What books does Patrick Bet-David recommend?
Built for entrepreneurs who think like strategists, the book recommendations of Patrick Bet-David draw on the reading behind Valuetainment. The founder of PHP Agency and the media brand Valuetainment has flagged 20 titles here, sourced from his official blog and website lists, his YouTube videos, and his PBD Podcast. Business and strategy lead, joined by psychology, self-improvement, leadership, and history. Napoleon Hill's The Law of Success is a top pick; Bet-David recalls setting it aside before realising "it's one of the best books I've ever read in my life." He is drawn to strategic and psychological works, recommending Robert Greene's The 33 Strategies of War for the "mindset of a general" and John Gartner's The Hypomanic Edge for a fresh view of drive and temperament. Author of three books himself, he reads to sharpen the entrepreneur's edge.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
The Law of Success
The Master Wealth-Builder's Complete and Original Lesson Plan for Achieving Your Dreams
byNapoleon Hill
2008640 Pages“I set it aside and then 6 months later read the book. And I said, 'Wait a minute, it's one of the best books I've ever read in my life.' I've recommended it over and over and over again, and I've read it so many different times.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: Official Blog: The Top 10 Books for Entrepreneurs
The Hypomanic Edge
The Link Between (A Little) Craziness and (A Lot of) Success in America
byJohn D. Gartner
2005368 Pages“When you read this book, you will look at hypomanic, manic, ADHD, bipolar, in a completely different way. All of us have somebody like that in our family.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: Official Blog: The Top 10 Books for Entrepreneurs
Blue Ocean Strategy
How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant
byW. Chan Kim, Renée Mauborgne
2015320 PagesSource: Official Website: 52 Books for Entrepreneurs
Read by Arianna Huffington, Marc Benioff, Michael Bloomberg and 6 others
byRay Dalio
2017592 PagesSource: Official Website: 52 Books for Entrepreneurs
byRobert Greene
2006512 Pages“So you've got to have a mindset of a general, a warrior, a strategist... That's what you'll learn from this book.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: Official Blog: The Top 10 Books for Entrepreneurs
Power vs. Force
The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior
byDavid R. Hawkins
2014416 Pages“It was a book I couldn't put down... It explains how to go from force to power and influence.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: Official Blog: The Top 10 Books for Entrepreneurs
Barbarians to Bureaucrats
Corporate Life Cycle Strategies
byLawrence M. Miller
1990240 Pages“The book is so phenomenal that I actually wanted to buy the rights to it... It talks about what happens in societies, and what it takes to build a country.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: Official Blog: The Top 10 Books for Entrepreneurs
Read by Tim Ferriss, Chip Wilson, Gary Vaynerchuk and 3 others
The E-Myth Revisited
Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It
byMichael E. Gerber
1995288 Pages“The reason why The E Myth is a very, very important book to read is because it allows you as the person who calls themself the entrepreneur to realize that maybe you're really not an entrepreneur.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: Official Blog: The Top 10 Books for Entrepreneurs
byRobert Greene
2012352 Pages“It explains why it's worth sticking with something and pouring everything you have into it.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: Official Blog: The Top 10 Books for Entrepreneurs
Read by Sheryl Sandberg, Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook and 2 others
Trillion Dollar Coach
The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell
byEric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, Alan Eagle
2019240 Pages“Good luck trying to put this book down you will not be able to put this book down... highly recommend you go get it ASAP.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: YouTube: 5 Books to Read This Summer as an Entrepreneur
Read by Jensen Huang, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen and 8 others
byAndrew S. Grove
1995272 Pages“Majority of the management companies in Silicon Valley that have management philosophies, they swear by Andy Grove.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: YouTube: 5 Books to Read This Summer as an Entrepreneur
12 Rules for Life
An Antidote to Chaos
byJordan Peterson
2018448 Pages“If you're a man wanting to find out what it is... to be a man's man he breaks it down in here... better than any book I've read.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: YouTube: 5 Books to Read This Summer as an Entrepreneur
Read by Naval Ravikant, Arianna Huffington, Tobias Lütke and 12 others
Meditations
A New Translation
byMarcus Aurelius
2003256 Pages(1,240,000)
“A book EVERYONE must read.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: Official Reading List: Bookshop.org
Read by Ryan Holiday, Kobe Bryant, Changpeng Zhao and 3 others
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
byDavid Epstein
2019352 Pages“Excellent book. He made a great argument on how different people win by taking different approaches.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: Interview / Goodbooks Verified Profile
Read by Brian Chesky, Michael Bloomberg, Patrick Bet-David and 1 others
The Ride of a Lifetime
Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
byRobert Iger
2019272 Pages“If you're going through any kind of M&A, this is a great book for inspiration.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: Interview / Goodbooks Verified Profile
Read by Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs and 8 others
byAyn Rand
19571168 Pages“Yes. It's an excellent read.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: Direct Social Media Endorsement
Read by Grant Cardone, Dave Ramsey, Steve Harvey and 10 others
Think and Grow Rich
The Landmark Bestseller Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century
byNapoleon Hill
2005320 PagesSource: Official Blog: Think And Grow Rich Book Club
No More Mr. Nice Guy
A Proven Plan for Getting What You Want in Love, Sex, and Life
byRobert A. Glover
2003192 Pages“A book EVERY man must read. Especially today's men.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: Official Reading List: Bookshop.org
Read by Patrick Bet-David, Craig Groeschel, Rory Sutherland and 1 others
Unreasonable Hospitality
The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
byWill Guidara
2022288 Pages“This book is a must-read for anyone in leadership or customer-facing roles.”
— Patrick Bet-David
Source: PBD Podcast Interview
Read by Jay-Z, Ryan Holiday, Steven Bartlett and 4 others
byRobert Greene
1998480 PagesSource: Official Website: 52 Books for Entrepreneurs
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Patrick Bet-David recommend?
His 20 recommendations include The Law of Success, The Hypomanic Edge, Blue Ocean Strategy, Principles by Ray Dalio, and The 33 Strategies of War, centred on business strategy, psychology, and leadership.
What is Patrick Bet-David's favourite book?
Napoleon Hill's The Law of Success is a top pick. Bet-David says he set it aside at first, then months later realised "it's one of the best books I've ever read in my life," and has reread it many times.
Where do Patrick Bet-David's book recommendations come from?
They come from his official blog list "The Top 10 Books for Entrepreneurs" and website's "52 Books for Entrepreneurs," his YouTube videos, and interviews on the PBD Podcast.
Has Patrick Bet-David written any books?
Yes. He has authored three titles noted here: Your Next Five Moves, Doing the Impossible, and Drop Out and Get Schooled.
Which strategy books does Patrick Bet-David recommend?
He favours Robert Greene, recommending The 33 Strategies of War for the "mindset of a general, a warrior, a strategist" and Mastery, alongside Blue Ocean Strategy and Andrew Grove's High Output Management.
All 20 Books Patrick Bet-David Has Recommended
- The Law of Success · Napoleon Hill
- The Hypomanic Edge · John D. Gartner
- Blue Ocean Strategy · W. Chan Kim
- Principles: Life and Work · Ray Dalio
- The 33 Strategies of War · Robert Greene
- Power vs. Force · David R. Hawkins
- Barbarians to Bureaucrats · Lawrence M. Miller
- The E-Myth Revisited · Michael E. Gerber
- Mastery · Robert Greene
- Trillion Dollar Coach · Eric Schmidt
- High Output Management · Andrew S. Grove
- 12 Rules for Life · Jordan Peterson
- Meditations · Marcus Aurelius
- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World · David Epstein
- The Ride of a Lifetime · Robert Iger
- Atlas Shrugged · Ayn Rand
- Think and Grow Rich · Napoleon Hill
- No More Mr. Nice Guy · Robert A. Glover
- Unreasonable Hospitality · Will Guidara
- The 48 Laws of Power · Robert Greene