these other events leading up to this other major event yes”
Where to get it
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Bury the Chains
On The Daily Stoic, host Ryan Holiday and guest Mark Manson discussed Adam Hochschild's book Bury the Chains across multiple episodes, including Why Everything is F*cked | Mark Manson and conversations with Kermit Roosevelt III and John Mackey. The speakers used the book to illustrate the history of the British abolitionist movement led by figures like Thomas Clarkson, noting how the transatlantic slave trade was sustained by everyday consumer habits such as sugar consumption.
Recommended“and so Adam hos child has an amazing book on this called bury the chain”
Where to get it
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Lives of the Stoics
On The Daily Stoic, 'Lives of the Stoics' by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman was referenced in several episodes. On November 19, 2021, host Ryan Holiday discussed a story from the book about the philosopher Diotimus to illustrate the differences between Stoics and Epicureans. Additionally, H.R. McMaster praised the book on October 29, 2021, as part of his appreciation for Holiday's written works.
Recommended“Two days later, one year later, I started Lives; like I realized I was sort of almost unconsciously on a schedule of starting a book on this day five years in a row. Wow.”
Where to get it
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Painting as a Pastime
Painting as a Pastime by Winston S. Churchill was brought up multiple times on The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday. In episodes from July 2023, September 2024, and May 2025, Holiday referenced the book to discuss the necessity of therapeutic hobbies for public figures, the value of creative outlets, and the importance of learning to be bad at something new.
Discussed“Churchill wrote this book called Painting as a Pastime. Have you read it?”
Where to get it
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The 33 Strategies of War
On The Daily Stoic, Robert Greene's book The 33 Strategies of War came up in multiple episodes. In an episode from November 2025, the host recalled coming across the story of the Battle of Marathon within its pages. Later, in an October 2021 episode, Robert Greene himself discussed the book, explaining that he specifically wanted to incorporate a seduction story into his work on strategy and war.
Recommended“I'd also throw in Robert Greene's stuff. 33 Strategy of War. This is an incredibly powerful book...”
Where to get it
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The Fish That Ate the Whale
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday recommended The Fish That Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen, describing it as one of his favorite biographies ever written. The book focuses on Samuel Zemurray, one of the founders of United Fruit. Holiday later mentioned on the podcast that he had recently read the biography while discussing the art and obsession of writing with Rich Cohen himself.
Recommended“This is actually written with Rich Cohen, who's one of my favorite writers, who did this book, Fish That Ate the Whale, about the Samuel Zamuri, who starts as the little guy...”
Where to get it
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The Power Broker
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday discussed Robert A. Caro's The Power Broker as an example of an ambitious, lengthy book. Holiday also mentioned the book to illustrate the massive amount of content Caro famously cut out during the editing process.
Recommended“One of the the the series I'm proudest of reading, uh not just Robert Caro's The Power Broker, but series on Lyndon Johnson.”
Where to get it
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The Right Stuff
On The Daily Stoic, Tom Wolfe's book The Right Stuff was brought up multiple times. Ryan Holiday and Rich Cohen discussed the book to illustrate John Glenn's calm demeanor and surprisingly low heart rate while waiting for blast-off in the spacecraft.
Discussed“So it's another great thing for me in a book is in the Tom Wolf book, The Right Stuff, where he's got the astronauts sitting upside down in the capsule waiting for the blast off.”
Where to get it
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“The” History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday cited Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire to illustrate Harry Truman's extensive reading habits and to examine how historical timescales challenge modern immediacy biases.
Discussed“And he had read all of Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire several times. He was always reading two or three books at a time...”
Where to get it
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On Anger
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday repeatedly referenced Seneca's work on anger across multiple episodes, such as the bonus episode in October 2026 and an episode in March 2026, to illustrate the negative consequences of impulsive behavior and why leaders cannot afford to make decisions while angry. Additionally, guest Brigid Delaney discussed reading Seneca's On Anger on an October 2024 episode, reflecting on the Stoic view that anger is entirely destructive.
Discussed“Seneca on anger, Book 3, Chapter 4, Verse 4”
Where to get it
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The Book: A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time
Across multiple episodes of The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday and Eric Holder discussed books in various contexts. Ryan Holiday shared his admiration for a guest's book by describing it as very interesting, and also spoke about the general writing and creative decision-making process, while Eric Holder referenced concepts presented in a book regarding the Obama coalition and the subsequent political backlash.
Discussed“Then when it's done and there are no more creative decisions to be made, and the book is written, you may not have the final final version of it, but you know exactly what the book is. You've said what you want to say, and you feel good about it; that would be the first time to think about, okay,”
Where to get it
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The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday and Rich Cohen discussed Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Holiday noted that he was asked to write an introduction for the book and used it to draw historical parallels between the 1960s psychedelic movement and modern internet culture.
Discussed“He gave Tom Wolf all the stuff, the reporting that became electrocolate acid test.”
Where to get it
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The Moviegoer
On The Daily Stoic, Walker Percy's novel The Moviegoer was discussed by Ryan Holiday and Rich Cohen. Ryan Holiday referenced the book to illustrate the human search for truth and meaning, while also connecting the Percy family and Southern stoicism, and Rich Cohen talked about the challenges of adapting the novel into a film.
Discussed“So how could you ever make a good movie a good movie of the movie goer?”
Where to get it
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The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck was referenced on The Daily Stoic across different episodes. Ryan Holiday discussed the book's massive sales success compared to his own work, analyzed the true meaning of its title regarding what people should care about, and referenced its use of the Dave Mustaine story.
Discussed“like my ego is the enemy came out basically the same month as the subtle art of not giving a and yeah that book probably cumula cumulatively has sold more than all of my books combined”
Where to get it
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Tao Te Ching
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday and Rick Rubin discussed the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu across multiple episodes. Rubin noted it was the book that inspired him the most and praised its enduring, timeless nature. Holiday recommended the work to listeners, shared favorite quotes that align with stoic practices, and compared President Kennedy's clarity during the Cuban Missile Crisis to the text's teachings. Holiday also reflected on how applying the book's ideas to daily challenges transformed it into a practical parenting guide.
Discussed“i'm going to give you one of my favorite quotes from the dao de jing”
Where to get it
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The 4-Hour Workweek
Timothy Ferriss's book The 4-Hour Workweek was discussed across two episodes of The Daily Stoic in late 2023 and early 2024 by host Ryan Holiday, author Tim Ferriss, and guest Ali Abdaal. Holiday praised the book's subtitle on lifestyle design and its connection to Stoicism, highlighting Ferriss's philanthropic royalty donations and memorable concepts like mini retirements and outsourcing. Abdaal also referenced the book while discussing productivity methods such as task batching in his filming schedule.
Discussed“or yeah we say I'm quitting my job or one of the phrases you have in the four-hour Work Week a mini retirement like one feels empowering and the other feels uh dangerous or irresponsible”
Where to get it
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Four Thousand Weeks
Oliver Burkeman's book Four Thousand Weeks was featured on The Daily Stoic. Tim Ferriss recommended the book and praised its chapter on cosmic insignificance therapy during his appearance. Later, Ryan Holiday and Oliver Burkeman discussed the book's massive success, how it became a bona fide hit, and the various professional opportunities and public familiarity that emerged following its publication.
Discussed“And then it's been interesting with 4,000 Weeks, which became like a bonafide hit. You're now one of those guys.”
Where to get it
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Go Gentle
On The Daily Stoic, host Ryan Holiday and guest Maria Semple discussed Semple's Stoicism-inspired novel Go Gentle across multiple episodes in 2026. Holiday introduced the book and its connection to Stoicism, while Semple discussed writing the novel and recounted how Oprah Winfrey ultimately selected it as a book club pick after seeing a specific scene involving young boys.
Recommended“Well, if you've read Maria Semple's new book, Go Gentle, it's this novel inspired by Stoicism.”
Where to get it
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Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone
On The Daily Stoic, host Ryan Holiday frequently discussed Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone and the related book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. During episodes in August and November 2023, Holiday shared that the works were formative reading from his youth, quoted its epigraph about making a beast of oneself to escape the pain of humanity, and discussed the book's true factual basis with guest Timothy Denevi. Holiday also recommended that readers look beyond the reputation of debauchery associated with the movie adaptation.
Discussed“Hunter S. Thompson is one of the great writers of all time. Hell's Angels, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas are two books we carry in the painted porch, which I read when I was falling in love with reading as a high school and college student.”
Where to get it
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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
On The Daily Stoic, host Ryan Holiday discussed Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson with guest Timothy Denevi. Holiday recalled reading the book during his school years, cited its epigraph, and recommended reading the text itself rather than judging it merely by its movie adaptation or reputation for debauchery.
Discussed“Hunter S. Thompson is one of the great writers of all time. Hell's Angels, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas are two books we carry in the painted porch, which I read when I was falling in love with reading as a high school and college student.”
Where to get it
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Quit
Ryan Holiday and Daniel Pink discussed Annie Duke's book Quit on an episode of The Daily Stoic in April 2025, following an earlier author interview in October 2022. Holiday and Pink recommended the book while examining the cultural pressure to power through hardships versus knowing when it is appropriate to walk away.
Recommended“And Annie Duke has a good book about quitting, you know, and and I do think that that in some ways powering through, sticking with it is is slightly overrated...”
Where to get it
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Empire of the Summer Moon
S. C. Gwynne's book Empire of the Summer Moon was discussed on The Daily Stoic. Host Ryan Holiday and guest Paul Kix both expressed high praise for the book, referencing it while discussing history, misguided projects, and specific moments in Comanche history that the author expanded into a full-length work.
Recommended“And then this one, I don't know if you read Empire of the Summer Moon, which is an incredible book, SCU, one of Texas's great writers”
Where to get it
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Freak Kingdom
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday enthusiastically recommended Timothy Denevi's Freak Kingdom, describing it as a brilliant work that sheds light on human nature and political activism. Holiday and podcast guests discussed the book's deep dive into the writings and crusade of Hunter S. Thompson against American fascism, encouraging listeners to pick up the publication.
Discussed“and more recently, I read this book by Timothy Denevieve. That's called Freak Kingdom, Hunter S. Thompson's Manic Ten-Year Crusade Against American Fascism.”
Where to get it
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The Comfort Crisis
On The Daily Stoic, host Ryan Holiday and guest Peter Attia discussed Michael Easter's book The Comfort Crisis. Attia expressed a strong resonance with Easter's ideas about nature and presence, while Holiday referenced insights from the book regarding the lack of straight lines in natural environments.
Discussed“So, I feel like there's a tension in your two books I was thinking about. So, on the one hand, I totally agree. Comfort like people live these sort of soft lives where they avoid any form of discomfort. And then on the other hand, I feel like one of the things that I'm trying to work on less or”
Where to get it
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Deliver Me from Nowhere
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday enthusiastically discussed Warren Zanes's book Deliver Me from Nowhere, which focuses on Bruce Springsteen making his album Nebraska. Holiday brought up the book to highlight a courageous artistic pivot, noting that he had been raving about it and recommending it to guests such as Tom Segura.
Recommended“Are you at, like, I love this book, I've been raving about it. Um, deliver me from nowhere, about Bruce Springsteen making Nebraska.”
Where to get it
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How to Decide
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday recommended Annie Duke's book 'How to Decide' across multiple episodes. During the February 20, 2021, episode titled 'Poker World Champion Annie Duke On Choosing the Truth', Holiday highlighted the work in the introduction, encouraging listeners to check out the full title along with her other publications. He recommended the book again in the October 19, 2022, episode titled 'Annie Duke on Knowing When to Quit', praising it as quite good while recommending all of the author's material.
Recommended“And her other book, How to Decide, it's also quite good. Recommending all of Annie's stuff if you haven't read any of it already.”
Where to get it
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Everything Happens for a Reason
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday recommended Everything Happens for a Reason by Kate Bowler during podcast introductions and discussed the book's subtitle while exploring themes related to the phrase that everything happens for a reason.
Recommended“Her other book, Everything Happens For Reason, is great. So is no care for human.”
Where to get it
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The Body Keeps the Score
On The Daily Stoic, host Ryan Holiday frequently highlighted Bessel van der Kolk's 'The Body Keeps the Score'. Holiday recommended the book to guests to explore how trauma is held physically and later discussed the book's striking title and themes surrounding generational trauma with Pete Holmes.
Discussed“The body keeps the score. Yeah. Which is like the densest, most [ __ ] up book you could ever read. It's about like generational trauma, but you call it The Body Keeps the Score, and you're like, That's a secret. I need to know that.”
Where to get it
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The Creative Habit
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday recommended Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit as a valuable resource for exploring creativity and included a reading from the book. Steven Pressfield also mentioned the work during a discussion on creative habits and routines.
Discussed“you know Twyla Tharp's book 368 962.8 the creative hat 369 962.3 yes”
Where to get it
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Hell's Angels
Hunter S. Thompson's book Hell's Angels was discussed across multiple episodes of The Daily Stoic. On October 3, 2026, Rich Cohen recommended the work, stating it was the best of Thompson's books. Earlier, on November 18, 2023, Ryan Holiday and Timothy Denevi both praised the text as an incredible work of counterprogramming.
Recommended“For me, the book that I like, the first book is the best, which is the Hell's Angels.”
Where to get it
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It's a Book!
Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared on The Daily Stoic and discussed the importance of carrying a book and reading daily, highlighting its role in mental development. In a separate episode, Cal Newport spoke with the host on the podcast about the pivotal moment he decided to become an author, sharing advice on navigating the narrow path of publishing and discussing marketing strategies for self-published books.
Discussed“Like I always tell people for me, the most important phone call probably in my life is when I decided to write a book. I called a family friend who was an agent and said, 'Explain to me how to sell books, and in particular what would be the very narrow path that like a 20 or 21-year-old could follow”
Where to get it
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Nomadland
Ryan Holiday brought up Jessica Bruder's book Nomadland on multiple episodes of The Daily Stoic. In December 2022 and August 2026, Holiday discussed the book with David Gelles and referenced it to illustrate the dark side of company towns, seasonal labor, and the systemic economic struggles shaping modern America.
Discussed“Have you read Nomad Land? I haven't. I've heard of it. I haven't read it. She talks about that. That's the That's the dark side of the company town”
Where to get it
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Quiet
Susan Cain's book Quiet was featured on The Daily Stoic in February 2020 and August 2022. Ryan Holiday recommended the book during a February 2020 episode while discussing the unique strengths of introverts. When Cain appeared as a guest on August 31, 2022, she discussed how the book reframes introversion from a perceived insufficiency into a genuine strength. During the same 2022 episode, Holiday noted how deeply he resonated with a specific concept from the book regarding parent-child fit.
Discussed“and and uh the idea i mean obviously this is sort of the idea of quiet which is that this thing that you think is unusual or insufficiency is in fact uh a strength”
Where to get it
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Recovery
On The Daily Stoic, Alexander Ludwig recommended Russell Brand's book Recovery as an accessible and humorous resource for understanding addiction. Additionally, an audience member brought up the book while asking Ryan Holiday about references to 12-step recovery programs in his own writing.
Discussed“Um, I, as a person who's found a lot of healing and recovery in the 12-step rooms, I was very surprised to see you write about it in both "Stillness Is the Key" and "Discipline Is Destiny." So, I'm curious as to like how that came about or why you were inspired to do that, cuz the other the only”
Where to get it
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The Art of Seduction
On The Daily Stoic podcast episode titled Robert Greene on the Power of Daily Practice | You Have To See Both, released on October 13, 2021, host Ryan Holiday and guest Robert Greene discussed The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers. Holiday mentioned the book as an example of a potential starting point for readers, while Greene discussed the creative process behind it, noting how much he wanted to incorporate war stories into his work on seduction.
Recommended“It's one lesson a day from all of his books. 33 Strategy of War, Laws of Human Nature, 48 Laws of Power, Art of Seduction, Mastery.”
Where to get it
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The choice
On The Daily Stoic, host Ryan Holiday discussed 'The Choice' by Dr. Edith Eger during episodes in 2021 and 2023. Holiday brought up Eger's memoir to highlight perspectives on cognitive control, surviving adversity, and how individuals retain the ability to choose their mindset and interpret experiences even under horrific circumstances like Auschwitz. He also referenced specific sections of the book concerning Eger's parenting strategies.
Recommended“she wrote this beautiful book called The Choice which basically comes down to very similar thing the the when everything else is reduced we have some small choice about Story We Tell ourselves are we going to be corrupted by this are we going to be broken by this”
Where to get it
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It's Better to Be Feared
On an episode of The Daily Stoic titled The NFL Idols America Obsesses Over, released on September 20, 2025, host Ryan Holiday and guest Seth Wickersham discussed Wickersham's book It's Better to Be Feared. Holiday recalled previously interviewing Wickersham about the New England Patriots dynasty, and the two discussed the book's focus on Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Holiday had also briefly mentioned the book on an earlier October 2022 episode.
Discussed“as i said in part one we had him on back in november of 2021 to talk about his award-winning book it's better to be feared which is about the patriots dynasty”
Where to get it
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History Matters
On The Daily Stoic in September 2026, Ryan Holiday recommended History Matters by David McCullough. He praised the short book for showing how history teaches human behavior and what actions to take, noting that he frequently raved about it and kept copies available for purchase at his bookstore, The Painted Porch.
Recommended“History shows us how to behave, the great David McCullough writes in a short book, History Matters, which I've raved about and carry at the painted porch.”
Where to get it
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Plain Speaking
On The Daily Stoic, host Ryan Holiday recommended Merle Miller's book Plain Speaking in two episodes. On September 4, 2025, Holiday highlighted it as one of his favorite presidential biographies, noting a scene where Harry Truman discusses Marcus Aurelius. On June 2, 2025, Holiday recommended the oral history of Truman to guest Vanessa Van Edwards as an essential read.
Recommended“Well, one of my favorite presidential biographies I'm i'm using that term loosely is Merl Miller plain speaking. I love it. And and and one of the things that I love about that is there's a scene in it where uh he starts talking about Marcus Aurelius uh Truman does”
Where to get it
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The Hard Thing About Hard Things
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday recommended Ben Horowitz's book The Hard Thing About Hard Things while discussing risk mitigation for entrepreneurs, specifically praising the realism found in the opening chapter about firing friends.
Recommended“Ben Horowitz, hard thing about hard things. You will have to make hard decisions in life and in leadership. Very important.”
Where to get it
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Amusing Ourselves to Death
Neil Postman's book Amusing Ourselves to Death was referenced on The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday in episodes from August 2024 and March 2026. Holiday used the book to support his arguments regarding how mediums shape public opinion, specifically discussing Postman's point that television is fundamentally unsuited for communicating intelligent thoughts.
Recommended“have you read amusing ourselves to death yeah I mean yeah I think it's it's the reason the Daily Show is is great is because it is designed to be entertainment. It's an embracing entertainment. But his point that basically television is not a medium by which you can communicate intelligent thought is really as spot-on as it can get.”
Where to get it
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Antkind
On an episode of The Daily Stoic released on September 14, 2024, guest Francis Ford Coppola discussed Charlie Kaufman's massive novel Antkind. Coppola explained that he picked up the seven-to-eight-hundred-page book after reading about it online, noting that it profoundly impacted his perspective. He reflected on how reading deeply challenging works alters his creative outlook and ultimately changes his life and cinematic projects.
Discussed“he wrote a book a novel called ant antind uh a seven 800 page book called antkind and that's what Google said you know if you want to read something about being a so I got it”
Where to get it
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Bittersweet
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday discussed Susan Cain's book Bittersweet across multiple episodes. Holiday recommended the book to listeners to explore the idea of melancholy and how some individuals are wired differently, highlighting it as a depressive outlet and a source of wonder and greatness.
Recommended“I really like Susan Kane's book Bittersweet where she talks about this idea of melancholy that some people are just wired differently”
Where to get it
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Call Sign Chaos
James N. Mattis and Bing West's Call Sign Chaos was discussed across two episodes of The Daily Stoic in 2021. Ryan Holiday recommended the book in May, citing General Mattis's views on stoicism and the importance of learning from history. In October, Holiday referenced the book again during a conversation with H.R. McMaster to discuss the necessity of extensive domain reading.
Discussed“i was thinking about that quote from from your friend and colleague general mattis uh it's in it's in call sign chaos he says it's not just that you have to read he's like if you haven't read hundreds of books about your domain of of battle or or or industry or specialty”
Where to get it
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Essentialism
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday spoke about Greg McKeown's work during an episode on October 9, 2024. Reflecting on a decade of his own writing, Holiday referenced a book containing a story about the author himself, with contextual hints pointing toward Essentialism.
Recommended“McAllen's essentialism, also really good.”
Where to get it
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Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
Jack Weatherford's Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World was discussed on The Daily Stoic. Ryan Holiday praised the work as an incredible book, sharing memories of purchasing his copy and highlighting how it successfully reframed a misunderstood historical figure.
Discussed“well I you know I I still have my copy of of Genghis Khan in the making of the modern world which has got to be 15 years old now I I bought I know I bought this at the borders in uh Union Square in New York City and it it was just such a fascinating Incredible Book because”
Where to get it
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History of the Peloponnesian War
Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War was featured on The Daily Stoic across multiple episodes. Ryan Holiday mentioned reading the historical text alongside his wife and friends to emphasize the value of engaging with timeless works. In another episode featuring guest H.R. McMaster, Holiday cited the book as an example of a dense historical work that can help readers understand modern geopolitical tensions, such as the rivalry between the United States and China.
Recommended“My wife and I and a bunch of our friends right now are reading Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War.”
Where to get it
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Lincoln's Virtues
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday brought up William Lee Miller's Lincoln's Virtues to draw moral parallels between Abraham Lincoln and political figures like Angela Merkel. Holiday also used the book in another episode to examine how Lincoln successfully navigated politics to achieve his goals.
Recommended“I thought the book was so important that I I read a few books a book a few years ago uh called Lincoln's virtues by William Lee Miller and and he was saying that you know we forget”
Where to get it
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No More Champagne
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday brought up David Lough's book No More Champagne to discuss Winston Churchill's financial difficulties during the market crash. In the December 2025 episode featuring Andrew Ross Sorkin, Holiday recommended the book as fabulous and noted that he cited it in his own end notes. Earlier, in a December 2023 episode with Dr. Peter Attia, Holiday referenced the work while contrasting the financial realities of artists and creators.
Recommended“Have you read this book, No More Champagne, about Church Hill and his finances? And it's fabulous. And by the way, I I use that as as I cite it in in the end notes there.”
Where to get it
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One Line a Day
Ryan Holiday discussed the One Line a Day journal on The Daily Stoic across episodes in December 2021 and October 2022. He recommended the journal as a helpful, accessible tool for anyone wanting to start journaling and detailed how each page features five slots designed for daily entries.
Discussed“And well, it's so, it's called the one line a day journal, and each page has five slots on it.”
Where to get it
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Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday recommended Steven Pressfield's book Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be, and mentioned reading it while discussing creative discipline and inspiration.
Recommended“likewise the new book put your ass where your heart wants to be is incredible”
Where to get it
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Steal like an artist
On The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday brought up Austin Kleon's book Steal Like an Artist across multiple episodes. In March 2020, he recommended it as a profoundly influential work for him as a writer. Later, in August 2023, he mentioned the book again while discussing the choices creators face regarding work, family, and social life.
Discussed“he wrote this book uh steal like an artist”
Where to get it
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The Black Swan
On The Daily Stoic, Tim Ferriss recommended Nassim Nicholas Taleb's The Black Swan in an April 25, 2020 episode, pointing to it as part of a helpful book trifecta visible behind Ryan Holiday. Later, in the November 13, 2021 episode, Holiday referenced The Black Swan to explain how authors can build a successful book around a strong central title and story.
Discussed“You know, the Black Swan wasn't a book about risk and then he just slaps on this title. I mean it's built around the story, but you can you can do it a lot of different ways.”
Where to get it
The other 509 books mentioned on The Daily Stoic, ranked, with the latest episode and time
- The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Fifth Anniversary Limited Edition by Charlie Mackesy
- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
- The Second Mountain by David Brooks
- The Sirens' Call by Chris Hayes
- To Risk It All by Admiral James Stavridis, USN
- Waging a Good War by Thomas E. Ricks
- 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson
- A Man at Arms by Steven Pressfield
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
- Bible by Bible
- Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
- Conspiracy by Ryan Holiday
- First Principles by Thomas E. Ricks
- Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
- Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis
- Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg
- Nudge by Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
- On Writing by Stephen King
- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
- Seneca's Letters from a Stoic: Moral Letters to Lucilius by Lucius Annaeus Seneca
- The Art of War by Sun Tzu
- The Bhagavad Gita by Jack Hawley
- The big short by Michael Lewis
- The Boy Who Would Be King by Ryan Holiday
- The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin
- The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
- The Children by David Halberstam
- The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by Edward Gibbon. Vol. 2. [-3-4]. by Edward Gibbon
- The Fall by Albert Camus
- The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield
- The Night of the Were-Boy by Enid Richemont
- The Premonition by Michael Lewis
- The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
- The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Why not the best? by Jimmy Carter
- Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
- On the Edge by Nate Silver
- The Woman's Hour by Elaine Weiss
- Ask the Dust by John Fante
- Frederick by Leo Lionni
- The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist
- The swerve by Stephen Greenblatt
- We Don't Know Ourselves by Fintan O'Toole
- If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal by Justin Gregg
- But What If We're Wrong? by Chuck Klosterman
- Joyful, Anyway by Kate Bowler
- Soul Boom by Rainn Wilson
- The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell
- Tyrant by Stephen Greenblatt
- American Buffalo by Steven Rinella
- Brotherhood Of The Grape by John Fante
- Disrobed by Frederic Block
- The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker
- Andy Warhol by Blake Gopnik
- Daring Young Men by Richard Reeves
- Days of Grace by Arthur Ashe
- Debrief to Win by Robert C Teschner
- Empire of cotton by Sven Beckert
- Make Time by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky
- Of Boys and Men by Richard Reeves
- Renegade by Adam Kinzinger, Michael D'Antonio
- The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova
- The Great Depression: A Diary by Benjamin Roth
- The Pope's Elephant by Silvio A. Bedini
- The Practice of Groundedness： A Transformative Path to Success That Feeds--Not Crushes--Your Soul by Brad Stulberg
- The Stoic Challenge by William B. Irvine
- The Therapy of Desire by Martha C. Nussbaum
- What to Make of a Life by Jim Collins
- 1933 was a Bad Year by John Fante
- A Journey through Texas by Frederick Law Olmsted
- Drive by Daniel H. Pink
- I Wear the Black Hat by Chuck Klosterman
- In My Time of Dying by Sebastian Junger
- Invisible Rulers by Renee DiResta
- Journal of a Novel by John Steinbeck
- Master of Change by Brad Stulberg
- The Cost of These Dreams by Wright Thompson
- The End of the Myth by Greg Grandin
- The First Three Minutes by Steven Weinberg
- The Great Mental Models: General Thinking Concepts by Shane Parrish
- The Immense Journey by Loren Eiseley
- The Night of the Gun by David Carr
- The Rush by Nathaniel Philbrick
- The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
- This Kind of War by T. R. Fehrenbach
- Tribe by Sebastian Junger
- Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt
- A World Without Email by Cal Newport
- All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Black Hawk, Down by Mark Bowden
- Boys Among Men by Jonathan Abrams
- Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
- Death be not proud by John Gunther
- Dereliction of Duty by H. R. McMaster
- Emerson by Robert D. Richardson
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling
- How Children Succeed by Paul Tough
- How will you measure your life? by Clayton M. Christensen
- In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
- Lanterns On The Levee by William Alexander Percy
- Level Up by Stacey Abrams
- Moneyball by Michael Lewis
- Phosphorescence by Julia Baird
- Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough
- Raising Sand by Robert Plant
- Shop class as soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford
- The Claim of Reason by Stanley Cavell
- The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
- The Manuscript Tradition of the Historia Augusta by Susan Helen Ballou
- The Pentagon Papers by Susan Dudley Gold
- The Reason Why by Cecil Woodham-Smith
- The Republic by Plato
- The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger
- The Trial of Socrates by I. F. Stone
- Voicing Change by Rich Roll
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoi
- What to Expect when You're Expecting by Heidi Eisenberg Murkoff, Sharon Mazel
- Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright
- 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin
- A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe
- A Minute to Think by Juliet Funt
- A Second Chance by Judge Frederic Block
- A Sense Of The Enemy The High Stakes History Of Reading Your Rivals Mind by Zachary Shore
- A Series of Unfortunate Events: Lemony Snicket by Lemony Snicket
- American Kings by Seth Wickersham
- Ametora by W. David Marx
- Back From the Dead by Bill Walton
- Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson
- Billion Dollar Lessons by Paul Carroll
- blue ocean strategy by Unknown
- Boyd by Robert Coram
- Buddha by Karen Armstrong
- By Grand Central Station I sat down and wept by Elizabeth Smart
- Call Sign Chaos by Jim Mattis, Bing West
- Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins
- City of Thieves by David Benioff
- Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish
- Collective Illusions by Todd Rose
- Crisis of Conscience by Raymond Franz
- Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
- Dependent Rational Animals by Alasdair C. MacIntyre
- Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett, Dave Evans
- Discourses and Selected Writings by Epictetus
- Dream hoarders by Richard V. Reeves
- Education of a wandering man by Louis L'Amour
- Endurance by Alfred Lansing
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- For your own good by Alice Miller
- George Marshall by Debi Unger
- Gone to Texas: A History of the Lone Star State by Randolph B. Campbell
- Grant by Ron Chernow
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- Hamilton by Ron Chernow
- Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers
- How I Built this by Guy Raz, Nils Parker
- How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins
- How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith III
- How to Be a Leader by Plutarch
- How to break up with your phone by Catherine Price
- How to Build Stonehenge by Mike Pitts
- How to Die by Seneca
- How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr
- How to Keep Your Cool by Seneca
- HOW TO STOP WORRYING & START LIVING by Dale Carnegie
- How to Think about God by Cicero
- Indian givers, How the indians of the americas transformed the world by Jack weatherford
- It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
- Keep Going by Austin Kleon
- Letters to a Young Athlete by Chris Bosh
- Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
- Lincoln on the Verge by Ted Widmer
- Lives of the Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laertius
- Lyle Family by Oscar Kennett Lyle
- Main Street Millionaire by Codie Sanchez
- Marcus Aurelius by William O. Stephens
- Mental Immunity by Andy Norman
- Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me) by Carol Tavris
- Night of the Grizzlies by Jack Olsen
- No Cure for Being Human by Kate Bowler
- Old in art school by Nell Irvin Painter
- On Capitalism, Bureaucracy and Religion by Max Weber
- On the Origins of War by Donald Kagan
- People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn
- Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot
- Places and Names by Elliot Ackerman
- President Lincoln by William Lee Miller
- Reclaim Your Nest Egg by Ken Kamen
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki, Sharon L. Lechter
- Rome's Last Citizen by Rob Goodman
- Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox (1882–1940) by James MacGregor Burns
- Self-reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Sheepdogs by Elliot Ackerman
- Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, Philip H. Knight
- Solo Faces by James Salter
- Spying on the South by Tony Horwitz
- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
- Strength in Stillness by Bob Roth
- Strip Tees by Kate Flannery
- Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg
- The $100 startup by Chris Guillebeau
- The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries
- The Arcadian by Steven Pressfield
- The Chancellor by Kati Marton
- The Confident Mind by Dr. Nate Zinsser
- The Designing Your Life Workbook by Bill Burnett
- The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan by Elliot Ackerman
- The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker
- The Godfather by Mario Puzo
- The Hiding Place by Elizabeth Sherrill, Corrie Ten Boom, John Sherrill
- The Image by Daniel J. Boorstin
- The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey
- The intelligent investor by Benjamin Graham
- The Library Book by Susan Orlean
- The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
- The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story by Michael M. Lewis
- The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
- The passage of power by Robert A. Caro
- The Protestant ethic and the "spirit" of capitalism and other writings by Max Weber
- The Road to Character by David Brooks
- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
- Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot by James B. Stockdale
- Titan by Ron Chernow
- Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window: The Sequel by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi
- Trillion-dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt, Alan Eagle, Jonathan Rosenberg
- Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield
- Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
- What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars by Jim Paul
- You Are Worth It : Building a Life Worth Fighting For by Kyle Carpenter
- Your Fellow Americans by Peter Santenello
- Zero to One by Peter A. Thiel, Blake Masters
- Zeus the Mighty by Crispin Boyer
- A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
- A Fool's Errand, by One of the Fools by Albion Winegar Tourgée
- A Guide to the Good Life by William B Irvine
- A New Stoicism by Lawrence C. Becker
- A night to remember by Walter Lord
- A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
- A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
- A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake by Joseph Campbell, Henry Morton Robinson
- A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter
- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink
- Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson
- Aesop's Fables by Aesop
- Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman
- Animal Liberation by Peter Singer
- Awareness the Way to Love (Awareness The Way To Love) by Anthony de Mello
- Baby on the Fire Escape by Julie Phillips
- Be Here Now by Ram Dass
- Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Ben Smith by Ben Smith
- Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
- Birth of a Nation by Aaron McGruder, Reginald Hudlin
- Black Boy by Richard Wright
- Blank check by Tim Weiner
- Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
- Blue Nights by Joan Didion
- Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
- Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam
- Boxing Inside the Box by Holly Iglesias
- Burning the Days by James Salter
- Burr by Gore Vidal
- Catch as Catch Can by Joseph Heller
- Cato by Joseph Addison, Christine Dunn Henderson, Mark E. Yellin
- Chronicles by Bob Dylan
- Chuck Klosterman IV by Chuck Klosterman
- Clayton Christensen's "how Will You Measure Your Life?" by Clayton Christensen
- Courage by Bernard Waber
- Courage Under Fire by James B. Stockdale
- Creation by Gore Vidal
- Crimes and Punishments by Frederic Block
- Cultish by Amanda Montell
- David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
- De Bello Gallico Libri Vii. by Julius Caesar, Cornelius Marshal Lowe, John Thomas Ewing
- De profundis by Oscar Wilde
- De Rerum Natura by Titus Lucretius Carus
- Die with Zero by Bill Perkins, William O. Perkins
- Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault
- Dreams from Bunker Hill by John Fante
- Dusk and Other Stories by James Salter
- Dynamics of Faith by Paul Tillich
- East of Eden by John Steinbeck
- Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
- Envy by Joseph Epstein
- Epictetus by Irwin Edman Thomas Wentworth Higginson
- Epictetus by Epictetus
- Everybody Behaves Badly by Lesley M. M. Blume
- Fear of Flying by Erica Jong
- Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
- Finding Ultra by Rich Roll
- Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
- Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
- For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
- Forgive Me Not by Jennifer Baker
- Full of Life by John Fante
- Furious Hours by Casey N. Cep
- Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by J. McIver Weatherford
- Getting Things Done by David Allen
- Good Bones by Maggie Smith
- Great Contemporaries by Winston S. Churchill
- Green on Blue by Elliot Ackerman
- Guide for the Perplexed by Moses Maimonides
- Guinness Book of World Records by Unknown
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling
- Hello, Cruel World! by Melinda Wenner Moyer
- Here, Right Matters by Alexander Vindman
- History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Complete and Unabridged by Edward Gibbon
- Hitler's Willing Executioners by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen
- How to Be Perfect by Michael Schur
- How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport
- How to raise the perfect dog by Cesar Millan
- How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
- I Alone Can Fix It by Carol Leonnig
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Ideal and Actual in the Story of the Stone by Dore Jesse Levy
- Immigration and the Constraints of Justice by Ryan Pevnick
- In Love and War by Jim Stockdale
- In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
- In praise of idleness by Bertrand Russell
- Infantry Attacks by Erwin Rommel, Gary Sheffield
- Insurgent Mexico by John Reed
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
- James by Percival L. Everett
- John Adams by David McCullough
- Just Babies by Paul Bloom
- Lancelot by Walker Percy
- Law of Attraction by Michael J. Losier
- Lawn boy by Jonathan Evison
- Leaders by Richard Nixon
- Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
- Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
- Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
- Light years by James Salter
- Lincoln's Melancholy by Joshua Wolf Shenk
- Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
- Lone Star 03 by Wesley Ellis
- Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
- Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed by Daniel Frank, Aaron Segal
- Management of the Absurd by Richard Farson
- Marcus Aurelius by Henry Dwight Sedgwick
- Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick
- Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin
- Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
- Memoirs of ... Mrs. S. Huntington by Susan Huntington
- men against the sea by charles nordhoff and james norman hall
- Moral letters to Lucilius by Seneca, Lucius Annaeus
- mutiny on the bounty by charles nordhoff and james norman hall
- My First Book of Sign by Pamela J. Baker
- My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor
- Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney
- Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- On the Shortness of Life by Seneca
- Our Town by Thornton Wilder
- Outdoor Kids in an Inside World by Steven Rinella
- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
- Path Lit by Lightning by David Maraniss
- Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday
- Personal knowledge by Michael Polanyi
- Pitcairn's Island by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall
- Plato and the Tyrant by James Romm
- Plato's Republic for today by Πλάτων
- Play Nice but Win by Michael Dell
- Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 by Plutarch
- Queen Victoria by Giles Lytton Strachey
- Race to Judgment by Frederic Block
- Ralph Waldo Emerson by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
- Sears Tower by Jay Pridmore
- Secrets of Shaolin Temple Boxing by Robert W. Smith
- Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson
- Shahnameh by Abolqasem Ferdowsi
- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
- Stoic Warriors by Nancy Sherman
- Strategy by Lawrence Freedman
- Superforecasting by Philip E. Tetlock
- Surprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis
- Surviving IT: Essential Advice for Building a Happy and Healthy Technology Career by Paul Cunningham
- Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
- Teaching As a Subversive Activity by Neil Postman
- Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Adventures of Herbie Cohen by Rich Cohen
- The Afghan campaign by Steven Pressfield
- The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman
- The Artist's Journey by Steven Pressfield
- The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
- The authoritarian personality by Theodor W. Adorno
- The Bassoon King by Rainn Wilson
- The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam
- The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker
- The Blood Of The Martyrs by Naomi Mitchison
- The Brass Check, a Study of American Journalism by Upton Sinclair
- The Captain Class by Sam Walker
- The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
- The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan Haidt
- The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership by Steven B. Sample
- The Correspondence of Marcus Cornelius Fronto with Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Lucius Verus, Antoninus Pius, and Various Friends by Marcus Cornelius Fronto
- The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga
- The Crack-Up by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Daily Laws by Robert Greene
- The death of expertise by Thomas M. Nichols
- The Death of Socrates by Emily R. Wilson
- The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce
- The Dialogues of Plato by Plato
- The Dip by Seth Godin
- The Discourses of Epictetus by Epictetus
- The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
- The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published by Arielle Eckstut, David Henry Sterry
- The Everything Guide to Writing a Romance Novel by Christie Craig, Faye Hughes
- The Everything Store by Brad Stone
- The fatal shore by Robert Hughes
- The fire next time by James Baldwin
- The Forty Years War by Len Colodny
- The Four Cardinal Virtues by Josef Pieper
- The Four Fists by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Freaks by Arthur Wing Pinero
- The Future of War by Lawrence Freedman
- The Game by Neil Strauss
- The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton
- The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman
- The Harder They Fall by Budd Schulberg
- The Harder They Fall by Bud Schulberg
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- The Hunters by James Salter
- The Iliad by Homer
- The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War by Unknown
- The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
- The life you can save by Peter Singer
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- The Man Without a Country by Edward Everett Hale
- The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus by Mark Aurel (Römisches Reich, Kaiser)
- The Minimalist Mindset by Danny Dover
- The Moral Animal by Robert Wright
- The Moral Arc by Michael Shermer
- The Myth of Judicial Activism by Kermit Roosevelt
- The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
- The Odyssey of Homer; Translated from the Greek by T. E. Shaw (Lawrence of Arabia); with an Introduction by Sir Maurice Bowra by Homère
- The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
- The opposite of spoiled by Ron Lieber
- The Passions of the Soul by René Descartes
- The Past Is a Foreign Country by David Lowenthal
- The Perilous Fight by Colin Kaepernick
- THE PLAGUE by Albert Camus
- The Power of Intention by Wayne W. Dyer
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
- The Power of Regret by Daniel H. Pink
- The Raw and the Cooked by Claude Lévi-Strauss
- The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
- The Road to Los Angeles by John Fante
- The Running Ground by Nick Thompson
- The Score Takes Care of Itself by Bill Walsh, Steve Jamison, Craig Walsh
- The Secret History of the Mongols by Paul Kahn
- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
- The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver
- The Snowball by Alice Schroeder
- The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant
- The stranger in the woods by Michael Finkel
- the sun and her flowers by Rupi Kaur
- The Sword and the Shield by Peniel E. Joseph
- The Terrible by Yrsa Daley-Ward
- The True Believer by Eric Hoffer
- The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer
- The Vegetable by Fitzgerald F.S.
- The Virtues of War by Steven Pressfield
- The Way to Love by Anthony De Mello
- The Wisdom of the Bullfrog by Admiral William H. McRaven
- The Year 1000 by Valerie Hansen
- The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs
- The years of Lyndon Johnson (Volumes 1-3) by Robert A. Caro
- This Book by Kathryn Madeline Allen
- Three lives for Mississippi by William Bradford Huie
- Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
- Thyestes by Seneca
- Tides of War by Steven Pressfield
- Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare
- To a Young Jazz Musician by Wynton Marsalis, Selwyn Seyfu Hinds
- Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin
- Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware
- Tough Jews by Rich Cohen
- Traction by Gino Wickman
- Travels with George by Nathaniel Philbrick
- Truman by David McCullough
- Twelve and a Half by Gary Vaynerchuk
- Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana
- Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson: The Poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson
- Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
- Van Gogh by Steven Naifeh, Gregory White Smith
- Verissimus by Donald J. Robertson
- Victoria: The Queen by Julia Baird
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
- What If... by Dale Mayer
- Why Honor Matters by Tamler Sommers
- Why we get fat by Gary Taubes
- Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
- Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Will by Will Smith
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
- Y the Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan
- You Have to Be Prepared to Die Before You Can Begin to Live by Paul Kix
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
Guests who recommended books
- Robert Greene (17)
- Steven Pressfield (15)
- Ali Abdaal (15)
- Thomas Chatterton Williams (15)
- Francis Ford Coppola (13)
- Cal Newport (13)
- Troy Baker (13)
- Donald Robertson (12)
- James Stavridis (12)
- Rich Cohen (11)
- Timothy Denevi (11)
- Morgan Housel (10)
- Camila Cabello (10)
- Brigid Delaney (9)
- Jonathan Haidt (8)
- Tim Ferriss (8)
- Rupi Kaur (7)
- Chip Conley (7)
- Paul Kix (7)
- Brooke Wells (7)
- H. R. McMaster (7)
- Jaimie Alexander (6)
- Arthur Brooks (6)
- Rick Rubin (6)
- Daniel Pink (6)
- Garland Robinette (6)
- Annie Duke (6)
- Chuck Klosterman (6)
- Ron Chernow (5)
- Wright Thompson (5)
- Sam Parr (5)
- Brad Stulberg (5)
- Kevin Rose (5)
- Alexander Ludwig (5)
- Karen Duffy (5)
- Dr. Edith Eger (5)
- Maria Semple (4)
- Sebastian Junger (4)
- Les Snead (4)
- Austin Kleon (4)
Latest mentions
“My whole life was changed by a copy of Mark Sprelius' Meditations that I bought for $9 on Amazon. It changed me personally and also professionally.”
“Here is Trillion Dollar Coach. This is written by Eric Schmidt, one of the most successful business CEOs of all time. But this is about one of the greatest leadership coaches of all time who mentored and coached Steve Jobs, Larry Page, and some of the biggest CEOs in the history of Silicon Valley.”
“What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars is about a trader on the Chicago Stock Exchange who blows it in the 80s and loses over a million dollars. Obviously, today they're playing with slightly larger amounts of money, but this one is really good.”
“Billion Dollar Lessons. Again, you can learn as much from people's very expensive failures than you can from their successes.”
“Guy Raz has interviewed basically every CEO of a big or new company of the last generation or so. This book, How I Built This, is incredible. Actually, funny story. We have a hardcover of How I Built This up there in the book tower. Can't have that one. I don't think it's coming out anytime soon.”
“Jim Collins, good to great. This one's very important.”
“Unreasonable Hospitality, one of the great restauranteurs and hospitality experts. This book is great.”
“Peter Thiel, who I wrote a book about zero to one. Obviously, controversial guy, but his thinking here is incredible. Everyone should read this.”
“As far as marketing goes, I'd also throw in the 22 immutable laws of marketing. This is both a marketing and a business and a life strategy...”
“But I do like the $100 startup. Noah Kagan's also written some interesting stuff...”
“Eric Ries talks about this in the lean startup. Very good.”
“Andy Duke talking about this thinking in bets.”
“Ben Horowitz, hard thing about hard things. You will have to make hard decisions in life and in leadership. Very important.”
“McAllen's essentialism, also really good.”
“I'd also throw in Robert Greene's stuff. 33 Strategy of War. This is an incredibly powerful book...”
“I would also add in the 48 Laws of Power. You don't have to be one of the people in the book, but you want to be able to protect against...”
“It's one lesson a day from all of his books. 33 Strategy of War, Laws of Human Nature, 48 Laws of Power, Art of Seduction, Mastery.”
“It's one lesson a day from all of his books. 33 Strategy of War, Laws of Human Nature, 48 Laws of Power, Art of Seduction, Mastery.”
“It's one lesson a day from all of his books. 33 Strategy of War, Laws of Human Nature, 48 Laws of Power, Art of Seduction, Mastery.”
“I really like Admiral James Stavridis, his book Sailing True North and To Risk It All.”
Episodes
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