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The Knowledge Project

Uncovering the timeless principles that drive success. Hosted by Shane Parrish (entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and author), the goal of each episode is simply to master the best of what other people have already figured out. Learn More: Timeless insights into business and life in 5 minutes a week: https://fs.blog/newsletter Shane's Books: https://fs.blog/books

Want the full transcripts? Read any episode of The Knowledge Project word for word on Podmenti. Podmenti →
How Elon Musk Solves Problems | Jon McNeill
Nov 2026 · 6 books
Cover of Made in America
Made in America
Sam Walton
“I learned this. Then Uh From Sam Walton, actually. I read his autobiography”
Cover of Elon Musk
Elon Musk
Walter Isaacson
“Elon gave Walter permission to write about His Mental health struggles in Isaac said. Book on Elon”
Cover of Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson
“I remember when the Isaacson book came out about Steve Jobs. Uh everybody where I was working sort of read that”
Cover of The Goal
The Goal
Eliyahu M. Goldratt
“A book called The Goal. Which is by Ellie Gulrat, who's an MIT professor”
Cover of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Stephen Covey
“Steve Steve Covey's old book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”
Cover of Unreasonable Hospitality
Unreasonable Hospitality
Will Guidara
“third book that I've read Over the past couple of years is unreasonable hospitality by Will Gadera”
K.C. Irving: Competing with Giants
Nov 2026
The Science of Doing Your Best Work
Oct 2026 · 5 books
Cover of The Body Keeps the Score
The Body Keeps the Score
Bessel van der Kolk
“I have a new science article out right now in Frontiers of Neuroscience called The Body Doesn't Keep the Score. And it is a direct rebuttal against Vanderpolk, who I think is totally wrong”
Cover of The Rise of Superman
The Rise of Superman
Steven Kotler
“Well, for Rise of Superman, it took me fifteen years worth of research to write that book”
Cover of Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain
Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain
David Eagleman
“wrote Incognito and you presented your information on synesthesia”
Cover of The Breakout Principle
The Breakout Principle
Herbert Benson
“And he has said in his book, The Breakout Principle, that he thin is responsible for most cases of spontaneous healing”
Cover of West of Jesus: Surfing, Science, and the Origins of Belief
West of Jesus: Surfing, Science, and the Origins of Belief
Steven Kotler
“West of Jesus, which is the book I wrote where I tell the sort of the story we just walked through”
How to Get People to Say Yes | Ryan Serhant
Oct 2026 · 1 book
Cover of The Art of War
The Art of War
Sun Tzu
“Like in the art of war. They don't know what to do, and it makes them double down their focus on you”
Charlie Munger's Interview with Todd Combs
Oct 2026 · 1 book
Cover of Lights Out: Pride, Delusion, and the Fall of General Electric
Lights Out: Pride, Delusion, and the Fall of General Electric
Thomas Gryta and Ted Mann
“I think that book Lights Out, which chronicles the decline of GE, ought to be required reading in every business school in the country”
Bill Ackman: The Biggest Fight of His Life
Sep 2026
Tobi Lütke: AI Agents, Better Decisions, and the Future of Work
Sep 2026 · 7 books
Cover of Parkinson's Law
Parkinson's Law
C. Northcote Parkinson
“I I often talk about Parkinson's Law, which I love”
Cover of The Lessons of History
The Lessons of History
Will Durant
“I I almost always will mention The Lessons of History, which is I just think the densest, like the highest token quality book in existence”
Cover of The Managerial Revolution
The Managerial Revolution
James Burnham
“He wrote, um, The Managerial Revolution first and then a book called The Machiavellians”
Cover of The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom
The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom
James Burnham
“and then a book called The Machiavellians, which is unbelievably good”
Cover of Meditations
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius
“I mean, obviously I I am a meditations fan. I know stoicism is falling out of favor a little bit right now, but like it's been um a lifelong thing for me and um I have a copy of”
Cover of Foundation
Foundation
Isaac Asimov
“foundation series is so good”
Cover of The Three-Body Problem
The Three-Body Problem
Liu Cixin
“you read the three body problem too right I mean I guess that's sort of tripping into older book now too”
Steve Jobs in Exile
Sep 2026
Roblox CEO: How to Make Better Decisions by Fixing Yourself First
Aug 2026 · 1 book
Cover of Ready Player One
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline
“What was your reaction to watching Ready Player One? Ready Player One, the book I loved”
The Mindset Behind Building Billion-Dollar Companies | Brad Jacobs
Aug 2026 · 1 book
Cover of The Singularity Is Near
The Singularity Is Near
Ray Kurzweil
“Kurtzwall, who wrote the singularity. is one of your heroes”
John D. Rockefeller: The Principles Behind The Greatest Fortune in History
Jul 2026 · 4 books
Cover of Extracts from the Diary and Correspondence of the Late Amos Lawrence
Extracts from the Diary and Correspondence of the Late Amos Lawrence
Amos Lawrence
“Around the same time, he got hold of a book. the published diary of a New England merchant named Amos Lawrence, who had given away more than a hundred thousand dollars in his life”
Cover of Wealth Against Commonwealth
Wealth Against Commonwealth
Henry Demarest Lloyd
“when Lloyd came back in eighteen ninety four with a whole book of it called Wealth Against Commonwealth, much of that was wrong too”
Cover of The History of the Standard Oil Company
The History of the Standard Oil Company
Ida Tarbell
“The first installment of Auditarbell's The History of the Standard Oil Company appeared in McClure's magazine in November 1902”
Cover of The Principles and Practice of Medicine
The Principles and Practice of Medicine
William Osler
“in the summer of eighteen ninety seven, Gates sat down and read a dry medical textbook. Osler's Principles and Practice of Medicine”
Truth Over Feelings: Inside Opendoor’s Massive Turnaround
Jul 2026 · 1 book
Cover of The Courage to Be Disliked
The Courage to Be Disliked
Ichirō Kishimi
“to be diselect is an excellent book. Everyone should read it”
The Mindset That Unlocks Your Full Potential | Dr. Gio Valiante
Jul 2026 · 5 books
Cover of Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life
Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
“there's a book that I'm I'm sure you've read. It's called Finding Flow. Buy me hi, chick say me hi”
Cover of How We Think
How We Think
John Dewey
“John Dewey wrote in a in a book called How We Think, John Dewey said, There's no greater enemy than to effective thinking than a divided interest”
Cover of Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits
James Clear
“in the book Atomic Habits, the author has this really beautiful, uh really beautiful line that's getting a lot of traction in the world these days”
Cover of It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life
It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life
Lance Armstrong
“Talk to him or read his book. The trauma of his youth”
Cover of Travels
Travels
Michael Crichton
“Michael Crichton, he wrote a great book called Travels, which which he articulated his own life journey”
How to Repair and Nourish Your Gut | Dr. Giulia Enders
Jun 2026 · 1 book
Cover of Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
Annie Duke
“Annie Duke. Thinking in bets. resulting. A good decision can have a bad outcome. A bad decision can get lucky. Judge the process, not the result. You taught me that one”
Mental Models That Change How You Think | Bill Gurley
Jun 2026 · 4 books
Cover of Thinking in Systems: A Primer
Thinking in Systems: A Primer
Donella Meadows
“There's a there's a book called Thinking and Systems that I read”
Cover of One Up on Wall Street
One Up on Wall Street
Peter Lynch
“You know, that starts with Peter Lynch one up on Wall Street. You know, best selling book”
Cover of A Random Walk Down Wall Street
A Random Walk Down Wall Street
Burton Malkiel
“A random walk down Wall Street, Burton McHale”
Cover of The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America
The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America
Warren Buffett
“All the Buffett Letters”
You Don’t Need To Innovate To Be Successful | FarmVille Creator
Jun 2026 · 2 books
Cover of Microcosm: The Quantum Revolution in Economics and Technology
Microcosm: The Quantum Revolution in Economics and Technology
George Gilder
“I Read this book by this guy George Gilder. Called microcosm”
Cover of Thinking in Bets
Thinking in Bets
Annie Duke
“Annie Duke. Thinking in bets. resulting. A good decision can have a bad outcome”
The Hyundai Founder Who Put a Country on His Back
May 2026 · 1 book
BO
Born of This Land: My Life Story
Chung Ju-yung
“What happened next is one of the most devastating passages in Chung's autobiography”
Speed, Stress, and Better Decisions | Winston Weinberg
May 2026
Ai Goes Parabolic | OpenAI Co-Founder Greg Brockman
Apr 2026
The Magic of Thinking Big | XPO CEO Mario Harik
Apr 2026
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