Good business/economy books!

[sana8410]

What are some great business or economy themed books you guys have read?
Do include a good advice from the book that you have recommended as well.
For me, a good econs book I've read would the 'The wealth of nations' by Adam Smith which is a book first published in 1776!It is widely considered as the 'magnum opus' (greatest work) in classical economics! Before the book, there has never before been such a huge collection of explanations for the changes and growth of economic theories.

My favorite quote from the book would be this:

"Laws frequently continue in force long after the circumstances which first gave occasion to them, and which could alone render them reasonable, are no more."

I do think that quote can be applied to many outdated laws that we still have nowadays, don't you think?

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[noviapriani]

A good business book that I can recommend would be:

What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School by Mark H. McCormack

I loved his advice about 'observing aggressively'Too many people nowadays are too caught up in what they themselves wanna say that they forget to pay attention to their business partners (aka the person they are talking to) when actually if you observe them closely and listen carefully to their actions and the words they use, their conscious and subconscious actions can tell you a lot about themselves and what they think!Ever since then I've made it a point to sit back and relax while paying attention to the people I'm talking to.

[twiifm]

Adam Smith is very influential.  So is Keynes, Marx, Hayek, Ricardo, Locke,  Schumpeter, Friedman

[sana8410]

A good business book that I can recommend would be:

What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School by Mark H. McCormack

I loved his advice about 'observing aggressively'Too many people nowadays are too caught up in what they themselves wanna say that they forget to pay attention to their business partners (aka the person they are talking to) when actually if you observe them closely and listen carefully to their actions and the words they use, their conscious and subconscious actions can tell you a lot about themselves and what they think!Ever since then I've made it a point to sit back and relax while paying attention to the people I'm talking to.

If you are in marketing business or in selling occupation the book must be proved best but for other readers who wish to find it a self help guide may glide down to zero level
Some tips are good but only few...

[sana8410]

Adam Smith is very influential.  So is Keynes, Marx, Hayek, Ricardo, Locke,  Schumpeter, Friedman

Adam Smith is often described as the "founding father of economics". A great deal of what is now considered standard theory about the theory about markets was developed by Adam Smith. Two books, Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations are of great importance. First time I’ve heard about him was in collage ,on the economy class,when I started to read “Theory of Moral Sentiments”...i never finish it.

[Ron~Popeil]

Anything by Milton Friedman is worth a read. He predicted crypto currencies not long before he passed. 

[sana8410]

Anything by Milton Friedman is worth a read. He predicted crypto currencies not long before he passed. 

Milton Friedman was a genius. If you have interest, spend some time listening to his talks on YouTube. Fantastic speaker, very intelligent, and absolutely scathing of massive government, high taxation, etc. I wish he could've been here to see Bitcoin.

[zolace]

A good book I've read would be 'Rich dad, poor dad' by Robert Kiyosaki.

I really liked his advice on our attitude towards making mistakes. In his book, he said:

"“In school we learn that mistakes are bad, and we are punished for making them. Yet, if you look at the way humans are designed to learn, we learn by making mistakes. We learn to walk by falling down. If we never fell down, we would never walk.”

and also

“Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.”

and it is true. In the real world, we have to understand that sometimes we have to take risks and both outcomes of taking risks are a win-win situation as long as you make the best out of your mistakes and failures by learning from them.

I have realized that most of the improvements that I've been proud of are the result of learning from mistakes.

[sana8410]

A good book I've read would be 'Rich dad, poor dad' by Robert Kiyosaki.

I really liked his advice on our attitude towards making mistakes. In his book, he said:

"“In school we learn that mistakes are bad, and we are punished for making them. Yet, if you look at the way humans are designed to learn, we learn by making mistakes. We learn to walk by falling down. If we never fell down, we would never walk.”

and also

“Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.”

and it is true. In the real world, we have to understand that sometimes we have to take risks and both outcomes of taking risks are a win-win situation as long as you make the best out of your mistakes and failures by learning from them.

I have realized that most of the improvements that I've been proud of are the result of learning from mistakes.

'Rich dad, poor dad'... Sounds interesting.. Never heard of it ever before..

[QuarantinedMoon]

Great topic. Depends on what field of Economics but I'm quite into Economics of Social Policy... can't go wrong with Becker (1968)/Stigler (1970) for Economics of Crime.

[zolace]

A good book I've read would be 'Rich dad, poor dad' by Robert Kiyosaki.

I really liked his advice on our attitude towards making mistakes. In his book, he said:

"“In school we learn that mistakes are bad, and we are punished for making them. Yet, if you look at the way humans are designed to learn, we learn by making mistakes. We learn to walk by falling down. If we never fell down, we would never walk.”

and also

“Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.”

and it is true. In the real world, we have to understand that sometimes we have to take risks and both outcomes of taking risks are a win-win situation as long as you make the best out of your mistakes and failures by learning from them.

I have realized that most of the improvements that I've been proud of are the result of learning from mistakes.

'Rich dad, poor dad'... Sounds interesting.. Never heard of it ever before..

It is a relatively thin book of about 200 pages and only priced at about 10$ usd for all the great advice it offers. It is definitely worth the investment!The book has also been on the market awhile so I wouldn't be surprised if you find the book in a 2nd hand book fair.

[Benjig]

Well i have some

Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997).  The third leg in the triad of "why did Europe dominate the globe?" explanations.  If Clark focuses on genetics/culture, and Rosenberg and Birdzell focus on institutions, Diamond proffers a geographical determinism. 

  Nathan Rosenberg and L.E. Birdzell, Jr., How the West Grew Rich (1986).  Perfect when paired with Clark, because Rosenberg and Birdzell present the classical argument for why Western Europe was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. 

[umair127]

What about 'The richest men in Babylon'??
I loved that book. Short and easy to read. In that book, one advice that stuck with me the most was 'Save at least 10% of all your income to be used as investment.'
In today's society where most people tend to spend MORE than they earn, I think saving money is a very rare virtue. And over a long time, 10% of your income in the right investments can even make you rich!

[sana8410]

Well i have some

Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997).  The third leg in the triad of "why did Europe dominate the globe?" explanations.  If Clark focuses on genetics/culture, and Rosenberg and Birdzell focus on institutions, Diamond proffers a geographical determinism. 

  Nathan Rosenberg and L.E. Birdzell, Jr., How the West Grew Rich (1986).  Perfect when paired with Clark, because Rosenberg and Birdzell present the classical argument for why Western Europe was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. 

I also enjoyed the book except that Diamond's patronising attitude towards his "friends" in New Guinea is repulsive - his "praise" of how clever they are feels very artificial.

[zolace]

Sun Tzu Art of War has also been hailed as one of the greatest 'business books' around although it was originally meant for a military audience. This is because many of the strategies stated in the book can be applied to business!
For example, one of my favorite quotes from the book would be:

"The great fighters of the past first puts themselves beyond the possibilities of defeat,
then waited for an opportunity to defeat the enemy.

For you alone can deny victory to the enemy,
but only your enemy can allow you to win."

[sana8410]

What about 'The richest men in Babylon'??
I loved that book. Short and easy to read. In that book, one advice that stuck with me the most was 'Save at least 10% of all your income to be used as investment.'
In today's society where most people tend to spend MORE than they earn, I think saving money is a very rare virtue. And over a long time, 10% of your income in the right investments can even make you rich!

This is a great starting book for someone who is pressed for time and doesn't want to read a ton of financial books. While some of the ideas are archaically written, they remain timeless. An obvious one: as a person's wealth rises, so do their expenses.
Keep in mind the story is set in ancient Babylon so if you want something more contemporary, while learning, try ,as zolace here recommended,Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

[zolace]

What about 'The richest men in Babylon'??
I loved that book. Short and easy to read. In that book, one advice that stuck with me the most was 'Save at least 10% of all your income to be used as investment.'
In today's society where most people tend to spend MORE than they earn, I think saving money is a very rare virtue. And over a long time, 10% of your income in the right investments can even make you rich!

Read it 4 years ago, Loved it, I should read it again. Fun to read, interesting, though provoking and but mostly just plain inspiring. If you don't have problems with spending too much money no need to read it. If you have tons of money and it's not a problem no need to read it. If you live on a budget like most of it, enjoy. Deserving of its well-regarded status of one of the classics of personal finance.

[umair127]

Sun Tzu Art of War has also been hailed as one of the greatest 'business books' around although it was originally meant for a military audience. This is because many of the strategies stated in the book can be applied to business!
For example, one of my favorite quotes from the book would be:

"The great fighters of the past first puts themselves beyond the possibilities of defeat,
then waited for an opportunity to defeat the enemy.

For you alone can deny victory to the enemy,
but only your enemy can allow you to win."

Oh! I've read Sun Tzu Art of War too. I almost forgot about it.
The advice that stuck with me most was about to take no sides until you really have to, so that your enemies will not know your stance.
It goes something along the lines of....the best formation an army could take is without formation...because if you have no formation, even the subtlest spies cannot report against you and the wisest generals cannot plan against you(?) and then it ends with 'using formation, lead your army to victory.'

[noviapriani]

You can also try "The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine" by Michael Lewis is really a good business economy book.This is the no 1 New York Times bestseller.

[Leina]

Adventure capitalist by Jim Roger.