I consider myself smart. What I seek is wisdom. What books, both ancient and modern, should I read to be wise?

Answer 1

Atlas shrugged, The Fountainhead, The Virtue of Selfishness. All Ayn Rand

For knowledge of yourself.

Socrates, for knowledge of the World.

The Art of War, for knowledge of others

and The Complete Kama Sutra (its a book on more than sex, trust me) For knowledge of your lover

Answer 2

Besides all the ancient scripture and texts a modern story, concise yet packed with wisdom is The Knight in Rusty Armor by Robert Fisher. Also The Immortal by JJ Dewey contains many morsels you won't find elsewhere. Then there is the Treatise on Seven Rays by Alice A Bailey.

Answer 3

Wiadom comes both from having an open mind (although not so open that your brains fall out) combined with experience. You can read all 50 books listed in the famed "Harvard Classics" and still not be wise until you've gained enough life experience to be able to discriminate between good ideas and bad. Those that are bad for me are not necessarily bad for your situation. It also works the other way around. But those are the EXCEPTIONS! Generally, intelligent ideas are universal, such as the knowledge that it isn't a good idea to stick your finger in a candle flame. So: read a wide variety of topics from fiction to fact, listen to the advice of people with more experience in life than you have, and think before you act. Sounds simple, right? Well, if it were as easy as it sounds, you'd never ever hear of a lying politician - and nearly all of 'em lie like rugs...

Answer 4

People have already made some excellent suggestions. To these I would add two more which are essential for understanding and appreciating almost all art and literature in western civilization:
1. Bible
2. A good book on Greek mythology

In addition you might want to read some of the works of the most influential people in the history of the world--these include Darwin, Freud, Marx, Luther, Shakespeare, Einstein.

And just keep reading!

Answer 5

Get yourself a cup of coffee, a pack of smokes and spend the day watching the people going by and playing ball at the West 4th Street courts (in Manhattan). Bring something which is not too big and doesn't take itself so seriously, Quiet Days in Clichy by Miller is just goofy enough to work.

By the end of the day you'll be wiser. I guarantee it.

Answer 6

Wisdom doesn't only come from books, understanding and using the information you learn in a clear, logical, unbiased and common sense manner is as, if not more important than just learning a lot of facts and figures.

Answer 7

From the modernists I recommend Nietche, because he is even the postmodern autor philosopher with the biggest inflence.
And from the ancient one's Plato and Aristotel and Daoism.
As I see for Nietche and Daoism it was writen in an answer above. So you have a second confirmation :)

Answer 8

History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell.

Answer 9

Common sense and the crisis by Thomas Paine

And anything by Ralph Waldo Emerson or Henry David Thoreau.


EDIT:
Wow, listen to Danielle Süßkind who answers a little down the page, she reccomend lucid dreaming books and I couldnt agree more, nice one!

Answer 10

"Creative Dreaming" by Patricia Garfield PhD or any good book on lucid dreaming is one recommendation worth considering. Discovering wisdom that comes from within can be very rewarding.