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19 Classics To Read When You Realize Podcasts Are Mostly Slop — Transcript

by Five Minutes Late with Jesse Grant · 8,275 words · 1,149 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00Classic books should be the first place
0:02you go to for information and learning
0:04and intellectual growth at all times.
0:07Before you go to podcast, before you go
0:10to YouTube video and content, which are
0:12great and I think in this modern world
0:14necessary for learning and expanding
0:16your mind, the first place you should
0:18always go to is classic literature. If
0:22you're watching an hour of podcasts and
0:25content per day, you should be doing an
0:27hour and a half of reading classic
0:29literature. You should read more than
0:31you consume in content form. And the
0:34reason for that is that all ideas that
0:37are talked about in podcasts and content
0:39and discussions are ideas which were
0:42already existing in classic literature.
0:45They were ideas that were formed in
0:47classic literature. There are hardly if
0:50not any new ideas today. It's all just
0:53small fragments and small uh uh
0:56descriptions of older ideas that were
0:59already explored in more detail and I
1:02would say in a more intelligent way. So
1:05this is not to attack podcasts. I think
1:07podcasts are great, but that shouldn't
1:09be the place you go to for learning all
1:11the time because that is just trickled
1:13down knowledge from the classic books
1:16and the ideas that were explored there.
1:19But also what's more important about
1:21reading classical literature is that
1:23it's also not so practical. When you
1:26watch podcasts, when you read
1:27non-fiction books today, when you listen
1:30to interviews and discussions, a lot of
1:32it is very stepbystep and practical
1:34guides of how you can implement it
1:36today. But it's not as philosophical as
1:39classic literature. Classical literature
1:41isn't giving you dot points. It isn't
1:43giving you a step-by-step practical
1:45guide. But that's almost better because
1:48that doesn't tell you what to do. It
1:50tells you how to think. Whereas a lot
1:53more modern content and podcasts and
1:55where podcasts are great is by giving
1:57you practical step-by-step guides. But
2:00that doesn't teach you how to think. It
2:02just tells you what to do, which is
2:04necessary, but it's also necessary to
2:07learn how to think. And by reading
2:09classical literature, you'll find ways
2:11for you to think about the world, to see
2:13the world that will allow you to not
2:16just get information from smarter
2:18people, but also think of your own ideas
2:21and formulate your own conclusions and
2:23your own strategies for your own life.
2:26And so in today's video, I want to go
2:28over the 19 classic books that have
2:30influenced me the most and I would
2:32definitely recommend everyone go out and
2:35read before engaging with content
2:38online. And so without further ado,
2:40let's get started with book number one,
2:43which is The Brothers Caramats of by
2:45Theodor Doss Devski. The reason this is
2:48number one on my list and the reason
2:50this is my favorite book ever written is
2:54because even if you haven't read this
2:56book, you are living in a world that
2:58this book explores. This book predicted
3:01so much of what we're seeing in
3:03modernity. It uncovered so much about
3:06the human psyche. It's both a great work
3:09of psychological uh medi. It's both a
3:13great exploration of psychology while
3:16also being an exploration of philosophy,
3:19also an exploration on love, family,
3:22relationships, the world. Basically,
3:24everything you can think of is explored
3:26in this book. It is so deep. It is so
3:29fundamental to the human soul and the
3:32human condition that you will just get
3:34so much value from this book and you can
3:36go back and read it time and time again.
3:39So before you read any classical
3:42literature, this is the first book I
3:44would recommend everyone read and take
3:47your time with it. It will be confusing
3:48at first. When I first read this book, I
3:51was confused by all the Russian names.
3:54Also, some of the characters, their
3:56names change throughout the story
3:58because they also get referred to by
4:00their nicknames. And each character will
4:02have like two or three different
4:03nicknames that they're called. So it can
4:06get confusing because it's Russian.
4:07These are Russian names. They're long
4:08names. the confusing names. So, take
4:10your time with it. Don't try and rush
4:12through the book. Don't set a time limit
4:14of I've got to finish this book in 2
4:16weeks or 3 weeks. If it takes you six or
4:18seven weeks, that's okay. Read it with a
4:20notebook handy. Take notes. And also
4:22keep a ledger of all of the names just
4:25so you can go back to your notebook and
4:26go, "Okay, we're talking about this
4:28character at this moment." Cuz
4:29otherwise, it will get confusing. So,
4:31don't try and approach it with this like
4:34competitive spirit of I've got to
4:36understand it straight away. I've got to
4:37get through it as fast as possible. Take
4:39your time. Take it easy. It's a complex
4:42book, but if you really take your time
4:44with it and put your ego to one side and
4:46and almost treat yourself like an idiot
4:49reading the book, you're going to learn
4:50more from it and you're going to have a
4:52more enriching experience and just take
4:56so much value from this book. Which
4:58leads us in to book number two, which is
5:01The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.
5:05The reason I put this book on the list
5:07is because this book explores what
5:10happens when people feel like life is
5:13meaningless. When people lose their
5:15purpose, lose their meaning in life. And
5:18this is going to come for everybody.
5:20Even if you're someone who feels like
5:21you have a deep purpose, a deep meaning
5:24in life, there will be times where you
5:26question that. That's just human nature.
5:29But this book explores how you can go
5:31about crafting meaning, finding meaning,
5:34the beauty of meaning, how human
5:37relationships work. It is just such a
5:39great exploration on meaning and
5:42purpose. And I think so much of what we
5:44talk about online. So much of our entire
5:47lives are dictated by our own identity,
5:51our own relationship with meaning, our
5:53shifting purpose in life. the whole
5:55world and society is a clash of
5:57different meanings and different uh
6:00missions and different ideologies coming
6:02up against one another. And this book is
6:04just fantastic. You'll get so much value
6:07from it. I think especially in your
6:09youth when you are in your 20s or your
6:11early 30s, this is one that it'll hit
6:14you very deep and it's not very hard to
6:16read. It only spans about I want to say
6:19250 maybe 300 pages. I don't even think
6:22it's 300 pages long. So, it's not too uh
6:25hard of a read. The language is short,
6:28snappy in that Ernest Hemingway way, but
6:31it is so fundamental and I think it's a
6:34must readad book. Which leads us in to
6:37book number three, which is Emma by Jane
6:40Austin. And the reason I've put this
6:42book on the list so early is because
6:45this explores ideas of morality. It
6:48explores how it's much easier to say
6:50that you love humanity than it is to
6:53treat the individual in front of you
6:55well. It's easy to say that you're a
6:57morally good person while ignoring
7:00someone who's right in front of you. It
7:02talks about the the complexities around
7:04that. And I think we live in a world
7:05today where there's a lot of questions
7:08around morality. There's a lot of people
7:10arguing over what the moral way of
7:13living is. And that's something that is
7:16probably always going to exist in the
7:18human psyche. It's something that humans
7:20are always going to be battling over. It
7:22is that battle of morality. But how can
7:24you craft a good life? How can you be a
7:27good person? We can think of so many
7:29different podcasts and news topics and
7:31discussions online that discuss this
7:33very thing that discuss morality. And
7:35this is one of the best books at
7:37exploring morality I have ever read. And
7:39that's only one theme in the book. There
7:41are so many other great themes, but for
7:43me that's the personal theme that I
7:45really took a lot of value from. Which
7:48leads us into book number four, which is
7:51White Knights by Dosski. This book is
7:55uh, as you can tell, I'm a huge fan of
7:57Dossi. We've already got two of his
7:58books in our list and we're only at book
8:00number four. But White Knights explores
8:03how you can craft an idea of someone and
8:07fall in love with that idea of them
8:09rather than the real person. And how we
8:12all do this and how this is almost where
8:14all of our relationships break down.
8:17Whether that be uh in in romantic
8:19relationships or relationships with your
8:21siblings or friends,
8:23relationships so often break down
8:26because we build an ideal of someone and
8:28when reality hits us in the face, we
8:31don't know how to deal with it and it
8:32makes things more difficult. Reality is
8:35undefeated. Reality will always win. Yet
8:37we continue to build these internal
8:40worlds and so much of our issues in the
8:42world. So much of our anger, so much of
8:44our disappointment comes from the real
8:46world not living up to or not matching
8:49the internal world that we built. So how
8:52do you confront reality in order to
8:54actually live a good life? You have to
8:57be able to confront reality. How do you
8:59go about that? This book, it explores
9:01that in just such a beautiful poetic and
9:04great way. And it's only about a 100 or
9:08so pages. It's a really short book, a
9:11really easy read, uh, and one you can do
9:13in one sitting within about an hour and
9:15a half. And it will change you forever
9:18and you will constantly go back to it.
9:20For me, every time I hop on a plane, I
9:22take White Knights with me because it is
9:24such a quick read, but it spurs so much
9:27thought within your mind. It allows you
9:29to contemplate on so much and think
9:31about things. So, if I'm on a flight,
9:33especially from Australia, every flight
9:35takes hours and hours and hours and
9:36hours to get anywhere in the world. It
9:38is my like in-flight book. It is my best
9:41in-flight entertainment because it's so
9:43deep, but it's also so quick and easy to
9:46read as well. And I think everybody will
9:48be able to relate to the characters in
9:51this story. Which leads us to book
9:53number five, which is The Hunchback of
9:56NRAAM. Now, I'm talking about the book
9:59from Victor Hugo here, not the Disney
10:01movie. When you go and watch the Disney
10:02movie, it's great. It's a fantastic
10:04film, but it doesn't match the depth and
10:08the beauty of the original book. And the
10:10reason for that is that the original
10:12book for me explores this great idea of
10:15life being unfair. Life does not balance
10:19out in the end. Good doesn't necessarily
10:22inherently win by the end of the story.
10:25The world doesn't bend towards goodness.
10:29The world is unfair. And we have to come
10:32to that realization and confront it. Now
10:35that realization doesn't disprove God.
10:38It also doesn't prove God. But it is
10:40something that is real that we need to
10:42grapple with. And so often we want to
10:45live in this imaginary world where the
10:47world does bend to goodness. But the
10:49reality is it doesn't. And that is the
10:52crux of so many problems that go on in
10:55society. This book is so deep. This book
10:57is so confronting. And the best thing
11:00about this is that I want to disagree
11:02with it. Like the fundamental points of
11:04this book I don't want to agree with.
11:06And I struggle to agree with. And even
11:08today I think no, the world does bend
11:10toward goodness. But then so much proves
11:13that it doesn't. And so I think that's
11:15the great thing about this book too is
11:16that it's really confronting and it's
11:18one that you're going to want to
11:20disagree with or disagree with yet still
11:23find beautiful and fantastic. And I
11:25think that's another beauty of classical
11:27literature is that it teaches you to
11:29disagree and it teaches you the
11:31importance of disagreement and how
11:33disagreement is healthy. And in the
11:35world today, so much of the world is
11:37disagreeing and we're like immune to
11:40disagreement and we think because we
11:42disagree with someone, we don't like
11:43them. That's not human nature. We all
11:46have different opinions. We all see the
11:48world differently. We all have different
11:50experiences. To disagree is almost a
11:53beautiful thing. And that's what helps
11:55you grow intellectually as well. And
11:57this book is one of those books that you
11:59will want to disagree with in certain
12:01parts and want to agree with in other
12:02parts. But that's the beauty of
12:04classical literature and it just cuts so
12:07deep that it makes you feel that way.
12:09Which leads me in to book number six
12:12which is Go Tell It on the Mountain by
12:14James Baldwin. Now I've actually got a
12:17really beautiful copy of this book that
12:19I was gifted by my father which is
12:22great. And this is a uh original copy uh
12:25from the the early 20th century. And
12:27it's truly just a fantastic book. This
12:31book explores ideas around
12:35taking radical responsibility for your
12:37own life and confronting your own demons
12:39and your own history and before going
12:41out and blaming the world, before
12:43attacking the world, before blaming
12:45people in leadership positions, before
12:47blaming others in your life for why your
12:49life might not be the way you want it.
12:52You have to go inside first. And you
12:54can't change your life by attacking
12:56others, by blaming others, by external
12:58forces. You can only change your life by
13:01confronting your own history, your own
13:05habits, what you're ignoring yourself
13:07and constructing a new version of
13:10yourself. You have to face your deepest
13:13darkest uh morals, your deepest, darkest
13:17moments in your history. We all have
13:20them. And even something as small as
13:22like making your bed or tidying your
13:24room, these small things, if you don't
13:27take care of them, then it ends up
13:29growing into a bigger thing where you
13:32feel like your life isn't in control and
13:34you're going to blame others and attack
13:36others for your life being out of
13:38control when in reality it was your
13:40fault. This book really explores so many
13:43ideas around going into yourself and
13:46actually looking inward before looking
13:48outward. And that's a way that you can
13:50actually change your external reality as
13:52well and fix your own life. Because at
13:54the end of the day, you can't change
13:56other people. You can't change society.
13:58You can't change this world. But you can
14:01go as far in as possible and try and
14:03make a change within yourself and take
14:05radical responsibility for yourself. It
14:08is a gut-wrenching book. There are so
14:10many other themes explored in it as
14:11well. And James Baldwin is such a
14:13beautiful poetic writer, too. And this
14:16is just a must- readad for anybody.
14:18Which leads me in to book number seven,
14:21which is The Remains of the Day. Now,
14:24this book is set, you have to give
14:26context for this book. It's set in the
14:29uh rise up to World War II, post World
14:32War I England, where you have this lord
14:35of the manor and his butler. and his
14:37butler is um is a man of dignity, is a
14:40really nice man, a man who loves the
14:43person he's working for and wants to do
14:45a good job for that person in that very
14:46British stiff upper lip way. But this
14:49lord is a Nazi sympathizer. But the
14:53reason the lord is a Nazi sympathizer is
14:56because he is a man of dignity. because
14:59he's a good guy and he's hearing these
15:01arguments from Germany about um Germany
15:04being downtrodden post World War I and
15:06treated unfairly by other countries
15:08which was true but it was an argument
15:11that Hitler was crafting in order to
15:13manipulate
15:15gullible susceptible naive good people.
15:19It was he was taking he was an evil
15:21person taking advantage of good people
15:24and this lord this rich aristocrat in
15:27England was being taken advantage of
15:29here. He was being taken for a ride. It
15:31was a version of suicidal empathy if you
15:34will and he was being absolutely abused
15:37here. But his servant, his butler was
15:39someone who took a lot of pride in
15:42serving his his uh lord the best way
15:45possible and being a good person. and he
15:47could see that they were having these
15:49conversations around sympathizing with
15:51the Nazi party and anti-semitism. And he
15:54was growing really nervous here, but he
15:57was conflicted and he was thinking, you
15:59know, what can I do? I am in this humble
16:02position. I am this small person. I
16:04don't have this big leadership role. I
16:06can't change the world. I can't fix
16:08world wars. I can't fix chaos. I guess
16:11all I can do is just be a good person
16:13despite all this craziness going on
16:15around me. I can take care of what I can
16:18take care of. And it's sort of this
16:20beautiful meditation on how we are all
16:23just people who don't really have a say
16:25over how the world works. At least most
16:27of us don't. I don't. I'm sure most of
16:29you don't. I don't think I have any
16:30world leaders watching these videos
16:32here. And so, because we can't control
16:35those things, we have to find a way to
16:37keep moving forward despite the world
16:39plummeting into chaos at times. How do
16:42we move forward? How do we be good
16:44people? What is a good person? How do
16:46you confront your own complicity in the
16:49world? It asks so many deep questions.
16:50And I think especially today, this is a
16:53conversation which takes place every day
16:55on the news, takes place in so many
16:57different podcasts and so many different
16:59social media content. And it's something
17:02that we sort of all need to deal with
17:04and find a way to just be decent people
17:06despite the chaos going on and
17:08understand that we also have a duty when
17:11the world is plummeting into chaos to be
17:14a beacon of light and to try and bring
17:17people together and just try and be a
17:19bridge instead of uh I guess something
17:22that's going to put up more division.
17:25Um, but with that said, that leads me in
17:27to book number eight, which is
17:30Shakespeare's play McBth. Now, of
17:33course, go out and watch this play if
17:35you can before reading it. These plays
17:37were written to be seen on stage. This
17:40will not disappoint. But if you can't
17:42see it on stage, then go out and get
17:45McBth and read McBTH. It is fantastic.
17:49And for me, the the element and the
17:52theme of this story that really
17:54resonates with me is the theme around
17:56how no one commits a great evil, a great
18:00act of sin before committing a thousand
18:04small little evils along the way. And
18:06how you can think that doing one little
18:09thing, which no one will notice and
18:11isn't really that bad, won't really
18:13matter. But when you continue to do
18:16those things, when you continue to fall
18:17short in just the smallest seemingly
18:21insignificant way, somehow that adds up
18:24and somehow it grows and grows and grows
18:26and eventually you can turn into an
18:28absolute monster. And it shows how good
18:31people, great people can be corrupted so
18:35so easily. And we are all in a battle
18:38against corruption. We are all corrupted
18:40in some way. That's what Shakespeare was
18:42getting at here is that none of us are
18:44perfect. We're all corrupted and we need
18:46to understand that, take ownership of
18:49that and see how we need to fight
18:52against even just the smallest seemingly
18:54insignificant corruption that pops into
18:57our mind um or we can feel like we can
19:00get away with in any way because it will
19:03have a bigger effect than we can
19:05calculate or imagine in that time. the
19:08person who does something atrocious.
19:10They didn't start off being atrocious.
19:12It was a thousands of small little
19:16seemingly insignificant acts which added
19:19up over time. You need to take
19:21responsibility. You need to see that you
19:23are someone whether you like it or not
19:25that is in a battle against corruption
19:28at all times. We are all dealing with
19:31it. We all deal with it on a daily
19:33basis. The things that you think are so
19:34small that don't matter, they do matter.
19:37And above any other story ever written,
19:40for me, this explores that theme the
19:42best of how so much of life matters,
19:45even when you think it doesn't. And for
19:47me, I hate that social media quote of
19:50it's not that deep, bro. Everything is
19:52that deep. And I know that can probably
19:55make it annoying uh to go through life
19:58thinking that every small act, every
20:00small element of life is deep. you're
20:02probably going to annoy people if you're
20:04like that. That's my just natural
20:06disposition. I I just I I look for depth
20:09everywhere and it is annoying for
20:10people. Um and I try to be better with
20:14it and be more personable. But look,
20:17that's life. Everything is that deep.
20:18And Shakespeare thought the same way.
20:21And I think if you read McBth and you
20:22watch McBth, you'll come to that
20:24conclusion as well. Which leads us in to
20:27book number nine, which is Crime and
20:30Punishment by Dosstoyvki. We're at book
20:33number nine, but we're at book number
20:34three of Dosstovki's in this list. This
20:37book just like this will knock your
20:39socks off. This is fantastic. This is a
20:41book where you see how
20:46you can think that doing something bad
20:48for the right reasons is good. You can
20:50think that you can do something immoral
20:53for the greater good and that that's the
20:55best way to go about life. But in the
20:57end, there will be
21:00it will take a toll on you. In the end,
21:02something will happen that you didn't
21:04plan for. It will start to corrupt you
21:06from the inside. It's very similar to
21:08McBTH in that way where you can think
21:11you can get away with a small act of
21:12injustice because it serves the greater
21:15good, but in the end that also takes a
21:17toll on you. And it's also a warning to
21:20intelligent people that if you're smart,
21:23you can create a good argument for
21:26anything. And that should scare you. If
21:28you're a smart person, it's very easy to
21:30become a bad person. Very easy to become
21:32an evil person because you can create a
21:35good narrative and a good argument. And
21:37I think we see this take place in
21:39politics. I think we see this take place
21:41in business where you have many smart
21:44people on all different sides of
21:45arguments crafting really great
21:47arguments that can corrupt themselves
21:49and the world because they're not
21:52respecting their own intellect.
21:54Intellect isn't a gift. It is something
21:57that you need to almost come at with a
22:00sense of reverence and a sense of
22:03concern. It's something that you should
22:05understand is a very powerful tool. It's
22:08not a gift. It's not a curse. It's a
22:10tool and a very powerful one. And you
22:13need to respect it and you need to
22:15always be on your P's and Q's around
22:18your own intellect, your own mind, and
22:20your own morality. This book is truly
22:23truly fantastic. Which leads me into
22:26book number 10, which is Tender is the
22:29Night. This is a book I think I might
22:31have it here actually. This is a book by
22:33F. Scott Fitzgerald. I do have it here.
22:36It's my favorite of the Fitzgerald
22:38books. A lot of people talk about Great
22:39Gatsby. That's fantastic, too. But
22:42Tender is the Night, I think, is his
22:44best work. I believe it was his last
22:46book he ever wrote. And it explores the
22:49emptiness of wealth and money and how
22:53wealth and money is simply a tool. It's
22:55not something that you should strive
22:57for. It's it's something that can serve
23:00what you're striving for. For some
23:01people, if you have a bigger goal, a
23:03bigger mission, and you need money as a
23:05tool to achieve that mission, that's
23:07great. Think of a charity, think of a
23:09business, think of a country, think of
23:12anything, right? If you have a bigger
23:13mission, a better purpose, money can
23:16serve that mission. But if you worship
23:19money itself is if your goal is money,
23:22it's just empty. It's going to be empty.
23:25and you're going to live in this life
23:26which is just meaningless and vapid and
23:30disgusting and superficial. And it also
23:32explores themes around just like the
23:34modern world and consumerism and how
23:37even though we all inherently know that
23:40consumerism and money is shallow and
23:42bad, we still yearn for it. I fall
23:44victim to this. I'm sure all of you fall
23:46victim to this. I'm sure the people who
23:48say they don't care about money also
23:50fall victim to this where you know
23:52logically that it won't bring you
23:54fulfillment yet you continue to think
23:57that it will. And that's what this book
23:59explores so greatly and it shows
24:01honestly how dumb all people are. Even
24:03the smartest of human beings are still
24:05dumb in that way that we know something
24:08yet we continue to believe the opposite.
24:11It's a weird thing that can go on in the
24:12human mind and Tender is the Night
24:14explores that fantastically. Which leads
24:17me into book number 11, which is All
24:19Quiet on the Western Front. What I
24:22really loved about this book, and it's a
24:24great movie as well, by the way. You can
24:26watch the movie on Netflix. But what I
24:28really love about this story is the way
24:30that it explores how in order for war to
24:34happen,
24:36leaders need to make the civilians who
24:39are signing up to serve in the army,
24:41they need to make those civilians no
24:43longer see the other nationality as
24:45human beings and people, but as an idea.
24:48It's how when you start to see other
24:51human beings as an idea or as an
24:53ideology, it's like when you see people
24:55online who are right-wing or leftwing
24:58and you have them arguing at each other,
25:00they're not arguing at people, they're
25:02arguing at an idea. And they no longer
25:04see the person as a person, they see
25:06them as an idea. And when you see
25:08someone as an idea, all of a sudden it's
25:11easy to commit terrible acts towards
25:14them because you're trying to win the
25:17ideological battle. You're forgetting
25:19they're also a human being. And that's
25:21what happens in war. You know, the
25:22soldiers on both sides, it's usually
25:25neither one of them. It's neither one of
25:27their fault. It's not their fault
25:28they're at war. They never did anything
25:30to each other. Yet they're still able to
25:32commit these terrible acts of violence
25:34against one another because their
25:36leaders and the propaganda has crafted
25:40this narrative where they see the other
25:41person as an idea. And I think all quiet
25:44on the Western Front explores that in
25:47such a great way also without being
25:49biased because of course war is
25:52sometimes necessary. Think of World War
25:55II. Of course it was necessary to go to
25:57war to stop the acts of evil. But you
26:02still had innocent people on both ends
26:04killing each other despite it also being
26:06the right thing to do. It's an
26:07incredibly complicated thing and I think
26:09all quiet on the western front is able
26:11to hold that complexity in a really
26:14great narrative where so so much of
26:17today is about like removing complexity
26:19and everyone saying you know it's all
26:21this or all that. That's just not
26:23reality. And I think reading classic
26:25books again reinforces that idea that
26:28the world isn't black and white. Life is
26:30complex. But if you get a great piece of
26:33literature like All Quiet on the Western
26:35Front, it can shrink that complexity
26:38into a a more digestible way of thinking
26:44about that complexity. But uh to get
26:46into book number 12, it is Portrait of
26:51the Artist as a Young Man. And this to
26:54me is like my favorite coming of age
26:56book ever. Um I was really fortunate to
26:59be in Paris 2 years ago watching the
27:01Olympic Games and I had never read this
27:03book by James Joyce. Um I've always
27:05wanted to read it but for some reason
27:07had never read it. And the great thing
27:09about it was that James Joyce moved to
27:11Paris to be a writer and I was in Paris
27:14and I went to the famous Shakespeare and
27:16Co. bookshop and they had a copy of this
27:18book and I thought I've got to read it
27:20while I'm in Paris. So I bought the
27:21copy. I went for a walk to the uh garden
27:24uh is it the Luxembourg Gardens? I
27:27forget what they called. A beautiful
27:28garden with this like really great um
27:31water uh water feature in the middle. I
27:33sat down on these chairs near the water
27:35feature and I read the book from start
27:37to finish. If you're someone who likes
27:40literature, if you're someone who kind
27:42of has a poetic mind, if you're someone
27:44who likes thinking of deep ideas and
27:46views yourself as a sort of outsider in
27:49many ways, you've never been in a
27:51certain social circle, you've never been
27:53a part of a click or a group because you
27:55just naturally like to observe and
27:57naturally like to think about the world
27:59rather than almost take part in it.
28:02You're someone who likes to just think
28:03about things and and meditate on ideas.
28:06This book will like It'll hit you so
28:08deep. It It's such an emotional read.
28:10And I think for anyone who has that sort
28:12of artistic, philosophical, intellectual
28:16disposition in terms of the um literary
28:20and liberal arts intellect, not
28:22necessarily like science and mathematics
28:24and engineering, but reading and and
28:26poetry and literature and visual arts
28:29and music. If you're someone who's into
28:32that, this book is just like it it'll
28:35speak to your soul in a way that almost
28:38no other book can. And to read this in
28:41Paris, if you can go out and do it on a
28:44nice summer's day in Paris, wow,
28:46beautiful. Um, one of my favorite
28:48reading experiences as well. Which leads
28:51me into book number 13, which is War and
28:54Peace by Leo Toltoy. Now, this explores
28:59how
29:01Meaning is found in
29:03small ways over big ways. You may think
29:06that we we can all find meaning in like
29:09big wars and big ideological battles and
29:12rallying against evil and we may think
29:15that will bring us meaning. But even
29:17though it's big, even though it's big
29:19scale,
29:21it doesn't really bring us true
29:22fulfillment. And we find fulfillment in
29:25the small elements of life, in
29:27relationships, in love, in the way that
29:29we talk to friends, in our family. And I
29:32think this book, it's able to hold that
29:34tension of how it's almost necessary to
29:37engage in the big areas of life, in the
29:40big ideological battles of life, but
29:43it's also necessary to remember that
29:45you're not going to find fulfillment
29:46there. You find fulfillment in the
29:48smaller elements. This is a big book to
29:51read. It'll take a while. much like
29:53brothers caramats of take your time with
29:55it. Don't uh rush it. Don't try and feel
29:58any pressure to get through it as fast
30:00as possible. Take your time, write
30:02notes. If you read a page and you want
30:04to think about it for a while, put it
30:05down, think about it. Really take your
30:07time with this book. I think I'm
30:09personally not that fast of a reader. I
30:11think I read this book in about 2
30:13months. Um which is on the slower end
30:15for me. Uh, but it is it's a it's a hard
30:18read in its length and in its depth and
30:21complexity and so many ideas that you
30:23want to think about. But for me, that
30:25was my favorite idea, how we don't
30:27really find meaning in the big
30:28ideologies, we truly find meaning and
30:31identity and fulfillment in the smaller
30:33areas of life. And it's a great reminder
30:36in that regard. And it's also a great
30:38movie. If you go and watch the Russian
30:41version, not the American version,
30:43Russia, um I don't know how long ago,
30:46what it must have been, the 60s maybe,
30:48they made a War and Peace film and it
30:52was it's like 7 hours long. It is like
30:55the longest, most epic movie you've ever
30:57seen, but it is so beautiful. It is so
30:59great and it holds the complexity of the
31:01novel. So maybe read it first and then
31:04watch the movie. it. If you're a really
31:05slow reader, you can watch the movie
31:07when you just start reading the book and
31:09then finish the book after watching the
31:10film and maybe that will give you more
31:12of an understanding of where you are in
31:14the book and thinking about the book as
31:16you're reading it rather than getting
31:17lost in the story. Uh, which leads me in
31:20to book number 14 on my list, which is
31:23The Count of Monte Cristo.
31:27This is fantastic because really it it
31:30explores the ideas around revenge and
31:33how we may think we want to enact
31:35revenge uh but in the end the only
31:38person that our act of revenge truly
31:40affects is ourself. Even though we are
31:43compelled to enact revenge, it'll still
31:46take a toll on us. We may think we're
31:49strong enough to enact revenge and
31:51nothing to happen, but it does take a
31:52toll. And so much of the world, so much
31:55of the philosophical battles that we see
31:57today are acts of revenge. And these
32:00people don't realize it'll take a toll
32:02on them and and ruin their own lives in
32:05the process. And I think it's such an
32:07important lesson. There are so many
32:08other great themes explored in this
32:10book, too. But for me, that was the one
32:12that spoke to me. And it's something
32:13that you can think about for the rest of
32:15your life because there are always going
32:17to be moments of your life where you're
32:18called to you're compelled, I should
32:21say, to try and enact revenge in however
32:24small or big of a way. And uh you've
32:27really got to think it through after
32:28reading this book. And I think if the
32:30whole world had read this book, the
32:32world would probably be a little bit of
32:34a better place. Which leads me in to
32:36book number 15 which is the second
32:39Shakespeare play on this list which is
32:42Hamlet. This is where that famous line
32:45to be or not to be comes from. And uh so
32:49many people just say that it's about
32:51suicide you know to be or not to be to
32:53jump off the cliff or to stay alive and
32:56keep moving forward. And it is about
32:57that but it's also about the
33:00relationship between our thoughts and
33:02actions. the relationship between how we
33:06come up with a thought of what we should
33:08do or come up with a thought about life
33:11and then actually taking action upon
33:13that thought is a whole different thing.
33:15There's a our whole lives are this
33:18battle between our thoughts and our
33:20actions. We may think we we need to do
33:22something. We may think about how you
33:24know we should do something but then the
33:26actual action of that is even harder or
33:28different or we can't take action.
33:30there's so much complexity going on
33:32there and and you know sometimes we
33:34shouldn't take action on our thoughts
33:36but that's a really big spiritual battle
33:39going on inside the human spirit and I
33:42think when you read a book like Hamlet
33:45or read the play like Hamlet or watch
33:47Hamlet and you really think about that
33:49line to be or not to be to act upon our
33:51thoughts or to not um it really shatters
33:55so many illusions of your life and will
33:58make you think about so much of your
34:00life in a deeper way. And it it kind of
34:04annoyed me as well that we had this
34:06movie Hamlet which came out uh last
34:09year. It was made by or starred Riz
34:12Ahmed I believe. Um who's a brilliant
34:14actor and I really like him by the way.
34:16But he talks about how the line to be or
34:18not to be from Hamlet was about to uh
34:22take action against um against atrocity
34:26or not take action. you know, to be an
34:28activist or not to be an activist. And I
34:31think that really destroys the depth and
34:34complexity and beauty of that line. Um,
34:36because it's not about being an activist
34:38or not. It's merely about the battle
34:41between our thoughts and our actions.
34:43So, yes, being an activist would be a
34:45part of that, but that's not the whole
34:48thing. And I think so much of
34:49storytelling today, especially in the
34:51modern world, is reduced to activism.
34:54And that's like this small little
34:56element of life, but that's not
34:58everything. And also, activism is not
35:00going to solve everything. Some things
35:02are just eternal. Some things are
35:04bigger. Um, some people are dealing with
35:06enough battles in their own life that
35:08they can't comprehend a battle outside.
35:10They can't comprehend politics and
35:12whatever's going on in the external
35:14world because they're also fighting an
35:16internal battle with mental health,
35:17which is where the suicide element comes
35:19in. So, it's not, you know, this or
35:21that. It's not black and white. It's not
35:23about activism or suicide. It's really
35:26just about the balance between thought
35:28and action. And when you really get that
35:30out the way, when you think about it in
35:32that sense, it makes the play so much
35:34deeper and so much more rich than so
35:37much of the analysis around the play
35:40would lead you to believe, which really
35:42just shrink it to like contemporary
35:43thought and contemporary action. And you
35:45can cast that aside. Shakespeare was too
35:48brilliant to uh write for something in
35:50such a small
35:52narcissistic egotistical and
35:54contemporary way. This is a story which
35:56is going to be valued and researched and
36:00studied for a thousand more years
36:02because it's that great. Our own
36:04contemporary activism and our own
36:06contemporary uh thoughts and ideas today
36:10aren't actually what this play is about.
36:12If it was about that, it would be a
36:14shallow play. This play is about
36:16literally the relationship between
36:18thought and action. That's a spiritual
36:20battle that's a lot bigger than just
36:22mere activism or mere uh mental health
36:25struggles. Which leads us into book
36:28number 16, which is a bit more of a fun
36:30book. And this is The Mysterious Affair
36:33at Styles. This is an Agatha Christie
36:35book. I actually really love Who Done
36:38It. I love Agatha Christie. Um, this is
36:40her first book in the Puo series. And I
36:43love the Pu series because, especially
36:45in the books because it explores this
36:49character who's a political refugee
36:51during World War II, who despite all the
36:54chaos going on in the world, is able to
36:57construct order and meaning and decency
36:59in his life by just doing his job the
37:02best he can as a detective. um he's able
37:06to solve crimes and you see the backdrop
37:09of the aristocracy throughout the war.
37:11You see uh more poverty throughout the
37:13war. You see like all the different
37:14social classes going on in England and
37:16you have this political refugee who's
37:18just trying to do the best job he can.
37:21And it's just a pleasant read. It's a
37:23great read. So many twists and turns.
37:25You know, classic books don't all need
37:26to be super deep and super serious and
37:29super long. They can also be fun. But I
37:31do think there's some depth in this
37:32story, too. And I think there's a great
37:34lesson in that that you need to
37:36construct some kind of order in your
37:38life to balance out the chaos that will
37:41be the outside world and also have some
37:43perspective. This man Puo Hercule Puro
37:46is a political refugee but he never
37:49feels sorry for himself. He never has
37:51this victim complex. He's never woe is
37:53me, you know, I need to take it out in
37:55the world. The world has failed me. He
37:57goes, no, I'm going to treat myself
37:59well. I'm going to live my life with
38:01order. I'm gonna take care of what I can
38:03take care of and my life will piece its
38:05way back together through those actions.
38:08And I think it's a brilliant rubric for
38:10how to live uh how to live. It's a
38:12brilliant model for how to go about your
38:14life, how to take responsibility and
38:17move forward. And so many of the books
38:18in this list, as you can probably see,
38:20are about that theme. But I think at the
38:23root of almost everything we think about
38:25and argue about and dissect and do in
38:28life comes down to that relationship
38:31between how we take action in our own
38:33life and how that then affects how we
38:36live out externally and how we view the
38:39external world as well. Which leads us
38:41into book number 17 which is oh no book
38:45number yeah 17 which is 1984.
38:49For obvious reasons, the book that
38:51communists will say is about capitalism,
38:53the book that capitalists will say is
38:55about communism. Uh, no matter what side
38:57of the political spectrum you're on,
38:59you're going to be uh attacking each
39:01other about it. You're going to try and
39:03make it fit your own political
39:04narrative. This book is so deep. This
39:07book is such a great study on
39:09authoritarian governments that it
39:12doesn't fit into one neat political
39:14argument, one neat political spectrum.
39:16It completely dismantles just so much of
39:19authoritarian politics and uh and makes
39:22a few bold predictions which are scary
39:25in today's world when you see it playing
39:27out on all different sides. Um but it's
39:30also I think such an important book
39:32because it's given us this warning where
39:34I think it's saved us from a lot of
39:36problems too. A lot of people who are
39:38doomsday preppers say that you know
39:40everything this book says um will come
39:43true in the world. Maybe. But I also
39:46think there are certain elements that us
39:48as a society are against and will always
39:51avoid because of this book, because it
39:53laid it out, because it made it obvious
39:54what might happen. Um, it's saved the
39:57world, too. It's not just negative. It's
39:59also had a positive sum as well, which
40:02leads me into book number 18, which is
40:04the perfect twohander to 1984 by George
40:07Orwell, which is Brave New World.
40:10Because this explores almost a similar
40:13concept about how governments and
40:16leadership can manipulate the people and
40:18use the people. But it also explores it
40:20through how they can manipulate us
40:22through our own pleasure. How it seems
40:25like a lot of people would choose
40:27pleasure over true freedom over their
40:29life because they're just pleasure-
40:31seeeking people, I guess. and how
40:34governments will then abuse that, will
40:36then give us pleasure so that we ignore
40:39some of the bad things that they may do
40:41uh behind our backs while we're too busy
40:44focused on the pleasure that they've
40:46given us. And how people will so often
40:49trade their freedom for just basic
40:52pleasure, for just basic bread, basic
40:54means. Um because sometimes freedom is
40:58too much to handle. Sometimes it makes
41:00us have to contemplate too many things
41:02and it's too tiring to do. And some
41:04people say to hell with it, just give me
41:07pleasure and you can go off and lead and
41:09do whatever you want. And that's a sad
41:10case, but that does seem to be reality
41:13and that's been proven throughout
41:15history time and time again. And it will
41:17happen in the future. Hopefully not in
41:19our lifetimes, but um it will happen
41:21again because that is human nature. And
41:24I think Brave New World explores that in
41:26such a great way. Which leads us in to
41:29the final book on this list, which is
41:32The Divine Comedy by Dante Alleguieri.
41:36The Divine Comedy is this brilliant
41:39journey about a man's journey to hell,
41:43through hell, and then out of hell into
41:46being uh saved into salvation. He went
41:50through the deepest journey of hell to
41:52the deepest pits of hell to then be
41:54saved. And what I really love about this
41:57book is that I think it's a journey we
41:59all need to go on. I think if you spend
42:02your life ignoring the deepest darkest
42:06elements of your soul um and you
42:08continue to never dive down and to never
42:12descend in order to ascend, you will
42:15never ascend. You will never be a good
42:17person. You will never uh truly feel
42:20fulfilled. you will never be able to
42:22love to its full capacity and be loved
42:24at its full capacity. And I think that's
42:26what Dante understood is that we all
42:29need to confront the deepest, darkest
42:32elements of ourselves. It's very similar
42:35to uh the the James Baldwin book, Go
42:37Tell It on the Mountain. Very similar in
42:39that way, but I would say in a more
42:41odyssey like storytelling. Um I would
42:44say in a better way, honestly. It's a
42:46better book, I think. Um it's a deeper
42:48book. The poetry is beautiful. Um there
42:50are so many great lessons you can get
42:52from it. But I think above all it's that
42:54idea that you need to descend because
42:57when you descend as well, you see within
43:00your soul the capacity for evil that's
43:03there. Um the sin that is there, the
43:06badness that is there that we all have.
43:08None of us are perfect. And I feel like
43:10what this book lays out is that you
43:12can't love someone unless you understand
43:15that you have a capacity for evil, too.
43:18Because if you feel like you're just
43:20this righteous person, this morally
43:22perfect person, you can't love anybody
43:24because they won't live up to your own
43:26standards because you'll see one flaw
43:28and think, "Oh, you're flawed. Oh, we
43:30disagree on this element and I'm
43:32perfect, so you must be a bad person."
43:34Whereas if you understand that you're
43:36not perfect, if you understand that you
43:39have capacity for sin, that you have
43:41sinned, that you have moral failings
43:43within you, then despite other people's
43:46moral failings, you will still be able
43:48to love them because you will say, well,
43:51I'm also flawed and I'm going to love
43:54you and hopefully that wills me to
43:56become a better person and hopefully me
43:58loving you wills you to become a better
44:00person and vice versa. And that way you
44:03can love someone despite them not being
44:05perfect because you understand that
44:07you're not perfect. You won't judge
44:09them. You will just want the best for
44:12them. And I think that's almost the
44:14greatest lesson we can all get in life.
44:16And that's why Dante Aligieri and The
44:19Divine Comedy is just a must- readad for
44:22anybody. But with that said, that wraps
44:24up the 19 books, 19 classic books I
44:28would recommend everyone go out and read
44:30before watching any podcasts or engaging
44:33with any content online. I know that's
44:36not uh feasible. I know you can't read
44:3919 big long books before ever going on
44:42social media again, but uh try and work
44:45your way through these books the best
44:47you can. I think they just lay the
44:49perfect moral framework and groundwork.
44:52um and ideas for the world that so much
44:54of what we see online is just small uh
44:58fragments of. We get these small
45:01fragmented ideas, these echo chambers of
45:03ideas, um these manipulations of these
45:06foundational truths and ideas that are
45:08explored in these great classic books.
45:10So go out and read books first. Always
45:13prioritize reading great books over
45:15engaging with online content. Um, which
45:18I know is probably a bad thing for me to
45:20say because I make online content. Uh,
45:22but I'm happy for someone to go read
45:24before they watch any of my videos
45:26because I think reading is that valuable
45:28and I think it is the best thing for us.
45:31But with that said, I hope you guys
45:32enjoyed this one. I hope you guys got
45:34value from it. Once again, appreciate
45:36all the support that I've been getting
45:38in recent weeks going up so many
45:40subscribers every day. It blows me away.
45:43Uh, it's honestly quite confronting at
45:45times as well. Um, I hope I can continue
45:47to deliver content that you all enjoy,
45:49that you all get value from. But let me
45:51know your thoughts on these books down
45:53below in the comments. And until next
45:55time, take

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