I wasn’t the most academic teenager. In fact, I didn’t read a book from start to finish until I was 19 years old, at the University of Stirling. It’s pretty tragic, I know, but that book and that act ignited a complete fascination with books that continues to this day.
I try to read a book a week when possible and go back to read old books often. There’s always something to glean or a little insight you missed the first time around.
“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero
Below is a short list of what I consider to be essential books. They’ve had a huge impact on my life and my work and I’m quite sure you’ll find something here that inspires you too:
1. The Tao Of Jeet Kune Do – Bruce Lee
2. Striking Thoughts – Bruce Lee
3. The Art Of Expressing The Human Body – Bruce Lee
4. Starting Strength – Mark Rippetoe
5. Maximum Strength – Eric Cressey
6. Strength Training Anatomy – Frederic Delavier
7. Supertraining – Mel Siff
8. Brawn – Stuart McRobert
9. Relax Into Stretch – Pavel Tsatsouline
10. On Filmmaking – Alexander Mackendrick
11. Rebel Without A Crew – Robert Rodriquez
12. A Filmmakers Journey – Peter Jackson
13. On Writing – Stephen King
14. Losing My Virginity – Richard Branson
15. The 4-Hour Workweek
16. The Art Of The Start – Guy Kawasaki
17. Crush It! – Gary Vaynerchuk
18. The $100 Startup – Chris Guillebeau
19. Purple Cow – Seth Godin
20. Tribes – Seth Godin
21. The Dip – Seth Godin
22. Anything You Want – Derek Sivers
23. The 22 Immutable Laws Of Marketing
24. The E-Myth Revisited – Michael Gerber
25. Self-Belief: The Vision – Jamal Edwards
26. How To Win At The Sport Of Business – Mark Cuban
27. The Power Of Less – Leo Babauta
28. Zen To Done – Leo Babauta
29. Do The Work – Steven Pressfield
30. The One Thing – Gary Keller
31. Start With Why – Simon Sinek
32. Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki
33. Tap Dancing To Work – Carol Loomis
34. The Intelligent Investor – Benjamin Graham
35. The Motley Fool UK Investment Guide – David Berger and Tom Gardner
36. I Will Teach You to Be Rich – Ramit Sethi
37. The Richest Man In Babylon – George S. Clason
38. What I Think When I Think About Running – Haruki Murakami
39. Letters From A Stoic – Seneca
40. Hagakure – The Book Of The Samurai