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10 Best Influence Books
We analyzed 5+ expert sources, curated book lists, and recommendations from successful people to find the 10 best influence books according to the internet — not just one person's opinion. Each book on this list was mentioned by at least two independent sources, and the ranking is based on how frequently each title appears across all sources studied. This consensus-based approach ensures you get recommendations backed by multiple experts, not a single reviewer's bias.
Goal: Find the best Influence books according to the internet (not just one person's opinion).
Method:
- Search for "best influence books" and study the top 5+ pages.
- Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
- Rank the results neatly here.
10 Best Influence Books
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1
Influence
The Psychology of Persuasion
by Robert Cialdini
Also recommended by
18 people
Tobi Lütke recommended this bookTobi Lütke
"The most mind-bending book you can imagine, because it essentially taught you always humans are flawed and influential." - Tobi Lütke
Tobi Lütke's recommendation of this book 
Scott Adams recommended this bookScott Adams
"100 percent of effective people seem to have read [this book]. In fact, it’s one of those things that when I meet somebody and they’re operating at a pretty high level, if you mention [this book], they’ve all read it." - Scott Adams
Scott Adams's recommendation of this book 
Naval Ravikant recommended this bookNaval Ravikant
"Fundamental and had a lot to teach." - Naval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant's recommendation of this book 
Charlie Munger recommended this bookCharlie Munger
Charlie Munger recommended this book in the "Poor Charlie's Almanack" book.
Charlie Munger's recommendation of this book 
Adam Robinson recommended this bookAdam Robinson
Adam Robinson mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
Adam Robinson's recommendation of this book 
Ramit Sethi recommended this bookRamit Sethi
Ramit Sethi mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
Ramit Sethi's recommendation of this book +12
More recommendations
- Alexis Ohanian
"[Helps you] navigate the world with heightened awareness for how we're always being influenced/manipulated." - Alexis Ohanian
- Guy Kawasaki
"The guiding light for how I conduct business—and in many ways how I live my life." - Guy Kawasaki
- Max Levchin
One of Max Levchin's answers to "what's your favourite business book you'd advise to young entrepreneurs?"
- Noah Kagan
"People can be influenced in their behaviors by many different tactics." - Noah Kagan
- Samy Kamkar
"I love it because it was a very systematic and analytical approach to the most common ways that human being have been known to be influenced and persuaded to do something." - Samy Kamkar
- Andrew Wilkinson
"[One of] my most recommended business books." - Andrew Wilkinson
- Neil Strauss
"Understanding these [principles] make all the difference in making the leap from interest to attraction." - Neil Strauss
- Patrick O'Shaughnessy
Patrick O'Shaughnessy recommended this book on a blog post.
- Mark Manson
Mark Manson recommended this book on his website.
- Alex Hormozi
Alex Hormozi recommended this book on Instagram.
- James Clear
"[One of] the 10 best nonfiction books of all-time." - James Clear
- Michael Hyatt
Michael Hyatt recommended this book on his website.
- Alexis Ohanian
2
How To Win Friends and Influence People
by Dale Carnegie
Also recommended by
18 people
Warren Buffett recommended this bookWarren Buffett
"In my office, you will not see the degree I have from the University of Nebraska, or the master’s degree I have from Columbia University, but you’ll see the certificate I got from the Dale Carnegie course." - Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett's recommendation of this book - Scott Adams recommended this book
Scott Adams
One of the books on Scott Adams' "Persuasion Reading List."
Scott Adams's recommendation of this book 
Dave Ramsey recommended this bookDave Ramsey
Recommended on Dave Ramsey's website.
Dave Ramsey's recommendation of this book 
Paul Graham recommended this bookPaul Graham
"The one book we encourage startup founders to read. [...] It's critically important for anyone in business." - Paul Graham
Paul Graham's recommendation of this book 
Derek Sivers recommended this bookDerek Sivers
Derek Sivers mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
Derek Sivers's recommendation of this book 
Dustin Moskovitz recommended this bookDustin Moskovitz
"Seek to be understood." - Dustin Moskovitz
Dustin Moskovitz's recommendation of this book +12
More recommendations
- Ken Block
"One of the first books that really helped me achieve my management style and what’s helped me really be successful." - Ken Block
- DJ Vlad
Most Recommended Books reached out to DJ Vlad directly.
- Strauss Zelnick
"Archaic references and overweening title to the side, it’s actually a great guide to leadership and salesmanship." - Strauss Zelnick
- Daymond John
"I love all the Dale Carnegie books." - Daymond John
- Shay Carl
"A staple that I have listened to three or four times." - Shay Carl
- Tim Draper
"[One of the books] that are recommended or required at Draper University." - Tim Draper
- Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia recommended this book on Notion.
- Barbara Corcoran
"A must read for anyone in business." - Barbara Corcoran
- Alex Hormozi
Alex Hormozi recommended this book on Instagram.
- Michael Hyatt
Michael Hyatt recommended this book on his website.
- Ben Greenfield
Most Recommended Books reached out to Ben Greenfield directly.
- Patrick Bet-David
Patrick Bet-David recommended this book on his website.
- Ken Block
3
Pre-Suasion
A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade
by Robert Cialdini
Also recommended by
5 people- Scott Adams recommended this book
Scott Adams
"Read [this book], and thank me later." - Scott Adams
Scott Adams's recommendation of this book - Naval Ravikant recommended this book
Naval Ravikant
"Good but closer to a single-themed book." - Naval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant's recommendation of this book 
Michael Mauboussin recommended this bookMichael Mauboussin
"Fascinating and useful read. An instant classic." - Michael Mauboussin
Michael Mauboussin's recommendation of this book 
Patrick O'Shaughnessy recommended this bookPatrick O'Shaughnessy
"Very interesting and readable." - Patrick O'Shaughnessy
Patrick O'Shaughnessy's recommendation of this book 
Alex Hormozi recommended this bookAlex Hormozi
Alex Hormozi recommended this book on Instagram.
Alex Hormozi's recommendation of this book
4
Yes!
50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive
by Robert Cialdini
Also recommended by
2 people- Charlie Munger recommended this book
Charlie Munger
"I suggest [this book]." - Charlie Munger
Charlie Munger's recommendation of this book - Alex Hormozi recommended this book
Alex Hormozi
Alex Hormozi recommended this book on Instagram.
Alex Hormozi's recommendation of this book
5
Thinking, Fast and Slow
by Daniel Kahneman
Also recommended by
19 people
Bill Gates recommended this bookBill Gates
List of books Bill Gates read in 2012.
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book 
Ray Dalio recommended this bookRay Dalio
Ray Dalio mentioned this book in his book, "Principles."
Ray Dalio's recommendation of this book - Scott Adams recommended this book
Scott Adams
One of the books on Scott Adams' "Persuasion Reading List."
Scott Adams's recommendation of this book - Naval Ravikant recommended this book
Naval Ravikant
"Fine book but it didn’t need to be an entire book. A blog post would have gotten the point across." - Naval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant's recommendation of this book 
Ev Williams recommended this bookEv Williams
"I love surprising scientific findings, as well as information about how our brains work. [This book] is a treasure trove of both." - Ev Williams
Ev Williams's recommendation of this book 
Marc Andreessen recommended this bookMarc Andreessen
"Captivating dive into human decision making, marred by inclusion of several/many? psychology studies that fail to replicate. Will stand as a cautionary tale?" - Marc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen's recommendation of this book +13
More recommendations
- Stewart Brand
Stewart Brand recommended this book on his "Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization" blog post.
- Bryan Johnson
"I started reading [this book] and I became increasingly convinced of my own fickleness and inability to actually act rationally in life." - Bryan Johnson
- Derek Sivers
"If you liked 'Predictably Irrational' or 'Stumbling on Happiness' or any of those pop-psychology books, well, this is the Godfather of all of their work." - Derek Sivers
- Sam Altman
One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?"
- Ron Conway
"Covers all three phases of [the author's] career: his early days working oncognitive bias, his work on prospect theory, and his later work on happiness." - Ron Conway
- Jason Fried
"I enjoyed [this book]. Fascinating." - Jason Fried
- Nassim Taleb
"A landmark book in social thought, in the same league as The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith and The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud." - Nassim Taleb
- Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia recommended this book on Notion.
- Mark Manson
Mark Manson recommended this book on his website.
- Jay Shetty
"[One] of my favourite books." - Jay Shetty
- Michiko Kakutani
"Has become essential reading in many baseball front offices and among coaching staffs." - Michiko Kakutani
- Preston Pysh
"An incredible book!" - Preston Pysh
- Ben Greenfield
Most Recommended Books reached out to Ben Greenfield directly.
- Stewart Brand
6
Made to Stick
Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
by Chip Heath
Also recommended by
5 people
Brian Armstrong recommended this bookBrian Armstrong
"How to make your message memorable so it will spread." - Brian Armstrong
Brian Armstrong's recommendation of this book - Ev Williams recommended this book
Ev Williams
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile.
Ev Williams's recommendation of this book 
Andrew Wilkinson recommended this bookAndrew Wilkinson
"Our marketing bible." - Andrew Wilkinson
Andrew Wilkinson's recommendation of this book 
Changpeng Zhao recommended this bookChangpeng Zhao
"Informs a lot of our public outreach in terms of making our services more essential for our users." - Changpeng Zhao
Changpeng Zhao's recommendation of this book 
Sahil Lavingia recommended this bookSahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia recommended this book on Notion.
Sahil Lavingia's recommendation of this book
7
Predictably Irrational
The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
by Dan Ariely
Also recommended by
4 people
Keith Rabois recommended this bookKeith Rabois
Keith Rabois recommended this book on Quora.
Keith Rabois's recommendation of this book 
Max Levchin recommended this bookMax Levchin
One of Max Levchin's answers to "what's your favourite business book you'd advise to young entrepreneurs?"
Max Levchin's recommendation of this book 
Tom Bilyeu recommended this bookTom Bilyeu
Tom Bilyeu recommended this book on his website.
Tom Bilyeu's recommendation of this book 
Ryan Shea recommended this bookRyan Shea
Ryan Shea recommended this book on his website.
Ryan Shea's recommendation of this book
8
What Every BODY is Saying
An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People
by Joe Navarro
Also recommended by
2 people- Scott Adams recommended this book
Scott Adams
One of the books on Scott Adams' "Persuasion Reading List."
Scott Adams's recommendation of this book 
Neil Strauss recommended this bookNeil Strauss
Neil Strauss recommended this book in a blog post.
Neil Strauss's recommendation of this book
9
Enchantment
The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions
by Guy Kawasaki
10
Methods of Persuasion
How to Use Psychology to Influence Human Behavior
by Nick Kolenda
Sources
- 1
10 great books to help you influence and persuade people in business | Creative Boom
creativeboom.com
- 2
Best Books On Influence And Persuasion In 2022: Reading List For Today's Influencers
master-influencer.com
- 3
Top 10 Books on Persuasion Every Solopreneur Should Read
getresponse.com
- 4
Best Influence And Persuasion Books
thepowermoves.com
- 5
10 Top Books on Persuasion - Matt Morris
mattmorris.com
Edited by
Richard Reis
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Follow@richardreeze
Anurag Ramdasan
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
Follow@anuragwho
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