Everything Tim Ferriss has recommended in 5-Bullet Friday — 2,095 books, articles, quotes, films, products and more, gathered from 480 issues since 2015. Browse by category, sort by what the community values or how often Tim has returned to it, and spend your 25 votes on what matters most to you. Each item's note is quoted from Tim's own words in the newsletter.
Remember Shakti: Bell’Alla prt 2. I have a keen interest in hand percussion, and this video is one hell of a showcase. As one professional drummer friend put it, “They’re both heavy, heavy cats. Total masters. I’ve watched that clip dozens of times. No joke.” Zakir Hussain )’s facial expressions when shredding are priceless. If you’d like a cool overview of the tabla, plus another amazing solo, check this out.— Tim Ferriss
“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child—our own two eyes. All is a miracle.” — , The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation
“Day at Night: Ray Bradbury.” Description: “Host James Day speaks with Ray Bradbury about his career, the importance of fantasizing, his aspirations as a young child, his dislike of college for a writer, his idea of thinking compared to really living, and his love of the library.” To hear writing advice from this segment that I’ve been pondering all week, click here.— Tim Ferriss
“A Psychedelics Pioneer Takes the Ultimate Trip” by David Marchese in The New York Times Magazine. This is a beautiful piece about coming to terms with—and finding peace with—dying. If you have ever feared death, or the possible anxiety leading up to it, I highly recommend you read this interview. Dr. Roland Griffiths is navigating his “final glide path” in incredible ways. If you have any trouble reading via the above link, try this one. In the piece, you’ll see the following: “Griffiths, who since being diagnosed [with likely terminal cancer] has established an endowment at Johns Hopkins to — Tim Ferriss
“not disappointing myself” by Ava (@noampomsky). This quick read begins with a quote from Glennon Doyle (@GlennonDoyle) that caught my attention: ME: Listen. Every time you’re given a choice between disappointing someone else and disappointing yourself, your duty is to disappoint that someone else. Your job, throughout your entire life, is to disappoint as many people as it takes to avoid disappointing yourself.— Tim Ferriss
“Michael Jackson on Fire Diorama.” This is the best thing I’ve seen on the Internet in a looong time. Keep watching. It just gets weirder. Huge thanks to Oli for sending this to me. I have no idea how he tracked this down on a YouTube channel with five videos, but what a gift! First, you see an amazing craftsman, and then…— Tim Ferriss
“The Big Picture” and “The Ladder” by Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy), one of my favorite writers on the entire web.— Tim Ferriss
“Elite Powerlifter Pretended to be a FAKE TRAINER | Anatoly Aesthetics in Public” via Dr. Pollo y Piña.— Tim Ferriss
Saga: Compendium One. This is a raucous masterpiece! After two close friends recommended it within 48 hours, I bit the bullet. I haven’t read graphic novels in ages, but this NSFW gem blew me away. I tore through it in two days. It’s rare that both the writing and artwork grab me, but this did it. Deep bow and “More please!” to Brian K. Vaughan (@briankvaughan), Fiona Staples (@fionastaples), and FONOGRAFIKS. Don’t let the page count scare you, as it moves quickly with the artwork. Think of it as a 150–175-page book.— Tim Ferriss
“One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important.” ― , The Conquest of Happiness
“Many-worlds interpretation.” From Wikipedia: “The many-worlds interpretation (MWI) is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts that the universal wavefunction is objectively real and that there is no wavefunction collapse. This implies that all possible outcomes of quantum measurements are physically realized in some ‘world’ or universe.” Pair this reading with my podcast interview with renowned physicist David Deutsch.— Tim Ferriss
“A Massive Upgrade To ChatGPT! (This is Crazy).” This short summary of new ChatGPT features really underscores how explosively the scope of AI tools is expanding. It looks like ChatGPT could quickly become WeChat on steroids for the English-speaking world. Thanks to NP for sharing this.— Tim Ferriss
Tolkien (Amazon, YouTube, Apple TV, DIRECTV). I’m shocked that I didn’t find this scripted gem sooner. It’s worth the watch. Description: “Tolkien explores the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love, and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school.” You can watch the cinematic trailer here.— Tim Ferriss
“Parkinson’s Research Studies Show the Healing Power of Music” by Greg Rienzi for Johns Hopkins Magazine. Pair the article with these YouTube clips: “Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory Featurette” and “The Healing Power of Music: The Johns Hopkins Center for Music and Medicine.” (For a counterpoint, you can read this from The Atlantic: “The Dangers of Overestimating Music Therapy.”)— Tim Ferriss
Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: A Visual History. This is a treasure. Deep bow to Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson, Sam Witwer, Dungeons & Dragons, and Ten Speed Press for what I can only assume was a Herculean task. Remember Anton Ego, when he took his hyper-speed trip down memory lane in Ratatouille? No? Well, here you go. This tome of visual delights did that for me.— Tim Ferriss
“Letterkenny Problems Ep. 1.” If the preceding bullet was too highfalutin, this clip is only 90 seconds long and will offend at least 69% of you. Consider yourselves warned. Description: “Two good old boys from Letterkenny, Ontario, tell you their problems.” Hat tip to Dr. Montucky for this gem, which I needed in the midst of a serious week.— Tim Ferriss
Moravec’s paradox. Here’s a teaser from Wikipedia: “Minsky emphasized that the most difficult human skills to reverse engineer are those that are below the level of conscious awareness. ‘In general, we’re least aware of what our minds do best,’ he wrote, and added, ‘we’re more aware of simple processes that don’t work well than of complex ones that work flawlessly.’ Steven Pinker wrote in 1994 that ‘the main lesson of thirty-five years of AI research is that the hard problems are easy and the easy problems are hard.’” Thanks to Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) for introducing this to me.— Tim Ferriss
“The psychoactive drug ibogaine could save lives—and everyone wants to cash in” by Rachel Nuwer (@RachelNuwer) for National Geographic. I’ve been looking forward to this article for quite some time. It’s a beautiful and important portrait of the world of iboga. Some scientists consider iboga’s alkaloid ibogaine to be one of the most powerful potential treatments for opioid use disorder, among other conditions. It carries real risks, but demand has nonetheless skyrocketed in recent years. This feature article was deeply reported, and the characters, conflicts, and photos within paint a rich pic— Tim Ferriss
“Here is my secret. It is very simple: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.” —
“I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow - Radio Edit” (YouTube, Spotify) by the Soggy Bottom Boys. No hidden message here! Just love the music.— Tim Ferriss
“The Secret Ingredient That Improves Meat Every Time” by J. Kenji López-Alt (@kenjilopezalt) for The New York Times. Spoiler: “More recently, I’ve been testing the limits of cooking with mayonnaise and discovering it may just be the most magical marinade ingredient I’ve ever encountered. I mean it.” Once you have watched a few episodes of Alone and seen people starving, mayo will seem like the decadence that it is. Read this article before you judge.— Tim Ferriss
Alone, Season 7 (Amazon, YouTube). In the process of curing your existential loneliness with the first bullet, why not enjoy the lunacy of extended solo survival? I’ve picked up a lot of practical, tactical advice from Alone, and it’s an addictive watch. Here is the official description: “In Alone, ten people are left in solitude, and separated from each other, in the harsh [wilderness]. With no camera crews or producers, they have to survive using only what they can stuff into a backpack. They will hunt, build shelters and fend off predators as they face extreme isolation, psychological distr— Tim Ferriss
“Barry Lopez on the Cure for Our Existential Loneliness and the Three Tenets of a Full Life” on The Marginalian. Thank you to Maria Popova (@mariapopova) for sending this to me, as she knows I love Barry’s writing. If you’re new to his work and want to sample one of his award-winning books, I suggest starting with Of Wolves and Men or Arctic Dreams. They represent nonfiction at its best.— Tim Ferriss
“What Happens When the Army Needs 36,000 Kettlebells, Fast: This is the remarkable true story of the largest order of fitness equipment ever placed.” Via Alisa Cohn (@AlisaCohn), and kudos to Sorinex (@Sorinex) for threading many needles.— Tim Ferriss
“Revisiting Warren Buffett’s Advice to Me in 2008 (Plus: 7 Lessons for Young Investors)” An old video recently resurfaced on social media. It’s yours truly asking Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger a question at the 2008 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting. I was intensely nervous, and the audio makes that clear. This clip went viral, and a number of media outlets (Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, etc.) reached out to me for comment, asking me questions like “What advice would you give a 30-year-old now who’d just amassed their first million?” I decided to take a few of my longer answ— Tim Ferriss
“The problem is no longer getting people to express themselves but providing little gaps of solitude and silence in which they might eventually find something to say. … What a relief to have nothing to say, the right to say nothing, because only then is there a chance of framing … the thing that might be worth saying.” —
3D rigging! I’m releasing a whole bunch of 3D character files here, which are the 3D versions of all of the figures I made available in 2D for AI artists a while back. If you are a 3D artist and know how to “rig,” please feel free to experiment away on any of those files and share your work! I’d really love to see what you can do. My team and I will be retweeting some of our favorites, so please be sure to tag @cockpunch on Twitter and use #3D at the end. Have fun!— Tim Ferriss
Rozendal’s Fynbos Botanical Vinegar. The preceding link only delivers in South Africa. For the USA, try Interdependence Natural Foods or Stellenberg Imports, which offers a 9-bottle case. This vinegar was gifted to me by Zach Williams, an alpine ski racer and Paralympic hopeful. I’ve been drizzling it on practically everything, including salads and thinly sliced elk with some oil, salt, and pepper. Here is the official description: “Carefully selected Fynbos herbs reflect the rich biodiversity of the Cape Floral Kingdom. Balsamic vinegar infused with buchu, honeybush tea, rose geranium, wild o— Tim Ferriss
“Psychedelic Assisted Therapy: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” The writing and execution on this are brilliant. Masterfully done, John Oliver (@iamjohnoliver) and the whole team at Last Week Tonight (@LastWeekTonight)! They threaded so many needles well that it might be a quilt. NOTE: The YouTube video appears to be restricted to U.S. viewers only. There is a shorter version available on Twitter here. For projects related to this, and some familiar names from the video, click here.— Tim Ferriss
“Stone Skipping Is a Lost Art. Kurt Steiner Wants the World to Find It” by Sean Williams (@swilliamsjourno). For a taste of this wonderful piece, nibble on these sample paragraphs: Finally, in February, after pursuing Kurt for more than two years, I flew from Europe to Detroit, where border guards had a hard time believing I was entering the U.S. to interview a stone skipper. Then I showed them a video of Kurt’s magical record throw, and before long a group was gathered around a computer screen, counting the skips and hollering “No fucking way!” before letting me through. From the moment I met— Tim Ferriss
“I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness, and the willingness to remain vulnerable. All these and other factors combined, if the circumstances are right, can teach and can lead to rebirth.” —
“The Free Trade Zone.” This is my first, public fantasy fiction with dialogue and first-person action. I’m having fun thinking about how to create characters people might get attached to, and preserving the Seventh Scribe narration while including new twists was a great challenge. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.— Tim Ferriss
League of Legends: Origins (2019) by Riot Games (@riotgames, @MarcMerrill). Description: “In the League of Legends: Origins documentary, renowned filmmaker Leslie Iwerks offers a peek behind the scenes during the early days of League of Legends, from 2006–2017. Told by the fans who lived it, the players that popularized it, and the passionate but inexperienced developers who made it, Iwerks captures the highs and lows of turning League into a global phenomenon. Created by Iwerks & Co. in conjunction with Riot Games.” Internal message at Riot from producer Ashley Rios-Vazquez: Wanted to give ev— Tim Ferriss
“How Do You Serve a Friend in Despair?” by David Brooks (@nytdavidbrooks) for The New York Times. For related philosophies and tools that have literally saved my life, please start here: “Some Practical Thoughts on Suicide” and projects supported by the Saisei Foundation. If you are unable to read the NYT article at the first link, try this one.— Tim Ferriss
Therm-ic C-Pack 1300 Bluetooth with Heat Kit. This is a heated boot system that has been a lifesaver for my toes on cold days. Note that I would likely buy the 1700 version next time to have a longer battery life, but these less expensive 1300s are great for sessions of six hours or less. This system has three heating intensities, and a roughly six-hour session is using the second, middle intensity. If you keep it on the lowest setting, I think it’s fair to assume you could get 10 hours, but I have Raynaud’s disease, and my toes get abnormally cold. Another tip that is counterintuitive: thin s— Tim Ferriss
From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur Brooks (@arthurbrooks). Thank you to Peter Attia, MD (@PeterAttiaMD) for the recommendation. From the description: “Many of us assume that the more successful we are, the less susceptible we become to the sense of professional and social irrelevance that often accompanies aging. But the truth is, the greater our achievements and our attachment to them, the more we notice our decline, and the more painful it is when it occurs. What can we do, starting now, to make our older years a time — Tim Ferriss
“The very secret of life for me, I believed, was to maintain in the midst of rushing events an inner tranquility.” —
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. This is one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever found. The dialogue is burst-out-loud funny, and the writing is spectacularly visual. I’d heard the name Lonesome Dove many times over the years, and I finally dove in after a friend mentioned that it’s his all-time favorite book. Here’s the description: “A love story, an adventure, and an epic of the frontier, Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, Lonesome Dove, is the grandest novel ever written about the last defiant wilderness of America. Two retired Texas Rangers, Captains Woodrow Call and Augustus ‘G— Tim Ferriss
Stio’s Environ XT Jacket. I recently replaced my old ski jacket/shell with this, and I’m thrilled that I did. It’s lightweight, durable, and has made even windy negative temperatures easy to handle with a proper base layer and midlayer. The Stio Environ XT is one of SKI Magazine’s “Best Men’s Ski Jackets of 2023,” and I chose Afternoon Azure for color. Here’s the description from the website: “Primed and ready for sidecountry hits, all-day tours, and storm laps in the resort, this jacket is for the minimalist who never uses his powder skirt and the purist who knows exactly what he needs.”— Tim Ferriss
“I want to risk hitting my head on the ceiling of my talent. I want to really test it out and say, ‘Okay, you're not that good. You just reached the level here.’ I don't ever want to fail, but I want to risk failure every time out of the gate.” —
ORTOVOX Merino Thermovent Hoody. From the description: “The HOODY is made of 99% fine merino wool. Thanks to the mesh structure in the torso and arm areas, this super-lightweight base layer wicks moisture away perfectly and provides ventilation. And the air pockets in the special structure make it particularly warm. Merino wool is naturally temperature- and moisture-regulating. A small pack size and ideal weight-to-warmth ratio will delight all tourers who value comfort and low weight.”— Tim Ferriss
GOLD by Rumi, translated by Haleh Liza Gafori (@halehliza).
“The Great Contemplation: Reflections on the impact of the ‘4-Hour Workweek’ 15 years later” by Paul Millerd (@p_millerd). From the post: “They had never read it. If they did, they would have found that it is a philosophical wake-up call disguised as a bunch of life hacks. The whole book is basically him channeling the energy of poet Mary Oliver and yelling, ‘Don’t waste your wild and precious life!’” Hat tip to Jim O'Shaughnessy for bringing this to my attention.— Tim Ferriss
“You don’t play against opponents; you play against the game of basketball.”
“Runnin’ Down a Dream: How to Succeed and Thrive in a Career You Love.” This speech focuses on one topic: finding your dream path, where what’s easy for you is hard for others and what’s fun for you is work for others. Delivered by former basketball player and legendary venture capitalist Bill Gurley (@bgurley), it contains good reminders for people in all stages of life. The below quotes are all from one of his case studies, Bobby Knight…— Tim Ferriss
Sheng Wang: Sweet and Juicy. I saw Sheng Wang (@shengwangtime) open for Ali Wong (@aliwong) in NYC a few years ago, and I laughed my ass off. He’s dry like Mitch Hedberg and takes on the tough task of clean comedy like Jim Gaffigan (@JimGaffigan). Here’s the description: “Sheng Wang delivers a laid-back set on juicing, mammograms, how snoring is an evolutionary mistake, and the existential angst of buying pants from Costco.” I’m omitting links to trailers on purpose, as I don’t think they do the special justice.— Tim Ferriss
“Waffle” (Tom Lord-Alge Mix) (Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music) by Sevendust (@Sevendust). Sevendust is one of my favorite bands, especially for exercise, and they are one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen. I only experienced the latter for the first time in fall of 2021 with Dave Elitch.— Tim Ferriss
A 5-Bullet Friday exclusive! A short motivational video from Arnold Schwarzenegger, just for you. For more motivation and tactical advice from Arnold, click here to sign up for his daily newsletter called The Pump Daily. On the linked-to page, you’ll also get a free ebook describing how Arnold sets and achieves goals, a simple home-based workout, and his hardcore 1970s chest and back workout for anyone who wants to risk a trip to the hospital. And by the way… Arnold handwrites his emails. Check out this gem from earlier this week, shared with permission:— Tim Ferriss
“Second MAPS-Sponsored Phase 3 Trial of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD Completed.” This is the first time a pivotal and confirmatory Phase 3 trial has been completed for a psychedelic therapy. Moreover, more than 12 million people in the U.S. alone suffer from the debilitating effects of PTSD, and it’s now estimated that before the end of 2024, these people will likely have access to MDMA-assisted psychotherapy as a novel treatment option. For those wondering why I’ve been personally involved with this for years and why this treatment fundamentally differs from conventional approaches, please — Tim Ferriss
Chemical composition analysis of 102 ayahuasca brews. This is a great thread on (1) the difficulty of treating ayahuasca as a singular, standardized medicine and (2) the importance of collaborating with indigenous healers whose botanical knowledge far exceeds our limited grasp of these species. Brew method is another huge variable.— Tim Ferriss
“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.” —
“The Elliotts” on Heavyweight, hosted by Jonathan Goldstein ) (@J_Goldstein). The description: “In 1525, the Archbishop of Glasgow placed a curse on the Elliott family. Now, 500 years later, one very unlucky branch of the Elliotts wants it lifted.” I found this incredibly entertaining and thought-provoking. Placebo effect or not, you’ll have a lot of laughs along the way.— Tim Ferriss
Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight (YouTube, Apple TV). From the description: “Carlos Ghosn, charged with financial crimes, stunned the world by fleeing Japan. This documentary sheds light on this complex and multilayered story and divulges new details on his spectacular escape.” You can watch the trailer here. I wasn’t initially excited about this, as I assumed it was a straightforward case of fraud. It turns out to be more like a Russian nesting doll of companies vs. companies, countries vs. countries, and a hyper-aggressive businessman (Ghosn) vs. the odds. It doesn’t paint him as a supervillain— Tim Ferriss
“I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, ‘If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.’” —
“The Most Vicious Heavyweight In History - Jack Dempsey.”— Tim Ferriss
“The leaf blower parable” by Seth Godin. Please, someone fix this!— Tim Ferriss
“You 2.0: Decide Already!” (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast) by Hidden Brain with Shankar Vedantam.— Tim Ferriss
“The art and science of picking winning teams” by Ed Smith (@edsmithwriter), author of Making Decisions. For the cricket-naive folks, like me, think of “selector” as a scout or recruiter. From Wikipedia: “A selector in cricket is a person given the administrative duty to choose the players that will represent a particular team in a match. There is typically heavy scrutiny on national team selectors, including those of the major Test cricketing nations like Australia, England, and India." My favorite part of this article is related to the importance of accepting negative metrics if you want to — Tim Ferriss
“Bedia” (YouTube, Spotify) by Rajery. Watch the YouTube video. Rajery is missing the fingers on his right hand, which I didn’t realize until watching the music video. It makes the virtuoustic playing all the more impressive. The backstory: “Fighting against the odds has been part of my life ever since an old lady in a marketplace gave me poisoned meat at 11 months old. It cost me the fingers of my right hand….” (Source).— Tim Ferriss