What books most influenced you? The most interesting aspect of answering this was how books clustered in three buckets: - book that had a directly observable impact, because - a) they crystallized emotional breakthroughs, - b) they contained a set of directly applicable principles, and - c) books which ink left large drops that permeated many pages of the psyche Here are the 28 that jumped out instead of the expected 4-5: 1. **Direct impact** 1. **Emotional breakthroughs** 1. On being intentional: The Stranger by Camus 2. On identifying with one’s intelligence: Flowers for Algernon by Keyes 3. On the virtue of striving for competence: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand 4. On internal peace: Siddhartha by Hesse, The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway 2. **Knowledge breakthroughs** 1. On thinking well: Introduction to Logic by Gensler, The Selfish Gene by Dawkins 2. On computer science: The Secret Life of Programs by Steinhart 3. On political philosophy: Law, Legislation and Liberty by Hayek, The Law by Bastiat 4. On the study of consciousness: The Way of Zen by Watts, The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa 5. On emotional intelligence: Never Split the Difference by Voss, The School of Life by The School of Life 6. On standing straight: Extreme Ownership by Willink 7. On being intentional about happiness: The Happiness Advantage by Achor, The Navalmanach by Ravikant 8. On writing well: Tips on Writing Style and Technique by Sullivan 9. On mysticism: Memories, Dreams, Reflections by Jung, The Prophete by Gibran 2. **Indirect impact - pattern recognition** 1. On resource accessibility shaping human structures: Dune by Herbert, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein, The Foundation Cycle by Asimov, Sapiens by Harrari 2. On freedom: Brave New World by Huxley 3. On opening the door to Eastern philosophy: An introduction to Chinese philosophy by Liu 4. On man’s search for meaning: Confession by Tolstoy 5. On history being made by people like us: Memoirs by Churchill *Written in 2022*