Books to become better / activities to be more interesting
Wasn’t sure where to post this. Below are some I’ve read that have helped shaped me but want more
- How to Win Friends & Influence Ppl
- Meditations
- 48 laws of power
- kitchen confidential by Bourdain
- Sapiens (working on this rn)
Some random video/readings on history and art that interests me sometimes too as well as French lessons. Trying to cook some other cuisines too to round out my skills a little.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here are some additional books and activities that can help you grow intellectually, socially, and personally:
Books to Consider:
Activities to Be More Interesting:
These books and activities will not only make you more well-rounded but also help you connect with others on a deeper level. Keep exploring and challenging yourself!
Sources: Looking for Perspectives on Unemployment, Post Grad Activities, Do What YOU Want on Wall Street, Q&A: Went from Community College & Fast Food with a 2.8 GPA to one of the most active PE funds in the world within 3 years., How do you CRUSH your interviews?
Look, reading is great. You could be reading Dr Seuss and I'd applaud that.
But reading the same half dozen books every other finance bro reads isn't going to "shape" you. It's going to make you conform to the same stereotype every one of your peers fits into. It won't make you stand out, or differentiate you, it'll simply make you one more animal in the herd, bleating about the same books and the same surface level "insights" everyone else gleans.
If I knew anything about your interests I'd give you recommendations, but the strongest and best one is to figure out some topic that fascinates you and read or learn about that. What part of Sapiens did you enjoy? Go read more about that! Does Stoicism appeal to you? Go read Discourses, or Letters from a Stoic. Or better yet, go read Pseudo-Zeno and think about the ways in which Stoicism influenced later Christian writers.
The point is, do something more than just read the flavor-of-the-month book one time and then call it a day. That isn't going to "shape" you at all, any more than hitting a bar of iron with a hammer one single time will turn it into a sword. I'm not saying you have to become an expert or an academic, but it's really obvious when people read a book for the sole purpose of claiming they've read it, rather than because it is an interesting and engaging subject matter for them
All of this and then please also read fiction. Non-fiction only readers are painfully dull people.
Well as a non-fiction only reader I'll agree to disagree on this one!
seems you never met a philosophy reader
Nothing wrong with reading philosophy. I recommend it. But if someone ever describes themselves as solely a philosophy reader I want nothing to do with interacting with them. I can already hear that conversation in my head.
Wow rare pro-fiction take. I applaud this. I think too many people in the bookworm/wordcel circles are averse to fiction and like to highhorse about only reading nonfiction (not saying that's anyone here) in an attempt to appear more intellectual. I was a big reader from a young age and admittedly fiction is what made me love reading. Philosophy is an interesting area because it has both fiction and nonfiction. It almost NEEDS elements of fiction to make it fun and more palatable and to draw out that which it seeks to advise upon.
You are such a performative little dork
The Bible?
hell yeah
Why would anyone want or need to read the Bible? It doesn't teach any relevant values, most of it is fiction, and not very engaging fiction at that. Reading the second bestselling book of all time is a better use of time (Quotations from Chairman Mao) - at least that helps you understand the world as it exists.
If you're a dull, incurious, cowardly little moral midget, the Bible makes for some really fascinating stuff.
Are you saying a regurgitation of failed Marxism and Leninism policies with 0 original thoughts is more engaging fiction than David and Goliath and Adam and Eve??
Did you know China is closer to Fascism than the United States is??
Leave it to the Bushwick boy to promote the biggest mass murderer of the 20th century!! No surprises here.
Why not read literary classics? There’s a reason that these books are still popular centuries after they went into print.
As for hobbies do something you enjoy.
These things aren’t supposed to be for development, but rather for enjoyment.
For books I recommend: The Old Man and the Sea, Macbeth, Don Quixote, Tales of a Wayside Inn, Our Town, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, AE Housman’s Shropshire Cycle.
Want to add The Count of Monte Cristo to this
Finance bros are literally all the same, holy shit.
For general understanding and worldview, read Plato, Seneca, Plutarch, Aristotle, Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Nietzsche, Rousseau, Hemingway, Melville, Joyce, and Shakespeare.
You need to go deep, understand human emotions, understand tropes, tragedies, drama, dialogue. Read the major literary canon and the great books of the West, not the same 5 bullshit bro slop works. Read the things that influenced the timeline of humanity.
Also, yes, read the Bible. Its influence on Western ethics, culture, and storytelling is arguably the most important of any book. I'm not religious, but I read the Bible because you simply can't understand much without having a good grasp on its influence on society, and almost every author that I named above pulls from the Bible heavy.
Agree, KJV has the most poetic/literary value. There are a variety of versions with commentary.
I don't agree. I think the Bible as a concept is important to understanding various authors throughout history, but all of those (mostly) men are pulling from the Bible as they understand it, or influenced by their particular sect or cult, and thus it would be more relevant to understand their individual relationship with the divine if you want to understand their works.
To the extent they all draw on the Bible as a set of tropes and stock stories (much as the Bible itself is simply a compilation of tropes and stock stories), I think most people living in Western societies have already internalized enough of that, that actually reading the Bible won't provide much additional frame of reference.
Instead of listing books, the general advice is that the more unique the book and hobby, the more interesting you'll be. The moment you mention some widely known books or some usual sports, people will categorize you in a certain archetype (or stereotype) about people that practice that sport or read said books. So the harder you are to categorize, the more inquisitive others would be in order to try to figure you out, which is what society considers "unique" or "interesting" (or maybe also awkward or weird).
If you tell me you read 48 Laws of Power, I will assume you're a retard. If you tell me you read Dostoievsky, I'd assume you picked it up 6 months ago after reading how "profound" others said it is. If you read Sun & Steel, I'll assume you're far-right. If you're reading some Chinese spiritualist book, well, that might leave a better impression and somehow grant you a special place in the group of people I consider "enlightened and free thinkers".
Re. sports, whatever sport you do is fine as long as it's not gym. Gym is not a sport and it's more a maintenance thing that everyone should do, as walking 5k steps a day or hitting the mandatory water intake recom
"If you tell me you read 48 Laws of Power, I will assume you're a retard"
WSO is so quotable. Restless should be paid for his time on this site. Patrick take note. grabs wipes
Anyway how would you categorize people who read the Bible and writings of medieval Saints (Aquinas comes to mind), while not ignoring the rest of literature.
I'm an atheist, so you're just labeled as a Christian and my opinion towards you is neutral. It doesn't add and doesn't diminish (albeit Aquinas on top of the Bible might make you gain some points as it's theological philosophy, which proves more intellectual hunger/need for depth, which I can respect).
ps. ur a new account from 12 minutes ago and already know abt Patrick... hmmm...
The thing you quoted is probably true though for most people who claim to have read it.
This thread is a minefield of deleted posts. Dayum!
Everytime I say something pro-bible they take it down. I've posted the above comment 3 or 4 times, everytime I do Patricks CCP crew take it down.
At least I understand why all the OG's hate on the site now.
If you do read the bible, I'd also recommend picking up the quran, rig veda, and avesta.
If you like fiction, US/western authors that are very readable include hemmingway, sinclair, fitzgerald, and orwell.
Modern thriller authors that are fun to read: Crichton, Grisham, Brown (meh but fun).
Understanding today: A brave new world, walden, the horse the wheel and language, the history of the peloponnesian war, the prince.
I recommend also picking up some books in topics you are interested in. For example, if you like semiconductors the Chip Wars is a great read. Material World is also fascinating if you like materials/commodities. House of Morgan for finance, etc.
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