The Greatest Books of All Time on Self Reflection

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
75 Essays Michel de Montaigne 1580 French French
275 The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1782 French French
796 The Fall Albert Camus 1956 French French
836 Second Thoughts Michel Butor 1957 French French
1139 The Unquiet Grave Cyril Connolly 1944 British English
1168 The Diaries Franz Kafka 1948 Czech German
1393 The Business of Living Cesare Pavese 1952 Italian Italian
1533 Dreamtigers Jorge Luis Borges 1960 Argentinian Spanish
2374 The Crack-Up F. Scott Fitzgerald 1945 American English
2781 Mist Miguel de Unamuno 1914 Spanish English
3222 Ecce Homo Friedrich Nietzsche 1908 German German
3324 Reveries of a Solitary Walker Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1782 French French
4146 Krapp's Last Tape Samuel Beckett 1958 Irish English
4416 Diary Witold Gombrowicz 1986 Polish Polish
4631 De Profundis Oscar Wilde 1905 British English
5596 Poetry And Truth From My Own Life Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 2004 German English
5631 Ego Monster Sayd Bahodine Majrouh 1985 Afghan French
5936 Look At Me Now And Here I Am Gertrude Stein 1967 American Unknown
6259 Moments Of Being Virginia Woolf 1976 British English
6433 La Jeune Parque Paul Valéry 1917 French French
6517 Ghost Image Hervé Guibert 1981 French French
7122 127 Hours Aaron Ralston 2004 American English
7216 The Red Notebook Benjamin Constant 1804 French French
7216 The Blue Octavo Notebook Franz Kafka 1935 Czech German
7683 Sophie Calle Sophie Calle 1994 French French
9192 How To Slowly Kill Yourself And Others In America Kiese Laymon 2013 American English
9507 False Years Josefina Vicens 1964 Mexican Unknown
9550 Straw For The Fire Theodore Roethke 1972 American English
10189 Winter Journal Paul Auster 2012 American English
11392 Always Astonished Fernando Pessoa 1988 Portuguese Portuguese
14232 Journal Of A Solitude May Sarton 1973 American English
14779 Monsieur Teste Paul Valéry 1896 French French
14947 Double Or Nothing Raymond Federman 1971 American English
16522 The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold Evelyn Waugh 1957 British English
15915 Amiel's Journal Henri-Frédéric Amiel 1883 Swiss French
16600 The Wisdom Of Life And Counsels And Maxims Arthur Schopenhauer 1851 German German
17161 Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass Lana Del Rey 2020 American English
17161 How Proust Can Change Your Life Alain de Botton 1997 British English
17161 The Art Of The Personal Essay Phillip Lopate 1994 American English
17161 Confessions Of A Philosopher Bryan Magee 1997 British English
17161 Mirror, Mirror On The Wall Stanley Ellin 1972 American English
17161 A Little Larger Than The Entire Universe Fernando Pessoa 1998 Portuguese Portuguese
17161 I’m A Fan Sheena Patel 2023 Unknown English
17161 Skip To The Fun Parts Dana Jeri Maier 2023 Unknown English
17161 The Guest Lecture Martin Riker 2023 Unknown English
17161 The Best Of Me David Sedaris 2020 American English
17161 The Fifth Agreement Don Miguel Ruiz 2010 Mexican English
17161 A Memoir Of My Former Self Hilary Mantel 2023 British English
17161 Eine Leidenschaft Annie Ernaux Unknown French