
Tim Ferriss Recommended Books
Tim Ferriss has recommended 108 books. Browse the complete reading list with quotes and sources below.
Tim Ferriss is an American entrepreneur, author and podcaster.
(Read more on Wikipedia)108 Books Recommended
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Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
"Has been recommended to me by several billionaires." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"
Adventures of a Curious Character
"One of my favorite books." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Peter Attia, Naval Ravikant, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, Ev Williams, Sergey Brin, Brian Armstrong, Noah Kagan, Sahil Lavingia, James Clear
The Checklist Manifesto
How to Get Things Right
"A great book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Bill Gates, Jack Dorsey, Malcolm Gladwell, Charles Poliquin, Keith Rabois, Ramit Sethi, Michael McCullough, Vinod Khosla
Dune (6 books)
"Perhaps the most incredibly detailed and oddly believable fictional landscape I’ve ever encountered." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Adam Savage, Andrew Chen, Elon Musk, Ev Williams, Jeff Bezos, Kelly Starrett, Kyle Maynard, Laird Hamilton, Seth Godin, Stewart Brand, Tim Draper, Tim O’Reilly, Zooko Wilcox, Cameron Winklevoss, Sahil Lavingia, Paulo Coelho
Awareness
The Perils and Opportunities of Reality
"When I feel myself bleeding into overwhelm or feeling scattered, this is one of the first break-glass-in-case-of-emergency steps that I take." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Musashi
An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era
"Teaches you about critical thinking, strategizing, and ultimately, that there is more to life than merely surviving." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
How to Make Millions with Your Ideas
An Entrepreneur's Guide
"Like steroids for your entrepreneurial cortex." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
The Art of Asking
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help
"I was so inspired by the book that I put it down to start asking people around me for all of the help that I'd been too ashamed or embarrassed to ask for." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Blue Ocean Strategy
How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant
"Study [this book]." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Aaron Levie, Daymond John, Russell Brunson, Patrick Bet-David
Wild
From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
"One of my favorites." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Artist's Way
Morning Pages Journal
"Nearly every morning, I sit down with a hot cocktail of turmeric, ginger, pu-erh tea, and green tea. Next, I crack open [this book]." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Biography of the Dollar
How the Mighty Buck Conquered the World and Why It's Under Siege
"After 50 pages, I was able to hold my own discussing currency trading with a vice president at JP Morgan Chase." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
The Smartest Investment Book You'll Ever Read
The Proven Way to Beat the "Pros" and Take Control of Your Financial Future
"The title may not deliver but it is a smart investment book, at the very least." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Tribe
On Homecoming and Belonging
"I read in about a day and a half. I just ingested it rapid fire." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Benjamin Franklin
An American Life
"I’ve recommended [this book] to thousands and thousands of people." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Elon Musk, Ray Dalio, George Raveling, Scott Belsky, Brandon Stanton, Ed Zschau, Charlie Munger
Poor Charlie's Almanack
The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger
Tim Ferriss mentioned this book on Twitter. (Source)
Also recommended by:
Naval Ravikant, Marc Andreessen, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Patrick Collison, Drew Houston, Ramit Sethi, Daniel Ek, Shane Parrish, Tai Lopez, Courtland Allen, Patrick Bet-David, John Collison
On Writing Well
An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
"I have read this book more than a dozen times, more often for thinking than for writing." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
In Other Words
The Science And Psychology Of Second-language Acquisition
"Adults can learn languages much faster than children83 when constant 9–5 work is removed." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Play It Away
A Workaholic's Cure for Anxiety
"For all Type-A driven readers — especially those who struggle with the shut-off switch — this one is for you." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Joy on Demand
The Art of Discovering the Happiness Within
"Fantastic." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Open
An Autobiography
"Such a fantastic book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Exhalation
"Just so damn good." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
"A tremendous work." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Graveyard Book
"The best audiobook I've ever heard." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Magic of Thinking Big
"I still personally read the first two chapters of this book whenever doubt creeps in." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Mr. Money Mustache, Dave Camarillo, Steve Harvey, Jodie Cook, Ali Abdaal, Jim Kwik, Michael Hyatt, Patrick Bet-David
Bird by Bird
Some Instructions on Writing and Life
"Fantastic book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Daniel Pink, Susan Cain, Ryan Holiday, Matt Mullenweg, Ramit Sethi, Brian Koppelman, Mark Bittman, Mike Birbiglia, Matt Haig
The Obstacle Is the Way
The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph
"It has helped me to turn problems upside-down, become the calm within the storm, and even uncover unique opportunities." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Aubrey Marcus, Steven Pressfield, George Raveling, James Altucher, Christopher Sommer, Casey Neistat, Tom Bilyeu, Chris Do, Patrick Bet-David
Lying
"A great book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Simple & Direct
"Great book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
The Power of Habit
Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
"A very good book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Ray Dalio, Scott Adams, Naval Ravikant, Kelly Starrett, Mr. Money Mustache, Max Levchin, Danny Miranda, Patrick Bet-David
Letters from a Stoic
"[The author] is an outstanding thinker and this is, I think, one of his most accesible books." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia
"A fun novel." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
More Money Than God
Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite
"A fantastic book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Healing Journey
Pioneering Approaches to Psychedelic Therapy
"The introduction alone is worth the price of admission with the book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World
An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children
"If you ever wonder what you can do to really change the world [...] this is a book you need to read." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
The Prophet
"A fantastic book. I would recommend people get the edition with the illustrations by the author." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Kelly Slater, Naval Ravikant, Peter Mallouk, Jason Nemer, Carlos Slim
Vagabonding
An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel
"The book that got me to stop making excuses and pack for an extended hiatus trip overseas." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
"Surprisingly sophisticated." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Secrets of Power Negotiating
Inside Secrets from a Master Negotiator
"I would suggest getting the audio if you can." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Levels of the Game
"About one epic tennis match." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Liar's Poker
"A very exciting book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Little, Big
"One of the best novels I’ve ever read." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Six Thinking Hats
"I found helpful." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Happy Money
The Science of Happier Spending
"It answers the question 'can money buy happiness?'" - Tim Ferriss (Source)
The Ride of a Lifetime
Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
"The negotiation stories with Steve Jobs alone make this book worth the read." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Brené Brown, Brian Chesky, Jason Calacanis, Karlie Kloss, Alexis Ohanian, Michael Bloomberg, Bill Gates, Saagar Enjeti
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
Violate Them at Your Own Risk
"I have reread this before every product launch that I have done." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Letters to a Young Poet
"Very powerful book that I recommend to everyone." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
A Walk in the Woods
Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
"A great way to invigorate." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
We Learn Nothing
Essays
"[A] dazzling collection of humor and insight." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Grit
The Power of Passion and Perseverance
"Really about teaching your kids to focus on hard work and not intrinsic capability." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Josh Waitzkin, Keith Rabois, Tobi Lütke, Tom Bilyeu, Jodie Cook, Ali Abdaal
Rework
"I encourage people to think of as an 'Elements of Style' for building profitable businesses in a web-savvy world." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Mark Cuban, Jeff Bezos, Seth Godin, Tom Peters, Tony Hsieh, Andrew Wilkinson, Shane Parrish
Zorba the Greek
"Highly highly recommend." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Getting to Yes
Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
"A really important concept to grasp." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Charlie Munger, Drew Houston, Dustin Moskovitz, Tim Draper, Nick Ganju, Ann Miura-Ko
The Neverending Story
"That was my favorite book growing up for three or four years in elementary school." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Delivering Happiness
A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose
"What I also enjoyed is that it's entirely in Tony's voice." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Kevin Rose, Gretchen Rubin, Julie Rice, Chip Conley, Danny Miranda, Patrick Bet-David
Extreme Ownership
Extreme Ownership, Book 1
"I am really enjoying this book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Marc Andreessen, Casey Neistat, Alexis Ohanian, Michael Mauboussin, Tom Bilyeu, Danny Miranda
Stranger in a Strange Land
"Incredible." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Stories of Your Life and Others / Arrival
"Incredible collection of short stories." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Art of Spirited Away
"Awe-inspiring and shows the depth of world-creation that makes [the author] a legend." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
The Lessons of History
"It’s excellent." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Kevin Systrom, Shane Parrish, Mark Manson, James Clear, Lyn Alden
The E-Myth Revisited
Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It
"If you’re stuck in your own business, this book can help you get unstuck." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Dave Ramsey, Derek Sivers, Dave Camarillo, Tom Bilyeu, Michael Hyatt, Patrick Bet-David
Consciousness Medicine
Indigenous Wisdom, Entheogens, and Expanded States of Consciousness for Healing and Growth
"Brand-new, but I’m already on my second read." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Motherless Brooklyn
"One of my absolute favorites." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Payoff
The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations
"The real-world stories are heart wrenching and keep the pages turning." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
"A fun read with lots of geek culture, great history, and oh, it also won the Pulitzer Prize." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
The Moth Presents All These Wonders
True Stories About Facing the Unknown
"Reading one short (2–5-page) story over tea or coffee in the morning is a nice jumpstart to the day." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Where Mountains Roar
A personal report from the Sinai and Negev Deserts
"I was given the excerpts by a tour guide while trekking through the Negev not long ago." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
One Simple Idea
Turn Your Dreams into a Licensing Goldmine While Letting Others Do the Work
"An excellent book about licensing." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
In Praise of Shadows
"A weird little book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Radical Acceptance
Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha
"It exceeded all expectations." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Book 1
"If 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' and 'Star Wars' had a love-child, it would read something like this." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Elon Musk, Shah Rukh Khan, Naval Ravikant, Seth Rogen, Richard Branson, Evan Goldberg, Sahil Lavingia, Jack Edwards, Zack D'Aleo
Don't Shoot the Dog!
The New Art of Teaching and Training
"There are principles in this that you can take away, even if you have no interest in training a dog, having a dog, or dogs in general." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Fahrenheit 451
A Novel
"If you wonder why some people take censorship so seriously, this book will give you the answer." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Night Sky with Exit Wounds
"Fantastic." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
On Grief and Grieving
Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss
"Very useful for preparing yourself for the inevitable losses that you will face." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Plants of the Gods
Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers
"A fantastic book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Getting Real
The Smarter, Faster, Easier Way to Build a Successful Web Application
"It does have a software focus, but all of it can be applied to entrepreneurs in general." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Save The Cat!
The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
"A very helpful book as a starting point when thinking of screenwriting and also calls me on my own bullshit." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Eric Weinstein, Neville Medhora, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Donald Miller
The Art of Memoir
"Highly recommended if you work with the written word in any capacity." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Getting Past No
Negotiating in Difficult Situations
"I think [this book and 'Getting to Yes'] go together really, really nicely." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
High Fidelity
"After his girlfriend leaves him for another man, Rob embarks on a journey of self-discovery and evaluation by contacting ex-girlfriends to see what went wrong in each relationship." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Hansel and Gretel
A TOON Graphic
"[People] should read it before their kids read it." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
I Wrote This Book Because I Love You
Essays
"I’ve been eager to revisit [the author]'s work, and I’m now digging into [this book]." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Solve for Happy
Engineer Your Path to Joy
"This good/bad chapter is worth rereading." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Principles
Life and Work
"I highly, highly recommend this book. It has already changed how I think about making decisions in my life and in my business." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Arianna Huffington, Bill Gates, Bryan Johnson, Diddy, Doug McMillon, Drew Houston, Dustin Moskovitz, Gary Vaynerchuk, Howard Marks, Jack Dorsey, Kevin Systrom, Marc Benioff, Mark Cuban, Michael Bloomberg, Naval Ravikant, Reed Hastings, Tony Robbins, Austen Allred, Patrick O'Shaughnessy, Tom Bilyeu, Lex Fridman, James Clear, Marty Cagan, Ben Greenfield
Travels with Charley
In Search of America
"Beautifully written, simply written, and hilarious." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Of Wolves and Men
"Incredible book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Siddhartha
"Consider reading or rereading this short gem." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Naval Ravikant, David Blaine, Emma Watson, Wim Hof, Neil Strauss, Bryan Johnson, Navdeep Chandel, Fred Wilson, Patrick O'Shaughnessy, Phil Jackson, Lex Fridman, Justin Kan, Harry Styles, James Clear, Jack Edwards
The Things They Carried
"Be forewarned that it contains beautiful prose and graphic violence in equal measure." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
A Collaboration with Nature
"It’ll blow your mind." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Draft No. 4
"One of the best books about non-fiction writing that I’ve ever read." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
"A great book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Attia, Marc Andreessen, Larry Page, Matt Mullenweg, Andrew Ng, Drew Houston, Keith Rabois, Dustin Moskovitz, Max Levchin, Luis von Ahn, Kathryn Minshew, Andrew Wilkinson, Blake Scholl, Chris Dixon, Fred Wilson, Raoul Pal, Jodie Cook, Michael Dell, Marty Cagan
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
A Guide to Wealth and Happiness
"Will give you a good taste of what that cocktail of bullets looks like in Naval’s head." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
How to Change Your Mind
What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence
"One of my favorite books of the last five years." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Amelia Boone, Aubrey Marcus, Hamilton Morris, Michael Mauboussin, Naval Ravikant, Paul Stamets, Peter Attia, Stewart Butterfield, Vinod Khosla, Yuval Noah Harari, Kara Swisher
Daily Rituals
How Artists Work
"There were gems everywhere, and I underlined nearly every page." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Biocentrism
How Life and Consciousness are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe
"Although I disagree with some of the things in the book, it’s an interesting read." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
One Blade of Grass
Finding the Old Road of the Heart, a Zen Memoir
"I definitely recommend people check it out. [The author's] stories are insane." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Writing Down the Bones
Freeing the Writer Within
"A great book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Four Thousand Weeks
Time Management for Mortals
"Quite unlike anything I’ve ever read." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Ender's Game
Ender Saga, Book 1
"Through Ender’s journey, you’ll learn how to capitalize on your strengths and those of your teammates, as well as exploit your adversaries’ weaknesses." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Also recommended by:
Suggestible You
The Curious Science of Your Brain's Ability to Deceive, Transform, and Heal
"An excellent book." - Tim Ferriss (Source)
Other Recommenders
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Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.












































































































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