I think it also depends on where you need inspiration…for example since I am working on a fiction book I am reading fiction books to stay motivated.
+1
The writings of Michel de Montaigne, who wrote in the 1500’s and created the essay, and, it has been said, was the first blogger - writing his thoughts down and seeing where they went.
A great way in is a book called How to Live: A Life of Montaigne, which I discuss in this thread: Wonderful, wise book - How to Live: Or a Life of Montaigne... - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Walden By Thoreau, Tao Te Ching, and almost everything by Heinlein, Pratchett and A.A Milne.
Richard Bach: “Illusions - The adventures of a reluctant Messiah”
When I need inspiration, I usually read books that most people call depressing. It’s kind of cathartic, I guess.
Besides anything by Stephen R Donaldson, I often fall back on Armorby John Steakley (think Starship Troopers with more nihilism and less politics).
Not so much recently, but back in the day I was never far from my copy of Kernighan & Ritchie.
The king of one-liners, Maxims of François de La Rochefoucauld.
Then you’ll also want to read How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne, which I think came out some years earlier.
Robert Ringer had first published a book called Winning Through Intimidation which was a how-to-get-rich book that largely taught you how to be Donald Trump. Looking Out For #1 came out somewhat later, in which he largely repudiated everything he had written in his earlier book (at one point, even explicitly), but I thought the whole book was very much just a rip-off of Browne’s work.
ETA: I do, however, live my life to this day by the wisdom of Ringer’s “Iceball Theorem”: One hundred million years from now, when the Sun is burned out and the Earth is a frozen ice ball, none of this will matter.
On a similar note Zen to Go by Jon Winokur, which is just a short collection of quotes, some from Zen masters, others just Zen-like quotes by celebrities.
But Pirsig’s book is part of why I’ll eventually own a 60s Honda motorcycle.
I have read both of Ringer’s books several times, and haven’t got the idea that he had repudiated *anything *from his first one. Can you give a quote?
There has been a copy of this on my nightstand since I was given one as a birthday present on my 9th birthday.
Another book that tends to put me back together when I’m flying apart is “A Girl of the Limberlost” by Gene Stratton-Porter.
I’ll third, or fourth or fifth Pratchett, especially the Granny Weatherwax and Tiffany Aching novels. His vision of witchcraft, which has nothing to do with spells, incantations, or dancin’ about without yer drawers, is instead about First Sight (seeing what’s really there), Third Thoughts (thinking about what you’re thinking, and, crucially, why), and, most importantly, doing for them as can’t do for themselves. Sometimes, the most magical thing you can do is scrub a floor.
Pratchett’s tough-minded, warm-hearted humanism is the ideal to which I strive, and so often fail, to emulate.
Veering aside from the OP a bit, when I’m frazzled or anxious, I’ll watch YouTube videos of luthiers making violins, or cobblers making shoes, or hatters blocking hats. Watching a craftsman or -woman make something with her own hands is tremendously soothing and centering for me.
Sorry, I read those about 30 years ago when they were new-ish, so I don’t remember much in detail (except for the Iceball Theorem). That was definitely the impression that I remember coming away with. I do remember that, at one point, he explicitly wrote something along the lines of “You don’t need to intimidate everybody” or something like that.
Anybody else here remember these books enough to help us out here?
The Anatomy Of Melancholy.
When Ringer used the word Intimidate he didn’t mean being a bully or pushing people around. He meant it as in having all your ducks in a row. Knowing what you want and being prepared to go after it. Having all the paperwork done. Being able to walk away from a deal if it doesn’t suit your needs. Laying it all out, what you want and what the other person wants. Having both sides being happy with the deal.
If just one side is happy you’ve made money on that deal but you lose future deals with the unhappy person.
Catch-22 has been my “bible” for all my adult life.