James Clear is a bestselling author and speaker who has built a substantial following around the science of habit formation and personal improvement. His book Atomic Habits has sold millions of copies worldwide and introduced readers to the concept of marginal gains and systems-based thinking. Clear's work emphasizes practical, evidence-based strategies for building better habits and breaking destructive ones.
22 Books Recommended by James Clear
Ranked by popularity across all reading lists on this site
Sapiens
34 people recommended[One of] the 10 best nonfiction books of all-time.
Also recommended by: Ankur Warikoo, Naval Ravikant, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Changpeng Zhao, Daniel Ek, James Cameron, Kishore Biyani, Melinda Gates, Ray Dalio, Reid Hoffman, Richard Branson, Vinod Khosla, Ashton Kutcher, Bill Gurley, Anthony Pompliano, Chris Evans, Demis Hassabis, Joe Rogan, Karlie Kloss, Keith Rabois, Lex Fridman, Mark Manson, Patrick Oshaughnessy, Penn Jillette, Peter Attia, Pewdiepie, Ryan Shea, Sam Kass, Sebastian Junger, Simon Mayo, Whitney Cummings, Derek Sivers
Principles
27 people recommended[One of] the 10 books with the most page-for-page wisdom.
Also recommended by: Gary Vaynerchuk, Naval Ravikant, Eric Jorgenson, Mark Cuban, Bill Gates, Drew Houston, Dustin Moskovitz, Howard Marks, Jack Dorsey, Kevin Systrom, Marc Benioff, Michael Bloomberg, Reed Hastings, Arianna Huffington, Ben Greenfield, Bryan Johnson, Austen Allred, Diddy, Doug Mcmillon, Lex Fridman, Marty Cagan, Patrick Oshaughnessy, Tim Ferriss, Tom Bilyeu, Tony Robbins, Derek Sivers
Meditations
22 people recommended[One of] the 10 best nonfiction books of all-time.
Also recommended by: Naval Ravikant, Eric Jorgenson, Jack Dorsey, Sam Altman, Tobi Lutke, Adam Robinson, Anna Kendrick, Arianna Huffington, Chip Conley, Austen Allred, Patrick Bet David, Jason Ferruggia, Joe Rogan, Lex Fridman, Mark Manson, Neil Strauss, Robin Sharma, Ryan Holiday, Shane Parrish, Stewart Brand, Derek Sivers
[One of] the 10 best fiction books.
Also recommended by: Daniel Ek, Aubrey Marcus, Big Sean, Brene Brown, Andy Frisella, Patrick Bet David, Eric Ripert, Gabby Reece, Garry Tan, Jodie Cook, Lebron James, Lewis Howes, Lisa Ling, Ryan Flaherty, Ryan Shea, Tony Robbins, Will Smith, Derek Sivers
Influence
18 people recommended[One of] the 10 best nonfiction books of all-time.
Also recommended by: Naval Ravikant, Tobi Lutke, Adam Robinson, Alexis Ohanian, Charlie Munger, Alex Hormozi, Andrew Wilkinson, Guy Kawasaki, Mark Manson, Max Levchin, Michael Hyatt, Neil Strauss, Noah Kagan, Patrick Oshaughnessy, Ramit Sethi, Samy Kamkar, Scott Adams
Siddhartha
17 people recommended[One of] the 10 best fiction books.
Also recommended by: Osho, Naval Ravikant, Bryan Johnson, David Blaine, Emma Watson, Fred Wilson, Harry Styles, Jack Edwards, Justin Kan, Lex Fridman, Navdeep Chandel, Neil Strauss, Patrick Oshaughnessy, Phil Jackson, Tim Ferriss, Wim Hof
The War of Art
16 people recommended[One of] the 10 best nonfiction books of all-time.
Also recommended by: Aubrey Marcus, Brian Koppelman, Danny Miranda, Daniel Pink, Derek Sivers, Jen Sincero, Jodie Cook, Joe Rogan, Lex Fridman, Marie Forleo, Michael Hyatt, Russell Moore, Ryan Holiday, Seth Godin, Soman Chainani
Guns, Germs, and Steel
14 people recommended[One of] the 10 best nonfiction books of all-time.
Also recommended by: Eric Jorgenson, Bill Gates, Daniel Ek, Jamie Dimon, Charlie Munger, Jesse Williams, Joe Rogan, Margaret Atwood, Mark Manson, Patrick Arnold, Simon Sinek, Stewart Brand, Derek Sivers
The Lessons of History
12 people recommended[One of] the 10 books with the most page-for-page wisdom.
Also recommended by: Naval Ravikant, Balaji Srinivasan, Eric Jorgenson, Kevin Systrom, Ray Dalio, Balaji S. Srinivasan, Lyn Alden, Mark Manson, Shane Parrish, Tim Ferriss, Derek Sivers
“Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!”
11 people recommended[One of] the 10 best nonfiction books of all-time.
Also recommended by: Naval Ravikant, Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, Larry Page, Brian Armstrong, Ev Williams, Noah Kagan, Peter Attia, Sahil Lavingia, Tim Ferriss
Fooled by Randomness
9 people recommended[One of] the 10 books with the most page-for-page wisdom.
Also recommended by: Naval Ravikant, Ev Williams, Howard Marks, Art De Vany, James Altucher, Nick Kokonas, Ryan Shea, Derek Sivers
When Breath Becomes Air
8 people recommended[One of] the 10 best nonfiction books of all-time.
Also recommended by: Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Tim Cook, Anthony Pompliano, Patrick Oshaughnessy, Peter King, Shauna Niequist
The Little Prince
7 people recommended[One of] the 10 best fiction books.
Also recommended by: Brandon Stanton, Emma Watson, Evan Goldberg, Fred Wilson, Garry Tan, Ricardo Semler
The Count of Monte Cristo
5 people recommended[One of] the 10 best fiction books.
Also recommended by: Patrick Collison, Mike Maples Jr, Nassim Taleb, Pewdiepie
To Kill a Mockingbird
5 people recommended[One of] the 10 best fiction books.
Also recommended by: Oprah Winfrey, Taylor Swift, Jordan Peterson, Kathie Lee Gifford
This Is Water
3 people recommended[One of] the 10 best nonfiction books of all-time.
Also recommended by: Hugh Jackman, Peter Attia
[One of] the 10 best nonfiction books of all-time.
Also recommended by: Richard Branson
A Manual for Living
2 people recommended[One of] the 10 best nonfiction books of all-time.
Also recommended by: Neville Medhora
[One of] the 10 best nonfiction books of all-time.
Also recommended by: Richard Branson
Candide
2 people recommended[One of] the 10 best fiction books.
Also recommended by: Ryan Holiday
Impro
2 people recommended[One of] the 10 books with the most page-for-page wisdom.
Also recommended by: Patrick Oshaughnessy