24 February, 2026
Musk was – in his own words – raised by books, and we can better understand him through them.
His favorite, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, for example, is the story of a most improbable person – a hobbit – taking on an impossible burden because he believes it is the right thing to do.
Musk’s advice is to read broadly, particularly history, and especially the epic, multi-volume The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant. He also recommends biographies – Napoleon, Franklin, Jobs, etc. – over regular business books.
But what about books which help us get inside Musk’s head, so that we can better understand how he thinks and sees the world?
The following is a list of 27 works: three for each of Musk’s nine core beliefs, with a one-line key takeaway for each.
(* Denotes personally recommended by Musk.)
I. Embrace Uncertainty
1. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (1979) *
We too often seek meaning in answers, not in questions.
2. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams (1980)
Once we know the right question to ask, the answer is often the easy part.
3. The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus (1942)
The absurd can be harrowing but accepting it sets you free.
II. Test & Learn
4. Conjectures & Refutations by Karl Popper (1963)
Self-criticism makes the scientific method unique among myths.
5. The Pleasure of Finding Things Out by Richard Feynman (1999)
The scientist must live with ignorance, doubt, and uncertainty.
6. The Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams (2002)
There is a path from the absurd to a love of science and technology.
III. Increase Consciousness
7. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl (1946) *
Purpose can be found by turning the question of life’s meaning onto yourself.
8. Foundation by Isaac Asimov (1951) *
The future is a set of branching streams of probability.
9. Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov (1985)
Do not let humanity come to harm through inaction (Zeroth Law).
IV. Make Stuff
10. “The Anatomy of Determination” by Paul Graham (2009)
Willfulness and discipline are essential for doing great work.
11. Zero to One by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters (2014) *
Create products that would not exist but for you.
12. Good to Great by Jim Collins (2001)
Focus, build momentum, and never give up.
V. Use Markets
13. The Capitalist Manifesto by Johan Norberg (2023) *
The least bad way to achieve progress globally is via free markets (per Adam Smith and Friedrich Hayek).
14. The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen (1997)
Even great companies can fail.
15. Skin in the Game by Nassim N. Taleb (2018)
The man in the arena knows more than his critics.
VI. Explore Space
16. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein (1966) *
Not Mars, but another rock with a colony that aspires to be self-sustaining.
17. The Big Picture by Sean Carroll (2016) *
There may not be supernatural meaning, but meaning may be found in trying to understand the cosmos.
18. Modern Engineering for Design of Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engines by Dieter K. Huzel and David H. Huang (1992) *
“Rocket science” is about applying physics through engineering.
VII. Oppose Dogma
19. The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper (1945)
Ideologies promise salvation but demand a faith that cannot withstand criticism.
20. The Parasitic Mind by Gad Saad (2020) *
Contagious ideas spread not because they are good for us, but because they are highly transmissible.
21. What’s Our Problem? by Tim Urban (2023) *
The United States has become increasingly tribal and polarized, with anti-science and illiberal tendencies on both the Left and the Right.
VIII. Free Speech
22. The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt (2018)
Psychological safety inhibits learning and makes us less safe.
23. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1949) *
Always insist that two plus two equals four.
24. The Constitution of the United States of America by James Madison et al. (1787–1789)*
The least bad way to form a more perfect Union is via a framework that allows for the correction of errors.
IX. Open AI
25. The Singularity Is Near by Ray Kurzweil (2005)
Humanity is hurtling toward a point from which there will be no return.
26. Human Compatible by Stuart Russell (2019) *
AI should be nurtured to be pro-human and to know us better than we know ourselves.
27. The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks (1988) *
The best possible envisioning of an AI future (try also Excession, Look to Windward, and Surface Detail).
***
The above 27 books comprise the Suggested Further Reading of The Curious Mind of Elon Musk: 9 Ways He Thinks Differently.
It explores these and many other influences which shaped the intellectual development of Musk.
And just in case anyone thinks that I screenshotted these book covers without reading them (!), below is my personal connection.
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