Overview
- Atomic Habits by James Clear: Small 1% improvements compound over time; systems beat goals; habits stick when you change your identity.
- The Expectation Effect by David Robson: Our expectations shape reality—believing you can do something makes success more likely.
- The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal: Stress isn't always harmful; meaningful stress directed toward important challenges can drive accomplishment.
- So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport: Don't follow your passion—develop skills first, and passion follows mastery.
- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen: Successful companies miss opportunities because they're too invested in old technologies.
- Influence by Robert Cialdini: Eight psychological triggers make us susceptible to persuasion in sales, marketing, and daily life.
- 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss: Redefine wealth as freedom and time rather than possessions; leverage technology to live richly now.
- Dopamine Nation by Anne Lembke: Modern overstimulation floods our brains with dopamine, leading to addictive behaviors.
- The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker: Fear of death motivates us to create "immortality projects" that give life meaning.
- The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz: More options lead to less satisfaction with whatever we choose.
- Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki: Poor people spend money; rich people invest it for returns.
- Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl: Having a purpose helps us survive and grow through suffering.
- How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie: Focus on others, listen more, and people will like you.
- Start With Why by Simon Sinek: Aligning actions with a higher purpose increases motivation and resilience.
- The Coddling of the American Mind by Haidt & Lukianoff: Helicopter parenting, safetyism, lack of play, and social media have made young people emotionally fragile.
- The Revolt of the Public by Martin Gurri: Social media enables anti-establishment movements that oppose institutions without proposing alternatives.
- The Course of Love by Alain de Botton: Our "love maps" from childhood shape adult relationships; partners can heal each other's wounds.
- The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel: Counterintuitive truths about money—we spend irrationally, misjudge risk, and confuse being rich with being wealthy.
- Outlive by Peter Attia: Prevent the four chronic diseases (heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes) rather than treating them after they develop.
- Stumbling on Happiness by Dan Gilbert: Our "psychological immune system" maintains happiness by altering how we perceive events.
- Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke: Frame decisions as probability-based bets rather than all-or-nothing choices.
- Mindset by Carol Dweck: People with a growth mindset (believing they can improve) actually do improve.
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: System 1 (fast, intuitive) and System 2 (slow, methodical) thinking serve different purposes.
- On the Genealogy of Morals by Friedrich Nietzsche: Master morality (meritocracy) and slave morality (caring for the weak) eternally conflict within individuals and societies.
- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki: An accessible introduction to Buddhist practice covering the observing mind and non-dual awareness.
- The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker: Violence has dramatically declined over centuries due to literacy, technology, and interconnection.
- Fear and Trembling by Søren Kierkegaard: We must take a "leap of faith" to commit to something beyond ourselves for meaning.
- Deep Work by Cal Newport: Protecting attention from distraction gives a huge advantage in creative and analytical work.
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle: Most suffering comes from fixating on the past or future; presence dissolves anxiety.
- The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker: Genetics significantly shape personality and behavior—we aren't born as blank slates.
- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: We find false patterns in chaos and tell ourselves stories that make us look brilliant.
- Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gottman: Happy couples don't resolve all problems; how you communicate matters more than what you communicate.
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson: Choose what matters, embrace sacrifice and failure, and stop giving too many f*cks.
Takeaways
Mark Manson summarizes 33 influential non-fiction books spanning habits, psychology, relationships, money, and meaning. The throughline is that our beliefs and mindsets shape our reality more than external circumstances.
We don't rise to the level of our goals, but we fall to the level of our systems.