Siddhartha | Hermann Hesse

Why it is included: This is a novel, but it reads like a scripture. It tells the story of a man who lives every life—ascetic, merchant, lover, ferryman—in search of enlightenment. He rejects the teachings of the Buddha himself because he realizes that wisdom cannot be communicated in words; it must be lived.

We cannot build a thriving society by memorizing concepts.

We have to go out into the river of life, make mistakes, earn money, lose money, fall in love, and suffer.

Siddhartha validates the winding path of individual experience, assuring us that everything we go through is part of the curriculum of the soul.