100 Books Like Self-Compassion

Sharon Salzberg is undoubtedly the preeminent teacher of lovingkindness meditation in the west, and probably the world. When I read her book I’d already been practicing this form of meditation for a dozen years, and yet dipping into it now reminds me of how much of my own teaching draws on Sharon’s pioneering work. If you want to learn to develop lovingkindness, which is the basis of compassion, Sharon’s book is the ideal place to start.

This is the book I've re-read the most. It’s also the book I’ve gifted the most. Why? Because amongst the hundreds of personal growth books I’ve read, none laid out for me a clearer path to lasting inner peace and transcendence. 

Singer identifies the central problem of human existence: we don’t feel right on the inside, so we rearrange the outside world to feel better on the inside. That ain’t ever gonna work. Instead, Singer guides us along the path of spiritual growth towards what does work: unclenching our way to true liberation from our own thoughts and blockages.

I try to re-read a chapter of this book daily as a reminder to apply its principles. It has profoundly enriched my life. Can’t recommend it highly enough.

When I finished this book, I finally felt like a grown-up. It felt like I had just read a business classic—and I had. This book taught me more than any other about the vital role communication plays in relationships and the profound impact it can have.

It was the first time I truly understood how to build rapport and cultivate meaningful connections. I learned that it’s not about manipulating people but about influencing them, resolving conflicts, and earning their trust through kindness, respect, and integrity.

I have recommended Clever Girl Finance to several of my coaching clients, and every one of them has reported that they found it very helpful—perhaps because Sukunbi starts by inviting readers to let go of past mistakes. (Regret is a frequent companion of financial anxiety.) Sukunbi is a wonderful storyteller, and she does a great job of breaking down financial concepts to make them clearer and more accessible. The book helps readers master concepts that build upon each other, and as such it is especially useful for women who feel overwhelmed by the prospect of taking charge of their money. 

This is an excellent book about relationships and attachment theory, which describes our attachment styles in relationships. I loved reading this book because it taught me about my own attachment style and how I am in relationships.

This is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn about themselves in relationships. I enjoyed the concepts in the book and how relatable it was. I recommend this to every human being who would like a relationship. It is a great way to learn about yourself.

It is through Brené Brown’s words in this book that I began to make sense of my journey, which is marked by loss, resilience, and an unwavering search for belonging. As I navigated the often-turbulent waters of corporate life, I wrestled with a deep-seated issue, a trait so common among my fellow Gen Xers: the struggle with authority. Through this book, it is evident that attempting to fit in, to mold myself into the expectations of others, often leads me to more heartache than success.

My path has been riddled with tremendous trials designed to dampen my spirit. Yet, through them, I have found strength. I appreciate the depth of resilience that Brené Brown speaks about. In this digital age, I often reflect on my past before the existence of social media, the simplicity of outdoor moments when I was young, and face-to-face conversations that now seem increasingly rare. I… show more.

One of my favorite sayings (by G.K. Chesterton) is, “If a thing’s worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.” With these well-chosen words, Chesterton converted me to “imperfectionism.” It’s not that as imperfectionists we should aim to do things badly, but that we should aim to do necessary things and accept that we’re going to make mistakes on the way. Guise’s writing isn’t always elegant. However, he puts the case strongly that perfectionism is not something to humble-brag about, and is a “disorder of the mind.” More importantly, though, he offers detailed, practical, easy-to-implement steps for developing an imperfectionist mindset where we “lose our crippling fear of not doing [things] well.”

Our final book offers more of an “old school” guide to developing kindness and compassion. By “old school” I mean that that the writings of Gunaratana, who is affectionately known by his fans as “Bhante G.” is firmly rooted in classic teachings from the Buddhist tradition. But he goes beyond that, drawing on his personal experience, quoting modern meditation teachers, and sharing the results of scientific studies of lovingkindness and compassion. And he does all this in a warm and kind way that makes reading this illuminating and practical book a true pleasure.

I was introduced to this book by a business mastermind which we all read together and discussed chapters on video.

Imagine twenty women from different countries trying to not only understand each other and implement at the same time. I’m not sure what was more entertaining our language barrier or our interpretations. Nevertheless, I was blown away by the amount of structure and stretches that this book presents.

We all agreed to do the stretches as they relate to our lives. One of the many to-do’s was making a list of things that are unfinished and getting to it no matter how big or small. Now I must warn you this is a pretty thick book and I use it as a reference whenever I need a pick-me-up when life seems chaotic.

Mostly I reference the chapters that I feel are in alignment with where I am struggling in day-to-day… show more.

Desikachar’s clear wisdom in The Heart of Yoga can’t be understated. Returning to this book reminds me of why I love yoga, why I teach yoga, and why I do yoga. Much of the value of this book is in Desikachar’s simple prose and exposition regarding yoga philosophy. He ends many chapters with a Q & A section, answering questions he anticipates readers will have. And while there are translations in abundance of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, Desikachar’s translations have real-world applicability. His approach to yoga helps us understand why the practice has endured for so many years—and it reminds yoga teachers that bringing yoga to our students is an undertaking of immense importance.