12 Books that take you on a Journey

All of the books in this article changed my life. Reading each of these brought me new insights, outlooks on life and inspiration. While I am always finding new books that inspire me these are the books that are time tested. The books that I constantly go back to when I need a reminder in my life.

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

This book takes the reader into the culture of Bombay through the eyes of an escaped convict. Lin learns the streets of Bombay living in the slums, working with the gangsters, and learning from the Indians and other exiles. His journey leads him to find love and find himself. This book will take you on a journey through the life of a man searching for his meaning as a wanted man and through the culture of India. Shantaram will embrace you through every single turn of the page.

“Sometimes we love with nothing more than hope. Sometimes we cry with everything except tears.”

“Fate gives all of us three teachers, three friends, three enemies, and three great loves in our lives. But these twelve are always disguised, and we can never know which one is which until we’ve loved them, left them, or fought them.”

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

How did humans become the species that we are today? Sapiens takes us on the path from when 6 human species once inhabited the earth to where we are today. Harari looks at the role of gods, money, democracy, and so much more from the time we claimed our place on earth. This book looks at the different events that have shaped our history and " challenges everything we thought we knew about being human: our thoughts, our actions, our power ... and our future."

“How do you cause people to believe in an imagined order such as Christianity, democracy or capitalism? First, you never admit that the order is imagined.”

“Culture tends to argue that it forbids only that which is unnatural. But from a biological perspective, nothing is unnatural. Whatever is possible is by definition also natural. A truly unnatural behaviour, one that goes against the laws of nature, simply cannot exist, so it would need no prohibition.”

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Christopher McCandless set off in 1992 on a journey to discover himself or maybe it was to abandon himself. When McCandless's body was found in a bus in Alaska everyone had questions about this man and his story. The story of his journey is beautiful, heart breaking and raw. The book "The Wild Truth" is the follow up book to this story told from his sisters perspective and it is a beautiful way to see into more of the life Chris was abandoning.

“Happiness [is] only real when shared”

" make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure."

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

Like many mountaineering stories this one ends in tragedy, and the story is emotional. Since this book is told through Krakauer's perspective on the mountain it is a chilling first hand account of what it looks like in the situation that they were facing.

“We were too tired to help. Above 8,000 meters is not a place where people can afford morality”

“...I quickly came to understand that climbing Everest was primarily about enduring pain. And in subjecting ourselves to week after week of toil, tedium, and suffering, it struck me that most of use were probably seeking, above else, something like a state of grace.”

Born To Run by Christopher McDougall

If there is one book on this list that had the biggest impact on my life it would be this book. At the time of reading this book I was just realizing running was a possibility for me and while reading this book (not even until the end) I realized I was capable of much more than I ever let myself believe. I have taken the messages in this book into every single area of my life. The messages of running and the ability of the human body are unbelievably inspiring and excuse killing.

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.”

“If you don't have answers to your problems after a four-hour run, you ain't getting them.”

The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life by Amby Burfoot

This book is an easy read and is so much more than running inspiration. Burfoot talks about life through the lens of running. His experience leads him to understand that running has a bigger meaning.

“Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don't have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up.”

“And, finally, I run because there's no better way to see the sun rise and set.”

The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

First, I need to say that Ferriss is my ultimate mentor and inspiration. Anything that he comes out with I will read or listen to. This book is what really started it all for him. While taking an early retirement after leaving a job that he was not happy at, Tim realizes that he can structure his life in a way that if fulfilling to him. This book is everything he learned and his tools for achieving a life that you love and is run on your terms.

“But you are the average of the five people you associate with most, so do not underestimate the effects of your pessimistic, unambitious, or disorganized friends. If someone isn't making you stronger, they're making you weaker.”

“What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.”

“A person's success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.”

Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss

The Tim Ferriss Show podcast is my go-to every single day on my way to work. Guests who excel in their field are interviewed about their lives and their journey to become the successful people that they are today. This book is Ferriss's conversations stripped down to the key points. Read this one with a pencil in hand.

“WHEN 99% OF PEOPLE DOUBT YOU, YOU’RE EITHER GRAVELY WRONG OR ABOUT TO MAKE HISTORY.”

“Happiness is wanting what you have.”

“Sparta, Rome, the knights of Europe, the samurai . . . worshipped strength. Because it is strength that makes all other values possible.”

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life by Cheryl Strayed

Dear Sugar was a column that people wrote into about love, loss, struggle and joy in every area of life that you can image. This book looks at some of the most memorable columns that Sugar wrote. Pick up this book if you need a pick-me-up in life. It is beautiful, sad, inspiring and emotional and will leave you will so many bits of wisdom.

“Most things will be okay eventually, but not everything will be. Sometimes you'll put up a good fight and lose. Sometimes you'll hold on really hard and realize there is no choice but to let go. Acceptance is a small, quiet room.”

“Don't surrender all your joy for an idea you used to have about yourself that isn't true anymore.”

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

When you put down this book you will want to buy a plane ticket and go explore new parts of the world. Potts shows you how you can escape the 9 to 5 cage we are all shamed to living in and explore life and the world on your terms. Vagabonding is a way of life.

" Vagabonding starts now. Even if the practical reality of travel is still months or years away, vagabonding begins the moment you stop making excuses, start saving money, and begin to look at maps with the narcotic tingle of possibility."

“We need the possibility of escape as surely as we need hope;”

“Money, of course, is still needed to survive, but time is what you need to live. So, save what little money you possess to meet basic survival requirements, but spend your time lavishly in order to create the life values that make the fire worth the candle. Dig?”

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Bryson is a beautifully satirical writer. His journey on the Appalachian Trail with an impracticable partner will have you laughing through their hike. This book explores the beauty of the AT while keeping you entertained all 2,000 plus miles.

“That's the trouble with losing your mind; by the time it's gone, it's too late to get it back.”

“I have long known that it is part of God's plan for me to spend a little time with each of the most stupid people on earth,"

1984 by George Orwell

I first read this book in high school and it has since been an important book in my life and in the way I view the world. This book looks at the world through the eyes of "Big Brother". A world in which all is seen, all is monitored, and no one is free. As our world continues to change certain themes from this book are making a place for themselves in society. 1984 is a must read for anyone.

“War is peace. Freedom is slavery.

Ignorance is strength.”

“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought."

“Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.”

“Big Brother is Watching You.”

All of these books have had an impact on my life in an incredibly meaningful way. They have played a role in shaping my choices, adventures and approaches to life. I will always encounter books that find a place in my life to help me and the lessons will continue to inspire me.