It was 2009 when Vivek Pahwa gifted me
The book changed me. Threw open a different way of looking at the world. Came to define “resist the obvious” for me as a life lesson. It remains my most gifted book till date.
2016: I had just laid off 80 of my colleagues for no mistake of theirs. And this book came to my rescue
“CEOs must master three essential attributes, realistic optimism, subservience to purpose, and finding order in chaos.”
When I first read
GRIT: THE POWER OF PASSION AND PERSEVERANCE by Angela Lee Duckworth
I felt like I would want my life to be such a story.
“Passion for your work is a little bit of discovery, followed by a lot of development, and then a lifetime of deepening.”
Entrepreneurship was made cool by the media. And then came
THE HARD THINGS ABOUT HARD THINGS by Ben Howoritz
“Life is struggle.” I believe that within that quote lies the most important lesson in entrepreneurship: Embrace the struggle.”
As someone who loves to ask questions, this book opened my mind to a whole new set of them
“Money is the most universal and most efficient system of mutual trust ever devised.”
I love autobiographies
TOOLS OF THE TITANS by Tim Ferris
gave me multiple autobiographies in one.
“If you let your learning lead to knowledge, you become a fool. If you let your learning lead to action, you become wealthy.”
I have come to believe that everyone in life requires a coach
taught me how
An absolute must for leaders
“Not what happened and who’s to blame, but what are we going to do about it?”
Getting to know about Stoicism has helped me immensely in life
A GUIDE TO THE GOOD LIFE: THE ANCIENT ART OF STOIC JOY
is a great book to understand stoicism
“the easiest way for us to gain happiness is to learn how to want the things we already have.”
If I ever write a book, I know it will be on the lines of
THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK by Mark Manson
I love its authenticity and realism
“Who you are is defined by what you’re willing to struggle for.”
For the longest time I used to suck at giving feedback.
And then I read
which changed everything for me
“The way you ask for criticism and react when you get it goes a long way toward building trust—or destroying it.”
If there is one book I would love everyone to read every year of their life, it will be
HOW WILL YOU MEASURE YOUR LIFE by Clayton Christensen
“It’s easier to hold your principles 100 percent of the time than it is to hold them 98 percent of the time.”
IMO, one of the most simple yet powerful books of our times is
“You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.”
This book shook me to my core and made me realize what is important to me in my life
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
What Nassim Nicholas Taleb did for me in his book
was explain the meaning and importance of risk, like nothing else ever had
“What matters isn’t what a person has or doesn’t have; it is what he or she is afraid of losing.”
I started following Kapil Gupta and his thoughts moved me. So I picked up his book
I was shocked at how little I knew what’s inside my head.
“Why do I get angry when I am insulted? A: Because you entertain the verity of the insult.”
IMO there isn’t a better guide to understanding startups, than
THE HIGH GROWTH HANDBOOK by Elad Gil
“In fact, the general model for successful tech companies, contrary to myth, is that they become distribution-centric rather than product-centric.”
If there is only 1 autobiography that I would recommend, it would have to be
“The single easiest way to find out how you feel about someone. Say goodbye.”
Nothing calms me down than reading Ghalib
Thank you Pankaj Bansal for gifting me
It shocks me to read how much Ghalib understood human emotions.
Back as a kid obsessed with X-Files (and in love with Scully), the book
added fuel to my imagination
I remain a student of aliens :)
“The positive thing about the skeptic is that he considers everything possible!”
The only fiction I have ever read
(and will perhaps ever read) was the only fiction I would ever need to read
This is a priceless book.
“To say “I love you” one must know first how to say the “I”.”
Any other books you would recommend, that you feel I would enjoy and learn from?