22 Best Self-Help Books to Read in 2024

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Reading a good self-help book is a great way to bring positive changes in your life. It helps you adopt success-oriented habits, develop positive character traits, and change your physical and mental outlook. Self-help books possess the power to improve almost every aspect of your life, paving the way for emotional growth and helping you understand yourself and the world around you more deeply. But what self-help book is best to read? Here, we’ve summarized the 22 best self-help books that can empower you to shape your life to align with your goals.

1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

If you’re looking for a self-help book that can encourage you to pursue your passion and goals, “The Alchemist” is a great choice. It’s a classic novel describing the journey of a boy named Santiago who sets out to find a treasure in the Egyptian pyramids after having a recurring dream about it. The central idea of “The Alchemist” is that your destiny is what you make of it, not what is written for you. With the right effort and passion, you can shape your destiny as you desire. Our favorite quote from “The Alchemist” is:

“When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it.”

2. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Think and Grow Rich is a collection of 13 common habits of successful people. This book is summarized after studying the lives of over 500 successful individuals. It serves as a blueprint to achieve your goals and targets in life. Think and Grow Rich helps you learn the steps you should take and avoid in order to be successful. It encourages you to develop a firm belief in yourself that you can do anything. The best quote that we liked from this book is:

“Man can create anything which he can imagine.”

3. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason

If you like self-help books that can inspire you on the subject of financial growth and wealth development, you may love The Richest Man in Babylon, a collection of inspirational stories of ancient Babylon. The stories in this book are fascinating and highly informational to help you pave your way towards property and progress. They’re rich in Babylon wisdom and perfectly designed to prepare the reader’s mind to develop financial ideas. Although all stories are inspirational masterpieces, we like the stories of Arkad particularly.

4. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Rich Dad Poor Dad is a tale of a teenager with two fathers. One father is rich, while the other is poor. The book is more like a financial crash course that every student in school life must learn. Besides educating you financially, Rich Dad Poor Dad helps you focus all your energy on achieving your goals. It makes you think, “How can I afford something?” instead of “I can’t afford it.” Our favorite quote from this book is:

“The main reason that over 90 percent of the American public struggles financially is because they play not to lose. They don’t play to win.”

5. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

As the name suggests, this book summarizes the seven habits that highly effective people have in their lives to inspire you to become effective yourself. It educates you on how to take control of your life in your own hands and understand how the world works. If you follow this book passionately, it can bring immense success to your life. One of the great quotes from this book is:

“To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions.”

6. The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz

The Magic of Thinking Big is a comprehensive guide to achieving success. It helps you choose the right pathway that leads to success and a better life. Reading it to the end makes you capable of realizing your ambitions and goals and how to achieve them effectively. Our favorite quote from this book is:

“Don’t hog glory, invest in instead.”

7. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Man’s Search for Meaning encompasses the frightening experience of holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl. It’s an inspirational book that guides you in exploring things that are meaningful in your life. The central idea of this book is that not everything that brings pleasure and happiness in your life is meaningful. Once you find out the meaningful things in your life, you pave the way for your success, and fear goes away from you. Our favorite quote from this book is:

“Once man’s search for meaning of life is successful, it not only renders him happy but also gives him the capability to cope with suffering.”

8. The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy

The Power of Your Subconscious is a great motivational guide that gives you a strong message that belief is necessary to turn your actions into reality. If you want to do something and you don’t have belief in it, you cannot do it. The book is a powerful tool to boost our inner creativity and bring our dreams to life. The famous quote from this book is:

“Think good, and good follows. Think evil, and evil follows.”

9. Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits summarizes four easy but essential steps to avoid bad habits and adopt good ones. It explains how even a little positive effort from you can turn into a massive positive changeover in your life. The four steps that help you adopt better habits are cue, craving, response, and reward. The best quote from Atomic Habits is:

“Success is the product of daily habits, not once-in-a-lifetime transformation.”

10. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

The Power of Now conveys a strong message that living the present moment to the fullest is the key to success and happiness. It explains that wasting time worrying about the future or regretting the past is not a way to live a successful life. Every minute that you spend while living in the present has the power to change your life. One of the great quotes from this book is:

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have.”

11. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Based on famous power wars of history, The 48 Laws of Power is a great book to change your perspective about power and how it works. It helps you understand how to get and hold on to power and use it as a defending shield. The book also promotes the idea of not letting others control you. A famous quote from this book is:

“Always say less than necessary.”

12. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Do you want to become an affable person? How to Win Friends & Influence People is the best guide for you. This book will help you become a sociable person and foster strong relationships with others. It teaches you how to socialize with people around you more effectively, leaving a long-lasting, pleasant effect on them. One of the famous quotes from this book is:

“When dealing with people, remember you’re not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity.”

13. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind teaches you the principles, habits, traits, and patterns millionaires follow. The book is the best guide to getting rich by developing a positive attitude.

“Rich People play the money game to win.”

14. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

The Secret teaches you how to become successful and turn your dreams into reality by using your mind’s power. It helps you develop positive thoughts through visualization and manifestation to achieve your life goals.

“Ninety-nine percent of who you are is invisible and untouchable.”

15. The Success Principles by Jack Canfield

The Success Principles is a classic collection of ideas and principles that you should follow to boost your confidence and realize your ambitions and goals. It teaches you how to tackle hurdles and challenges with hard work, commitment, and passion.

“What others think about you is none of your business.”

16. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

In this book, Mark Manson believes that the best way to live a better life is to not listen to what people say about you. There’s no need to prove yourself to others because it’s a worthless practice that always brings stress to you.

“To try to avoid pain is to give too many f*cks about pain.”

17. Ikigai by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia

If you are looking for a simple yet effective self-help book to improve your way of living, Ikigai is an excellent option. It’s a life-improving book for people of all ages. It teaches you to keep working with the flow, be resilient, and live your life to the fullest.

“It’s not what happens to you but how you react that matters.”

18. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

The Power of Habit explains how a good habit can positively transform your life. The author encourages the reader to adopt good habits, like exercise, good diet, and productivity practice, to bring positive changes in their life and achieve success. It teaches how to reshape your habits to align them with your goals.

“Once you understand that habits can be rebuilt, the power of habit becomes easier to grasp and the only option life is the get to work.”

19. 12 Rules of Life by Jordan Peterson

As the name suggests, this book lays out a set of simple rules that people (especially youngsters) must follow to become more disciplined, affable, and easy to socialize. It helps you develop better behavior and a sense of integrity, bringing a positive balance to your life.

“To stand up straight with your shoulders back is to accept the terrible responsibility of life with eyes wide open.”

20. Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson

Who Moved My Cheese is a story-based book that guides people of all ages on how to keep on living in uncertainty and a constantly changing environment. The book explains how you can effectively overcome the challenges in your life to reach your goals.

“Change is not always for/because of something bad. Change can be for better also.”

21. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

The Psychology of Money is a story-based book packed with wisdom and practical tips to help you develop healthier money habits. It helps you learn how to save money and invest it to make big profits and create a good financial portfolio.

“Financial success is not a hard science.”

22. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Thinking,, Fast and Slow is a perspective-changing book that helps you understand how people think and make judgments. It helps you learn how you can motivate people and act the way you want them.

“We all have a need from reassuring message that actions have appropriate consequences, and that success will reward wisdom and courage.”

Conclusion

These 22 best self-help books have the potential to change your perspective on life and help you figure out the most effective and easiest way to become what you want. They help you to understand yourself and reshape your habits and attitudes to achieve your life goals faster.

ALSO READ: 5 Types of Books to Read to Improve Your Life