The 100 Best Business Books of All Time
Here are the top recommended books on business, entrepreneurship, management, leadership & more
Looking for the best business books? Then you’re in the perfect place! This page will help you discover your next mind-expanding author.
To find out which business books are recommended most often, we scrolled through hundreds of articles and reading lists. In the end, we carefully picked these 100 books—each one will be best for a different step of your business journey.
For Beginners
Which books should a beginner start with? This first section gives you a strong foundation for your future greatness. You’ll learn to develop successful habits, fantastic communication skills and healthy perspectives on money.
1. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Think and Grow Rich is near the top of most recommended reading lists about success, business and wealth. But why do people have such a high opinion of this dusty old book written in 1937?
Well, almost 100 years ago, the author Napoleon Hill wanted to find out “the formula for riches.” So he interviewed 500 millionaires to find out what they all had in common, including famous people like Henry Ford and Thomas Edison.
In the end, he discovered wisdom that was simple yet timeless: Have a burning desire for what you want, follow a definite plan and have faith your plan will succeed. So if you need to get your inner fire burning bright again, this is a good place to start.
Top quote: “One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat.”
Read our Summary of Think and Grow Rich
2. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
Rich Dad Poor Dad is Robert Kiyosaki’s true story of growing up in Hawaii with both a rich and a poor dad. His “Poor Dad” was his middle-class biological father. Like most middle-class and poor parents, he wanted his son to finish college and aim for a secure career with good benefits in a big corporation.
However, Robert also had a “Rich Dad” who was actually his best friend’s father and a savvy local entrepreneur. Rich Dad had very different beliefs than Poor Dad. He taught Robert that rich people don’t work for income like most of us—instead, they buy assets that make them money.
If you want to learn the basic strategy of how people become wealthy, then this book gives a great introduction. Best of all, it is very easy to read because it is written as a story.
Top quote: “The poor and the middle class work for money. The rich have money work for them.”
Read our Summary of Rich Dad Poor Dad
3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is one of the most popular self help books ever, selling 25 million copies. Stephen Covey explains seven principles for becoming more effective in our personal and professional lives. These include:
- 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
Top quote: “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
Read our Summary of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
4. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
How to Win Friends and Influence People offers countless practical tips for how to be friendly and likeable. Dale Carnegie says people are naturally preoccupied with themselves, so we can get along with them much better by becoming genuinely interested in them, using their name, smiling, etc.
Top quote: “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years trying to get other people interested in you.”
5. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
The Richest Man in Babylon is a classic personal finance book that contains timeless principles for growing wealthier. The important lessons include:
- Pay yourself first (save 10% of your money),
- Control your expenses,
- Use your money to make more money (aka investing)
Some reviewers say this book is simplistic, but it does a great job teaching us about money without boring us to death! The mystical story and memorable rules found in this book make it so easy to learn personal finance! (Instead of the boring calculations found in most finance books.)
Top quote: “What each of us calls our ‘necessary expenses’ will always grow to equal our incomes unless we protest to the contrary.”
Honorable Mentions:
- The Magic of Thinking Big
- Mindset by Carol Dweck
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** by Mark Manson
- The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch
- The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
- Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T Harv Eker