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Ten books to read before you live.
Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales AD Lucilium (Classics)Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales AD Lucilium (Classics) by Lucius Annaeus Seneca
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Lessons in life from a Stoic master.
Discourse on Method and Related Writings (Penguin Classics)Discourse on Method and Related Writings (Penguin Classics) by Rene Descartes
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Descartes' message: think for yourself. A far more enjoyable read than the title suggests!
Ethics (Penguin Classics)Ethics (Penguin Classics) by Benedictus de Spinoza
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A difficult work, but ultimately a great joy and worth the effort: as his admirer G.Eliot knew, Spinoza will give you immensely powerful tools for understanding of self and others.
The Basic Writings of Nietzsche (Modern Library Classics)The Basic Writings of Nietzsche (Modern Library Classics) by Friedrich Nietzsche
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One of the most enjoyable philosophers to read, and one of the greatest critics of false values; Kaufmann's introduction and prefaces will assist neophytes.
Letters to a Young PoetLetters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
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One of those books that countless people carry around in an inside pocket or handbag. Magnificent passages on love and solitude.
Summer in Algiers (Pocket Penguins 70's)Summer in Algiers (Pocket Penguins 70's) by Albert Camus
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Camus' joyful side: a lesson in how to live from the inhabitants of Algiers.
The Fear of Freedom (Routledge Classics) (Routledge Classics)The Fear of Freedom (Routledge Classics) (Routledge Classics) by Erich Fromm
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An inquiry into our incapacity to be free, and a call for us to become freer, and saner.
Stories from the City of God: Sketches and Chronicles of Rome 1950-1966Stories from the City of God: Sketches and Chronicles of Rome 1950-1966 by Pier Paolo Pasolini
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How to live - and not just exist - with very little.
How Proust Can Change Your LifeHow Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton
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De Botton knows a few classics are worth all the self-help books in existence, and demonstrates this with reference to Proust. Read De Botton, then read Proust!
Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal TimesStaying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times
Buy new: £7.19 / Used from: £3.99
An anthology of poems that help us to live. We need to make time for poetry, i.e. for contemplation. There is a sequel: "Being alive".