10 Best Motivational Books for Personal Development

1. The Art of War, by Sun Tzu

The Art of War may be the most widely read book that examines strategy and dispute resolution, equally studied by men and women, military, business executives and politicians alike. According to this book, strategy, preparedness and taking advantage of opportunities are key to achieving success by overcoming conflict.
Best Quotes:
“The wise warrior avoids the battle.”
“Thus those skilled in war subdue the enemy’s army without battle …. They conquer by strategy.”
“To … not prepare is the greatest of crimes; to be prepared beforehand for any contingency is the greatest of virtues.”
“What is of the greatest importance in war is extraordinary speed: One cannot afford to neglect opportunity.”

 2. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide To Personal Freedom, by Miguel Ruiz

According to author Miguel Ruiz, four agreements in life are fundamental steps on the path to freedom:
Be impeccable with your word.
Don’t take anything personally.
Don’t make assumptions.
Always do your best.
The book’s basic premise is that the diligent application of these agreements will lead to personal freedom.
Best Quotes:
“Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make beautiful art.”
“Maybe we cannot escape from the destiny of the human, but we have a choice: to suffer our destiny or to enjoy our destiny.”
“You will find that you don’t need to trust others as much as you need to trust yourself to make the right choices.”

 3. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, by Stephen R. Covey

This book was first published in 1989, and has sold over 25 million copies worldwide in over 40 languages. The 7 habits touted by the book are:
Be Proactive
Begin with the End in Mind
Put First Things First
Think Win-Win
Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
Synergize
Sharpen the Saw
Best Quotes:
“Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and
he will become as he can and should be.”
“If I really want to improve my situation, I can work on the one thing over which I have control – myself.”

 4. How to Win Friends & Influence People, by Dale Carnegie

Brimming with practical advice, this book includes fundamental techniques in handling people, six ways to make people like you, twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking, how to be a leader and change people without giving offense or breeding resentment, and seven rules for making your home life happier.
Best Quotes:
“It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”
“The world is full of people who are grabbing and self-seeking. So the rare individual who unselfishly tries to serve others has an enormous advantage.”

 5. Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill

The title of this book suggests that this book tells you how to accumulate monetary wealth, but it is so much more than that – the principles set out in this book cover growing rich in every aspect, personally and professionally. The author conducted a series of interviews with the most successful and wealthiest individuals to determine the universal doctrines that anyone may apply in order to be successful.
Best Quotes:
“There is no substitute for persistence. The person who makes persistence his watch-word, discovers that “Old Man Failure” finally becomes tired, and makes his departure. Failure cannot cope with persistence.”
“The majority of people are ready to throw their aims and purposes overboard, and give up at the first sign of opposition or misfortune. A few carry on despite all opposition, until they attain their goal. These few are the Fords, Carnegies, Rockefellers, and Edisons.”

6. Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!, by Anthony Robbins

This book is authored by Tony Robbins, who is probably the most well-known motivational speaker today. In this book, Tony shares tips and strategies to gain control of your emotions, body, relationships, finances and life.
Best Quotes:
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. “
“You can’t have a plan for your day, ’til you have a plan for your life.”
“Success is doing what you want to do, when you want, where you want, with whom you want, as much as you want.”

 7. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and Its All Small Stuff, by Richard Carlson

This book is all about seeing the bigger picture, and learning to let go of those things that don’t really matter. Cherish your loved ones and take time to stop and smell the roses.
Best Quotes:
“Even though we often mess up, most of us are doing the best that we know how with the circumstances that surround us.”
“True happiness comes not when we get rid of all of our problems, but when we change our relationship to them, when we see our problems as a potential source of awakening, opportunities to practice, and to learn.”

 8. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

The authors of this book examine change. Their theory is that there are two brain systems – a rational system and an emotional system. When these systems work together, making changes is simple. The opposite is true when these systems work against each other – making changes becomes very difficult. Using inspirational anecdotes, this book illustrates how to make change happen.
Best Quotes:
“So when you hear people say that change is hard because people are lazy or resistant, that’s just flat wrong. In fact, the opposite is true: Change is hard because people wear themselves out. And that’s the second surprise about change: What looks like laziness is often exhaustion.”
“It’s a theme we’ve seen again and again — big changes come from a succession of small changes. It’s OK if the first changes seem almost trivial.”

 9. The Magic of Thinking Big, by David J. Schwartz

Think small and you will have small success. Think big and you will have big success. These are the core concepts espoused by this book. The author provides practical advice to overcome fear, have confidence and above all, aim high.
Best Quotes:
“Think you are weak, think you lack what it takes, think you will lose, think you are second class – think this way and you are doomed to mediocrity.”
“Those who believe they can move mountains, do. Those who believe they can’t, cannot. Belief triggers the power to do.”

 10. Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson provides an in-depth account the professional and personal life of Steve Jobs, drawing upon interviews with Jobs himself, as well as family members, friends, competitors and colleagues. This book is incredibly inspiring, as it shares the tale of a driven perfectionist, admittedly difficult to deal with, that was the greatest innovator of his generation.
Best Quotes:
“Steve Jobs: “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”
“Jobs insisted that Apple focus on just two or three priorities at a time. “There is no one better at turning off the noise that is going on around him,” Cook said. “That allows him to focus on a few things and say no to many things. Few people are really good at that.”