Books have the power to transform your world. Taking you away to the faraway worlds, books help you explore the unknown and at the same time help you achieve your aspirations. Self-help books correspond to a literary genre that aims at imparting readers the secrets to living a fulfilled life. These books are a must-read for those facing hard times or striving towards a life of satisfaction. Goals can be overpowering but achieving them can help one feel empowered. You can explore a vast range of self-help books focusing on professional guidance, relationship advice or actualising one’s personal goals. This blog brings you a curated list of the best self help books or personal development books which can help you in personal development and holistic growth.
What are Self-Help Books?
Self-help or personal development books often attempt to provide steps for the reader to follow in order to achieve a specific goal or expectation. These self-help and personal development books will assist you in developing personal skills that will help you progress personally and professionally. Self-help books may be something to consider if you have personal difficulties or deficiencies that you want to improve. Self-help books or personal development books have the ability to provide you with insights, knowledge, and directions on how to change your life, thinking, or situation.
Best Self Help Books 2021
Given below is a list of best self help books of all time-
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey (Buy Here)
- The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale (Buy Here)
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (
Buy Here
) - The Attention Revolution by B. Alan Wallace (Buy Here)
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (Buy Here)
- Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson (Buy Here)
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (Buy Here)
- No Excuses!: The Power Of Self-Discipline By Brian Tracy (Buy Here)
- The Happiness Advantage By Shawn Achor (Buy Here)
- The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills (Buy Here)
- Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell (Buy Here)
- Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant (Buy Here)
- The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz (Buy Here)
- Grit by Angela Duckworth (Buy Here)
- Failing Forward by John C. Maxwell (Buy Here)
- Declutter Your Mind by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport (Buy Here)
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (Buy Here)
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson (Buy Here)
- 10% Happier by Dan Harris (Buy Here)
- Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty (Buy Here)
- Wisdom from a Humble Jellyfish: And Other Self-Care Rituals from Nature by Rani Shah (Buy Here)
- Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath (Buy Here)
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”

This phenomenal read is a timeless classic and elaborates the habits of successful people and how they can be adapted to have a meaningful life. A book filled with wisdom to the core, helps one in understanding the fundamental concepts that can help in making one’s existence purposeful. Amongst the best self help books and an all-time bestseller for over 25 years. The book doesn’t only aim to transform the lives of the readers but of the world beyond.
The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
“The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.”

Having sold millions of copies since its release in 1952, ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ comprises case histories, affirmations and visualizations to help readers achieve a positive attitude in life. Amongst the widely read and best self help book, this one is a precursor to the Law of Attraction class, ‘The Secret’. It covers some quintessential life lessons such as believing in one’s own self, assuming control over situations and being ready to confront challenges in one’s life. The book is an eyeopener and allows the readers to see the latent power of positivity and optimism.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”

A legendary and phenomenal bestseller, Dale Carnegie’s ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ is one of the best self help books of all time! The USP of the book is its relatability as it emphasises on a lesser-known fact, i.e. it is never about you but the other person. To achieve success in any field of life, it is imperative to be genuinely interested in people, to intently listen, make the other person heard and use the mantra of encouragement to motivate others to become better individuals. Dale Carnegie has carried out impeccable research and formulated many courses on self-improvement, salesmanship, public speaking, amongst others and has laid out crucial principles which can help anyone become a likeable personality and attain one’s maximum potential in the present competitive world.
The Attention Revolution by B. Alan Wallace
“A Tibetan aphorism states, “Let your mind be a gracious host in the midst of unruly guests.”

Emphasising on the benefits of meditation, The Attention Revolution about Shamatha, which is a Buddhist term referring to a meditation state attended by practising single-minded meditation. A long and assiduous goal to achieve, this book narrates the path to being able to control and master one’s mind. Author Wallace draws upon his nearly thirty years of attention-enhancing practice during which he also performed a retreat under the holy guidance of the Dalai Lama. It is one of the widely read and best self help books teaching readers about meditation and its incredible benefits.
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
“Nothing in life is as important as you think it is, while you are thinking about it.”

Written by the Nobel prize-winning Economist and Psychologist, Daniel Kahneman, this insightful read takes readers on an impeccable expedition into the workings of our mind and explains two main systems which drive the way that we think. While one system is fast-paced and emotional, the other one is slower and deliberative. Featuring our top picks for best self help books, this one elaborates Kahneman’s groundbreaking research based on real-life experiments on the psychology of decision making and judgement and gives amazing insights into the psyche of an individual making a decision.
Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson
“What you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine. The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists.”

Telling the amusing tale of four characters living in a maze and swimming in an ever-longing love for cheese, this light-hearted read is also referred to as a business fable but the lessons it imparts are not just limited to the business world but go beyond! Using cheese as a metaphor for an individual’s wants and desires, this enlightening self help book focuses on the mantras of tackling unexpected change in life and harnessing it into something amazing!
Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl
“So live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!”

A must-read to add to your reading list of best self-help books, this book is an honest and riveting chronicle of Author Frankl’s horrifying experiences at Nazi concentration camps. The book serves to apprise its readers of the life of people during the Nazi prevalence. A survivor himself, the renowned Psychologist Frankl talks about various shades of the incidents and how some people struggled to resist nihilism while others succumbed to its vicious clutches. Focusing on existentialism, this book talks about the psychotherapeutic method of locating a positive life purpose and then dedicatedly imagining it to become possible and actualised.
The Power Of Self-Discipline By Brian Tracy
“The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term is the indispensable prerequisite for success.”

Are you having trouble getting over the same dumb excuses that restrict you from accomplishing your aspirations and goals day after day? Your issue could be a lack of self-control or a willingness to do what you need to do even when you don’t want to. Brian Tracy has jam-packed this book with tasks and exercises to help you make the adjustments you need to achieve your personal, business, and financial goals, as well as your general satisfaction.
The Happiness Advantage By Shawn Achor
“Happiness is not the belief that we don’t need to change; it is the realization that we can.”

The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life is jam-packed with cutting-edge research on how you can start living a better life right now. Shawn Achor explains the science of happiness. The Happiness Advantage is a psychological concept that links personal happiness to professional performance. According to this theory, the happier people are, the more successful they are. Achor uses seven basic ideas to describe the Happiness Advantage in his book.
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills
“Don’t Make Assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life”

In this introduction to the Toltec civilization, you’ll learn about the ancient Mesoamerican culture of artists and scientists, as well as how their beliefs and wisdom may help us become our actual selves by removing negative circumstances that prevent us from reaching our full potential.
Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
“To assume the best about another is the trait that has created modern society. Those occasions when our trusting nature gets violated are tragic. But the alternative – to abandon trust as a defence against predation and deception – is worse.”

Gladwell aims to shed light on exactly what types of things contribute to these calamities — and what lessons we can take away from them in our own lives — by taking us through case studies of some of history’s most well-known and interesting misunderstandings. It’s an intriguing look into what we perceive in strangers that might make you look at yourself in a fresh light while you’re at it.
Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant
“The more I help out, the more successful I become. But I measure success in what it has done for the people around me. That is the real accolade.”

The book delves into the long history of givers, takers, and matches – that is, those who give, take and try to strike a balance between the two. What he discovered may astound you: there is a long history of success among givers. But, more important than their own personal success, Grant demonstrates that when givers succeed, everyone else benefits. It’s a revolutionary strategy that has the potential to change not only your life but the entire globe.
Best Self Help Books for Students
- Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
- THINK STRAIGHT: Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life by Darius Foroux
- Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy by (Buy Here)
- The Happy Mind by Kevin Horsley and Louis Fourie (Buy Here)
- The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel (Buy Here)
- Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (Buy Here)
- Influence by Robert Cialdini(Buy Here)
- Deep Work by Cal Newport (Buy Here)
- The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma (Buy Here)
- The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Buy Here)
Thus, these best self-help books or personal development books essentially concentrate on how you are the maker of your own destiny and with the right ideas and determination, nothing is impossible. An enlightening motivational book can be revolutionary when it transforms the life of the reader! These books serve to reiterate that if you have dreams to fulfil, perseverance and hard work can definitely make them happen! Similarly, at Leverage Edu, we believe in providing every individual with the best possible education they need to steer towards their dream career! Sign up for an e-meeting with our experts and get all your academic and career-related queries answered
Books have the power to transform your world. Taking you away to the faraway worlds, books help you explore the unknown and at the same time help you achieve your aspirations. Self-help books correspond to a literary genre that aims at imparting readers the secrets to living a fulfilled life. These books are a must-read for those facing hard times or striving towards a life of satisfaction. Goals can be overpowering but achieving them can help one feel empowered. You can explore a vast range of self-help books focusing on professional guidance, relationship advice or actualising one’s personal goals. This blog brings you a curated list of the best self help books or personal development books which can help you in personal development and holistic growth.
What are Self-Help Books?
Self-help or personal development books often attempt to provide steps for the reader to follow in order to achieve a specific goal or expectation. These self-help and personal development books will assist you in developing personal skills that will help you progress personally and professionally. Self-help books may be something to consider if you have personal difficulties or deficiencies that you want to improve. Self-help books or personal development books have the ability to provide you with insights, knowledge, and directions on how to change your life, thinking, or situation.
Best Self Help Books 2021
Given below is a list of best self help books of all time-
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey (Buy Here)
- The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale (Buy Here)
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (
Buy Here
) - The Attention Revolution by B. Alan Wallace (Buy Here)
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (Buy Here)
- Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson (Buy Here)
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (Buy Here)
- No Excuses!: The Power Of Self-Discipline By Brian Tracy (Buy Here)
- The Happiness Advantage By Shawn Achor (Buy Here)
- The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills (Buy Here)
- Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell (Buy Here)
- Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant (Buy Here)
- The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz (Buy Here)
- Grit by Angela Duckworth (Buy Here)
- Failing Forward by John C. Maxwell (Buy Here)
- Declutter Your Mind by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport (Buy Here)
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (Buy Here)
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson (Buy Here)
- 10% Happier by Dan Harris (Buy Here)
- Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty (Buy Here)
- Wisdom from a Humble Jellyfish: And Other Self-Care Rituals from Nature by Rani Shah (Buy Here)
- Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath (Buy Here)
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”

This phenomenal read is a timeless classic and elaborates the habits of successful people and how they can be adapted to have a meaningful life. A book filled with wisdom to the core, helps one in understanding the fundamental concepts that can help in making one’s existence purposeful. Amongst the best self help books and an all-time bestseller for over 25 years. The book doesn’t only aim to transform the lives of the readers but of the world beyond.
The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
“The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.”

Having sold millions of copies since its release in 1952, ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ comprises case histories, affirmations and visualizations to help readers achieve a positive attitude in life. Amongst the widely read and best self help book, this one is a precursor to the Law of Attraction class, ‘The Secret’. It covers some quintessential life lessons such as believing in one’s own self, assuming control over situations and being ready to confront challenges in one’s life. The book is an eyeopener and allows the readers to see the latent power of positivity and optimism.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”

A legendary and phenomenal bestseller, Dale Carnegie’s ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ is one of the best self help books of all time! The USP of the book is its relatability as it emphasises on a lesser-known fact, i.e. it is never about you but the other person. To achieve success in any field of life, it is imperative to be genuinely interested in people, to intently listen, make the other person heard and use the mantra of encouragement to motivate others to become better individuals. Dale Carnegie has carried out impeccable research and formulated many courses on self-improvement, salesmanship, public speaking, amongst others and has laid out crucial principles which can help anyone become a likeable personality and attain one’s maximum potential in the present competitive world.
The Attention Revolution by B. Alan Wallace
“A Tibetan aphorism states, “Let your mind be a gracious host in the midst of unruly guests.”

Emphasising on the benefits of meditation, The Attention Revolution about Shamatha, which is a Buddhist term referring to a meditation state attended by practising single-minded meditation. A long and assiduous goal to achieve, this book narrates the path to being able to control and master one’s mind. Author Wallace draws upon his nearly thirty years of attention-enhancing practice during which he also performed a retreat under the holy guidance of the Dalai Lama. It is one of the widely read and best self help books teaching readers about meditation and its incredible benefits.
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
“Nothing in life is as important as you think it is, while you are thinking about it.”

Written by the Nobel prize-winning Economist and Psychologist, Daniel Kahneman, this insightful read takes readers on an impeccable expedition into the workings of our mind and explains two main systems which drive the way that we think. While one system is fast-paced and emotional, the other one is slower and deliberative. Featuring our top picks for best self help books, this one elaborates Kahneman’s groundbreaking research based on real-life experiments on the psychology of decision making and judgement and gives amazing insights into the psyche of an individual making a decision.
Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson
“What you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine. The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists.”

Telling the amusing tale of four characters living in a maze and swimming in an ever-longing love for cheese, this light-hearted read is also referred to as a business fable but the lessons it imparts are not just limited to the business world but go beyond! Using cheese as a metaphor for an individual’s wants and desires, this enlightening self help book focuses on the mantras of tackling unexpected change in life and harnessing it into something amazing!
Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl
“So live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!”

A must-read to add to your reading list of best self-help books, this book is an honest and riveting chronicle of Author Frankl’s horrifying experiences at Nazi concentration camps. The book serves to apprise its readers of the life of people during the Nazi prevalence. A survivor himself, the renowned Psychologist Frankl talks about various shades of the incidents and how some people struggled to resist nihilism while others succumbed to its vicious clutches. Focusing on existentialism, this book talks about the psychotherapeutic method of locating a positive life purpose and then dedicatedly imagining it to become possible and actualised.
The Power Of Self-Discipline By Brian Tracy
“The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term is the indispensable prerequisite for success.”

Are you having trouble getting over the same dumb excuses that restrict you from accomplishing your aspirations and goals day after day? Your issue could be a lack of self-control or a willingness to do what you need to do even when you don’t want to. Brian Tracy has jam-packed this book with tasks and exercises to help you make the adjustments you need to achieve your personal, business, and financial goals, as well as your general satisfaction.
The Happiness Advantage By Shawn Achor
“Happiness is not the belief that we don’t need to change; it is the realization that we can.”

The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life is jam-packed with cutting-edge research on how you can start living a better life right now. Shawn Achor explains the science of happiness. The Happiness Advantage is a psychological concept that links personal happiness to professional performance. According to this theory, the happier people are, the more successful they are. Achor uses seven basic ideas to describe the Happiness Advantage in his book.
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills
“Don’t Make Assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life”

In this introduction to the Toltec civilization, you’ll learn about the ancient Mesoamerican culture of artists and scientists, as well as how their beliefs and wisdom may help us become our actual selves by removing negative circumstances that prevent us from reaching our full potential.
Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
“To assume the best about another is the trait that has created modern society. Those occasions when our trusting nature gets violated are tragic. But the alternative – to abandon trust as a defence against predation and deception – is worse.”

Gladwell aims to shed light on exactly what types of things contribute to these calamities — and what lessons we can take away from them in our own lives — by taking us through case studies of some of history’s most well-known and interesting misunderstandings. It’s an intriguing look into what we perceive in strangers that might make you look at yourself in a fresh light while you’re at it.
Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant
“The more I help out, the more successful I become. But I measure success in what it has done for the people around me. That is the real accolade.”

The book delves into the long history of givers, takers, and matches – that is, those who give, take and try to strike a balance between the two. What he discovered may astound you: there is a long history of success among givers. But, more important than their own personal success, Grant demonstrates that when givers succeed, everyone else benefits. It’s a revolutionary strategy that has the potential to change not only your life but the entire globe.
Best Self Help Books for Students
- Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
- THINK STRAIGHT: Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life by Darius Foroux
- Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy by (Buy Here)
- The Happy Mind by Kevin Horsley and Louis Fourie (Buy Here)
- The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel (Buy Here)
- Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (Buy Here)
- Influence by Robert Cialdini(Buy Here)
- Deep Work by Cal Newport (Buy Here)
- The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma (Buy Here)
- The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Buy Here)
Thus, these best self-help books or personal development books essentially concentrate on how you are the maker of your own destiny and with the right ideas and determination, nothing is impossible. An enlightening motivational book can be revolutionary when it transforms the life of the reader! These books serve to reiterate that if you have dreams to fulfil, perseverance and hard work can definitely make them happen! Similarly, at Leverage Edu, we believe in providing every individual with the best possible education they need to steer towards their dream career! Sign up for an e-meeting with our experts and get all your academic and career-related queries answered
-
I admire this article for its well-researched content and excellent wording. I got so involved in this material that I couldn’t stop reading. I am impressed with your work and skill. Thank you so much.
-
Thank you for the comment, Sadia!
-
2 comments
I admire this article for its well-researched content and excellent wording. I got so involved in this material that I couldn’t stop reading. I am impressed with your work and skill. Thank you so much.
Thank you for the comment, Sadia!