Book summaries (excerpts)

Instead of summarizing the books in my own words, I gathered the top excerpts. I want the spirit of the books to remain intact and I want you to be able to interpret the crumbs of wisdom on your own.

Date is the date on which I read the book.

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness

October 28th, 2020|Tags: |

Author: Naval Ravikant, Eric Jorgenson and Jack Butcher ASIN: B08FF8MTM6 Naval is one of my favorite thinkers. This book is a collection of his thoughts from various media (podcasts, interviews, articles etc.) up until September 2020. What a great read! EXCERPTS [Note that I've skipped the first part of the book, because it's content was already summarized by the book "HOW TO GET RICH: (without getting lucky)". If [...]

Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life

October 18th, 2020|Tags: |

Author: Nassim Nicholas Taleb ASIN: B077QY23RV I tried reading Taleb a few years ago but I just couldn't stomach his writing style. In comparison to other books it lacks explanations and citations, which at the time lead me to believe that Taleb is just another macro-bullshitter. I decided to plough through this time due to many recommendations. I quickly found out that my macro-BS impression was wrong. He [...]

How to get rich (without getting lucky)

October 4th, 2020|Tags: |

Author: Naval Ravikant and Babak Nivi ASIN: B086BGN5LF The book is a basically a transcript of Naval Ravikant's podcasts on his "getting rich" tweetstorm. Great crumbs of wisdom. However, instead of reading this book, read "the Almanack of Naval Ravikant" (I've prepared a book summary as well). EXCERPTS Seek Wealth, Not Money or Status Wealth is assets that earn while you sleep The reason you want wealth is [...]

Animal Farm

September 2nd, 2020|Tags: |

Author: George Orwell ASIN: B07K59VB7W A great short book about how revolutions get hijacked. A fable for grown-ups. EXCERPTS [The message cannot be convincingly revealed through paragraphs (as with most books). I recommend reading this short fable for grown-ups.] The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. [...]

The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself

September 1st, 2020|Tags: |

Author: Sean Carroll ISBN: 978-1101984253 Remember Nietzsche's God is dead? The outlook on life presented on this book is exactly the one he had in mind, when he said it. While I do agree with Nietzsche that we're nowadays predominantly facing a crisis of meaning I do agree with Carroll as well. We shouldn't stop exploring just because it may cause a crisis of meaning. It is up [...]

Siddhartha

August 15th, 2020|Tags: |

Author: Herman Hesse (translated by Hilda Rosner) ISBN: 978-0811200684 Story of a young aristocrat, who is trying to renounce sensual and material pleasures and discover ultimate spiritual truths. A classic. EXCERPTS [Buddha = Illustrious One = Gothama The young man/ aristocrat/ traveller = Siddharta = Samana] That was how everybody loved Siddhartha. He delighted and made everybody happy. But Siddhartha himself was not happy. Siddhartha had one single [...]

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