What book changed your life?
- Thread starter MPAsquared
- Start date
I learned IBM 370 assembler language from a textbook written
by an engineer teaching at Ryerson many years ago. It turned out
Fortran and C was all I needed to use and I never had a chance to write
an assembler program outside of classroom work. I am glad
I picked up the language nonetheless. Knowing the basics
of assembler language is is IMO enormously educational for
someone without formal schooling in computer science.
My programming skills would have been a lot weaker
without it.
Anyway I think the OP has in mind the type of books
people read for leisures. Reading an assembler language
book is n times more demanding than reading War and Peace.
I'm also a Dale Carnegie fan. How to Win Friends and Influence People is a classic and so is his lesser known book How to Start Worrying and Start Living. Another classic is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.
The Little Prince is in my top 3 - I read it in both french and english. The line "It's such a mysterious place, the land of tears" makes me cry every time.
My favourite is Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. It's a young adult book but it's amazing, I re-read it at least once a year.
So many books, so little time.
First big influence book for me was "How I found Freedom in an Unfree World" by Harry Browne. To this day it is the book that shifted my thinking and self awareness and self perception the most. The slide was furthered by so many other books including Dale Carnegie, Steven Covey, Tony Robbins, Scott Peck, and lately Hal Elrod, "The Miracle Morning". Corporately The Art of War, and Steven Covey's 7 Habits....great influence. Investing......Robert Kiyosaki Rich Dad Poor Dad Investing Guide. Also, as mentioned before; Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance....read it several times.
First big influence book for me was "How I found Freedom in an Unfree World" by Harry Browne. To this day it is the book that shifted my thinking and self awareness and self perception the most. The slide was furthered by so many other books including Dale Carnegie, Steven Covey, Tony Robbins, Scott Peck, and lately Hal Elrod, "The Miracle Morning". Corporately The Art of War, and Steven Covey's 7 Habits....great influence. Investing......Robert Kiyosaki Rich Dad Poor Dad Investing Guide. Also, as mentioned before; Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance....read it several times.
I've also read the 1st two books on MPASquared's list.
Also, Yeager mentioned by TeasePlease.
There are other self-help books I like too, as well as history books and biographies.
I don't know about any that have truly changed my life but since I'm into the JFK Assassination, there are some truly great books written by great minds whose research exposes the bullshit underlying American's history.
Also, Yeager mentioned by TeasePlease.
There are other self-help books I like too, as well as history books and biographies.
I don't know about any that have truly changed my life but since I'm into the JFK Assassination, there are some truly great books written by great minds whose research exposes the bullshit underlying American's history.
If it sparked your career in computers, etc., then yes, it would be a life changing book.
Greene's, 48 Laws of Power. I was skeptical even after finishing it, but I do keep returning to it so there's something there.
F Neitszche, Beyond Good and Evil. This can't be summarized. Read it and be changed for life.
Exupery's, The Little Prince, remains the only book that can reduce me to tears, not just when I was a child.
F Neitszche, Beyond Good and Evil. This can't be summarized. Read it and be changed for life.
Exupery's, The Little Prince, remains the only book that can reduce me to tears, not just when I was a child.
I read it in university years ago but forget most of it. I should read it again!
Another great Canadian classic is The Stone Angel - Margaret Laurence. Changed my perspective on life, especially as a woman.
It's not a very good book. But, it sticks in my mind as something that I read over and over one summer back in grade school and its the book that turned me on to biographies.
Oh, and how could I forget the book that shaped me into the person I am today - The Income Tax Act, Canada RSC (1985) c.1.
That 48 Laws book seems interesting.
I bought two books, almost as a joke. Napoleon Hill's Think & Grow Rich, and another one which I vaguely remember but for which would be invaluable for any entrepreneur or business manager, GMP: The Greatest Management Principle in the World.
Other books mentioned include those by Covey (7 Habits...) and Peters & Waterman (In Search of Excellence).
Ha ha. Please don't drop that book.
How about Accounting Principles by Ross Skinner or Advanced Accounting by Hendriksen?
