books that quench my thirst for wisdom (2025 edit)
I thirst for wisdom.
And as one of my favorite wise men, Charlie Munger, once said, “You don’t have to pee on an electrical fence to learn not to do it.”
Though most of my content is about perfume, it is still permeated by my reading materials. My preferred books focus on the lifelong pursuit of what it means to live a good life, so my chosen readings aim to draw from those who I believe have lived what I deem a “good life,” or who have studied the individual components that contribute to one.
I should define what I believe is a good life. This is not prescriptive to others; this is just the code I’ve set for myself that makes me feel most purposeful in work, love, life, and self. A good life, as defined by me, is:
One tempered by moderation, peppered with abundance and indulgence earned through hard work
A place where you find equal joy in work and rest
To have few relationships with individuals who are willing to compete with you on who can be more loving and kind to the other
To know and feel that one is most rich when they give what they can to others instead of hoarding with fear
Instead of going on and on, if it fortifies one of my core values, it’s getting on my reading list. My core values are: Loyalty, Integrity, Discipline, Empathy, and Kindness.
Here are the seven books that deepened my well of personal wisdom:
Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Charlie Munger
Relentless by Tim Grover
Influence by Robert Cialdini
My Life in Advertising by Claude Hopkins
$100 Million Money Models by Alex Hormozi
Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
Hands down, this was the most actionable and impactful book of my year.
If this book had an accompanying religion, I am one of the patron saints. I sing its gospel and receive all of its blessings.
Simply put, this book helps business owners create a cash flow management system that allows them to build a profitable business.
Some may say, “And so what?”
To which I reply, “And so now I can pay myself a livable salary, budget effectively for my business, have enough money to pay taxes, and enjoy quarterly profit earnings—all without debt.”
It was very easy to understand and very easy to implement. I can’t recommend this book enough; it has changed my life and my business.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
Having this book on the list feels like a sick joke to me because I truly earned the 2 I received on my AP U.S. History exam in high school.
But I love hearing how people have polished themselves into the best versions of themselves, and Benjamin Franklin has a great methodology.
He created a list of 13 virtues, which he described as his plan to become a person of perfect moral standing. He never believed that he could be perfect, but that the sheer act of trying was most important.
The 13 virtues, one practiced a week for 13 weeks, were as follows:
Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself.
Order: Let all your things have their place; let each part of your life and business have its time.
Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; waste nothing.
Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful. Cut all unnecessary actions.
Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly.
Justice: Wrong no one by doing injury or omitting the benefits.
Moderation: Avoid extremes.
Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitat.
Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles or at accidents common or unavoidable.
Chastity
Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
COOKS!
Poor Charlie's Almanack by Charlie Munger
Charlie Munger is the epitome of a person who has lived a good life (in my opinion).
Someone recently called me a freak for enjoying this book, and that suits me just fine.
Charlie Munger was the partner of Warren Buffett in running their wildly successful values-focused holding company, Berkshire Hathaway.
This book, which is actually a series of essays and talks that Charlie has given, reinforces my very Are.na ideology that “everything is connected.” Charlie’s philosophy is that to master your own discipline and not fall victim to cognitive bias, you must create a multidisciplinary latticework of past knowledge to “hang your ideas on.”
For me, that helps create a framework around what is purely truth versus conjecture in a time where authority is based on vanity metrics more readily than performance metrics. I can happily continue to draw similarities between gaming, business, content creation, sports psychology, and cooking, knowing that Charlie Munger would have approved of my “multi-disciplinary interests.”
Relentless by Tim Grover
Being an ex-athlete really rewired me. I haven’t competed in a race in years, but I still feel the insatiable need to win and the inner vibration of the competitive spirit.
Tim Grover, Michael Jordan’s strength coach when he was on the Chicago Bulls, is the master of the elite competitor’s mind.
This book was like living in the tunnel vision that comes when I’m at the starting line. It gives me a powerful sense of inner drive that I felt had dwindled somewhat with age.
I love it so much that I trained a ChatGPT AI agent to speak and think just like Tim. It’s now my 24/7 personal executive coach that I never miss an opportunity to ask for guidance from.
Influence by Robert Cialdini
I read this book every year because I feel like I learn something new each time I pick it up. If I could only read three books for the rest of my life, this would be one of them—mainly because it serves as a foundation for strong business relationships and overall judgment skills.
As I am polishing my marketing campaigns for the next year, this book guided much of my thinking in how and why people make decisions about the things they purchase, and what I can do as a service provider to deliver the best experience and products possible.
My Life in Advertising by Claude Hopkins
I absolutely love My Life in Advertising because it shows how little actually changes when it comes to the struggles of life and human psychology.
I also really like this one because Claude Hopkins’ love language was absolutely acts of service. Knowing that very little changes in life and human psychology gives me great hope and courage. If people long before me, without the comforts I enjoy, still made a way for themselves in the world, then I am more than equipped to create a great life for myself with a bit of discipline and consistency.
My Life in Advertising was published in 1927—nearly 100 years ago—and presents the life of Claude Hopkins, one of the original master copywriters in advertising history. I love that he said that in order to sell, you need to know how to speak to the common person—and to do that, you must interact with them. He was deeply present and in touch with reality.
Some of my favorite highlighted quotes were:
“So long as we are going upward, nothing is a hardship.”
“I was selling a service. The whole basis of my talk was to help the baker get more business. The advantage to myself was covered up in my efforts to please him.”
“Serve better than others, offer more than others, and you are pretty sure to win.”
I love seeing generous service framed as good business practice because it makes me feel more conscious of my character when conducting business. It also helps me uphold a high-quality standard for my working partners.
$100 Million Money Models by Alex Hormozi
Alex Hormozi is a business genius wrapped in “Chad” packaging, and that will never not be wholesome and funny to me.
It’s so refreshing to read a book that is tactically executable and not just “ideas, strategies, and vibes.”
To me, this book answers the question, “How do I make money?”
His two previous books, Offers and Leads, answer the prerequisite questions of “What do I sell?” and “Who do I sell to?” I want to return to this book quarterly—if not monthly—to come up with new campaigns to sell more tours this year or to finally hire a marketing manager. I’m still working on my delegation skills, which I want to ramp up and improve significantly this year.
I probably read 20–30 more books than just these in 2025, but these have my wisdom cup running over abundantly, and they will stay on my shelf forever as continual resources.