/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.15557833]

What's the single book that's improved your life the most?

(no swear word books allowed)

[Anonymous No.15557887]

[Anonymous No.15557895]

Unironically

[Anonymous No.15557998]

[Anonymous No.15558007]

>>15557895
What happened to the author's name lmao

[Anonymous No.15558010]

>>15558007
Vietnamese

[Anonymous No.15558015]

>>15557833
thus spoke zarathustra

[Anonymous No.15558023]

>>15558010
What's the book about bro? I'm interested but can't google it right now

[Anonymous No.15558024]

>>15557833
The Bible

[Anonymous No.15558035]

>>15557833
Unironically based, Seneca too

[Anonymous No.15558053]

>>15558023
Buddhist teachings applied to everyday scenarios. It’s a self help book. Sounds hokey, but there’s a lot of good stuff in there. I use what I’ve learned from it everyday, and I read it 4 years ago. Made me less cynical

[Anonymous No.15558072]

>>15558053
Based, it's good to find books that make your life better, I'm happy for you bro

[Anonymous No.15558166]

>>15557833
i never went the whole hog nor am i enamored with minimalism but i agree with her principles. her shirt folding method at the very least needs to be taught in schools

[Anonymous No.15558179]

>>15557833

[Anonymous No.15558208]

>>15558179
What did you get out of it?

[Anonymous No.15558289]

>>15557833
"Man. Energy. Society." by Earl Cook. Gave me the keys to understanding everything the title states.

[Anonymous No.15558297]

Machiavelli - Discourses on Livy

[Anonymous No.15558373]

>>15557998
That's not Epictetus.

[Anonymous No.15558376]

>>15558297
Fascist?

[Anonymous No.15558657]

>>15558376
no, be a pragmatist above all else.

[Anonymous No.15558664]

>>15558376
The Discourses is republican.

[Anonymous No.15558820]

>>15558664
but argues in favour that if it were posible to have a single ruler that was incorruptable, then that was preferable. However the positions itself often corrupts so a Republic is more pragmatic

[Anonymous No.15558980]

The Foundation for Exploration

[Anonymous No.15559030]

>>15558664
Republicans are fascists

[Anonymous No.15559045]

>>15557833
I hated this book, but I feel like it made me less judgemental.

[Anonymous No.15559164]

>>15557833
I've read this unironically dozens of times over the years. Pic related is my copy. Read this shit bros.

[Anonymous No.15559219]

>>15558208

What do you think?

[Anonymous No.15559253]

Book of John

[Anonymous No.15559337]

>>15558166

This book was great when I needed to trim my personal library down before moving. Haven't used it for clothes or anything else yet but it's surprisingly unsentimental in its aims and I admire that.

[Anonymous No.15559342]

>>15557833
Fight Club has given me the motivation to actually be great. It has the same premise of the movie but is actually really different and explains the philosophy of Project Mayhem more. 10/10

[Anonymous No.15559368]

>>15557887
How?

[Anonymous No.15559403]

bap

[Anonymous No.15561084]

>>15558024
Blessed

[Anonymous No.15561092]

>>15557833
Get Sh*t Done.

[Anonymous No.15561278]

>>15558820
this is clearly supporting a republic, not a dictatorship

[Anonymous No.15561334]

unironically Infinite Jest

[Anonymous No.15561590]

Practicing mind by Thomas M Sterner.
It's the best book on self discipline I've ever read.

[Anonymous No.15561628]

[Anonymous No.15561722]

>>15557833
I've posted this before and god damn if I won't post it again

[Anonymous No.15561723]

>>15557833 (OP) #
>>15559164
do you think my bf in a depressive episode would appreciate this as a gift? we enjoy exchanging books we haven’t read yet and i want to get him something that will help him be more hopeful

[Anonymous No.15561776]

Bible

[Anonymous No.15561831]

>>15561776
Ah yes, a detailed account of ancient Jewish laws regarding the correct circumstances of when to stone non-virgin brides to death has done wonders for my life as well

[Anonymous No.15561846]

My first school book. The one I used to learn how to read.

Then in second, another book in Portuguese about writing, which taught me how to write properly.
"Redação: Escrever é desvendar o mundo"

[Anonymous No.15561863]

>>15561723
it helped me personally be happier and more productive in life, so i'd recommend

[Anonymous No.15561866]

>>15557833
The sheet of acid i consumed during the last 10 years

[Anonymous No.15561867]

>>15561863
I need to use that, but I'm too crazy.

[Anonymous No.15561875]

>>15559403
bap is great

[Anonymous No.15561879]

has anyone read much seneca? how does it compare to meditations?

[Anonymous No.15561881]

>>15559030
>>15558376
Anything removed from early to mid 20th century is not fascism, certainly least of all what came before it.

[Anonymous No.15561883]

>>15557833
Short, but I have massive respect for Junger so it hit deeply.

[Anonymous No.15561902]

Made me feel not crazy anymore. And helped me gain faith again.

[Anonymous No.15562337]

>>15557833
how absent does your father have to be to read shit like aurelius? my dad used to say some of the same shit aurelius did and quote latin phrases to me lol

[Anonymous No.15562369]

>>15562337
Did he do that with his dick in your mouth or your anus?

[Anonymous No.15562426]

>>15557833
>Having to read meditations, ever
What are you, 14? Stop recommending useless shit lol recommend something that will actually help people

[Anonymous No.15562452]

[Anonymous No.15562454]

>>15561278
did you read what I put? The perfect dictator is best, but it's impossible so a Republic is next best

[Anonymous No.15562460]

>>15557833
Imagine reading the diary of an emperor of the one of the most powerful empires in history and thinking "Yup, this will help me in my simpleton wagecuck life".

[Anonymous No.15562478]

>>15562460
Quite a lot of it was filled with him coping (not very successfully) with the fact that he will die. This is the same for you and him.

[Anonymous No.15562542]

>>15559368
now hes a cummy connoisseur

[Anonymous No.15562561]

>>15557833
>Reading Meditations as a self-help book

[Anonymous No.15562582]

>>15562561
At least the part about being thankful for not hurting relatives/friends despite being able too helped me when I wanted to enter a troublesome argument with some relatives of mine.

[Anonymous No.15562602]

[Anonymous No.15562603]

>>15562582
And what if hurting them was actually what would have been more beneficial for them and even your relationship with them?

[Anonymous No.15562611]

>>15562603
That's some convoluted whatif scenario. But no, it wouldn't.

[Anonymous No.15562645]

>>15562460
>>15562561
I'm not a marcuboo but that's part of the appeal, your reading the thoughts of a practicing stoic from 2000 years ago who also happens to be one of the most powerful people in the world who funnily enough also delt with issues people are still dealing with in the 21st century.
It also helps that it's easy to read and doesn't require 5 books and a bunch of accompanying essays and analysis just to arrive at "live your best life".
Look at it as a great gateway into philosophy and history in general and leave it at that.

[Anonymous No.15562652]

>>15562611
Not really, it's a pretty common scenario with certain people.

[Anonymous No.15562673]

>>15562645
Well, it's also pretty filled with the state ideology of the epoch, you don't need to be very bright to notice this. Curiously some the precepts there would be pretty subversive today and some others would fit to perfection, specially among wagecucks.

[Anonymous No.15562674]

>>15562652
The dialogue was
>this book is useless for self-help
>no, it actually helped me to achieve a good thing
>but that good thing can sometimes lead to bad thing!
Every good thing can theoretically lead to the bad thing, that does not refute the argument.

[Anonymous No.15562703]

>>15562674
I didn't say that the book is useless for self-help, every book could be good for self-help as long as you extract the good from it. The problem is self-help itself, which is the root of the problem when trying to achieve "happiness", which is actually determined by structural reasons and self-help is just a psicologization of the actual problem. Stoic philosophy, with the ideological claim of "acting according to the whole" "the individual is subordinated to the colective order" "distinguish the inner and relevant from the external and irrelevant" could actually be more damaging than beneficial, at least for those without critical insight. It would be like giving anxiolytics to a black pregnant woman, unable to find a job, living in baltimore, "at least she will be able to make the best of her life".

[Anonymous No.15562708]

>>15559045
Why did you hate it? It’s one of my favourite books.

[Anonymous No.15562710]

>>15559164
Why did you read it upside down?

[Anonymous No.15562720]

Pic related
I read it 2 years ago and am still rereading it

[Anonymous No.15562737]

Watered down sci-fi Count of Montecristo with a infantile take on emancipation of the humankind. I read it when 16 years old. After reading it i immediately fought with some of my "friends" and began defining my own identity in opposition to stupidity, in the bright side i'm now doing a phd on sociology, in the dark side i'm bipolar and may commit suicide any time.

[Anonymous No.15562742]

>>15562673
>state ideology of the epoch
Of course it is, your reading the self-help notes of a man raised since childhood to be emperor

>>15562673
>pretty subversive today and some others would fit to perfection, specially among wagecucks.
my biggest hang up when reading it and why I think a lot of neichzeboos love to shit on it is that he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth so for him to say bro just accept your lot in life is a bit rich.

[Anonymous No.15562780]

>>15562369
No need to project your childhood experiences anon

[Anonymous No.15562787]

>>15558297
Is this better -as in 'even more interesting'- than the Prince?

[Anonymous No.15562802]

I and Thou. Martin Buber

[Anonymous No.15562803]

>>15558166
>>15559045
>>15559342
>>15561590
>>15561883
>>15561902
>>15562452
Thanks. Just downloaded these for the day. Will hopefully snag more from this thread tomorrow. Just bought an e-reader, so I'm trying to fill it with all sorts of good shit. Cheers.

>>15562602
B&N employee here. Have had two customers who purchased this book in store. Goofy shit. Bought it for my sister as a joke gift, but I think she took it seriously and plans on crafting with her cats' hair. Terrifying.

[Anonymous No.15562843]

https://old.vocaroo.com/i/s0Zs3oNx4SOq

Stoicism is a cope.

[Anonymous No.15562852]

>>15561722
thxn

[Anonymous No.15562856]

>>15562843
Pop-Stoicism is. Real Stoicism is not

[Anonymous No.15562859]

>>15562454
If we're pulling perfects out of our why have government at all?
Perfect people in a perfect would just naturally get along

[Anonymous No.15562982]

>>15562843
>American
Unsurprising

[Anonymous No.15562986]

>>15558023
How the fuck are you on 4chan but can't google?

[Anonymous No.15562989]

>>15559164
Jesus christ, take better care of your shit.

[Anonymous No.15563149]

Ecclesiastes

[Anonymous No.15563218]

>>15562720
Is it okay in English?

>>15562843
Aurelius is pretty open about stoicism being cope. That doesn't dismiss it though

[Anonymous No.15563236]

>>15558373

>Haha old bust go guurrrrr

[Anonymous No.15563252]

>>15562989
I disagree, life should share the brunt of it's blows among all it's tools and devices

[Anonymous No.15563276]

>>15562703
shut up retard

[Anonymous No.15563277]

>>15557895
Thick Nathan

[Anonymous No.15563362]

Don quixote

[Anonymous No.15563405]

>>15557833
It made me edgy for sure when I was young*, but it gave me the spirit to fight back at things and realise my pacifism was mostly cowardice. Two wrongs dont make a right but stomping the nose gives peace of mind.

[Anonymous No.15563406]

>>15563218
I've only read it in german. Some of the meaning gets lost for sure. But try it out. It's a meditation on life and how to life it to it's full potential.

Here's the first letter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5tZ8X-EnAg

[Anonymous No.15563987]

This one. And Jung in general. These are my copies. I've been waiting for a translation to my native language for over 10 years. I'm still hunting for the manuscript version of liber primus & secundus, which is, unfortunately, almost unobtainable here.

[Anonymous No.15564002]

>>15563277
b&rp

[Anonymous No.15564039]

the recognitions.

[Anonymous No.15564055]

>>15562803
Just warning that Mysterious Stranger is actually a very pessimistic book with the only bright part being downright solipsistic. It impacted me a lot when I read it as a child, but posting it ITT was sort of a dark joke.

[Anonymous No.15564058]

>>15559030
If only

[Anonymous No.15564202]

Book of disquiet

[Anonymous No.15564208]

>>15557833
the 4 hour life survival guide

[Anonymous No.15564395]

>>15558024
Blessed and Christpilled

[Anonymous No.15564433]

>>15561881
t. brainlet take

sure it might not PURE FASCISM but theres plenty of precursors to fascism, it didn't just crop up over night

[Anonymous No.15564507]

>>15563362
my nigga

[Anonymous No.15564510]

>>15564433
There are things which led up to Fascism but that still doesn't make then Fascist. That's like calling Hegel a Marxist.

[Anonymous No.15564558]

>>15557895

>A book written about just working and being happy about it
>Written by a bug man

Pottery

[Anonymous No.15564567]

>>15559164

Why did you choose to use your copy as target practice?

[Anonymous No.15564580]

watching communist takeover of america has be going over mantra "I am only hurting myself"

[Anonymous No.15564721]

>>15564055
Kind of you to throw out the disclaimer. I read about it before I downloaded it and it sounds interesting. Looks like it was Twain's last piece, which I thought was pretty cool. I'm downloading all sorts of shit so whatever mood I may be in I will have something that suits it.

[Anonymous No.15564735]

>>15564580
>thinks that american 'liberals' are communists.
You spent too much time on 4chan/reddit/twitter

[Anonymous No.15564786]

>>15562852
I need to read this one. Betrayal of the Body and Narcissism changed my life. Lowen is a brilliant man, and most so, ironically, when he's not writing about bioenergetics.

[Anonymous No.15564819]

>>15564558
Shut the fuck up

[Anonymous No.15564891]

>>15558015
support it. but newfags dont will understand the book

[Anonymous No.15564927]

>>15564891
It's literally called "A book for all and nobody"
I think you have to read it more as poetry than as a work of philosophical literature. Paradoxically it's still a philosophy

[Anonymous No.15564935]

>>15558373
Epictetus get crazy on god .Lucius Annaeus Seneca better . but Aristotle give to suck all of them

[Anonymous No.15565020]

>>15564927
btw nietzsches poems where shite

[Anonymous No.15565364]

>>15559337
the thing that really sold me on it was that her approach to book collections was the same conclusion i had reached independently a few years prior when i took stock of how many books i was buying and how many of them i had no intention of reading again

[Anonymous No.15566086]

>>15559164
Wtf are you a moth?

[Anonymous No.15566178]

>>15562710
To remind me what a luxury it is to read things not upside down and how I should appreciate it more.

[Anonymous No.15566462]

>>15559164
i guess some people reall devour their books lmao

[Anonymous No.15567842]

>>15558024
I came here for this. God bless you brother

[Anonymous No.15567882]

>>15557833

[Anonymous No.15567894]

>>15557833
The Bible and the Book of Mormon

[Anonymous No.15567912]

>>15557833
Unironically none. LMAO they're just words and letters and shit, like, nigga just close the cover.

Howa block of text gonna enrich your existence. Wyte ppl be crazy. Yo, this why you all incels. Y'all got your nose in a book while I got dick in yo crush's pussy. LMFAO

[Anonymous No.15567915]

>>15557998
nice

[Anonymous No.15567940]

>>15558015
>>15558024
>>15561334
>>15561776
>>15563405
>>15567882
>>15567894
Certified F A G

[Anonymous No.15567952]

>>15561879
Much better and much more articulate rather than some of the vague spouting of Aurelius. Much more philosophically developed, while I found, whilst some of it is good, Aurelius writes a lot of empty platitudes and fundamentally meaningless nonsense about muh nature and other such concepts.

Seneca's something everyone should read, and every great philosopher of the past certainly had read, would recommend the Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium, funnily enough also quite an entertaining read, the casual and brief format of the letters makes it quite engaging

[Anonymous No.15568063]

>>15557833
I see people posting a lot of philosophical and fictional works, however, none have focused on their relation to their fellow man. Personally I've found that my others have made my life fuller and given it, a near infinite, more meaning; therefore the book which has driven me to the most in my life and which has given me the best tools to deal with others in my day to day life is, hands down, How To Win Friends and Influence People.

Cult of Dale Carnegie FTW

[Anonymous No.15569317]

its the story of innovation vs mediocrity

[Anonymous No.15569365]

>>15557833

probably the chuangzi

[Anonymous No.15569429]

>>15561723
When I was depressed I read Crime and Punishment. Shit changed my life. I would have rejected The Meditations at that time out of cynicism. Luckily I read Dostoevsky first, so now I enjoy both.

[Anonymous No.15569480]

hippie picture book made me realize that being a wagecuck.normie would make me utterly miserable and it's okay to not want it at a young age.

[Anonymous No.15569699]

>>15557833
St. Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries and to a slightly lesser degree Eugippius' The Life of Saint Severinus

[Anonymous No.15569965]

Myth of Sisyphus prevented me for an hero~ing, does that count?

[Anonymous No.15570084]

>>15557833
Republic or Spinoza's Ethic.
The book I read about stoics.
Descartes' Correspondence with Princess Elizabeth and Passions of the Soul.

All a part.

[Anonymous No.15570408]

>>15561831
>t. was 1/8 through reading the Bible and gave up
Does the name, “Jesus” ring a bell? You probably haven’t got that far

[Anonymous No.15571041]

Homo Faber by Max Frisch. Read it cover to cover after my first breakup. It was the right book at the right time.

[Anonymous No.15571071]

>>15567940
Certified Trannie and/or Kike

[Anonymous No.15571082]

[Anonymous No.15571769]

>>15562603
Wouldn't that just be called helping them?

[Anonymous No.15571826]

>>15563987
Yes. This book made me follow a career in psychiatry

[Anonymous No.15571838]

>>15557833
Unironically pic related and Nichomachaen Ethics. Made me not suicidal, grateful for life, and determined to not get on antidepressants.

[Anonymous No.15571999]

>>15557833
This, the writing isn't great, but you can't help but come away with a genuine respect for the man.

[Anonymous No.15572003]

>>15566086
Audible Kek

[Anonymous No.15572120]

>>15562720
i think this book hits harder if you want to do art for a living, like a Stephen Dedalus type

[Anonymous No.15572160]

>>15572120
Aurelius was a better leader than augustus from a philosphical POV

[Anonymous No.15572184]

>>15557833

This book is invaluable, but I wouldn't have gotten there without the Tao te Ching, which has probably been more personally significant.

[Anonymous No.15572189]

>>15557887
>one of the side themes of the book was how he described all the disgusting events happening without a single vulgar word to show that word policing is fucking stupid and you can dress even the worst shit up in nice language

[Anonymous No.15572208]

>>15571826
>>15563987

Why was it so influental for you?

[Anonymous No.15572275]

>>15557833
catcher in the rye

[Anonymous No.15572358]

>>15572189
whats disgusting about wanting to bang a 12 year old?

[Anonymous No.15572406]

>>15562787
Discourses is a lot more interesting imo

[Anonymous No.15572418]

>>15558053
Thanks for letting us know about this... I desperately need all of those things, most of all reducing my cynicism.
Has it made you consider practicing Buddhism in general?

[Anonymous No.15572448]

>>15564558
Vietnamese are by far the most based of Asians

[Anonymous No.15572455]

How to Become a Straight-A Student it helped me when i was getting straight c's in freshman and sophomore year of high school turn things around. Now I'm in a very prestigious professional program and i think the book is a big factor why

[Anonymous No.15572818]

>>15572448
>Btfo France and America
>Bitch slapped China
>Stopped the Khmer Rouge
>Food is the most effective synthesis of Western and Eastern techniques in cooking

[Anonymous No.15573415]

>>15562426
cringe

[Anonymous No.15574421]

>>15568063
kys you fake piece of shit

[Anonymous No.15574476]

>>15572418
>Has it made you consider practicing Buddhism in general
I wouldn’t go that far. The biggest takeaway is that meditation is less of an act and more of a headspace that can be accessed at any time. All of the books written by him that I’ve read have been great though. They’re all very short

[Anonymous No.15575487]

>>15572455
Are there any basic takeaways in there or do you need to read it front-to-back?

[Anonymous No.15575776]

>>15572818
Holy Basado

[Anonymous No.15576482]

>>15567940
kys discord tranny

[Anonymous No.15576608]

The Republic. Plato is exceedingly based

[Anonymous No.15576621]

>>15568063
Everyone in your life hates you and thinks you're a manipulative piece of shit.

[Anonymous No.15576625]

>>15576621
What, no. Have you read the f book? It is decent.

[Anonymous No.15576665]

>>15576625
I have read the book. Everything the book tells you to do teaches you to wear a skin suit of a normal person. Imagine some autistic person repeating people's name awkwardly in conversation, that's literally what this POS book makes you sound like. You cannot be a genuine, moral, or confident person and buy into the shit Dale throws at you. You will never be operational in society if you're treating it as your bible.

[6 No.15576920]

>>15576665
Its like paraphrasing Hemmingway. u know all he did was drink and smoke cigs in europe in his mid 30s.

[Anonymous No.15577095]

>>15576608
too hard

[Anonymous No.15577113]

>>15576665
>epeating people's name awkwardly in conversation
I didn't even know this was a thing until a couple years ago. i've always instinctively done this, especially to people I've just met

[Anonymous No.15577950]

>>15557833
my diary desu
and this time not memeing actually, just that instead of a booklat diary, I document everything I think and come across in a digital storage, but it still is my "diary"

[Anonymous No.15578017]

>>15575487
I would say reading it is worth it but the summary according to reddit is here:


Since it's a fairly short book, I would recommend reading it. Here are some notes I took while reading it (pardon the formatting):

work accomplished = time spent x intensity of focus

time management system:

requires no more than 5 to 10 minutes of effort

doesn't force an unchangeable minute-by-minute schedule on your day

helps you remember, plan, and complete important tasks before the very last moment

can be quickly restarted after periods of neglect

calendar: to-dos and deadlines, master schedule, dealt with once every 24 hours

jot down new tasks + assignments on your list during the day

next morning, transfer new items from list to calendar

take a couple of minutes to plan your day

list: today's schedule + things to remember

keep a work progress journal: jot down "all completed" or rationalize why you procrastinated

Quizzes + Exams
take smart notes:

notes on laptop, formulas + technical stuff on paper one folder for each class: every piece of paper should be dated and put in this folder

nontechnical courses: identify the big ideas date your notes + record title of the day's lecture (perhaps create a notes directory/index capture big ideas with: question, evidence, conclusion for discussions, jot down insightful comments made by you, other students, + professor

technical courses: record as many sample problems as possible don't read assignments (read after presented by professor if you don't understand it) bring reading to class (follow professor's examples with textbook)

prioritize note-taking: 1st. record problem statement + answer 2nd. question the confusing 3rd. record steps of sample problem 4th. annotate the steps

demote your assignments:

don't do all of your reading always read assignments from favored sources

read things that: make an argument describe an event or person provide context directly address specific topic of lecture

marshal your resources

build a study guide compile mega-problem sheet add technical explanation questions memorization aids: flash cards

conquer the material

quiz-and-recall method: review concept and then try to explain it aloud in your own words

invest in "academic disaster insurance"

ask questions in class develop habit of talking to your professor briefly after class ask classmates come prepared to exam review sessions

provide A+ answers

review first, answer questions later: look at all questions before proceeding to answer build a time budget: time allotted - ten minutes / number of questions proceed from easy to hard outline essays check your work

Essays + Papers
research like a machine

find sources

make personal copies (jot down citation info or copy it too)

annotate the material separate research from writing and writing from editing

[Anonymous No.15578049]

>>15572358
Nothing as such, but Humbert Humbert is so repellent that he makes even pure sexual love for a lgf into something foul.

[Anonymous No.15578057]

>>15578017
tl;dr

[Anonymous No.15578067]

>>15578057
brainlet

[Anonymous No.15578099]

>>15557833
Catcher in the Rye left a strong impression on me when I read it and definitely shaped who I am today, but Seneca's Letters probably improved my life more

[Anonymous No.15578257]

>>15557833
Maimonides’ Midrash. It was boring as fuck and unforgiving to gentiles like myself but all of the laws basically improved my life when I applied them.

[Anonymous No.15578269]

Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah. It was boring as fuck and very unforgiving to gentiles like myself but all of the laws basically improved my life when I applied them.

[Anonymous No.15579147]

>>15557833
The Fortress. Written by a nobel prize from Bosnia and Herzegowina, Mesa Selimović.

[Anonymous No.15579166]

this was the first ever 'literary' fiction i ever read after seeing it shilled on /lit/ when i was 18 4.5 years ago - unironically it blew my mind and completely opened my eyes to the possibilities with language, the messages about addiction and entertainment (although obvs trite at this point) were also very profound.

[Anonymous No.15579181]

Houellebecq unironically saved my life

[Anonymous No.15579274]

>>15557833
Destroy your world with Buddhism. Learn how to obliterate everything and everyone with your mind. Also it gave me the confidence to stop being a bitch and get laid in college.

[Anonymous No.15579323]

>>15562737
>a phd on sociology
Go back

[Anonymous No.15579347]

Lotus Sutra
南無妙法蓮華経!

[Anonymous No.15579370]

>>15557833
Unironically this book. It made me realize what a terrible man Wałęsa was, how detrimental he was to the cause of Polish independence, how he was basically a communist secret police agent, a patsy that protected the interests of communists and post-communists. It opened my eyes and made me realize what bullshit Third Polish Republic really is. It taught me to think more independently. It's a shame that the book isn't translated to English or more known in the West where Wałęsa is still perceived as a hero.

[Anonymous No.15579594]

>>15557833
Not one book in particular, but Dostoevsky in general.

[Anonymous No.15579605]

>>15557998
Either this or the Bhagavad-Gita.

[Anonymous No.15579695]

>>15557998
that's Zeno of Citum, not Epictetus

[Anonymous No.15579763]

No other book has taught me so much as this

[Anonymous No.15579773]

>>15561879
It's fantastic and will stay with you for life. I highly recommend Plutarch's Moralia alongside it

[Anonymous No.15579791]

>>15564202
In what way?

[Anonymous No.15579794]

>>15569317
and how did this exactly impact you?

[Anonymous No.15580149]

>>15579274
isn't shambhala a fullmetal alchemist movie?

[Anonymous No.15580159]

>>15561723
>i want to get him something that will help him be more hopeful
The meditations will actually teach him the opposite, but he'll be better for it.

[Anonymous No.15580653]

>>15557895
could've just read OPs pic rel

[Anonymous No.15580663]

>>15579763
Based

[Anonymous No.15581010]

Very good story, and a reminder that things could always be worse and indeed to appreciate that which is good in a day without taking things too seriously.

[Anonymous No.15581058]

>>15557833
Probably a dictionary, I can win arguments and always be right just by using semanitics to my advantage, lawyers/solicitors make a fortune out of it

[Anonymous No.15581444]

>>15557833

[Anonymous No.15581458]

>>15579605
I tried reading it and legit wtf man too many names I cant keep up

[Anonymous No.15581702]

Lord Chesterfield's Letters to His Son
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3361/3361-h/3361-h.htm

Practical instructions from a wise man and also comfy

[Anonymous No.15582110]

>>15572208
It was just very relatable to me as a book thats on the edge between science, philosophy and religion. You start asking simpler questions about the mind, like how memory works, how human psychology is organized etc. and then you get to a point in wich you have unanswerable questions that are impossible to ignore, like the nature of consciousness and subjective experience. Then the mind becomes the most rich, most deep exploration field into the nature of reality. When you realize the true profoundness of the consciousness, your questions and reasoning get on the edge between divine experience, philosophy and science. To me thats what tge book represents: an honest, deep exploration on one's psyche. Honestly psychoanalysis was what reconnected me to religious experience, having been a nihilistic materialist before. It also got me into phenomenology

[Anonymous No.15582324]

>>15580653
Who hasn’t? They’re not very similar.

[Anonymous No.15582336]

[Anonymous No.15582356]

>>15557887
I'm actually 5 chapters into this book, and so far I haven't come across anything bad
it's just sort of set up the reason he lusts for Lolita being because of his unfulfilled desire for Annabelle

I assume it gets more disgusting later on?

[Anonymous No.15582706]

>>15557833
I still revisit it regularly.

[Anonymous No.15582717]

>>15579763
How ? It's "just" a history book

[Anonymous No.15582916]

This book is the epitome of stoicism.
Doesnt matter how hard you try, there is allways a nigger trying to ruin your plans for absolutely no reason, even if you are hardtrying doing some help.

Also, people in general are retards and lazy. Dont be dependent of other people if not yourself;

[Anonymous No.15583036]

>>15582916
My takeaway from the book is quite different. I think the book is the epitome of pessimism. I think Goulding was trying to imply that at the end of the day, we are animals and that aspects such as "civilization" and "democracy" are just social constructs.

[Anonymous No.15583157]

>>15581458
You only have to remember Arjuna and Krishna.

[Anonymous No.15583232]

[Anonymous No.15583547]

>>15581458
Were you just reading the Gita or the entire Mahabharata? I hope you mean the latter because Krishna and Prince Arjuna are the only primary characters of the former.

[Anonymous No.15583556]

Everyone should read this.

[Anonymous No.15583594]

>>15557833
American Psycho

[Anonymous No.15583613]

>>15583036
yeah that's what I was getting out of it as well

[Anonymous No.15583740]

>>15583594
how did it improve your life?

[Anonymous No.15583838]

>>15569965
More like the Myth of Sissy-phus for you, LOL.

[Anonymous No.15585240]

>>15579763
Try hard

[Anonymous No.15586847]

Probably Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. I learned some really good lessons & it's the book that turned me on to reading. I've read hundreds of them since then but it still sticks out more than others so that's saying something

[Anonymous No.15586925]

>>15571999
>the writing isn't great

[Anonymous No.15586928]

>>15581444
perhaps the 2nd most overrated trash of all time

[Anonymous No.15587627]

>>15586928
What's number 1?

[Anonymous No.15587687]

The Consolation of Philosophy

[Anonymous No.15587692]

The Culture of Critique: An Evolutionary Analysis of Jewish Involvement in Twentieth-Century Intellectual and Political Movements

[Anonymous No.15587695]

I thought this board liked Guenon, I guess considering the quality of the board I'm not surprised those who did left hehe.

[Anonymous No.15587833]

>>15583556

What are your thoughts about it?

[Anonymous No.15588333]

>>15566462
Now you know why they call him a voracious reader

[Anonymous No.15588338]

>>15587692
This book ruined my life, now I'm seeing jewish schemes behind everything. I want to go back!

[Anonymous No.15588570]

>>15581010
I once saw this being recommended by some basic self-help dude who literally thought this book was about the virtues of optimism, like Pangloss was right all along

[Anonymous No.15588578]

Unironically this. And also the "Story of my Life" by Casanova. I always read it when travelling and it gives me motivation to really go after what I want. The guy was more than a playboy, he always found his way to the top and was probably one of the most charismatic people alive.

[Anonymous No.15589748]

>>15588570
That's pretty funny. I think my favorite section was about pococurante, the nobleman that was not pleased by anything at all. Absolutely hilarious

[Anonymous No.15589758]

either/or desu

[Anonymous No.15589827]

>>15582356
Straight forward interpretation, Lolita is about a man who causes irreversible damage to a tween because he thinks children are capable of being adult lovers.
The book is famous because the narrator tricks the audience into thinking he's some kind of romantic hero.
I've heard interpretations where Humbert and Lolita's relationship is a metaphor of how Old World Europe is fascinated by America, though.

[Anonymous No.15589909]

>>15579274
>Buddhism
>get laid in college
Bruh that's detrimental to your karma

[Anonymous No.15591092]

>>15586925
?