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.
“Aguanta” (YouTube, Spotify) by Desta French (@destafrench). Huge thank you to SH for introducing me and my lithe, dance-prone gf to this one! Listen to just the audio before you watch any video. Some percentage of you will end up playing this on repeat over and over and over again…— Tim Ferriss
Hu Chocolate Variety Pack. This includes eight of Hu’s bestselling dark chocolate bars or “a full library of chocolate,” as one friend puts it. The nut butter bars (four of the eight) are easily my favorite chocolate bars on the planet. I could watch Talladega Nights and eat an entire box by myself… and perhaps I already have. On top of that, Hu has agreed to give 25% of the proceeds of any sales from the links in this bullet to my mental-health-focused nonprofit foundation, so it’s win-win-win-win for me, my girlfriend, Ricky Bobby, and the millions who suffer from conditions like PTSD, treat— Tim Ferriss
“How shall I live? I want to feel both the beauty and the pain of the age we are living in. I want to survive my life without becoming numb. I want to speak and comprehend words of wounding without having these words become the landscape where I dwell. I want to possess a light touch that can elevate darkness to the realm of stars. This vascular malformation could bleed and burst. Or I can simply go on living, appreciating my condition as a vulnerable human being in a vulnerable world, guided by the songs of birds. What is time, sacred time, but the acceleration of consciousness? There are so
“Tech entrepreneurs pledge $2.5 million to Dog Aging Project.” (University of Washington Medicine)— Tim Ferriss
Humanity by Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais). Please be forewarned that this hour-long special is guaranteed to offend everyone, and that’s kind of the point. If you want something that’s more of a hug and less of a cock punch, I recommend one of my other faves, Jim Gaffigan (@jimgaffigan). Noble Ape (Amazon, Apple TV, Trailer) is a good place to start.— Tim Ferriss
“Cannabidiol Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Replication and Promotes the Host Innate Immune Response.” From the abstract: “Here we report that cannabidiol (CBD), a compound produced by the cannabis plant, inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection. CBD and its metabolite, 7-OH-CBD, but not congeneric cannabinoids, potently block SARS-CoV-2 replication in lung epithelial cells. CBD acts after cellular infection, inhibiting viral gene expression and reversing many effects of SARS-CoV-2 on host gene transcription.”— Tim Ferriss
“Master of camouflage hunting” and “When on course to take the #Moto2 championship lead in Misano, Fernandez suffered this dramatic crash!” Thanks to the Salsa Muppet for recommending these two.— Tim Ferriss
Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez. I first fell in love with Barry’s writing with his iconic masterpiece, Of Wolves and Men. Arctic Dreams is perhaps his most famous book and the winner of the National Book Award. The official description: “The Arctic is a perilous place. Only a few species of wild animals can survive its harsh climate. In this modern classic, Barry Lopez explores the many-faceted wonders of the Far North: its strangely stunted forest, its mesmerizing aurora borealis, its frozen seas. Musk oxen, polar bears, narwhal, and other exotic beasts of the region come alive through Lopez’s — Tim Ferriss
“Sort By Controversial” by Scott Alexander (@slatestarcodex) of Slate Star Codex fame, now writing at Astral Codex Ten. Note that this is fiction. Or is it? Hilarious and terrifying. “The Control Group Is Out Of Control,” also by Scott Alexander. This is a fun read as well as an outstanding article on the basics of statistics for a lay audience. I believe there is a place for frequentist statistics, but I’m relying on people far smarter than myself, and that doesn’t detract from the main points. For those interested in a technical exploration far beyond my abilities, here you go: “Why Isn’t Ev— Tim Ferriss
“It is my belief that the next 1,000 unicorns—companies that have a market valuation over a billion dollars—won’t be a search engine, won’t be a media company, they’ll be businesses developing green hydrogen, green agriculture, green steel, and green cement.” — , CEO and chairman of BlackRock. BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager, with ~$9.46 trillion USD in assets under management.
“The Inevitable Weaponization of App Data Is Here” by Joseph Cox (VICE). This is a very important piece to read. Applies to nearly everyone. Links with helpful tips to protect your data and privacy: “Online Privacy 101 Checklist” “16 Practical Privacy Tips for Your iPhone” (Click here for the Android equivalent.) (Wirecutter/New York Times) “How a Burner Identity Protects Your Inbox, Phone, and Credit Cards” (Wirecutter/New York Times) “Our Favorite Ad Blockers and Browser Extensions to Protect Privacy” (Wirecutter/New York Times)— Tim Ferriss
“Markus Eder’s The Ultimate Run - The Most Insane Ski Run Ever Imagined.” Thanks to JZ for the recommendation. From the description: “What if you could link every powder turn, every rail, every cliff drop, every comp run and every kicker nailed into one ultimate run? Well, Markus Eder [@markus1eder] did just that in ‘The Ultimate Run’! This is Markus’ Opus Magnum, a medley of face shots, massive tricks and even bigger drops, which was documented by Innsbruck based production company Legs of Steel over the past two years. Markus has been visualizing the ultimate run since 2015. It may look like— Tim Ferriss
“A Domineering Father’s Letter to His Son” by Howard Muson. Pair it with the letter that the mother of philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer sent to him. Hat tip to Letters of Note (@lettersofnote).— Tim Ferriss
Azolla event. From Wikipedia: “The Azolla event is a scenario hypothesized to have occurred in the middle Eocene epoch, around 49 million years ago, when blooms of the freshwater fern Azolla are thought to have happened in the Arctic Ocean. As they sank to the stagnant sea floor, they were incorporated into the sediment; the resulting draw-down of carbon dioxide has been speculated to have helped transform the planet from a ‘greenhouse Earth’ state, hot enough for turtles and palm trees to prosper at the poles, to the current icehouse Earth known as the Late Cenozoic Ice Age.”— Tim Ferriss
“Terry Real: Breaking the cycle of shame, anger, and depression” on The Peter Attia Drive podcast.— Tim Ferriss
“Slow-Roast Gochujang Chicken” by Molly Baz (@mollybaz). This was simply incredible and my first encounter with gochujang. Huge thanks to Kerry for the introduction. Here is a link to another recipe for the gochujang sauce itself, if you prefer homemade to store-bought.— Tim Ferriss
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Amazon, Apple TV). Description: “Werner Herzog’s award-winning 2011 doc is a thrilling study of 32,000-year-old cave paintings recently discovered in Southern France.” It has 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and you can watch the trailer here.— Tim Ferriss
“Can Dying Languages Be Saved?” by Judith Thurman for The New Yorker. As longtime readers know, I am obsessed with languages and language learning. This article checked all the boxes. Fun fact: Another article from Judith prompted the Herzog documentary in the next bullet.— Tim Ferriss
The Laughing Heart your life is your life don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission. be on the watch. there are ways out. there is light somewhere. it may not be much light but it beats the darkness. be on the watch. the gods will offer you chances. know them. take them. you can’t beat death but you can beat death in life, sometimes. and the more often you learn to do it, the more light there will be. your life is your life. know it while you have it. you are marvelous the gods wait to delight in you. — Charles Bukowski(Find a video of Tom Waits reading this poem here.)
“An Infamous Psilocybin Patent Has Just Been Challenged” by Shayla Love. The outcome of this particular situation will affect the entire psychedelic ecosystem. Whether you’re anti-capitalist or die-hard capitalist, the implications described in this article are important to understand. Highly recommended. On a related note, here is one of the latest developments in a separate journal, and I’ve excerpted a key snippet: “Furthermore, revision is recommended on characterizations in recently granted patents that include descriptions of crystalline psilocybin inappropriately reported as a single-ph— Tim Ferriss
“My friend Richard Feynman” by Leonard Susskind. Who is Leonard? This short paragraph from an interview in the Los Angeles Times gives you a feel: “I was going to engineering school but fell in love with physics. When I told my father I wanted to be a physicist, he said, ‘Hell no, you ain’t going to work in a drug store.’ I said, ‘No, not a pharmacist.’ I said, ‘Like Einstein.’ He poked me in the chest with a piece of plumbing pipe. ‘You ain’t going to be no engineer,’ he said. ‘You’re going to be Einstein.’”— Tim Ferriss
GigSky. This app is a game-changer, and huge thanks to Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) for saving my ass abroad with the recommendation. It allows you to use cellular data nearly anywhere in the world without changing your domestic plan (Verizon, AT&T, etc.) in any way. >From their website: “The GigSky app lets you grab a single data plan where and when you want – at home or in any of our 190+ destinations. Select a plan from the app, download an eSIM, and you’ll connect on the spot, no physical SIM card required.” My first trial run of this app/eSIM was with my iPhone in Chile, and it came throug— Tim Ferriss
Food Choice Test. This is somewhat ridiculous, but that’s part of what makes it fun. Description: “Food has always been tied to class. Silvia Bellezza and Jonah Berger at the University of Pennsylvania now believe they have a way to identify a person’s social class based on how they feel about certain foods. The results are not always what you would expect. What do your food choices say about your social class? For each of the following dishes, indicate your feelings toward it below.” How did I do? I ended up at 85.71% lower middle class. Fuck, yeah, ’merica! I win!— Tim Ferriss
“Wild Geese” by . Take a few minutes and read this again. It’s worth the reminder. And if that’s too highbrow for ya, I’m also reading Pornhub Insights’ “2021 Year in Review,” which shares analytics like unusual search density in each US state. Louisiana is my favorite.
Mono no aware. Thanks to WV for introducing me to this! From the Wikipedia entry: “Mono no aware (物の哀れ, もののあわれ), literally ‘the pathos of things,’ and also translated as ‘an empathy toward things,’ or ‘a sensitivity to ephemera,’ is a Japanese term for the awareness of impermanence (無常, mujō), or transience of things, and both a transient gentle sadness (or wistfulness) at their passing as well as a longer, deeper gentle sadness about this state being the reality of life.”— Tim Ferriss
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, directed and hosted by Jerry Seinfeld (@JerrySeinfeld). This saved me when I had COVID and isolated for ten days. At 17–20 minutes apiece, I would watch one episode first thing in the morning with my own coffee, I would watch more episodes whenever I needed to lie down, and I would watch another one or two before bed. There are 80+ episodes, so you can snack on them for a nice long while. Favorite episodes so far include Bob Einstein (both of his eps), Larry David, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ricky Gervais, George Wallace, and Robert Klein. For more Jerry Seinfeld, c— Tim Ferriss
“Movements are what take five or ten percent of people and make them decisive—because in a world where apathy rules, five or ten percent is an enormous number.” —
An anonymous donor has offered to match up to $1 million in donations to my foundation, Saisei Foundation, and the deadline is 5 p.m. PST next Wed, December 23rd! In other words, if you all donate $100K, $200K, $500K, $1M, or anywhere in between by that deadline, they will match and donate at least that much. Click here to learn how I’ll use the funds and what I’m up to. It’s some very exciting and high-leverage stuff. Endaoment—the platform I’m using—allows you to donate cryptocurrencies or cash/USD (just click “Donate via PayPal” to see options for cash/USD) to nonprofits like my foundation.— Tim Ferriss
“The chase for fusion energy: An emerging industry of nuclear-fusion firms promises to have commercial reactors ready in the next decade.” by Philip Ball (@philipcball) for Nature. If you prefer video, check out this excellent overview by Matt Ferrell (@mattferrell), which covers the recent excitement in fusion: “Exploring Why This Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough Matters.”— Tim Ferriss
“Throwback to one of my favorites ‘Land of Cole’ from the ‘Touching Souls’ Studio sessions” and “Jamming before our soundcheck with the one and only @paulbassoon 🎶” by Kabeção (@kabecaohandpan). You can find his music on Spotify, Bandcamp, and his YouTube channel, the last of which features handpan lessons and tips.— Tim Ferriss
“MDMA is the reason my son has a father instead of a folded flag.” — (R) Jon Lubecky (@jonlubecky) This quote is at the end of a recent, short video from The Today Show led by Savannah Guthrie (@savannahguthrie): “New research shows how psychedelic drug can help people with PTSD.” To learn more, read “Veterans Have Become Unlikely Lobbyists in Push to Legalize Psychedelic Drugs,” which was published at nearly the same time in The New York Times. People on the right and left don’t agree on much, but this is one area where we can find common ground with good data. Take a look at thes
“Wolves make roadways safer, generating large economic returns to predator conservation” (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).— Tim Ferriss
Share or link to quotes and text in Chrome. This is a very cool trick in the latest version of Chrome: “You can create a shareable link that goes directly to specific highlighted text on a page.” Find simple instructions here.— Tim Ferriss
“Steve Young Is an Athlete Who’s Actually Good at Finance” by Alex Sherman (@sherman4949) (Bloomberg Businessweek).— Tim Ferriss
“If you want a golden rule that will fit everybody, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” — William Morris(Related: my interview with Marie Kondo)
Grizzly Man. This doc by Werner Herzog has been recommended to me for more than a decade. It’s a journey through the twilight mixture of beauty and madness. Not for the faint of heart. Description: “A devastating yet enlightening look at the grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among the endangered beasts in Alaska.” At a minimum, watch the trailer here.— Tim Ferriss
“The Ice” by William L. Fox with photographs by Shaun O'Boyle (@oboylephoto). Overview: “Governed by international treaty and dedicated to science, Antarctica is the driest, windiest, coldest, and highest continent on the planet. To photograph in such a place is tantamount to practicing art on another planet.”— Tim Ferriss
Voice Isolation mode. Thank you to HV for introducing me to this. Description: “When you want your voice to be heard clearly in a FaceTime call and other sounds filtered out, you can turn on Voice Isolation mode. Voice Isolation mode prioritizes your voice in a FaceTime call and blocks out the ambient noise. During a FaceTime call, open Control Center, tap Mic Mode, then select Voice Isolation.” Here’s how to try it out.— Tim Ferriss
“Cappuccino Lovely: No. 2. Milk” (YouTube, Spotify) by Chin Cheng Lin (@JimLin51438481).— Tim Ferriss
“A writer is unfair to himself when he is unable to be hard on himself.” — Tim: Question for the writers out there: Do you agree or disagree with this? Why or why not?
Savory Sage sprouted cashews from Rich Nuts. Thanks for introducing me to these, Mikey! Description: “Organic rosemary, sage, and sea salt give these cashews a rich, umami flavor. We start with raw cashews from triple-certified organic farms in Vietnam and SMETA Ethical Trade Audit-certified facilities. These world-class cashews are preservative-free, pesticide-free, vegan, gluten-free, and Paleo diet approved. We spark their germination with pure water to unlock nutrients. Then gently dehydrate them to preserve all that vital goodness and give them a superior crunch.”— Tim Ferriss
“I learned this from the amazing @kylemaynard years ago, and I’ve probably used it every week since. Removing 7 gives you far better signal on everything. 7 is the most common default and tells you little; conversely, 6 is barely passing and 8 is a strong endorsement.” (Twitter thread)
“Brain in a Vat — Making Philosophy Manifest” by Steve Jurvetson (@jurvetson). If you want a glimpse of the future, take five minutes and peruse this. I also strongly suggest following Steve on Twitter. He has an uncanny ability to see around corners. For more from Steve, listen to my wide-ranging interview with him on quantum computing, nanotechnology, and much more.— Tim Ferriss
“It is a fault to wish to be understood before we have made ourselves clear to ourselves.” — (Thank you to Maria Popova for introducing me to this quote.)
“The aim of science is to seek the simplest explanations of complex facts. We are apt to fall into the error of thinking that the facts are simple because simplicity is the goal of our quest. The guiding motto in the life of every natural philosopher should be, 'Seek simplicity and distrust it.'” —
Use Live Text and Visual Look Up on your iPhone. This is pretty amazing, and here’s a short video showing what it looks like. I’ll focus on one use case: I frequently take pictures of key pages in books. I do this with both physical books (often books received as gifts) and Kindle books that I’ve already highlighted (to capture the highlights of my highlights). Here’s a real-world example of the latter. Using this new feature, I can simply copy and paste directly from photos on my iPhone into Evernote, Google Docs, or elsewhere! This saves quite a few steps. Here is the official description: “— Tim Ferriss
1) “For people who are actually investing a large % of their own capital -- what do you consider the current best hedges/investments against inflation? Please only reply if you have at least 10-20% of your net worth in your answer. Thanks! #convictioncheck” TIM: [The following is not investment advice; it is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only.] To reciprocate, I’ll share that I have 10%+ in real estate, BTC, ETH, and companies (equities) with both strong global revenue spread and the ability to raise prices. That said, I have absolutely no expertise related to inflation— Tim Ferriss
“Reading after a certain age diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking, just as the man who spends too much time in the theater is tempted to be content with living vicariously instead of living his own life.” —
“Information for People Seeking Training in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy” from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (@MAPS). If you’ve wondered how you might become a therapist or facilitator who works with patients using psychedelic compounds, this is a good overview of current training options.— Tim Ferriss
Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski. This doc is amazing and bizarre on multiple levels. Here’s the description: “Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanisław Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.” The documentary was produced by Leonardo DiCaprio (@LeoDiCaprio) and his father George DiCaprio. You can find the trailer here. Thanks to Snapping Turtle for the recommendation.— Tim Ferriss
“Just Jammin’” (YouTube, Spotify) by Gramatik (@Gramatik).— Tim Ferriss
Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here, And you must treat it as a powerful stranger, Must ask permission to know it and be known. The forest breathes. Listen. It answers, I have made this place around you. If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here. No two trees are the same to Raven. No two branches are the same to Wren. If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you, You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows Where you are. You must let it find you. — “Lost” by David Wagoner(Huge thanks to Jerry Colonna for sharing t
The Microdose from Michael Pollan and the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics. Description: “Every Friday, The Microdose will bring you a handful of brief takes on developments in the field of psychedelics, covering everything from scientific research and policy to business and culture. On Mondays, a second installment will offer a Q & A with a newsmaker in the field—it might be a person you’ve heard of or someone you need to know about. Our goal is to keep you up-to-date and informed, whether you’re in the field or simply curious. The newsletter is free to everyone.” The head w— Tim Ferriss
Destino. From Wikipedia (bolding is mine): “Destino is an animated short film released in 2003 by Walt Disney Feature Animation. Destino is unique in that its production originally began in 1945, 58 years before its eventual completion in 2003. The project was originally a collaboration between Walt Disney and Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí, and features music written by Mexican songwriter Armando Domínguez and performed by Mexican singer Dora Luz. It was included in the Animation Show of Shows in 2003.” This is precisely as bizarre as you’d hope it to be.— Tim Ferriss
Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi. I wanted to further study this amazing genius after my recent conversation with polymath Noah Feldman. Easter egg: anyone notice the Roam Research logo in the statue?— Tim Ferriss
“Revisiting The 4-Hour Workweek: How Tim Ferriss’s 2007 manifesto anticipated our current moment of professional upheaval” by Cal Newport (The New Yorker). This Instagram post from The New Yorker does a good job of teasing it: “In 2007, Tim Ferriss published a book called The 4-Hour Workweek. In it he argued that the busyness of the pre-recession 2000s—when everyone was acquiring mortgages to be repackaged into debt instruments, or typing furiously into suddenly ubiquitous BlackBerrys—was nonsense. If you concentrated on the efforts that actually mattered, Ferriss suggested, your professional — Tim Ferriss
“Knowing how to look is a way of inventing.” — Salvador Dalí(For more than 100 Dalí quotes, see this.)
“Episode 3: ‘My husband is going broke, but he won’t let me help’” (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast) on the I Will Teach You To Be Rich podcast from Ramit Sethi (@ramit). Damn fine podcast, this one. My girlfriend and I have listened to nearly every episode of Ramit’s new show. If it doesn’t teach you anything, it will, at the very least, make you feel better about your own (often weird) relationships to money.— Tim Ferriss
Heaven. Description: “Masaaki Hatsumi: Dojo Giga | Heaven is an art book featuring paintings [and calligraphy] by the Bujinkan Dojo’s Head Instructor, Masaaki Hatsumi. Each of these artworks is like a koan—meditating on them helps us see from Sensei’s perspective.” I found the art and philosophies within—as well as wonderful Japanese wordplay—to grab my attention more than the martial arts. You can find buying options at the bottom of this linked page. It’s truly a beautiful book. そろそろ 日本 に いかなきゃ...— Tim Ferriss
“Warren Buffett: ‘Really Successful People Say No To Almost Everything’” by Michael Simmons. Huge kiss and playful ass slap to my girlfriend (sorry, Kevin; you got yours in Marfa) for this great recommendation. I’ve read a lot about Buffett, so I was astonished that I hadn’t heard the Michael Flint story, which is an uber-gem of a lesson.— Tim Ferriss