Top 11 Best Motivational Books Updated 04 /2024

In the past, I've talked about the best business books of all time and the best sales books of all time. In this post, I tell you about the books that make people want to change their lives, improve their lot, and build better jobs. Be careful with the last (No. 1) book!

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

It doesn't matter that Stephen Covey can be a little preachy at times. His road map for living doesn't just help you improve your habits. A lot of the time, it also makes you think that having them will make you a better person.

"Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny," says the best quote.

How to Win Friends & Influence People

Before Dale Carnegie's book, mixing business and personal relationships was seen as a little dishonest, like nepotism. During Carnegie's time, business and personal relationships were thought to be not just compatible, but also a part of each other.

Unvarnished truth is that almost everyone you meet thinks they're better at some point, and a sure way of getting to their heart is making them feel like you're genuinely grateful for what they do.

Think and Grow Rich

Napoleon Hill interviewed "40 millionaires" to find out what they thought and did that made them successful. His study of these "best practices" was new in a world where most people thought that great wealth came from a mix of greed and luck.

The best: "All the breaks you need in your life are in your mind. Imagination is the workshop of your mind, and it can turn your mind's energy into things like success and money."

Awaken the Giant Within

Anthony Robbins is different from most motivational writers in two ways. When he talks about training the mind and body, he looks at it as a technological problem rather than a moral one. Because of this, he is both an inspirational role model and the most annoying person on this planet at the same time, but he does it somehow.

The best: "If you can't, you have to. If you have to, you can."

As a Man Thinketh

Motivational books are usually about taking action right away. This 1902 book by James Allen, on the other hand, is a little more, well, thoughtful. How your thoughts shape who you are and what you do, and how that shapes the type of action that you'll take.

The best: "The dreamers are the ones who save the world. As the visible world is kept alive by the invisible, so men, through all their trials, sins, and sordid jobs, are fed by the beautiful dreams of their lone dreamers."

The Greatest Salesman in the World

You should live your life to the fullest by believing in yourself and your ability to help other people, Og Mandino's fake-biblical story tells you. Anyone who sells should read this. Which means almost everyone.

The best: "To live this day as though it were my last: My whole life is now spent in this one day. A prisoner who has been freed from death cries out with joy when he sees this sunrise. It is a priceless gift to be given a new day. I raise my arms in thanks."

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

A big part of being motivated is getting rid of the things that make your mind feel weighed down. In Richard Carlson's book, he helps you figure out what's important and worth your time, and what's just "noise."

In the best quote, "Stress is just a form of mental illness that people are more willing to talk about."

Drive

There are carrots and sticks that can be used to get people to do things, right? Daniel Pink says that's not true. When you do well at the highest level, your motivation comes from your deepest sense of who you are and what you want to be. His book shows that motivation comes from a lot of different places.

This is the best quote: "Internal motivation—the desire to do something because it's interesting, challenging, and interesting—is important for high levels of creativity."

The Power of Positive Thinking

When this book first came out, both psychologists and theologians called it heretical and said that the author, Norman Vincent Peale, was a crazy person. Today, science has proven the book's main idea: that being optimistic makes you healthier and happier, which makes you more likely to succeed.

The best: "Action is a great way to restore and build up your confidence and self-worth. When people are afraid, they don't do anything. Some of the things you do may be successful, but other things may have to happen after that. But even if you don't do anything, it's better than nothing at all."

Your Favorite Here

OK, I've given you nine books that could change your life. Any one of them could be very motivating.

Your turn.

This is a list of books. What book should be on it? Is there a book that has made you feel good? What book would you recommend to your friends that would help them?

Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor E. Fankl

Viktor Frankl, a psychiatric doctor, talks about his time living in Nazi death camps and how he learned how to stay spiritually alive. Frankl makes a strong case that it's not possible to avoid pain. However, we can choose how we deal with that pain and what it means to us, and that allows us to move forward with a new sense of purpose.

This is a book that can be used by anyone. It's a book that can be used by anyone. Man's Search for Meaning has been called one of the most important books in the United States. It has sold more than 10 million copies in twenty-four languages.

To find motivational books that can help you learn about the value of giving meaning to your pain, this is the one for you!

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero

This is one of the best motivational books out there for people who like to make their lives better.

Through this book, Jen gives her readers simple exercises to help them figure out their own self-limiting beliefs, attitudes, and habits, so they can change them. She gives some good advice and does so in a way that is both funny and interesting to her listeners, which makes them want to start making the changes they want in their lives.

In Jen's book, she wants her readers to understand why they have thought and acted the way they have. She helps us focus on the things we can change and accept the things we can't change.

Overall, the book has a new, funny way of encouraging and motivating its readers. It can be fun for anyone who picks it up.

---