Book Review : The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

Success is the enemy of learning and other wise thoughts.

I’ve been a fan of Naval Ravikant for a while. If you’ve ever listened to his podcast or read his tweets, you’ll know why: the guy has an uncanny ability to distill complex life lessons into simple, actionable advice. His thoughts on wealth, happiness, and personal development always resonated with me. So when I heard about The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, I knew I had to grab a copy. It’s essentially a compilation of his wisdom, brought together by Eric Jorgenson, and I was excited to dive deeper into Naval’s philosophy.

The book is a mix of self-help, entrepreneurship, and mental models. It’s not written like a traditional narrative book; rather, it’s more like a guidebook or a set of notes that Naval has shared over the years. You’ll find a lot of insights on how to think about wealth—how it’s not just about money but about creating value, having freedom, and thinking long-term. One of the core ideas in the book is that wealth comes from owning assets that scale, rather than just trading time for money. It’s a pretty mind-shifting idea if you’re used to the “work hard, get paid” mindset.

What I love about this book is how Naval challenges conventional thinking. For example, when he talks about happiness, he argues that it’s an internal state that you can control, rather than something dependent on external circumstances. It’s not just a feel-good mantra; there’s actual substance behind it. He talks about mental models that help you navigate life with more clarity and less stress. You won’t find any fluff here—just practical wisdom that you can immediately apply.

There’s also something very refreshing about how Naval approaches the topic of life’s purpose. He doesn’t give you a prescriptive “follow these steps” kind of guide. Instead, he encourages you to experiment, find your own path, and embrace the journey of learning. The book doesn’t preach, it’s more like a conversation with a mentor who’s seen a lot and shares what’s worked for him.

All in all, I found The Almanack of Naval Ravikant to be incredibly valuable. It’s not a book you read once and forget about—it’s something you can return to, pick up new insights, and apply them to different stages of your life.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is:
“Desire is a contract that you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.”