40 Magnificient Books That Will Reset Your Mind and Leave An Impact on Your Life
Sometimes in life we need a little spark to wake our inner self up and take a step for our selves. Sometimes we’ll find contemporary truths and classic wisdom from literature to boost our day. As Susan C. Young once said – “Have you made a choice in your past which was right at the time, but once you had a chance to think about it, you wished you could reverse your decision or amend it? Rethinking gives you permission to use your thoughts to change your mind. Take what is and spin it around to give you a new review and fresh perspective.”
Below you’ll find actions and changes that some have taken after going through invaluable treasures from certain literatures. This list is definitely not even close enough to thoroughly explain the intricacies of life, but hopefully it’ll give you some insights and directions on how you can find small doses of wisdom from various books out there. These nuggets of wisdom come from both fiction and non-fiction stories, but the impact is great nonetheless. We hope you’ll find a starting point of a soul-searching adventure after reading a book that resonates with your life’s current direction.
“I realized that freedom of speech, expression are privileges and not a birthright. I deactivated FB and have reduced time spent on social networks.”
– thewhitetulip
1984 by George Orwell
“I live everyday with the joy of a man who doesn’t expect anything better than this life, because I cherish it now more than any heaven or afterlife. Also, understanding that feelings of compassion can be harmful to some men, I stopped weeping for the world. Seeing unequality as a means for life to overcome itself, and understanding that both greatness and mediocrity are complementary and constitutive parts of life, I was able to conceive this world as perfect in its very logic, instead of judging it from a moral standpoint based on imagination.”
– fixxxer21738
Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche
“Reading Flowers for Algernon made me empathetic towards people who weren’t as smart as others and I had to realize that being intelligent isn’t the only good thing you can be. You can be kind, creative, have a specialized skill. To this day, sometimes I hear myself or other people remarking about stupid people with such disdain and I have to remind myself that just because they aren’t smart doesn’t make them a bad or lesser individual. And reading that book has helped me to stop being so conceited and to be more understanding of different kinds of people.”
– ledzepretrauqon
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys
“The book helped me understand how blessed I am to not undergo tragedies and emotions covered in the book. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who thinks they are in the verge of an emotional break down. This book beautifully describes how bad shit can get.”
– shotgun_smoke
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
“Musashi was a samurai in the early 1600s, but beyond his dedication to swordsmanship he was an incredibly talented individual similar in many ways to what we would call a renaissance man. He was a painter, a carver, a calligraphy artist, a philosopher, a military tactician, and so much more. He came from relatively humble beginnings and continued to develop new skills throughout his life, which is something that I aspire to.”
– 30ftandayear
The Biography of Miyamoto Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
“I think at that time I read them and found justification for staying in a bad relationship. Now I read them and feel emotions I associate with marginalization, guilt, and fear. But then there are these moments in them that put words to aspects of life that I’ve tried for years to describe. It’s complicated.”
– leliik
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
“Reading this when I was young made me swear to my self I would never become like the man in this book, however as you get older it gets also harder.”
– ViscondeSab
The Stranger by Albert Camus
“Made me feel connected to everything I perceive in life. Actually one phrase of it became a motto for me: “the best qualities of a human being is patience and having the ability to fast”. Fasting as in being grateful with what you have and have the ability to resist rough times, and patience to overcome them.”
– OsaBoson
Siddartha by Herman Hesse
“It was the book that made me realize that it’s okay to question god, and that when I’m confused or lost I should “educate myself” instead of always seeking instruction from authority figures. The book didn’t talk me out of religion right then, but it taught me that seeking knowledge and thinking for myself is valid and good. I’ve reread it over and over and a decade later, I’m working as a nanny and it’s influenced how I raise children.”
– RedCheekedSalamander
Persepolis (I and II) by Marjane Satrapi
“Made me really evaluate my thoughts and actions much more deeply than I ever had before. I think a lot of people, myself included, tend to automatically think of themselves as good people in a way that can hinder their ability to recognize when they’ve actually done something shitty to someone.”
– Chonkyfired
Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
“I had been far too obsessed with technical minutia and completely forgot the core of what it is to be human: to enjoy people for who they are instead of what.”
– Anonymous
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“I learned from it to have a lax attitude towards some of the things that happens because life if a bunch of accidents and random things, and the things that are not are out of our control at times.”
– ounaatm
Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
“No matter how high we raise ourselves, we’re still the same primates searching for purpose. Marcus Aurelius was the most powerful man in the world, he could demand anything. He understood that as the most privileged person alive, he was still a person.”
– zero2niftyin50
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
“Flask, alas, was a butterless man!” – It made me realize that a lot of my perceived limitations in life have been self inflicted.
– SgtChuckles
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
“I love Krakauer’s books because he doesn’t glamorize or idealize risking your life for adventure. I feel like, although I’m not an alpine climber, I can relate to his books so well. Some people have a part of them which makes them feel the need to experience risk in order to fill some sort kind of void.”
– throwawaycape
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
“Entirely convinced that this book is the sole reason I’m so desensitised to death now as a young adult. I remember reading this book as a young young child and just being in shock for a few days.”
– PurpuraSolani
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
“So much feels. I always knew I was blessed before reading it but it really put things in perspective for me. Now when I get stressed or anxious about stuff, even “big” stuff like being short on rent money, I remember how blessed I am that my friends and family are relatively safe.”
– DeusEntitatem
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
“The story is so depressing and bleak and yet you can’t help but to have hope for the characters at the end. It helped me realize no matter what challenges I deal with, there’s always a reason to have hope for the future even if it doesn’t seem like it, which has gotten me through some dark times and depression myself.”
– Artoo615
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
“I didn’t get along with my mother, who is a Korean immigrant, and this book made me understand that while there are language and cultural barriers that makes it hard to understand her, she loves me fiercely and I shouldn’t lose sight of that. Our relationship changed overnight.”
– Fellowshipofthecats
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
“Which path do you intend to take, Nell?” said the Constable, sounding very interested. “Conformity or rebellion?” “Neither one. Both ways are simple-minded—they are only for people who cannot cope with contradiction and ambiguity.” Suddenly, I didn’t have to be apart of any of it.”
– Anonymous
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
“A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.”
– JohnGillnitz
The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
“It was a surreal effect, and opened my eyes to the significance and power of your self conception.”
– elephantlaboratories
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
“This book probably saved my life. I have been depressed since I was a child. Heavily treatment resistant. Nothing has ever worked at all. God knows how much money my family wasted on therapies and drugs trying to keep me alive. Instead of happiness or pleasure he focuses on meaning, how those who had a sense of meaning would survive while those without it were more likely to die. I couldn’t hope for happiness, pleasure or normalcy, but meaning was something both measurable and attainable.”
– AkoTehPanda
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
“A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.”
– JohnGillnitz
The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
“I realized for the first time that there were other people on the planet with entire worlds and adventures going on inside their head the entire time. It was so well crafted that I understood it wasn’t just ink to paper. It taught me about writing and gave me an understanding that it is sometimes hard ass work.”
– naigung
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
“It doesn’t rule out suicide like everyone thinks you should. Rather, it goes through reasons you should live, stories from other attempt survivors, and the finality of dying.”
– courtcondemned
Suicide: The Forever Decision by Paul G. Quintet
“It’s about a famous Nazi propagandist during World War II who secretly supplies vital information to the Allies in an attempt to help end the war. The entire book is his internal struggle of “the greater good” and personal accountability while he shares his story from behind bars. The story is absolutely depressing and warns about becoming something that you were only pretending to be.”
– RobSwanDive
Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut
“I read this book right after graduating from college and it infused positive thoughts and energy into my life. I read it every once in a while to recharge my energy.”
– newmind9173
How to stop worrying and start living by Dale Carnegie
“It especially spoke to me about my relationship with my parents. It was at that moment that I began being able to see them as people, and not strictly as my parents. I realized that I had to forgive them for their mistakes if I ever wanted to move on with my own life.”
– Sasspants88
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
“I read it in high school and it made me so fearful of what I call “letting the fire die.” I saw so many of the people I went to high school with going the path of characters in that book (drugs, numb sex, parties that celebrate nothingness) and it made me choose to follow my passions and live a life unlike the people around me. The darkness of that book drove me to the light.”
– last_day_of_camp
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
“Made me rethink the way I consider my friends, family, independence, and of course, caring for myself.”
– mslack
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
“Made me realize that, out of an excessive sense of shame, I never ask for help, even when I’m in the deepest shit. It shed a light on how much I compound my miseries sometimes. Shit happens to everyone. Ask for help if you need some!”
– uMunthu
Hunger by Knut Hamsun
“It really helped me put in perspective the important things in life and helped me realized the materialistic things and petty life drama don’t mean anything compared to your inner peace.”
– Anonymous
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman
“Dharma Punx changed my life. Its helped me understand and let go a lot of anger. Helped me see meditation as a radical act and brought me into a better place in my life. I owe this book my life.”
– SmartLady
Dharma Punx by Noah Levine
“A big impact on how I think about life, the message that there’s so much to learn and do in the world and feeling “bored” is a useless feeling you have no excuse to feel (even more true today) always makes me more open to trying new things and really embracing the ability to learn from a lot of diverse experiences and sources.”
– galacticpotsmoker
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
“It gave me a lot of perspective on humanity, civilization, and purpose. Haven’t read it for about 10 years so it’s a bit foggy now but I feel like I keep pieces of it with me.”
– ChilakhSingh
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
“Its a beautiful portrayal of human emotions between a mentor and a young man, two competing forces of nature, the knowledge and skill of old age, and more.”
– Knot_Much
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
“I am an addict and have dealt with mental illness for as long as I can remember. While the novel does include a lot of potential solutions for the issues it highlights, what helped me the most was finally understanding that my world-view isn’t necessarily unique. It is, in my opinion, the most accurate representation of addiction and mental illness.”
– nothingcleverleft
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
“I was working in cosmetics at the time and I remember standing there watching all these women drop hundreds of dollars on makeup and skincare products while people were literally starving outside our doors. (The store was in the middle of downtown in a big city). It reminded me of the capitol and I was overwhelmed with this feeling of disgust. I walked out in the middle of my shift and never went back. Now I’m back in school studying nutrition hoping to help make healthy food more accessible and available to everyone.”
– amyspace
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
“It made me start taking life less seriously. It didn’t make me a nihilist but I just take everything easy. The book kinda does a good job of showing how big the universe is so it puts some perspective on your significance and place in the grand scheme of things.”
– cheerfulKing
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
“It made me realize art is a trainable skill. My drawing dramatically improved. I also realized I wouldn’t likely be an artist though. Aside from the odds on that being long in the first place, I didn’t have the drive to do it. My appreciation for art went up several notches though–I learned to appreciate not only form and composition, but other aspects such as negative space and color. It also “de mystified” art to some extent.”
– Anonymous
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
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