Gautama Buddha is also known as Siddharta Gautama, or simply the Buddha, which means "Awakened" or "Enlightened". Born a prince, he chose a path of ascetism only to realize that it was as profound an illusion as self-indulgence. He achieved Enlightenment after 49 days of meditation; his awakening led him to discover the cause of suffering and the ways to eliminate it. These discoveries founded Buddhism, and his "Four Noble Truths" still form the heart of its teachings.

Socrates is an enigmatic figure, known chiefly through the accounts of others like Plato and Aristophanes. He was one of the most brilliant intellects ever, and devised what would later be called the Socratic method, which is a way of leading one's interlocutor to see his errors and contradictions through clever questioning before leading him to the truth. In ancient Athens, Socrates was widely known as a "gadfly", that is, an annoying insect buzzing at people's ears, because he kept questioning prejudices and contradictions; he was eventually tried and executed for "corrupting the minds of the youth".

Epictetus was born a slave, and became one of the most influent Stoic philosophers. Stoicism is the attitude allowing one to free oneself from the unnecessary suffering that arises from anxiety about events that are beyond our control; therefore, it can be of tremendous importance in one's life. According to Epictetus, our own actions and attitudes are the only thing in our control; whatever else happens, we should examine calmly and dispassionately, because no amount of suffering will change the impact of external events.

Voltaire was a French writer famous for his wit and irony. They were his tools for launching vitriolic attacks on the established Catholic church, the adversaries of freedom of religion and expression, and on separation of church and state. His prolific writing took almost every possible literary form: plays, novels, essays, but also poems, historical and scientific works.

Albert Einstein is widely considered as one of the greatest minds that ever lived. He developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics alongside quantum mechanics, and penned the world's most famous equation, E=mc².

From finding a spouse to finding a parking spot, from organizing one's inbox to understanding the workings of human memory, Algorithms to Live By transforms the wisdom of computer science into strategies for human living.

One of Freud's central achievements was to demonstrate how unacceptable thoughts and feelings are repressed into the unconscious, from where they continue to exert a decisive influence over our lives. This volume contains a key statement about evidence for the unconscious and how it works, as well as major essays on all the fundamentals of mental functioning. Freud explores how we are torn between the pleasure principle and the reality principle, how we often find ways both to express and to deny what we most fear and why certain men need fetishes for their sexual satisfaction.

Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the greatest military figures ever. He rose to prominence during the French Revolution, after which he kept on soaring higher and higher until he was crowned Emperor of the French. He then moved on to gain control of the whole of continental Europe, before the ultimate defeat of 1815. Today, his campaigns are studied in every military school, his liberal politics have had a strong legacy worldwide, and he remains one of the most celebrated and controversial political figures in Western history.

Lao-Tzu was a philosopher and poet of ancient China. He is known as the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching and the founder of philosophical Taoism, and as a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions. As a central figure in Chinese culture, the emperors of the Tang dynasty and modern people both claim Lao Tzu. Some of his great quotes are "When goodness is lost, it is replaced by morality." "Without Darkness, there can be no Light." "The usefulness of a pot comes from its emptiness."

Baruch Spinoza was one of the most important and controversial thinkers of the 17th century. He rejected both the mind-body dualism of Descartes and traditional religious views, which got him violently attacked for atheism while he was actually seeking to redefine God as the whole of the laws of Nature. His metaphysics are a brilliant attempt to reconcile human freedom with a belief in scientific explanation, and his Theological-Political Treatise, the first argument for democracy by a major philosopher, contributed as much as the Declaration of Independence or Thomas Paine's Common Sense to modern liberal, secular, and democratic thinking.

"The Prince" is the most famous of Machiavelli's works; it gives very clear, precise and realistic instructions on how to gain and maintain power, fortune, and glory, sometimes at the expense of others. Written in 1513, it is one of the most feared and hated political treatises, taken to be the first work in which the effect the leader desires to achieve is taken as more important than any abstract ideal or ethical value that might prevent him from taking immoral action.

Being a stoic means embracing positivity and self-control through the ability to accept the uncertainty of outcomes. With this stoicism guide, the beginner stoic will learn how to take charge of their emotions on the path to sustained happiness and satisfaction. This easy-to-navigate stoicism guide gives you the emotional tools needed to let go of the things you can’t control and find joy in what you have.

Among his many feats, Lincoln is widely remembered for having paved the way for the abolition of slavery, before his assassination in 1865. These 100 quotes have been selected to introduce you to one of the greatest political minds that lived, in an efficient and convenient format.

The New York Times best seller that reveals the safety, security, and survival techniques that 99 percent of Americans don’t know - but should. When Jason Hanson joined the CIA in 2003, he never imagined that the same tactics he used as a CIA officer for counter intelligence, surveillance, and protecting agency personnel would prove to be essential in every day civilian life. In his engaging and empowering book Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life, Jason shares this know-how with listeners.

The LLC Bible provides a clear and concise playbook which explains the positives and negatives of LLCs. You will receive expert advice on choosing members, creating your legal name, filing your Articles of Organization, as well as managing daily operations.