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The Empty Chair is a tiny little book of tiny little quotes, but it's packed with incredibly profound wisdom. I find myself turning to it over and over again, and each time I learn something new.

What a little gem! Though it was never a bestseller like "Why bad things happen to good people", it is on the same theme. Blech really helped me understand some of the key ways people understand the existence of evil in the world. I think that this book helped me understand "the meaning of life" as much or more than any other single book. If you're struggling with understanding some challenge in your life, or just evil in general, and it doesn't seem fair, I highly recommend this book.

I'm a bit of a business book junkie, and this one is my favorite so far. I've recommended it to several friends and family members since reading it cover to cover like a novel in a weekend. If there was ONE single book I'd recommend to any startup business entrepreneur, it would be this one. The writing is beautiful, the ideas are simple yet battle-tested, the philosophy is elegent yet real-world. Some books get kind of mystical (Think & Grow Rich) and and some are all nuts & bolts (The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship). Guy's book struck the perfect balance of practical, mystical, sensitive, energizing, and hard-nosed. Right away, I had a perspective shift. I started thinking about my business like an investor, and like a customer. Thank you Guy Kawasaki!

My sister-in-law lent me an audiotape of The 7 Habits around 1996 (I'll be returning it soon, I promise) and it's not an exaggeration to say it changed my life. The very first habit, by now well-known to the point of being hackneyed - "Be Proactive" - turned my "paradigm" upside-down! Strange as it seems now, I hadn't fully understood until Covey pointed it out how the space between stimulous and response is our ability to choose. And choosing our reaction in that moment is the highest possible leverage we can have on our lives. Each habit was like that. Even if you've read it in the past, I really think it's worth going back to over & over.

When I first read Heschel, I discovered a whole new world of Jewish thought that I hadn't ever known about. A mystical world where God's relationship to Man was talked about in the most compelling of terms. Heschel's books were what inspired me to pursue a degree in comparitive religion, and then dive into the mystical world even deeper in graduate school.

Pema Chodron is one of my new heros. When I first read The Places That Scare You, I was struck by her acceptance of how human we all are. No matter how good a Christian or Jew or Buddhist or Hindu you are, you're still human. Chodron gives us her wonderful, funny perspective on how to accept the places that scare you, and maybe even learn from them.

How can you love your neighbor until you love yourself? How can you even accept your neighbor for who they are until you accept yourself? Cheri Huber shows us how to set ourselves free from old cycles, old patterns, and get to a deeper acceptance of our whole selves.

A true classic for all those who want to learn more about living in the present moment. The illusion of control causes so much suffering in the world, and Tolle explores this in great depth.