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Books That Geniuses Read (And How They Read Them)

Are you curious about the books that geniuses read? Well, you are in the right place. In this article, you can discover the books that people with high IQ read, including Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, and more. I will provide you list of books that can also help you to feel like a genius. 

Geniuses are curious intellectually. They read more books compared to an average individual. They can also read faster than other people. They can also quickly process the information with better retention and comprehension. They read poetry, textbooks, non-fiction, and other helpful books.

There is a possibility that they can read the same category, fiction, or non-fiction. 

Do you want to feel like a genius? If yes, continue reading to know the books that geniuses read and how they read it. With that, you can improve the level of your intelligence too. Reading the books read by geniuses can help you learn lessons you can apply to improve your life. 

Books That Are Read By Geniuses

Books that read by geniuses include the following: 

Mastery (The Robert Greene Collection)

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If you want to discover your path and become free about your social conditioning, this book can help you. Mastery is a collection of about 1,000 masters including Mozart, Einstein, Darwin, and others who are peak performers and stand out in their specific industries. The book can give you a framework that can unlock your creative genius. 

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Antifragile (Nassim Taleb)

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Antifragile is a book by Nassim Taleb. Antifragile defines as the harder you try to break me, the stronger I become. It can be compared to the story of Hydra with her 9 heads. As you cut one-off, it can grow 2 more in its place. This book’s idea is about antifragility, which can be applied to systems, individuals, health, processes, personal struggles as well as economics. 

This book will teach you to embrace uncertainty, chaos, and struggle. In these situations, you can have the chance to grow the most. You can also learn that without struggle, you will not be a genius. 

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None (B. Kovner)

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B. Kovner authors this book. It is the favorite reading of Albert Einstein in the last few months of his life. It includes humorist stories by B. Kovner. He is also the writer of humorist stories in Yiddish, where Yenta Telebenta was the most popular. 

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A Treatise of Human Nature: Being an Attempt to Introduce the Experimental Method of Reasoning into Moral Subjects (David Hume)

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A Treatise of Human Nature is a book by David Hume. Albert Einstein said that this book had influenced his development. The purpose of this book is to discover the link between human nature and science or scientifically applied moral philosophy. This masterpiece shows a move from metaphysical speculation. 

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Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (Walter Isaacson)

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Walter Isaacson writes it. This book is among the recommended books by Elon Musk. In an interview, Elon Musk stated about the book that he was an entrepreneur and began from nothing. He was just a runaway kid. 

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The Art of War (Sun Tzu)

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The book by Sun Tzu is an ancient book that can offer you helpful techniques that can be used by an entrepreneur or CEO to develop a smarter strategy to make their business more successful. 

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Thinking, Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman)

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The book, Thinking Fast and Slow, is written by Daniel Kahneman. It can be helpful for business enthusiasts. I suggest you read this book if you want to make your business more profitable. By reading this book, you can learn that the right mindset is the key to success. 

It will help you to learn to think faster and methodically. With this, you can make slower or faster decisions. The author provides the Slow System and Fast System, so you can know how and when to use each speed of thinking.

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The Greatest Secret in the World (Og Mandino)

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The Greatest Secret in the World is a work by the bestselling author Og Mandino. Whatever situation you are today, this book is a must-read. It can help you to be smarter with its insights. In addition, it can also help you plan to unlock some traits that can help you get what you desire in a hassle-free manner. Furthermore, the transformational processes presented in the book can help you enhance relationships with different kinds of people. 

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You Are Not Your Brain (Jeffrey Schwarz)

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It is a book by Jeffrey Schwarz that can help you to flourish your life. It will teach you to apply a high level of discipline on how you act and how you think. This book can provide you an effective way to control your mind. It can also help you to manage impulses that can affect your productivity, relationships as well as your overall success. If you want to eliminate your bad habits and unhealthy thinking, this book is best for you. It can help you to get full control of your life. 

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The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream (Paulo Coelho)

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The Alchemist is among the bestselling books of all time written by Paulo Coelho. I will assure you that this book is worth reading as it can teach you many things. It will show you how to listen to your intuition, how to dream, how to choose the most important and vital tasks, make decisive action in uncertain situations, and how to follow your heart. 

This book will help you to discover the secret to attain your life’s dreams. It is a motivational book that will encourage you to read it until the end. 

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7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen R. Covey)

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was written by Stephen R. Covey. With this book, you can discover and apply the best habits to improve your productivity and life situations. It will teach you that if you want to attain something, you must do it differently. Even more important, it can also help you to become a better individual. 

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How Do Geniuses Read These Books? 

Do you want to know how geniuses read books? Do they skim? Do they take notes? Do they read word by word? Find out the answer by continuing to read this post. 

Geniuses like Elon Musk is a fast learner. He reads with a superman’s focus. Geniuses like him don’t read random stuff. He has scope for his reading. Furthermore, he reads with a purpose. The genius learns to collect information that can back his entrepreneurial endeavors and initiatives. He develops a mental plan of what he wants to get and why. 

Elon Musk has a famous learning quote about learning wherein he sees as a semantic tree. It suggests that you need strong branches and roots to work your way down to learn the information. He reads faster. If you want to read fast, you must have qualities like:

  • Stop subvocalizing 
  • Read with your eyes – saccades

With these techniques, Elon Musk can read about 1000 words each minute. It is considered 3 to 4 times better than a good experienced reader. 

To help you learn to read like a genius, you can consider the following tips:

  • Know the author of the book before reading 

You can search for the beliefs and background of the author as they write their books. With this, you can have a correct interpretation and understand the book. 

  • Get a purpose on reading 

Before you read a book, you must have a purpose in reading it. It can narrow down your focus and absorb the information you need. 

  • Consider a relaxing atmosphere 

Make sure to read in an atmosphere where you can relax and stay focused on reading your book. You can read in a silent and comfortable environment. Meanwhile, you can also read at public places like a coffee shops with your earbuds in. Make sure to find out the best reading environment that works for you. 

  • Skim the material 

You can skim the material before you continue reading. Read slowly about the headings, table of contents, context, and charts. It can help you remember the essential details.

  • Finish books that are worth finishing 

Don’t waste your time. Make sure to finish books that are worth finishing. It is essential that you can get useful information on the book you are reading. 

Most geniuses can quickly process the information they read. On the other hand, they can also read slowly if they read poetry. With that, they can understand and feel the meaning of the poet’s work. If they already have knowledge about what they are reading. They can skim on it with high speed. Then, they focus on the new details in the book they are reading.

Conclusion 

If you want to read like a genius, you must develop a high level of focus. In addition, it is important to consider the tips mentioned above to help you learn the important things in the book you read. Do you want to gain more knowledge that you can apply in your life? Then, it is time to read like a genius. As we often heard, books are friends who can provide you helpful information that can help to change your life in a better way.

References:

https://fs.blog/2014/11/elon-musk-book-recommendations/

https://www.stopstartdo.com/blog/best-books-of-2015-nonfiction-that-will-make-you-a-genius

http://favobooks.com/writers/84-einstein-albert.html

https://www.quora.com/How-much-does-Elon-Musk-read