14 Best Existentialism Books
We analyzed 5+ expert sources, curated book lists, and recommendations from successful people to find the 14 best existentialism books according to the internet — not just one person's opinion. Each book on this list was mentioned by at least two independent sources, and the ranking is based on how frequently each title appears across all sources studied. This consensus-based approach ensures you get recommendations backed by multiple experts, not a single reviewer's bias.
Goal: Find the best Existentialism books according to the internet (not just one person's opinion).
Method:
- Search for "best existentialism books" and study the top 5+ pages.
- Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
- Rank the results neatly here.
14 Best Existentialism Books
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The Stranger
Also recommended by
6 people
George Bush recommended this bookGeorge Bush
"What I liked the most was the author's stress on the importance of morals and Christian beliefs." - George Bush
George Bush's recommendation of this book
Kyle Maynard recommended this bookKyle Maynard
One of Kyle Maynard's 3 answers to "what is the book (or books) you’ve given most as a gift?"
Kyle Maynard's recommendation of this book
Nolan Bushnell recommended this bookNolan Bushnell
"[One of my ten favorite books] I might think of if I were asked the question at an interview this minute." - Nolan Bushnell
Nolan Bushnell's recommendation of this book
Lex Fridman recommended this bookLex Fridman
Lex Fridman mentioned this book on Instagram.
Lex Fridman's recommendation of this book
Brian Koppelman recommended this bookBrian Koppelman
"Everyone should read [this book]." - Brian Koppelman
Brian Koppelman's recommendation of this book
Ryan Shea recommended this bookRyan Shea
Ryan Shea recommended this book on his website.
Ryan Shea's recommendation of this book
Either/Or
A Fragment of Life
Also recommended by
2 people
PewDiePie recommended this bookPewDiePie
"It's genius. I absolutely loved it." - PewDiePie
PewDiePie's recommendation of this book
David Heinemeier Hansson recommended this bookDavid Heinemeier Hansson
"[The author]'s funny, he's straight forward (even when sarcastic), he's INTERESTING." - DHH
David Heinemeier Hansson's recommendation of this book
The Trial
Also recommended by
2 people
Kara Swisher recommended this bookKara Swisher
"Another book I read again and again." - Kara Swisher
Kara Swisher's recommendation of this book
David Heinemeier Hansson recommended this bookDavid Heinemeier Hansson
"Perhaps my favorite novel of all time." - DHH
David Heinemeier Hansson's recommendation of this book
Being and Nothingness
Nausea
Man's Search for Meaning
Also recommended by
36 people
Jordan Peterson recommended this bookJordan Peterson
Recommended on Jordan Peterson's website.
Jordan Peterson's recommendation of this book
Jocko Willink recommended this bookJocko Willink
Jocko Willink covered this book in "Jocko Podcast" Ep. 78
Jocko Willink's recommendation of this book
Esther Perel recommended this bookEsther Perel
"The book I’ve probably gifted the most is [this book], since I’m 16." - Esther Perel
Esther Perel's recommendation of this book
Emma Watson recommended this bookEmma Watson
"Loved it. Really loved it." - Emma Watson
Emma Watson's recommendation of this book
Naval Ravikant recommended this bookNaval Ravikant
"Wow it's dark." - Naval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant's recommendation of this book
David Blaine recommended this bookDavid Blaine
"One of my favorite books." - David Blaine
David Blaine's recommendation of this book +30
More recommendations
- Terry Crews
"Incredible." - Terry Crews
- Jimmy Fallon
"Talks about the meaning of life, and I believe you come out a better person from reading it." - Jimmy Fallon
- Tony Robbins
"Taught me that if you change the meaning, you change everything." - Tony Robbins
- Simon Sinek
"Single most important book you can read." - Simon Sinek
- Michael Gervais
"Outlines methods to discover deep meaning and purpose in life." - Michael Gervais
- Daniel Pink
"A hugely important book for me." - Daniel Pink
- Ev Williams
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile.
- Bryan Johnson
"His basic point is no matter the conditions we surround ourselves in, we can author our life." - Bryan Johnson
- Dustin Moskovitz
Dustin Moskovitz recommended this book on Twitter.
- Sam Altman
This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf.
- Chelsea Handler
"One of those beautiful accounts of a terrible time in our history. His calm and sagaciousness, while witnessing one horror after another played out during his time in three separate concentration camps, is awe inspiring." - Chelsea Handler
- Ryan Holiday
"Looks at how we find purpose by dedicating ourselves to a cause, learning to love and finding a meaning to our suffering." - Ryan Holiday
- Maria Popova
"A meditation on what the gruesome experience of Auschwitz taught [the author] about the primary purpose of life: the quest for meaning, which sustained those who survived." - Maria Popova
- Aniela Gregorek
"A book I have gifted to many people because it changed the way I think about human suffering and grace in life." - Aniela Gregorek
- Fedor Holz
"[From it] I interpreted that we cannot avoid suffering, but we can choose how to cope with it, and that having meaning in our life is essential." - Fedor Holz
- Turia Pitt
"[If people are] doing a bit of soul searching, hands down [I give them this book]." - Turia Pitt
- Chip Conley
"If I were to take the meaning of [this book], and turn it into an equation, it would be despair equals suffering minus meaning." - Chip Conley
- Dave Elitch
Dave Elitch mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
- PewDiePie
"A great tool to help people. [...] In case something really bad happens, I feel like, from reading this book, I'm better equipped to handle it." - PewDiePie
- Shane Parrish
"As hard as you think your life is, it pales in comparison to Auschwitz." - Shane Parrish
- Phil Jackson
"An important book for me." - Phil Jackson
- Tom Bilyeu
Tom Bilyeu recommended this book on his website.
- Lex Fridman
"I reread [this book] quite often." - Lex Fridman
- Mark Manson
Mark Manson recommended this book on his website.
- Alastair Humphreys
"Slim but packed with wisdom that I often come back to. I really recommend you read it." - Alastair Humphreys
- Steve Kerr
"Incredibly inspiring." - Steve Kerr
- Robin Black
"One of the great books ever written exists because of one of the worst times in human history. From suffering comes beauty." - Robin Black
- Jim Kwik
"Illustrates that it’s not our circumstances but the decisions we make that diminish or develop us." - Jim Kwik
- Michael Hyatt
Michael Hyatt recommended this book on his website.
- Patrick Bet-David
Patrick Bet-David recommended this book on his website.
- Terry Crews
Invisible Man
Also recommended by
4 people
Jacqueline Novogratz recommended this bookJacqueline Novogratz
"I read it as a 22-year-old, and it made me think deeply about how society doesn’t “see” so many of its members." - Jacqueline Novogratz
Jacqueline Novogratz's recommendation of this book
Maya Angelou recommended this bookMaya Angelou
"When I first read [this book], it was as if somebody turned a bright light on in a dark corridor." - Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou's recommendation of this book
Ryan Holiday recommended this bookRyan Holiday
"One of my favorite books." - Ryan Holiday
Ryan Holiday's recommendation of this book - Dan Barreiro recommended this book
Dan Barreiro
"Riveting time capsule material." - Dan Barreiro
Dan Barreiro's recommendation of this book
Notes from Underground
Also recommended by
1 person
Jordan Peterson recommended this bookJordan Peterson
Recommended on Jordan Peterson's website.
Jordan Peterson's recommendation of this book
At the Existentialist Café
Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails with Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Others
Being and Time
Existentialism
From Dostoevsky to Sartre
The Ethics of Ambiguity
The Myth of Sisyphus
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Sources
- 1
The Best Books on Existentialism - Five Books Expert Recommendations
fivebooks.com
- 2
50 Most Popular Books on Existentialism – BooksIcon.com
websitefinder.wordpress.com
- 3
6 essential books on existentialist philosophy - Big Think
bigthink.com
- 4
Reading for the Conflicted: 11 Existential Classics
flavorwire.com
- 5
Existentialism Reading List – The Best 9 Books to Read | Philosophy Break
philosophybreak.com
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.





























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