The top 15 books I read in 2021

Reading / /

Last year I read over 40 books. I skimmed through a few of them this week as I was reorganizing my bookshelf, and decided to make a list of the top 15. 

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, translated by Gregory Hays

I’ve read this book numerous times–it’s one of the best books ever written. Marcus Aurelius reminds us: You can assemble your life action by action. No one can stop you from that.

The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday

I’ve been reading this book for years now as part of my daily routine. This is hands down the best book on how to live I’ve ever read. I cannot recommend it enough.

On the Shortness of Life by Seneca

Another book I’ve read many times. One of the biggest takeaways is regarding what is truly worth doing in life: following your unique path and doing it in a way that helps others.

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Resistance is real. The only way to beat it is to show up every day and give it everything you have.

Perennial Sellers by Ryan Holiday

“You don’t have to be a genius to make genius—you just have to have small moments of brilliance and edit out the boring stuff.”

Deep Work by Cal Newport

A day spent doing shallow activities will leave you feeling miserable, even if they seem harmless or fun.

Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield

Turning pro means doing your work without thought of praise or criticism. You do your work because you have no choice—because it’s in your heart like blood. Also, your unique, authentic self is in a constant struggle with your ego.

The Daily Laws by Robert Greene

We cannot be great if we are not our authentic selves.

Meditations, The Annotated Edition by Robin Waterfield

We don’t need more information—we need to go deeper with what we already know to be true.

The Cost of These Dreams by Wright Thompson

Endless ambition is a distraction and waste of life. Enjoy, right now, the life you’re living with the people you love.

Several Short Sentences About Writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg

The importance of working at something daily. You can’t think all your best thoughts in advance. 

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

We exist for a split second.

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

Originality is just a mix of existing material. Nothing is truly original.

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Ninety-nine percent of what we do is inessential.

How To Be Free by Epictetus, Translated by A.A. Long

We must always be fine-tuning our divine superpower: our ability to reason.

10 things I learned, found interesting, or used this month

Monthly Top 10 / /

1. Habits are only habits if they’re done daily. Habits done “once a week aren’t habits at all. They’re obligations”. –Jeff Goins, quoted by Ann Handley in Everybody Writes

2. “Be quiet, work hard, stay healthy. It’s not ambition or skill that is going to set you apart, but sanity.” –Ryan Holiday

3. There’s not enough time to read every book, so “read books that the ideal version of yourself (in 20 years) would have been proud to have read. If you’re reading challenging or intimidating books, you’re probably on the right track”. –David Perell

4. The idea of owning your time. When I work out, I own that one hour. I’m making that one hour serve me, not the other way around. (Source: Robert Greene On The Most Important Advice He Gave Ryan Holiday | Daily Stoic)

5. The importance of focus. “A woodpecker,” Seth Godin writes in The Dip, “can tap twenty times on a thousand trees and get nowhere, but stay busy. Or he can tap twenty-thousand times on one tree and get dinner.” Quoted by Billy Oppenheimer in his Six at Six Newsletter

6. Only a fool is always regretting her actions.

7. According to Michal Schur in How to Be Perfect, all moral philosophy boils down to 4 questions: What am I doing? Why am I doing it? Is there something I could do that’s better? Why is it better?

8. It’s not enough to just appreciate moments of wonder and awe, we must hunt them. (From Julia Baird, Phosphorescence)

9. More on hunting wonder: “People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.” –Iris Murdoch, quoted by Julia Baird, Phosphorescence

10. Here’s Your Secret To Success: Go The F*ck To Sleep –Ryan Holiday

Scroll to Top