Meditations
The private notebook of the most powerful man alive, telling himself to calm down.
Read it for
Staying steady when people are being idiots.
The reading list
Your first year.
Twelve books, in the order they arrive. The ones that hook you come first, and each one sets up the next.
Already read one?
Tell us before it ships and we'll swap it for another from the list.
The Art of War
Thirteen short chapters on winning before the fight even starts.
Read it for
Thinking two moves ahead, at work and everywhere else.
Letters from a Stoic
Letters to a friend about time, money, fear and death. Still bang on.
Read it for
Spending your time like it actually runs out.
The Book of Five Rings
An undefeated swordsman's notes on strategy, written in a cave near the end of his life.
Read it for
Getting properly good at one thing.
Man's Search for Meaning
A psychiatrist survives the Nazi camps and works out why some men kept going.
Read it for
Finding a reason to keep going when it's grim.
The Enchiridion
A pocket handbook from a former slave: work out what you control, and let go of the rest.
Read it for
Not sweating what you can't change.
Hagakure
A retired samurai spent seven years telling a younger one how to live. This is what he said.
Read it for
Committing fully to whatever you're doing.
Tao Te Ching
Eighty-one short verses on strength that doesn't need to show off.
Read it for
Strength without the noise.
Walden
A man moves into a cabin in the woods for two years to work out what he actually needs.
Read it for
Wanting less and enjoying more.
Letters to a Young Poet
Ten letters from a famous poet to a 19-year-old military cadet who asked him for advice.
Read it for
Being patient with the big questions.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
A runaway printer's apprentice builds a life, and keeps a scorecard on his own habits.
Read it for
Building good habits on purpose.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
The 1936 manual on dealing with people. Still the best one going.
Read it for
Getting on with just about anyone.
Start at Book I.
Meditations leaves within 2 business days of you joining. From $49 a book with postage included, and you can skip, pause or cancel any time.