Book · recommended on 7 episodes
Siddhartha
Hermann Hesse ISBN 9789562910804
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Hermann Hesse ISBN 9789562910804
Find it on AmazonAffiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
This book by Hermann Hesse has come up 7 times across 2 different shows: Lex Fridman, Tim Ferriss. 7 of those mentions were genuine on-air recommendations, not just passing references. The people who brought it up: Andrew Callaghan, David Blaine, Lex Fridman, Matt Mullenweg, Naval Ravikant, Tim Ferriss. The earliest mention we indexed is from 2020-06-15 and the most recent from 2025-03-16. Every occurrence below links to the episode page and to the exact second it was said on YouTube.
Hermann Hesse wrote Siddhartha after he traveled to India in the 1910s. It tells the story of a young boy who travels the country in a quest for spiritual enlightenment in the time of Guatama Buddha. It is a compact, lyrical work, which reads like an allegory about the finding of wisdom.
“allow me to also comment about one of the books that first drew me toward India and to its deep history of philosophical and spiritual traditions. The book is "Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse.”— Lex Fridman
The guest here is Narendra Modi: Prime Minister of India, leader of the world's largest democracy of 1.4 billion people, who rose from extreme childhood poverty in Gujarat to win three terms as PM. A former RSS volunteer and spiritual seeker who spent years wandering the Himalayas before entering public life. Narendra Modi reflects on poverty, spirituality, fasting, peacemaking, democracy, AI, and India's civilizational identity with Lex Fridman.
“read this book called sedara but it's a beautiful parallel story to the making of the Buddha by Herman Hesh it's a great book I highly recommend it”— Naval Ravikant
The guest here is Naval Ravikant and Nick Kokonas: Two featured guests in this anniversary compilation. Naval Ravikant: co-founder of AngelList and Airchat, angel investor, host of the Naval podcast. Nick Kokonas: former derivatives/options trader, co-owner and co-founder of the Alinea Group of restaurants (including three-Michelin-star Alinea) and founder of the Tock booking software. Tim Ferriss 10-year anniversary super combo: Naval Ravikant on honesty, habits, and happiness, plus Nick Kokonas on asymmetric risk and reinventing restaurants.
“the Eastern path that I took and kind of Fus that with psychedelic culture in Seattle... so like I'd say it all started with sadara sadara that's a good book”— Andrew Callaghan
The guest here is Andrew Callaghan: Gonzo-style journalist and host of Channel 5 on YouTube, formerly All Gas No Brakes, who interviews people at the edges of American society. He directed the HBO documentary 'This Place Rules' about the lead-up to the January 6th Capitol riots. Channel 5's Andrew Callaghan on gonzo journalism, hitchhiking, QAnon, January 6th, O-Block drill, fame, and his public reckoning.
“Siddhartha. ... just an interesting story of enlightenment and journey”— Matt Mullenweg
The guest here is Matt Mullenweg: Co-founder of WordPress (runs over a third of all websites) and founder/CEO of Automattic, the open-source company behind WooCommerce, Tumblr, Day One, and the Texts messaging app. Matt Mullenweg on open-source freedom, an AI-shaped future, his first-ever sabbatical, and tools for life's darkest hours.
“so siddharth is one of my favorite books absolutely and i remember have you guys read that it's a short read it's amazing”— David Blaine
The guest here is David Blaine: World-renowned illusionist and endurance artist known for extreme stunts like prolonged breath holds, week-long fasts, and being encased in ice. He pioneered modern street magic and approaches his feats with rigorous research and training. David Blaine talks fear, fasting, breath-holding, and how magic connects people, in a live conversation with Tim Ferriss.
“siddhartha by herman hesse is uh it's an incredible book yeah”— Lex Fridman
The guest here is Yeonmi Park: North Korean defector, human rights activist, and author of the memoir 'In Order to Live.' She escaped North Korea at 13 through China and became a prominent advocate exposing the regime's atrocities. North Korean defector Yeonmi Park recounts escaping a closed dictatorship and reflects on freedom, suffering, love, and the systems that shape human lives.
“the three tools that allow all the rest Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is recommended by many guests in this book”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Derek Sivers, BJ Miller, and Christopher Sommer: A compilation of three Tools of Titans profiles: Derek Sivers, the introverted musician-turned-philosopher who founded and sold CD Baby; BJ Miller, a triple-amputee palliative care physician who has guided roughly 1,000 deaths; and Christopher Sommer, a former US National Team gymnastics coach and founder of the Gymnastic Bodies strength-training system. Tim Ferriss narrates his Tools of Titans intro plus profiles of Derek Sivers, BJ Miller, and Christopher Sommer.
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