Books recommended on The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss and guests brought up 98 books across 17 recent episodes, 38 of them explicit recommendations — each with the episode, the minute, and what was said.
Tim Ferriss · US · YouTube · Jump to episode by episode ↓
Books mentioned on this show
- 1 Blue ocean strategyAmazon 2 episodes · 1 recommended
- 2 High Growth HandbookElad GilAmazon 2 episodes · 1 recommended
- 3 7 PowersHamilton HelmerAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 4 A Failure of NerveEdwin H. FriedmanAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 5 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found ThereAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 6 AwarenessAnthony De MelloAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 7 BlinkMalcolm GladwellAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 8 Built to sellJohn WarrillowAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 9 Don't shoot the dog!Karen PryorAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 10 Getting past noWilliam UryAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 11 Getting to yesRoger Drummer FisherAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 12 High Growth HandbookElad GilAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 13 High Output ManagementAndrew S. GroveAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 14 InfluenceRobert B. CialdiniAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 15 Levels of the GameJohn McPheeAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 16 Living The 80/20 WayRichard KochAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 17 Nonviolent CommunicationMarshall B. RosenbergAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 18 Of wolves and menBarry LopezAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 19 On Writing WellWilliam ZinsserAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 20 One RiverWade DavisAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 21 OriginalsAdam GrantAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 22 OzymandiasPercy Bysshe ShelleyAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 23 Radical CandorKim Malone ScottAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 24 Ready, Fire, AimMichael MastersonAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 25 Snow CrashNeal StephensonAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 26 The 80/20 principleKoch, RichardAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 27 The Blade ItselfJoe AbercrombieAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 28 The botany of desireMichael PollanAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 29 The Effective ExecutivePeter F. DruckerAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 30 The Great CEO WithinMatt MocharyAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 31 The Master and MargaritaAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 32 The score takes care of itselfWalsh, BillAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 33 The Secrets of Power NegotiatingRoger DawsonAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 34 The Tipping PointMalcolm GladwellAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 35 The Year of Living BiblicallyA.J. JacobsAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 36 TitanRon ChernowAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 37 Travels with CharleyJohn SteinbeckAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 38 TrejoDanny TrejoAmazon 1 episode · 1 recommended
- 39 7 Habits of Highly Effective People : Revised and UpdatedStephen R. CoveyAmazon 1 episode
- 40 A mind at playJimmy SoniAmazon 1 episode
- 41 Arctic DreamsBarry LopezAmazon 1 episode
- 42 Bad ScienceBen GoldacreAmazon 1 episode
- 43 BelovedToni MorrisonAmazon 1 episode
- 44 Bert and the broken teapotTish SommersAmazon 1 episode
- 45 Blood and gutsDorian YatesAmazon 1 episode
- 46 Built to LastCollins, James C.Amazon 1 episode
- 47 Chicken Soup for the SoulJack CanfieldAmazon 1 episode
- 48 CryptonomiconNeal StephensonAmazon 1 episode
- 49 Days Can Be Sunny for Bunnies and MoneyTish RabeAmazon 1 episode
- 50 Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book (Classic Seuss)Dr. SeussAmazon 1 episode
- 51 EmergencyNeil StraussAmazon 1 episode
- 52 Ender's GameOrson Scott CardAmazon 1 episode
- 53 Extreme ownershipJocko WillinkAmazon 1 episode
- 54 Fine Feathered FriendsTish RabeAmazon 1 episode
- 55 Finite and infinite gamesJames P. CarseAmazon 1 episode
- 56 Gödel, Escher, BachDouglas R. HofstadterAmazon 1 episode
- 57 Good to GreatCollins, James C.Amazon 1 episode
- 58 GrantRon ChernowAmazon 1 episode
- 59 Great by choiceJim CollinsAmazon 1 episode
- 60 HamiltonRon ChernowAmazon 1 episode
- 61 Happy BodyJonathan WongAmazon 1 episode
- 62 Horton Hears a Who!Dr. SeussAmazon 1 episode
- 63 How the Mighty FallJim CollinsAmazon 1 episode
- 64 How to Change Your MindMichael PollanAmazon 1 episode
- 65 I Believe BunnyTish RabeAmazon 1 episode
- 66 If I Ran the CircusDr. SeussAmazon 1 episode
- 67 If I Ran the ZooDr. SeussAmazon 1 episode
- 68 Is a camel a mammal?Tish RabeAmazon 1 episode
- 69 JazzToni MorrisonAmazon 1 episode
- 70 Lateral thinkingEdward de BonoAmazon 1 episode
- 71 Love you, hug you, read to you!Tish RabeAmazon 1 episode
- 72 More money than GodSebastian MallabyAmazon 1 episode
- 73 Mystic by the Sea Is the Best Place to BeTish RabeAmazon 1 episode
- 74 NeuromancerWilliam GibsonAmazon 1 episode
- 75 Oh, Baby, the Places You'll Go!Tish RabeAmazon 1 episode
- 76 Oh, the Pets You Can Get!Tish RabeAmazon 1 episode
- 77 Principles of Neural ScienceEric R. KandelAmazon 1 episode
- 78 ProtocolsAndrew HubermanAmazon 1 episode
- 79 Save the cat!Blake SnyderAmazon 1 episode
- 80 Six thinking hatsEdward de BonoAmazon 1 episode
- 81 Sometimes Apart, Always in My HeartTish RabeAmazon 1 episode
- 82 Sweet Dreams Ahead Time for BedTish RabeAmazon 1 episode
- 83 The Cat in the HatDr. SeussAmazon 1 episode
- 84 The DirtNeil StraussAmazon 1 episode
- 85 The Eden projectJames HollisAmazon 1 episode
- 86 The end of Alzheimer'sDale E. BredesenAmazon 1 episode
- 87 The fabric of realityDavid DeutschAmazon 1 episode
- 88 The GameNeil StraussAmazon 1 episode
- 89 The House of MorganRon ChernowAmazon 1 episode
- 90 The Infinity MachineSebastian MallabyAmazon 1 episode
- 91 The Last of the MohicansJames Fenimore CooperAmazon 1 episode
- 92 The power broker: Robert Moses and the fall of New YorkRobert A. CaroAmazon 1 episode
- 93 The Power LawSebastian MallabyAmazon 1 episode
- 94 Thidwick, the big-hearted mooseDr. SeussAmazon 1 episode
- 95 Under Saturn's shadowJames HollisAmazon 1 episode
- 96 WashingtonRon ChernowAmazon 1 episode
- 97 What Color Is Your Parachute? 2022Richard N. BollesAmazon 1 episode
- 98 Yertle the turtleDr. SeussAmazon 1 episode
By the host
- The 4-Hour BodyTimothy Ferriss plugged in 4 episodes
- The 4-Hour ChefTimothy Ferriss plugged in 2 episodes
- The 4-hour workweekTimothy Ferriss plugged in 1 episode
- The 4-Hour WorkweekTimothy Ferriss plugged in 3 episodes
- Tools of TitansTimothy Ferriss plugged in 1 episode
- Tribe of MentorsTimothy Ferriss plugged in 2 episodes
Episode by episode
Q&A with Tim — The Art of Male Friendship, Reinvention in The Age of AI, & More · 2026-07-29
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“like some of you will recognize this, the book Awareness by Anthony de Mello. I still read it at least once a year.”
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“This is something that I've recommended in The 4-Hour Workweek with respect to developing your own businesses or lifestyle muses, and I still think it applies to many, many, many different things.”
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“And I think the 4-Hour Chef is a book tried to do too much, but the very first section is something like 80 pages on meta learning, I do think is worth a revisit”
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“Anything that will improve written comms, there are many books on this, certainly on writing well by Zinsser.”
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“these are some older callbacks for me, but the Secrets of Power Negotiating by Dawson had a huge impact on me.”
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“Getting Past No had a large impact on me.”
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“I actually interviewed one of the co-authors of Getting to Yes. I think it's William Ury. And those are all worth jumping into.”
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Blue ocean strategyRecommended
“if you haven't read it, read the Blue Ocean Strategy. It is going to be increasingly critical and important”
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“There's a lot from The 4-Hour Body. In the reversing injuries chapter, you have chop and lift, those types of exercises”
Dr. Andrew Huberman — Peptides, Performance, and Protocols · 2026-07-22
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“I remember having that black and white book that describes some of the training.”
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“There's this wonderful book in the field of neuroscience called Principles of Neuroscience. Almost everyone gets it. It's a big old textbook.”
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“It's a helpful book for teaching yourself to think in a structured way, scientifically about medicine.”
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“He wrote Under Saturn's Shadow on the healing and trauma of men.”
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“He also wrote The Eden Project about relationships and the struggle of romantic relationships.”
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“Protocols an operating manual for the human body. The pub date September 15th.”
The Random Show! Mortality, AI, Supplements, Rock Climbing, & More · 2026-07-16
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“Read The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan for more on that. is incredible.”
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“I wanted to mention something if people haven't read it. The Blade Itself, which is a series by Joe Abercrombie. It's fantasy novels. They're really good. The audiobooks are incredible.”
The Many Benefits of Coca — The “Divine Leaf” with 8,000+ Years of Use · 2026-06-25
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“Check out One River, folks.”
Inside The AI Race: DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, China, and The Race to Superintelligence · 2026-06-17
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“I can't recall who first recommended it. Frankly, I believe it was a hedge fund manager in New York City, but more money than God, hedge funds in the making of a new elite.”
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“And then certainly that was in my particular case followed by reading the power law of venture capital in the making of the new future.”
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“I realized also I've been pronouncing Demis' name incorrectly for a very long time despite having met him at one point. So Deis Hassabis, Deep Mind and the Quest for Super Intelligence.”
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“I hoped you read Enders game because that's really how I see myself. I gave the book to my wife so she could read it to understand me because I identify with Ender.”
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“He told me to read a couple of books before we had the dinner and one of them was Enders Game. It was a book by David Deutsch called The Fabric of Reality.”
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“Demis read it in his late teens and really became convinced he could build AI because the argument in the book is that computers will do whatever the human brain can do one day.”
The Path from The Soviet Union to Building Multi-Billion Dollar Companies — Max Levchin · 2026-06-10
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“I wanted to kick this off with a thank you from what you put into my last book, Tribe of Mentors.”
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“we all had cryptonomicon as required reading. So I want you to explain that. I love that book.”
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“My college life was shaped by Snow Crash, the thing that really put him on the map.”
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“Neuromancer was this dark dystopian. First book I read when I came to the US.”
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The Master and MargaritaRecommended
“I've still not read the Master and Margarita. I'm very embarrassed to say this.”
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“There is this book called Seven Powers. If you haven't read it, it's really worthwhile.”
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“Another good book that is off the beaten path is A Failure of Nerve about leadership.”
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“you should read Influence because it's probably the most important social science book published in last 50 years.”
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“Cherno wrote a bunch of these like tombs. Everything from the JP Morgan, Hamilton, Washington, a life, Grant.”
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“Cherno wrote a bunch of these like tombs. Everything from the JP Morgan, Hamilton, Washington, a life, Grant.”
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“Cherno wrote a bunch of these like tombs. Everything from the JP Morgan, Hamilton, Washington, a life, Grant.”
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“Cherno wrote a bunch of these like tombs. Everything from the JP Morgan, Hamilton, Washington, a life, Grant.”
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“Titan is a huge one. It's the life of John D. Rockefeller. Closest to business advice.”
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“There's a great book called A Mind at Play, which is Claude Shannon's biography.”
Reversing Type 2 Diabetes and Rowing 2,750 Miles — Sami Inkinen of Virta Health · 2026-05-22
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“the slow carb diet and the 4-hour body. It is not a ketogenic diet, right? You're consuming legumes”
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“The score will take care of itself. the 49ers coaches book”
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“high output management actually the high growth handbook by El Gilvitz is much much much newer”
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“the high growth handbook by El Gilvitz is much much much newer and I know you've interviewed El”
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“a book that I've really really enjoyed over the last year inspiring very inspiring shows what's possible in life”
PRISONER NO MORE: The True Story of Tae Jin Park · 2026-05-14
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“I saw an article in the paper about this guy that wrote a book Happy Body and we went came up here to Woodside to uh get a copy of his book and signed it for us.”
The AI Frontier and How to Spot Billion-Dollar Companies Before Everyone Else — Elad Gil · 2026-04-29
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“Let's turn to the high growth handbook for a second. It is an outstanding book. People should really check it out.”
From 9th-Grade Dropout to DC's Longest-Serving Police Chief — Cathy Lanier · 2026-04-23
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“I interviewed someone named Jaco Willink, a former Navy Seal commander, who wrote a book called Extreme Ownership. I feel like your grandmother's teachings are exactly the type of high agency thinking that Jaco talks about.”
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“My favorite book of all times, and I made it mandatory reading for my command staff when I took over as chief. I also did a book club with the community using this book. One of my all-time favorite reads.”
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“Blink is one that helps you really evaluate how you make decisions. How you rely on your instinct and your experience and how much that matters.”
From Dad’s Basement to Selling Two Companies — 4-Hour Workweek Success Story · 2026-04-16
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“So I go to the bookstore to find a book to help me get started. And I basically saw The 4-Hour Work Week, grabbed it, and it just sort of spoke to me.”
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“I remember coming across, and I haven't read it in a long time, but a book by John Warlow called Built to Sell, which talks a bit about this”
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“For people that are just like, 'I want to start a business.' And they're like totally green, then Ready, Fire, Aim is usually the book that I recommend.”
Daredevil Michelle Khare — How to Become a YouTube Superstar · 2026-04-07
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“The first was the 4-hour chef, which was basically just a suicide mission of a deadline. Book that should have taken three years was done in a year.”
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“I'd used podcasts to launch the 4-hour chef. And I thought to myself, you know what? I like RSS feeds. I like this idea of being able to do whatever I want, be myself.”
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“In the case of the 4-hour body, I did all of the experiments, then digested it all, combed through everything, and compiled the book.”
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“AJ Jacobs would be a great example for people who don't know. The year of living biblically I think is an amazing amazing book.”
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“Jack Canfield who co-created Chicken Soup for the Soul which has sold hundreds and hundreds of millions of copies and then they ultimately sold as a franchise.”
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“Part two is we are going to study Snider's Beats and we are going to study the save the cat of it all. Those two books are so good.”
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“If you want to read something short, Levels of the Game is incredible. He's won one or two Pulitzer surprises. Just a phenomenal writer, can make anything interesting.”
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“she told me of this concept of the six thinking hats and effectively... it is a way of looking at a problem by filtering only by thinking type.”
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“Edward Dabono... also has a big Amish beard... Lateral Thinking, which I found helpful.”
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“her quad chart of how to provide feedback to people was really instrumental to me because effectively what happened was I quit my job when I was 23.”
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“The Great CEO Within, which is a really fast and easy read. And for anyone who didn't start in Silicon Valley or a startup culture... was really helpful to me.”
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“And then I've given Adam Grant's originals to a few people, too.”
Q&A with Tim — The Upcoming AI Tsunami and Building Offline Advantage · 2026-03-26
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“Travels with Charlie. Amazing book by John Steinbeck. Road trip in a makeshift RV with his dog Charlie.”
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“if I were to tell you to go buy What Color Is My Parachute or something, you might glean something from that”
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“the effective executive from Peter Drucker. Classic, old, short, incredible bang for the buck.”
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“Of Wolves and Men by Barry Lopez is one of the best nonfiction books I've ever read and it really shattered the mold.”
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“Barry Lopez, who won I believe it was the Booker or Pulitzer Prize for another of his books called Arctic Dreams.”
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found ThereRecommended
“If you haven't read Alice in Wonderland. You should go read Alice in Wonderland. Read the whole thing.”
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“The 80/20 Principle, Richard Koch. That just gets old. Just does not get old.”
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“There's another book of his up there called Living the 80/20 Principle. It might be Living the 80/20 Way, but he really walks the talk.”
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“the Gunks and that entire region where a lot of The Last of the Mohicans, the book certainly takes place in that region”
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“read a book called The High-Growth Handbook by Elad Gil. Arguably the best, one of the best, certainly, angel investor”
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Blue ocean strategyDiscussed
“Blue Ocean Strategy, probably worth checking out. Because if you choose to compete in a crowded category, you just have a harder road ahead of”
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“people who have been doing this since before Michael Pollan's exceptional book, How to Change Your Mind, right? That might be the cut off.”
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“books that I have found most helpful are Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor. I think everybody should read that.”
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“The 17 questions. People can find the 17 I think they're in Tools of Titans, maybe Tribe of Mentors”
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“The 17 questions. People can find the 17 I think they're in Tools of Titans, maybe Tribe of Mentors”
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“Everybody should read I think it's Percy Shelley, Ozymandias. Everybody should find this. Ozymandias. So good.”
The Random Show, Couch Edition! — Supplements, Breathing and Balance Training, and Much More! · 2026-03-18
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“The Power Broker by Robert Caro is a biography of Robert Moses who basically shaped modern New York, considered quintessential for understanding state and local politics”
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“He wrote a book called The End of Alzheimer's, and the one thing I like about it is that the name is understated”
Jim Collins — What to Make of a Life · 2026-03-05
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“I was off working on Built to Last and Good to Great”
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“I was off working on Built to Last and Good to Great”
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“when Morten Hansen and I were doing our book Great by Choice”
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“In my prior work, Good to Great, Built to Last, Great by Choice, How the Mighty Fall”
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“She doesn't publish Jazz until 61”
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“She doesn't publish Beloved till she's 56”
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“the more I think about finite and infinite games, Carse”
How to Quiet the Ruminative Mind and Avoid The Traps of Self-Help — Tim Ferriss · 2026-02-24
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“I think The 4-Hour Workweek does a good job of breaking down work for work's sake and money for money's sake.”
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“I did a lot of really out there stuff in The 4-Hour Body, which much of stands up to scrutiny now, 15 years later.”
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“read nonviolent communication. Like figure out how to talk to people without sounding overly defensive or aggressive.”
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“He wrote The Dirt. He's written these biographies of Motley Crue and like all these celebrities.”
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“And he also wrote The Game and Emergency and many other books.”
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“And he also wrote The Game and Emergency and many other books.”
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“The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, I believe was the book. The big rocks and sand jar lesson comes from it.”
NYT Bestselling Author on Writing 200+ Children's Books — Tish Rabe · 2026-02-18
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“my very first book, here it is. Bert and the Broken Teapot”
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“in my I Believe Bunny books, my inspirational books, one of them ends with I Believe Bunny, you may get a surprise”
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“I just started writing Is a Camel a Mammal? and Fine Feathered Friends, and I never stopped after that”
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“I just started writing Is a Camel a Mammal? and Fine Feathered Friends, and I never stopped after that”
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“They did the study where they had pregnant moms talk to their babies and sing to their babies. They all read The Cat in the Hat”
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“Audrey Geisel wanted a book with references to all 41 Dr. Seuss books called Oh, the Places You'll Go! to be read in utero”
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“She wanted me to read all of them. Horton Hears a Who, If I Ran the Zoo, If I Ran the Circus, Yertle the Turtle”
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“She wanted me to read all of them. Horton Hears a Who, If I Ran the Zoo, If I Ran the Circus, Yertle the Turtle”
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“She wanted me to read all of them. Horton Hears a Who, If I Ran the Zoo, If I Ran the Circus, Yertle the Turtle”
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“She wanted me to read all of them. Horton Hears a Who, If I Ran the Zoo, If I Ran the Circus, Yertle the Turtle”
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“She wanted me to read all of them. Horton Hears a Who, If I Ran the Zoo, If I Ran the Circus, Yertle the Turtle, Thidwick the Moose”
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“In the sleep book, one of my favorites is Have you met the Van of Vlex? When they sleep, they yawn so wide you can see down their necks”
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“Oh, the Pets You Can Get takes place in Grouplets, where they know quite a bit about caring for pets”
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“The first book I created was a little book about going to sleep. I wrote a lullaby to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”
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“One book I'm very proud of is called Love You, Hug You, Read to You. It's my very first book and it's a board book”
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“Sometimes a Part Always in My Heart helping military families send love from far away. I was honored to write it”
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“This one is called Days Can Be Sunny for Bunnies and Money. I got a call from a bank in Ohio”
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“Mystic by the Sea is the best place to be. I wrote the whole thing in like 2 days”