25 Books Successful People Read

We all read for different reasons, whether it’s for pleasure, just to pass the time or because we want to take advantage of the many benefits reading has for our body and mind. One particular thing most successful people have in common is that they all read quite a lot and while reading in itself has some clear benefits, what we read is just as important.

In case you’re interested, you will find below a list of books that successful people read. 

Why Do Successful People Read So Many Books?

We’ve all heard or read news about Elon Musk or Bill Gates and their dedication to reading. Not only that, but year after year we can find lists of books recommended by successful people. Here’s why successful people read as much as they do.

The answer is quite simple, people we see as successful today have figured out early on that books are great gateways to knowledge, and knowledge is power. The more you know, the easier it will become for you to understand the world you live in and to adapt to anything life throws at you.

Many of today’s hugely successful CEOs are avid readers and one reason for that is the fact they believe that given the amount of knowledge available in written word, it’s extremely unlikely for any issues that might occur in the business world have never been encountered before and explained in a book. 

What Kind of Books Do Successful People Read?

Successful people are rather picky when it comes to the books they read. Their time is valuable and they can’t afford to waste hours reading books that don’t provide them with the value they expect. Among the books read by successful people, we can find a certain pattern and several genres (and a myth) that stand out.

1. Self-Help Books (Myth)

While most of us would be inclined to believe that successful people have a tendency to read self-help books through which to better understand and improve themselves, the truth is that these self-help books are rarely on their reading lists.

One reason for this could be the fact that they prefer to better themselves by improving their skills in the industry they are a part of or simply by changing their mindset.

2. Industry-related books 

When we try to imagine a successful person, more often than not, we picture a CEO, the owner of a multi-million dollar business or an industry leader. It’s no wonder that when it comes to what successful people are reading, the most common answer is simply books about their industry.

In order to be successful in any domain, you need to dedicate a lot of time to know all the secrets of that particular industry and to always be up to date with everything that changes. That is why industry leaders are known to read every single relevant book about the industry they are active in. 

3. Books About Business

While being an expert in a certain industry is one way of reaching tremendous success, a different route is to simply be a good businessman. Knowing what to invest in, recognizing potential, before anyone else sees it, and being able to run a business, are essential traits of a successful person. 

There are literally thousands of books about business and believe it or not, most successful businessmen have read a big part of them. 

4. Books About Leadership

Another common trait of the successful people we consider role models for our generation is that they are great leaders on top of being able to understand business and their respective industries.

Leadership books tend to provide their readers with valuable lessons. Learning how to get your point across, how to effectively lead people, and how to inspire them are all essential attributes for a successful person. They say there are huge differences between a boss and a leader and one of them is that the leader has read dozens of books about leadership.

5. Fiction 

While a bit surprising, fiction is usually a decent part of a successful person’s reading list. You would think that successful people only read career-related books, but that is actually not the case. And the reason is even more surprising.

Fiction books provide a set of benefits that include the theory of mind improvement, empathy development, imagination enhancement and also provide a certain level of brain function improvement. 

Neuroscientists have discovered that reading fiction activates the same parts of the brain that get activated while experiencing real-life events. On a strictly neurobiological level, every bit of fiction you read is processed by the brain as a real experience. Obviously, that results in learning how powerful characters in fictitious scenarios lead their battles, teaching the soon-to-be successful person reading the story important lessons about leadership. 

How Many Books Do Successful People Read?

Unsurprisingly, the answer is, simply put, “a lot”. But because we know you need a bit more than that, here’s how much some of the most successful people on the planet read.

Bill Gates

By his own admission, Bill Gates reads around 50 books a year, which roughly adds up to about 1 book each week. Since he’s clearly a busy man, Bill Gates tries to compensate for the days he finds no time to read by doing on vacations, when he reads about 3 hours per day.

Elon Musk

According to his brother, Elon Musk grew up reading around two books per day. Before becoming Tesla’s CEO, Elon used to spend his time reading around 10 hours every single day.

Even now, despite his busy schedule, he still finds time to read for 4-6 hours per day.

Warren Buffett

The incredibly successful American investor and businessman has been spending the last couple of decades reading 500-600 pages every day. 

As you can see, some of the most successful people in the world seem to have a thing in common: reading an incredible number of books. Can’t be a coincidence, can it?

What Books Do Successful People Read?

Now that we know what kind of books they read and the huge number of books read by successful people, let’s see a couple of titles that some of the most successful people in the world recommended over the years. Here are the 25 top books successful people read.

As you can see, successful people have found wisdom and inspiration in different kinds of books, but it can’t be a coincidence that so many agree that these are the best books to read if your ambition is to be successful.

How to Read More?

Now that it’s more obvious than ever that the road to success is paved with hundreds of books, it’s only natural to wonder what you can do to start reading more. We know that today’s life leaves very little time for reading. We are constantly surrounded by distractions and all our gadgets lead a constant battle for our attention. 

While perhaps a bit surprising, one of our gadgets can turn out to be a great tool for improving our reading habits. That gadget is our smartphone and it can do all that with a little help from a reading tracking app like Basmo.

Basmo was created with the 21st-century reader in mind. We know and understand the struggle to find the time for reading, we know how difficult it can be to stay focused and motivated.

That is why Basmo comes fully packed with features meant to help you read more, be more effective and understand your reading habits in order to improve them. Here’s a couple of the most useful features Basmo offers.

Setting Goals

Scheduled Reading Sessions

Create Reading Lists

Conclusion

Considering the mental and physical benefits of reading and how much knowledge lies within each book, it’s no wonder that most people who are incredibly successful have in common a great passion for reading. Now that you have a list of books that successful people read, all you have to do is start reading them and reap the rewards. 

Consider using Basmo as your personal reading aid and you will see how your passion for reading can turn into a more fruitful, effective and rewarding activity. Reading with Basmo = Reading 2.0

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