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David Heinemeier Hansson

David Heinemeier Hansson Recommended Books

David Heinemeier Hansson has recommended 27 books. Browse the complete reading list with quotes and sources below.

David Heinemeier Hansson is a Danish programmer, racing driver and the creator of Ruby on Rails.

(Read more on Wikipedia)

Online Presence

David wrote 2 books!

27 Books Recommended

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Book cover for "Maverick" by Ricardo SemlerView on AmazonLocal bookstore

Maverick

The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workplace

by Ricardo Semler
"A fantastic book [...] that was great inspiration to me." - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

3 people
Book cover for "A Guide to the Good Life" by William B. IrvineView on AmazonLocal bookstore

A Guide to the Good Life

The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

by William B. Irvine
"An easy way to learn about [Stoicism] and recognize why this resonates." - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

8 people
  • Tobi Lütke recommended this book
  • Jason Fried recommended this book
  • Marc Andreessen recommended this book
  • Mr. Money Mustache recommended this book
  • Derek Sivers recommended this book
  • Phil Libin recommended this book
  • +2

    More recommendations

    • Austen Allred
      Austen Allred recommended this book on his website.
    • Jodie Cook
      "[Focuses] on continually improving every aspect of your life and work." - Jodie Cook
Book cover for "The Myth of the Spoiled Child" by Alfie KohnView on AmazonLocal bookstore

The Myth of the Spoiled Child

Coddled Kids, Helicopter Parents, and Other Phony Crises

by Alfie Kohn
"A great book [...], which is even more specific about nurturing and supporting kids and so forth." - DHH (Source)
Book cover for "The Age of Absurdity" by Michael FoleyView on AmazonLocal bookstore

The Age of Absurdity

Why Modern Life makes it Hard to be Happy

by Michael Foley
"Another great book on philosophy in the current age." - DHH (Source)
Book cover for "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan PetersonView on AmazonLocal bookstore

Understanding Exposure

How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera

by Bryan Peterson
"Probably one of the first primers I read on [improving my photography]." - DHH (Source)
Book cover for "Punished by Rewards" by Alfie KohnView on AmazonLocal bookstore

Punished by Rewards

The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes

by Alfie Kohn
"Outlines all the scientific research on why incentive systems don't work." - DHH (Source)
Book cover for "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Tim FerrissView on AmazonLocal bookstore

The 4-Hour Workweek

Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

by Tim Ferriss
"My key takeaway from [this book] was the concept of lifestyle design." - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

25 people
  • Eric Weinstein recommended this book
  • Tristan Harris recommended this book
  • Charles Poliquin recommended this book
  • Walter Isaacson recommended this book
  • Daniel Pink recommended this book
  • Blake Mycoskie recommended this book
  • +19

    More recommendations

    • Marc Andreessen
      "[The author] basically takes all of the time management and personal productivity theories of the last 20 to 30 years and pushes them to 11, to paraphrase 'Spinal Tap.'" - Marc Andreessen
    • Jason Silva
      "I was very affected by [this book]. I was like this guy has it figured out." - Jason Silva
    • Mike Shinoda
      "I do talk about [this book] quite a bit." - Mike Shinoda
    • Mark Bell
      "Taught me better ways to manage my time and the value of not making myself too busy." - Mark Bell
    • Maurice Ashley
      "Made me ditch the average life in search of one with complete flexibility and freedom to live life on my terms." - Maurice Ashley
    • Tim Draper
      "With this kind of time management and focus on the important things in life, people should be able to get 15 times as much done in a normal work week." - Tim Draper
    • Derek Sivers
      "Brilliant reversal of all of the 'how to manage all your crap' books." - Derek Sivers
    • Rolf Potts
      "Challenges the reader to seriously consider an essential–yet rarely asked–question: What do you really want from life?" - Rolf Potts
    • A.J. Jacobs
      A.J. Jacobs mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
    • Caterina Fake
      Caterina Fake mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
    • Ev Williams
      On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile.
    • Gary Keller
      "This is a significant book." - Gary Keller
    • Laura R Walker
      "For those who struggle with productivity and taking control of their lives, [I give this book], of course!" - Laura R Walker
    • Marc Goodman
      One of Marc Goodman's most-gifted or recommended books.
    • Mike Maples, Jr.
      "If you want to live life on your own terms, this is your blueprint." - Mike Maples, Jr.
    • Lewis Howes
      "I've only probably read 4 books cover to cover. [This is one of them.]" - Lewis Howes
    • Jodie Cook
      "Life and work are reimagined and built back from scratch, in a way optimised for freedom and enjoyment." - Jodie Cook
    • Brian Dean
      "This book created thousands of entrepreneurs over the last 15 years… including me." - Brian Dean
    • Michael Hyatt
      Michael Hyatt recommended this book on his website.
Book cover for "Hell Yeah or No" by Derek SiversView on Amazon

Hell Yeah or No

What's worth doing

by Derek Sivers
"Don't think I've ever bought a book so quickly after seeing it released!" - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

1 person
  • Tobi Lütke recommended this book
Book cover for "Turn the Ship Around!" by L. David MarquetView on AmazonLocal bookstore

Turn the Ship Around!

A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders

by L. David Marquet
"A wonderful book about a naval [Admiral] that was running one of the worst performing U.S. nuclear submarines and turned it around to be the best performing U.S. submarine." - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

3 people
  • Brian Armstrong recommended this book
  • Simon Sinek recommended this book
  • Jason Fried recommended this book
Book cover for "The Big Short" by Michael LewisView on AmazonLocal bookstore

The Big Short

Inside the Doomsday Machine

by Michael Lewis
"A good one." - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

2 people
Book cover for "The Road to Wigan Pier" by George OrwellView on AmazonLocal bookstore

The Road to Wigan Pier

by George Orwell
"It’s amazing how much of the abusive ideology revealed in his account of the miners is still present in today’s gig economy." - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

2 people
Book cover for "Drive" by Daniel PinkView on AmazonLocal bookstore

Drive

The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

by Daniel Pink
"Takes some of those same ideas about motivations and rewards and extrapolates them in a little bit." - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

3 people
Book cover for "The Origins of Political Order" by Francis FukuyamaView on AmazonLocal bookstore

The Origins of Political Order

From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution

by Francis Fukuyama
"[This book and "Political Order and Political Decay" is] a fantastic two-part book." - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

1 person
Book cover for "Political Order and Political Decay" by Francis FukuyamaView on AmazonLocal bookstore

Political Order and Political Decay

From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy

by Francis Fukuyama
"Traces back nation states all the way back to 4,000 years B.C. and goes through all the case studies of the rise of China and so forth." - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

1 person
Book cover for "Escape from Freedom" by Erich FrommView on AmazonLocal bookstore

Escape from Freedom

by Erich Fromm
"One of my all-time top ten favorite books. Applies well in both business and politics." - DHH (Source)
Book cover for "A Doll's House" by Henrik IbsenView on AmazonLocal bookstore

A Doll's House

by Henrik Ibsen
"Classic Danish play from the 19th century [...] Surprisingly relevant for today." - DHH (Source)
Book cover for "Hate Inc." by Matt TaibbiView on AmazonLocal bookstore

Hate Inc.

Why Today’s Media Makes Us Despise One Another

by Matt Taibbi
"Telling the story of how TV, newspapers, and now the internet has reverted to the old partisan ways of the original media outlets." - DHH (Source)
Book cover for "I and Thou" by Martin BuberView on AmazonLocal bookstore

I and Thou

by Martin Buber
"Treating humans as ends in themselves, not means to an end is perhaps the defining characteristic of humanism." - DHH (Source)
Book cover for "Either/Or" by Søren KierkegaardView on AmazonLocal bookstore

Either/Or

A Fragment of Life

by Søren Kierkegaard
"[The author]'s funny, he's straight forward (even when sarcastic), he's INTERESTING." - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

1 person
Book cover for "The Lost Writings" by Franz KafkaView on AmazonLocal bookstore

The Lost Writings

by Franz Kafka
"You're not here for a complete story, a narrative, but to bathe yourself in [the author]'s mind." - DHH (Source)
Book cover for "The Trial" by Franz KafkaView on AmazonLocal bookstore

The Trial

by Franz Kafka
"Perhaps my favorite novel of all time." - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

1 person
Book cover for "Give and Take" by Adam GrantView on AmazonLocal bookstore

Give and Take

Why Helping Others Drives Our Success

by Adam Grant
"I almost gave up on the book immediately, but then I'd find a sentence that perked my interest, then read a little more." - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

13 people
  • Ashton Kutcher recommended this book
  • Daniel Pink recommended this book
  • Krista Tippett recommended this book
  • Susan Cain recommended this book
  • Simon Sinek recommended this book
  • Seth Godin recommended this book
  • +7

    More recommendations

    • Chip Conley
      "This book holds the key to a more satisfied and productive workplace, better customer relationships, and higher profits." - Chip Conley
    • Arianna Huffington
      "I love [this book], which shows that givers get ahead and nice guys don’t finish last." - Arianna Huffington
    • Gretchen Rubin
      "Offers extraordinarily thought-provoking—and often surprising—conclusions about how our interactions with others drive our success and happiness." - Gretchen Rubin
    • Tony Hsieh
      "Defines a road to success marked by new ways of relating to colleagues and customers as well as new ways of growing a business." - Tony Hsieh
    • Michael Mauboussin
      "Terrific." - Michael Mauboussin
    • Marcus Lemonis
      "My new favorite book. Please read it sooner than later." - Marcus Lemonis
    • Changpeng Zhao
      "Good read. Givers, fake givers, matchers and takers. Why givers win." - Changpeng Zhao
Book cover for "The Management Myth" by Matthew StewartView on AmazonLocal bookstore

The Management Myth

Why the Experts Keep Getting it Wrong

by Matthew Stewart
"A funny mix of stories, but it's worth the trip for the historical account of scientific management alone." - DHH (Source)
Book cover for "Bullshit Jobs" by David GraeberView on Amazon

Bullshit Jobs

A Theory

by David Graeber
"Essentially a victory lap of the original essay and the response it provoked." - DHH (Source)
Book cover for "The Pathology of Normalcy" by Erich FrommView on AmazonLocal bookstore

The Pathology of Normalcy

by Erich Fromm
"[The author] has touched on the idea that certain types of mental illness can be looked at in part as the sane reaction to an insane world." - DHH (Source)
Book cover for "The Talent Code" by Daniel CoyleView on AmazonLocal bookstore

The Talent Code

Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How.

by Daniel Coyle
"Main complaint seems to be 'this is a layman's description of not-new ideas'. I'm just fine with that." - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

6 people
Book cover for "Ruby on Rails Tutorial" by Michael HartlView on AmazonLocal bookstore

Ruby on Rails Tutorial

Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series

by Michael Hartl
"Much celebrated." - DHH (Source)

Also recommended by

1 person
  • Derek Sivers recommended this book

Other Recommenders

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Follow@richardreeze
Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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