Top 10 Books To Read Recommended By Barack Obama, Steve Jobs

Last updated: February 8, 2026Reviewed date: February 8, 2026Reading time: 5 min read

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Want to know what goes on inside the minds of billionaires, global leaders, and game-changers? Read what they read. No matter how successful people like Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, or Barack Obama are today, they all acquired their knowledge and experience over Time. And they...

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বাংলা রোগী নোট এখনো যোগ করা হয়নি। পোস্ট এডিটরে “RX Bangla Patient Mode” বক্স থেকে সহজ বাংলা সারাংশ যোগ করুন।

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Article Summary

Key Takeaways

This article explains Top 10 Books To Read in simple medical language.
This article explains 1. Atlas Shrugged By Ayn Rand in simple medical language.
This article explains 2. Competing Against Time By George Stalk in simple medical language.
This article explains 3. Business Adventures By John Brooks in simple medical language.

Educational health guideWritten for patient understanding and clinical awareness.

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Definition

Want to know what goes on inside the minds of billionaires, global leaders, and game-changers?

Read what they read.

No matter how successful people like Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, or Barack Obama are today, they all acquired their knowledge and experience over Time. And they admit that books were a big part of the journey.

I know what you’re thinking: what were these books?

Luckily for us, they’ve publicly shared the most recommended and impactful books that have helped them get to where they are today.

We’ve compiled the top 10 books to read and brought them here to enjoy.

Enjoy these ten books, and share the knowledge with others!

1. Atlas Shrugged By Ayn Rand

Recommended by: Steve Jobs and Mark Cuban
Topic: Politics & Business
One-sentence summary: “Solve the world’s problem through entrepreneurial solutions.”

When Steve Wozniak was interviewed about what influenced Steve Jobs in the early days of building Apple, he mentioned that Atlas Shrugged was one of the books that Jobs used as his guide to life & business.

2. Competing Against Time By George Stalk

Recommended by: Tim Cook
Topic: Business, Economy, Productivity
One-sentence summary: “Time is now added to the other three critical factors in order to remain competitiveness in the market – money, productivity, and quality.”

Competing Against Time is a book that Tim Cook passes out everywhere and makes it a recommendation for all new hires at Apple to read

3. Business Adventures By John Brooks

Recommended by: Warren Buffet and Bill Gates
Topic: Business & Finance
One-sentence summary: “A classic story about the American corporate and financial life.”

What do two of the wealthiest men in the world have in common? They love the writings of John Brooks. In his essay about Business Adventures, Gates writes, “Brooks eschews ‘listicles’ and doesn’t ‘boil his work down into pat how-to lessons or simplistic explanations for success.’ Instead, he tells entertaining stories replete with richly drawn characters, setting them during heightened moments within the world of commerce.”

Buffett’s classic sayings, such as “you only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out,” fits right into the style of Brooks’s writing as well.

4. Influence By Robert Cialdini

Recommended by: Charlie Munger and Guy Kawasaki
Topic: Psychology, Persuasion, Marketing
One-sentence summary: “Science-backed methods to persuade just about anyone you want.”

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s partner in crime at Berkshire Hathaway, attributes Cialdini’s work to significantly influencing his thinking process. Cialdini’s work greatly influenced his published work on the 25 Cognitive Biases of humans.

5. Life Is What You Make It By Peter Buffett

Recommended by: Bill Clinton
Topic: Life, Purpose, Autobiography
One-sentence summary: “Instead of taking the way of least resistance, choose the path to greatest satisfaction.”

This autobiography book by Peter Buffett, Warren Buffett’s son, shares the wisdom learned from his family and his experiences. Here’s how Ted Turner, Media Icon and the Founder of CNN, describes it: “With home-spun, heart-felt wisdom Peter Buffett ponders how to make a meaningful life, while making a living.”

6. The Happiness Hypothesis By Jonathan Haidt

Recommended by: Tony Hsieh
Topic: Happiness, Culture, Philosophy,
One-sentence summary: “Giving and serving are the way to happiness.”

“This is probably the book that’s made the biggest impact on my life over the past five years. The author examines the beliefs about happiness of different cultures, religions and philosophers from different periods, and then compares those beliefs with research that’s been done on the science of happiness. The book is thought-provoking and the concepts can be applied to business and to life.” – Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos)

7. The Four Agreements By Don Miguel Ruiz

Recommended by: Oprah Winfrey and Jack Dorsey
Topic: Spirituality, Life, Happiness
One-sentence summary: The book can be summarized in the following four precepts:

Be Impeccable With Your Word
Don’t Take Anything Personally
Don’t Make Assumptions
Always Do Your Best

As Jack Dorsey is in the process of running two publicly traded companies, Twitter and Square, he’s forced to mature as a leader. Throughout his journey, he acknowledges The Four Agreements guiding him on the right path.

8. Self-Reliance By Ralph Waldo Emerson

Recommended by: Barack Obama
Topic: Individualism, non-conformity, and independence
One-sentence summary: “Hold on to your own convictions, despite what society and other people want you to believe.”

Self-Reliance put Ralph Waldo Emerson on the map as one of the most influential poets and philosophers of the 19th century. President Obama referenced this essay as one of his most influential books in an email to Jon Meacham from the New York Times and even referenced the importance of self-reliance in his 2008 election victory speech.

9. Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin By Walter Isaacson

Recommended by: Elon Musk
Topic: Autobiography, Entrepreneurship, Benjamin Franklin
One-sentence summary: “The rise of Benjamin Franklin from the bottom to the top.”

Elon Musk, the Co-Founder of Paypal, Tesla Motors, and SpaceX, said Ben Franklin is one of his heroes. He likely sees Franklin as the type of American he would like to become: a combination of statesman, inventor, and businessman.

“You can see how [Franklin] was an entrepreneur. He started from nothing. He was just a runaway kid.” -Elon Musk

10. The Remains Of The Day By Kazuo Ishiguro

Recommended by: Jeff Bezos
Topic: History, World War II, Life & Regret
One-sentence summary: “A compelling portrait of the perfect English butler and of his fading, insular world postwar England.”

“Before reading it, I didn’t think a perfect novel was possible. I’m always interested in things that seem to be impossible, but are then achieved.” -Jeff Bezos.

Over To You

Which of these top 10 books to read caught your interest?
Is there a book on your list that didn’t make it to our top 10 books to read?

Safety note: This is not a prescription or diagnosis. For severe symptoms, pregnancy danger signs, children with serious illness, chest pain, breathing difficulty, stroke-like weakness, or major injury, seek urgent care.

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Orthopedic doctor, rheumatologist, or physiotherapist depending on cause.

What to tell the doctor

Write which joints hurt, swelling, morning stiffness duration, fever, injury, and walking difficulty.
Bring X-ray, uric acid, ESR/CRP, rheumatoid factor, or previous reports if available.

Questions to ask

Is this injury, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, infection, or another cause?
Which exercises, supports, or lifestyle changes are safe?
Do I need blood tests or X-ray?

Tests to discuss

Joint examination and range of motion
X-ray when chronic arthritis or injury is suspected
ESR/CRP, uric acid, rheumatoid tests when inflammatory arthritis is suspected

Avoid these mistakes

Do not ignore hot swollen joint with fever.
Avoid repeated steroid injections/tablets without a clear diagnosis and follow-up.

Medicine safety and first-aid guide

This section is for patient education only. It does not replace a doctor, pharmacist, or emergency care.

Safe first steps

Rest, drink safe water, and observe symptoms carefully.
Keep a written note of symptoms, duration, temperature, medicines already taken, and allergy history.
Seek medical care quickly if symptoms are severe, worsening, or unusual for the patient.

OTC medicine safety

For mild pain or fever, ask a registered pharmacist or doctor before using common over-the-counter pain/fever medicines.
Do not combine multiple pain medicines without advice, especially if you have kidney disease, liver disease, stomach ulcer, asthma, pregnancy, or take blood thinners.
Do not give adult medicines to children unless a qualified clinician advises it.

Avoid these mistakes

Do not start antibiotics without a proper medical decision.
Do not use steroid tablets or injections casually for quick relief.
Do not delay emergency care because of home remedies.

Get urgent help if

Severe symptoms, confusion, fainting, breathing difficulty, chest pain, severe dehydration, or sudden weakness need urgent medical care.

Medicine names, dose, and timing must be decided by a qualified clinician or pharmacist after checking age, pregnancy, allergy, other diseases, and current medicines.

For rural patients and family caregivers

Patient health record and symptom diary

Write your symptoms, medicines already taken, test results, and questions before visiting a doctor. This note stays on your device unless you print or copy it.

Doctor to discuss: Doctor / qualified healthcare provider

Tests to discuss with doctor

Basic vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen level if needed
Relevant blood, urine, imaging, or specialist tests only after clinical assessment

Questions to ask

What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
Which warning signs mean I should go to emergency care?
Which tests are really needed now?
Which medicines are safe for my age, pregnancy status, allergy, kidney/liver/stomach condition, and current medicines?

Emergency warning signs such as chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, sudden weakness, confusion, severe dehydration, major injury, or loss of bladder/bowel control need urgent medical care. Do not wait for online information.

Go to emergency care if you notice:

Severe or rapidly worsening symptoms
Breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting, confusion, severe weakness, major injury, or severe dehydration

Doctor / service to discuss: Qualified healthcare provider; specialist depends on symptoms and examination.

Step 1
Check danger signs first

If danger signs are present, seek emergency care and do not wait for online information.
Step 2
Record the symptom story

Write when symptoms started, severity, medicines already taken, allergies, pregnancy status, and test results.
Step 3
Visit a qualified clinician

A doctor, nurse, or qualified healthcare provider can examine you and decide which tests or treatment are needed.
Step 4
Do only useful tests

Do tests after clinical assessment. Avoid unnecessary tests, random antibiotics, or repeated medicines without diagnosis.
Step 5
Follow up and return early if worse

If symptoms worsen, new warning signs appear, or treatment is not helping, return for review quickly.

Rural patient practical tips

Take a written symptom diary and all previous prescriptions/test reports.
Do not hide medicines already taken, even herbal or over-the-counter medicines.
Ask which warning signs mean urgent referral to hospital.

This roadmap is for education. A real diagnosis and treatment plan requires history, examination, and clinical judgment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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No. It is educational content only. Patients should consult a qualified clinician for diagnosis and treatment.

When should I seek urgent care?

Seek urgent care for severe symptoms, rapidly worsening condition, breathing difficulty, severe pain, neurological changes, or any emergency warning sign.

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Which doctor may help?

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Medicine safety and first-aid guide

Safe first steps

OTC medicine safety

Avoid these mistakes

Get urgent help if

Patient health record and symptom diary

Care roadmap for: Top 10 Books To Read Recommended By Barack Obama, Steve Jobs

Check danger signs first

Record the symptom story

Visit a qualified clinician

Do only useful tests

Follow up and return early if worse

Ask a health question safely

Understand this article easily

Article Summary

Key Takeaways

Seek urgent medical care if you notice

Emergency now

See a doctor

Learn safely

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