Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?

Great book.

It was the fourth or third book I had read in my life up until that point.

I read it and realized that in order for me to quit smoking, I had to quit drinking(I was around 19 at the time and a heavy drinker), and in order to do that I needed to change/get away from the circle of friends at the time. That day, after finishing the book the decisions were obvious and I did exactly what needed to be done. It was like: 1,2,3 done. I did it!

I quit drinking for 1,5 years. Moved to a different tow, to get away from all my friends at that time. Started reading books like mad, because I realized that the info in a book can substantially change my life.

I’m 30 now. I’ve been free from smoking for more than 10 years. Reading books has led me into having a well paid(by the standards of my country) job in SEO/digital marketing. I have not started, nor finished uni.

I think I need to re-read it, because I’d like to kick my habit of drinking and a few other bad habits.

I could not recommend it enough.

"Gödel, Escher, Bach" by Douglas Hofstadter. I did not understand much the first time I read that book (I was 16 or so); maybe I understood well only one thing: that I wanted to understand more. That book made me clearly see what I wanted to do. (I am now a professor of mathematical physics). I should definitely read it again...