Ask HN: Book under 100 pages that changed your life the most?

Euthyphro by Plato.

Ooh interesting constraint. The Goal: A Business Graphic Novel[1] is just a little over 100 pages but very easy to read in a single sitting so surely still counts. It's more-or-less the same as the full novel, which is what inspired The Phoenix Project. For a book genuinely under 100 pages, I'll go with The Little Prince[2]. Just a delightful story that reminds you to focus on what's important in life.

[1]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35528537-the-goal

[2]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157993.The_Little_Prince

The Enchiridion of Epictetus

I think the problem is that a number of books that claim to have direct impact on your life/career are perfectly capable of being written as a 100 page book, but are stuffed with repetition to pad it 300-400 pages. Reading through these can be quite a slog.

Also, to keep up with the marketing machine, the authors churn out a new title every 3 years or so. It would be a few news ideas and lots of ideas from the older books rehashed. It would be much better if the new sections are clearly demarcated in the book. Not sure if the author is to blame though. It might be the publishing house or a general perception among readers that more is better. Shelling out money for a small book might not feel as justifiable for some readers.

What ever the case, at least for the self help books, it would be great if the authors have the liberty to write shorter books. It would save the author's time, the publisher's time, the millions of readers' time, not to mention, reams of paper.

I fell victim to this when in my young naïveté, I believed all books are worth reading. There are a few books in this category that I want to read, but I value my time too much to read them.

Because a lot of books are filled with needless bloat to meet some number of pages goal, in an attempt to boost sales.