The world library is very rich in useful literature and continues to grow. After all, people since ancient times have been looking for ways to improve themselves, asking themselves philosophical questions and getting to know their minds.
They wrote down the same reflections and answers to pass on their experience to others. Some of these works can be safely categorized as the best books for motivation and self-development.
Reasons to Read Books for Self-Development
We were so powerful that we could not get enough of that same equal. People either progress or degrade. We are confident that our readers will choose progress and self-improvement anyway.
Reading books is in itself a sure step towards progress. Books are not just a source of knowledge. They teach us to think, to delve, to concentrate Especially if these are books to read for self-development. It can be philosophy and psychology, business and relationships. Or there may even be universal books covering all areas of the personality.
List of TOP12 Books for Personal Development
We have selected the best books for self-development that will affect all aspects of your life: from career to personal and spiritual.
Bible
We offer this book not as a religious work (because faith is a personal choice), but as something much more. For the Book of Records of Guinness, that statistician of light is recognized as the first, as the most:
- Readable.
- Sold.
- Published.
- Quoted.
And the most popular book in the world. It is even stolen (!) most often.
It is believed that when you read the Bible, it reads you. After all, it touches upon the subtleties of human psychology and the principles of relationships between people. And although much is presented in an allegorical style (parables, revelations), it does not lose its relevance at all.
Sun Tzu. Art of War
ЩAnother example of what books are worth reading for self-development is where everything written is relevant even after a couple of thousand years. At one time, Napoleon read this book, and today students of military educational institutions not only read it without fail. What will it teach a non-military person? Strategy, tactics, and the ability to win.
Many principles from this treatise will be relevant to you, even if you are not a general, but a simple manager or manager. At the end of the day, we all have our war, whether it's business or fighting personal fears.
Covey Stephen. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
This is a reference book for those who want to do more and work efficiently. Perhaps some advice may seem banal or even obvious, but we often just make obvious mistakes without even thinking about it.

No wonder this work even received nominations for the best books for motivation and self-development. After all, after it, you will at least learn to prioritize, smooth out conflicts, and respond to stressful situations.
Timothy Gallwey. Inner Game of Work: Focus, Learning, Pleasure, and Mobility in the Workplace
If you are looking for books for self-development that would help overcome the inner fears associated with work and teach you, in principle, to treat it easier, this is what you need.
The book will teach you how to be your coach, view your life (and work) from a bird's eye view, and distribute forces evenly.
Gary Chapman. 5 Love Languages
The next issue of our what books to read for self-development list will be this one. It is generally difficult to imagine a fulfilling life without relationships. But their mere presence is not enough: you also need hard work on them, as well as an understanding of how to build them.
The author gives practical and, most importantly, real recommendations on the five main aspects, without which it's impossible to build relationships at all.
Laurent Gunel. God Always Travels Incognito
We decided to diversify the books that are worth reading for self-development with a wonderful novel, which, however, will not leave you without food for thought.
The author unobtrusively gives practical recommendations in life situations and even helps to raise self-esteem and look at life more optimistically.
Tetiana Chernigivska. How to Teach the Brain to Learn
This is more likely not related to the category of books for business and self-development but to audio lectures. And this is not a boring flow of facts. These lectures are amazing, unexpected, and even frightening discoveries about our brains.
And although it is known that the brain is a lazy organ, Tatyana's lectures will tell you how to make the "lazy" work for you and learn new skills.
John Kehoe. Mind Power
Like it or not, often we are what we think. Rather, what happens in our lives is a reflection of what we think. So maybe then we should learn how to tune ourselves into a more beneficial wave to set ourselves in a positive direction in life.
The book will tell you how to do this through your subconscious and spill on this mysterious, but significant part of your personality. Some people may find this book esoteric or unrealistic. But after all, we are dealing here with the subconscious, and it in itself is poorly understood. But with the right approach to the depths of consciousness, you can change your life for the better.

Kelly McGonigal. Willpower!
We all understand that there is no “magic recipe” for willpower to come and go. But it is worth saying that reading the right books for personal self-development is already training for such a skill.
Kelly McGonigal perfectly combines scientific and experimental facts about willpower with practical recommendations that have already helped many readers.
Marcus Aurelius. Meditations
Who better than the Stoics knows about the ability to find opportunities even in the most difficult trials? And they have a lot to learn because sometimes life throws us serious challenges and they need to be answered.
The works of Marcus Aurelius are classics of Stoic philosophy, where you can talk about good and evil, life and death together with the Roman emperor. Or maybe even find inspiration if your hands drop.
Friedrich Nietzsche. Beyond Good and Evil
This book is not something that is needed for the development of the individual as such (although someone likes it), but rather for the development of horizons. Although Nietzsche is a specific philosopher, this book will help to broaden one's horizons and delve into the reflections of good and evil, moral and immoral.
Ken Mogi. The Little Book of Ikigai: The Secret Japanese Way to Live a Happy and Long Life
Ikigai is a Japanese philosophy of finding joy, awareness, and fulfillment in every area of life every day. Something like the principle of the golden mean, only better and deeper.
Unlike the “newfangled” trends with all sorts of wabi-sabi, bushido, and so on, this book does not popularize ikigai but explains why it is important.
The author is Japanese and better than anyone describes this concept, as well as its impact on life expectancy (in which the Japanese will certainly give odds to anyone).
Today we have a huge selection of literature, literally for any of our requests. It is most pleasant for someone to read the paper, and someone prefers to books for self-development to read online. But most importantly, let what you read lead you to new levels of life and personality.
Reading is a great habit. Because with books your life will never be boring, and your existence will never be meaningless. Especially with useful and motivating books.