No.2531
What books helped you improve your condition the most? Which ones would you say are a must read?
I will start with hagakure, also known as the secret book of the samurai. Great advice on how to be a man from some of the baddest dudes in history.
No.2533
Money wise:
The millionare Next door
nickel and dimed(liberal spiel but makes you aware)
Other than that, various things I've picked up on the internet over the years. I really respect personal finance, it's the one thing every NEEDS to learn. Not programming or a second language but personal finance.
The boglehead wiki is basically it in terms of PF.
No.2538
>>2533
Pretty good, something I'll have to learn soon. Thanks.
I'll continue with "How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie, which I'm currently reading. Gives some nice advice for dealing with people, can be helpful if you want to improve your social skills (don't expect miracles though).
No.2541
David Deida - The way of the superior man. I've uploaded it for you.
Also check out most of the stuff by Robert Greene (48 laws of power, mastery, etc)
No.2560
Read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Book continually changes my life. I keep it out and read a few passages from it regularly and think on them. There's a reason Aurelius is known as one of the greatest Roman emperors, he was a great and wise man.
This book, Meditations, was never even written to by read by anyone other than himself. He kept it as a private journal that he used to write down his thoughts and learn new things, and was only published after his death. Read this book. Here's a link, but I'd recommend getting a hard copy and keeping it near at hand.
http://manybooks.net/titles/aureliusetext01medma10.html
No.2578
>>2541
Thanks a lot. Loads of direct, solid advice, with a spiritual slant. My kind of book.
Here's something less spiritual, but nonetheless worth a read. Sadly it's incomplete. Don't be fooled by the title, it's actually a pretty in-depth analysis of human societies and gender relations across the ages. Linking all pages since links within posts are broken.
https://manualformen.wordpress.com/
https://manualformen.wordpress.com/page/2/
https://manualformen.wordpress.com/page/3/
Full book: http://www.amazon.com/Women-Textbook-Become-Desire-Read-ebook/dp/B00H83LE66/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387371751&sr=8-1&keywords=Women%3A+A+Textbook+for+Men
>>2560
Thanks, will probably be my next read.
No.2584
William Walker Atkinson has written a lot of books that could be considered self-improvement "guides"; he has written a lot on memory, concentration, how to breath correctly (as to maximize energy), etc. . . He writes with a encouraging and empowering style that just pumps you up with courage and energy.
https://mega.co.nz/#F!6kJzEIJb!aVVgmWAM-aP_bU_8Co43FA Check out "New Thought" folder for his books.
No.2620
>>2541
Ok, this is very depressing. Not because I hate women, quite the contrary, but because this information was withheld from me. Information which my parents never gave me, which I wasn't able to gather myself any sooner than adulthood and which society tried to cover with its egalitarian bullshit. Fuck.
No.2632
No.2714
Learn Teeline: The super fast notetaking code that reporters used to use.
No.2715
Ride the Tiger by Julius Evola
I know it may sound clichéd by all the memes. But this book brought me up from a depressive episode last week.
No.2716
>>2620
But it's bullshit. Sorry to break it to you guys, but we are not mysterious touchy-feely creatures, we just have inherently better social skills than you. Of course it's only going to go as far as a generalization can, but generally I feel incredible pity watching men fumble over basic decorum and consideration for others.
No.2725
>>2715
Great, then I'll post this one. Having always held onto conservative beliefs, and recently entertained the possibility there might be a divine essence of some kind, this book immensely helped me put order in my ideas and giving me better understanding of the world.
It's long, slow in the beginning and certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but you might find it an amazing source of knowledge.
No.2791
>>2624
Finished reading this article. I didn't feel it was helpful in September-improvement at all unless you're Already in to syndicalism or situationalist philosophy. Even then, it's calls on self-improvement rang empty.
No.2795
>>2791
It helped me, that's why I posted it.
>September-improvement
What's that?
No.2797
Haven't read this one yet, but I've seen it quoted more than once and it looks like a good book for those who, like me, are struggling with their masculinity.
I'll take the opportunity to thank once again >>2541 as it's rare to find books with such a concentration of wisdom in relatively few pages.
No.2801
>>2725
I haven't found it so much long. However, it is indeed slow as fuck.
No.2803
>>2797
Just ordered this book today. Isn't it fucked that something that should come naturally to all men often doesn't?
No.2804
>>2541
Can someone explain to me what the author means in the chapter "Always hold to your deepest realization"? Is it just a fancy way to say "be yourself" or is there more to it?
No.2805
>>2803
Men with more manageable instincts built civilization. We are most likely the product of that process of human selection, aided by religion. Refer to >>2578 as it explains pretty convincingly how and why the situation came to be. Now add that to the fact that guys like you and me generally had no father or a worthless one and you get the picture.
>>2804
Not sure, but I think it means the deepest truth about yourself, or the world, that you came to realize.
No.2832
>>2803
I've been told that these kinds of books used to be more abundant during times when masculinity was more popular.
No.2887
Halfway through this, gives some nice advice on how to talk to people, spark up conversation, read nonverbal language and so forth. Probably a must read along with >>2538 if you're looking to improve your social skills.
No.2890
Brave New World, because why the heck not. Gives a nice overview on the kind of society we are going towards at full speed. If you feel disgusted by this, you're on the right track.
No.3129
Bhagavad Gita, a dialogue about consciousness, being and the different paths which lead to divinity, between a troubled warrior and a manifestation of God. Great book.
>>2797
Halfway through, it's well worth the read.
No.3196
Purchased Aurelius' mediations yesterday, here goes.
No.3202
>>2531
Gotta Go Fast! by Dr Hedge
No.3407
>>2797
I read somewhere that the author of that book is a faggot.
No.3415
>>3407
He likes to be called "androphile" and despises faggots. But yeah, he's homosexual and that one is a great book. No homo.
No.3426
>>3415
I can't understand how a faggot can write a good book about manhood and manliness.
No.3428
>>3426
Then fucking read a few pages and see for yourself. It's there and it's free. If you don't like it you even get the thrill of confirmation bias.
No.3431
>>2716
Rule number one of seduction is to not listen to advice from women.
No.3483
self help books are crap.
they make you feel good for about 5 minutes but that's it. like this >>2541. david deida is a humongous faggot who gives bullshit advice. i was into the self help shit years ago until i read his book and that just turned me off the whole thing.
have tangible goals. complete said goals. whatever it takes and however you are able to. that's life. there is no set path.
No.3503
>>3483
>says self help books are crap
>talks like a self help book
Is this postmodernism?
No.4096
I can't recommend this book enough. Not everything in it is up to date, it is from the 1600s but still a great read in my opinion.
https://archive.org/details/artofworldlywisd00gracuoft
No.4099
Read Aurelius' Meditations over the Summer. Are there any other good /improve/ tier ancient books similar to this? Really enjoyed it.
No.4100
>>4096
>from 1600's
Is it easy to read or is it written in Oldyye Englyyshe?
No.4103
>>4100
old english was already hundreds of years old by the 1600s, in that time they spoke what we call early modern english
sorry couldnt contain my autism
but i did flip through a couple pages and it doesnt seem to bad, you shouldnt have a problem
No.4108
>>4099
You could check out the Enchiridion by Epictetus, another Stoic philosopher.
No.4114
>>4112
This book is for people who are already getting stuff done but want to do it effective. I don't thtink it's helpful for us.
No.4115
>>4114
It's more about a system and how to implement it. I actually find it inspiring and motivating.
>What books helped you improve your condition the most? Which ones would you say are a must read?
Totally fits that bill. Getting shit done improves my condition. I definitely consider this book a must read, I've read it twice cover to cover and I'm thinking of going over it again.
No.4116
>>3161
That book is fishy as fuck, I don't trust the authors one bit, they are probably trying to manipulate me into following their agenda.
No.4118
How to manipulate your psychology. Was very useful for me.
No.4134
This book covers habits and how to form them. I believe this is a must read because of how fundamentally important habit loops are to change. This will help you with not only changing bad habits but creating good habits.
No.4136
>>2797
I read this not long ago.It's a great book on manly virtues and the decline of masculinity in modern society.
Also provides red-pills on women and faggots.
No.4155
I really really recommend 'Mastery' by Robert Greene. It teaches you through biography segments of masters through history. It shows you that consistency and discipline are keys to success. It's only in audio book form, so I recommend downloading it from PirateBay (best version of audio book is there, one which is divided into multiple parts, about hour each, instead of 1 huge audio file).
Another audio book is 'War of Art' by Steven Pressfield. It's only about 3-4 hour long.
For audio books in general, I recommend audiobookbay. It's torrent site where only registration is needed, so no invites.
No.4158
No.4259
>>4134
This book compliments Power of Habits. It's practical and just like with Power of Habits I believe it's a essential read.
An effective way of overcoming your demons, is knowing what they are capable of and what their weaknesses are. These 2 provide you with the necessary amount of ammo.
No.4276
>>4155
I found The 4-Hour Chef similar to Mastery and also having pretty solid advice.
No.4314
No.4496
>>3426
As a gayhomo who could probably outlift you and loves fighting and outdoorsmanship, most gays aren't like Hollywood fags, honest. I'm a pretty normal guy in most respects (at least by *chan standards) I just love cocks is all.
Plus if you really think about it, who's more likely to be manly: Someone who's trying to impress women, or someone who's trying to impress men?
No.4900
Currently reading Enchiridon by Epictetus. 10/10 Would recommend.
No.4901
>>3431
I'd say don't listen to advice from men, either. When it comes to dating and relationships, you should go through a phase of sucking up all the info you can get, and then swear off relationship- and dating-guides forever.
>>4496
I think teh gayboys are okay, as long as they aren't millenials. Also, interesting way to look at it.
No.4914
>>2538
I wouldn't recommend this book. Maybe it would be good for some people here, but I found it to be essentially "agree with people and do what people want and people won't hate you". And ironically, you won't really make friends, because not many people want to hear an echo of their opinions all the time.
If you want to make friends, you do not stand on the sideline and agree with people. You get out there and you speak loud and confident enough to make some good friends.
3 solid books I'd recommend.
>What Every BODY Is Saying - This book will help you understand body language, meaning you can come across in any way you want and read people immediately. This will save you a lot of trouble.
>No More Mr. Nice Guy - A book for "nice guys" that shows them how to stand up and get what they want out of relationships and life. Even if you don't consider yourself a "nice guy", I'd pick this up.
>The 48 Laws of Power - A good book for thought, not so much in practice. It's pretty edgy and overexaggerated, but it's got some good history lessons and you'll definitely learn from it. You can skip this if you don't want to become chad thundercock.
No.5054
>>4496
Jack Donovan please
No.5409
Has anyone read Gorilla Mindset by Mike Cernovich? Thinking about reading it.