📚 A Calendar of Wisdom, Holiday Gift Guide, and more.

A&B #272

December 07, 2025

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📚 Books Summary:

This week's book is “A Calendar of Wisdom” by Leo Tolstoy.

This book is similar to “The Daily Stoic” in that it’s a collection of wisdom meant to be read one page per day.

Tolstoy spent over 10 years collecting the best quotes from ancient texts, philosophers, and the greatest thinkers throughout history, and curated his favorite insights into this book.

Since the book is filled with just quotes and no stories, instead of sharing 3 lessons from the book, I’ll share my favorite quotes from it:

📖

1) Quotes on Living Well:

“He who does good to others makes the biggest gift to himself.” –Seneca

“He who has achieved victory over himself has real power.” –Eastern Wisdom

“When you appeared in this world, you cried, and all the people around you rejoiced. You have to live your life in such a way that when you leave this world, you will rejoice, and all the people around you will cry.” –Indian Wisdom

“To be strong, you have to be like water: if there are no obstacles, it flows; if there is an obstacle it stops; if a dam is broken, then it flows further. Because it is so soft and flexible, it is the most necessary and the strongest thing.” –Lao Tzu

“Be strict in judging yourself and gentle in judging others, and you will have no enemies.” –Chinese Wisdom

📖

2) Quotes on Thinking Well

“Only when we forget what we were taught do we start to have real knowledge.” –Henry David Thoreau

“We should be ready to change our views at any time..and live with an open and receptive mind. A sailor who sets the same sails all the time, without making changes when the wind changes, will never reach his harbor.” –Henry George

“Every thought a person dwells upon, whether he expresses it or not, either damages or improves his life.” –Lucy Malory

“He who is looking for wisdom is already wise; and he who thinks that he has found wisdom is a stupid man.” –Eastern Wisdom

“Seek to learn constantly while you live; do not wait in the faith that old age by itself will bring wisdom.” –Solon

📖

3) Quotes on Speaking Well

“The only way to tell the truth is to speak with kindness. Only the words of a loving man can be heard.” –Henry David Thoreau

“We lie to other people so often that we get used to it, and we start to lie to ourselves.” –François de La Rochefoucauld

“During an argument, make your words very soft, and your heart hard. Do not try to lash out at your opponent, but try to convince him.” –George Wilkins

“Never be ashamed to admit what you do not know.” –Arabic Proverb

“If you notice someone in error, then correct this person and his mistake in a humble way. If he does not listen to you, blame yourself only; or, even better, do not blame anybody, but continue to be humble.” –Marcus Aurelius

✅ Actionable Advice

If you’re a fan of books that you can read 1 page per day, consider getting these for yourself or a friend:

🎁 Holiday Gift Guide:

Here are a few awesome gifts to buy for yourself or your friends:

  • Superpower Health Membership: For health-conscious people: Achieve peak performance and improve your health by tracking 100+ biomarkers to get a comprehensive report of your body and a customized action plan to improve your health.

  • Kindle Colorsoft: If someone you know has an old Kindle or reads books that often have pictures in them, surprise them with this new Colorsoft edition Kindle.

  • Create Gummies: If you want to improve your physical or cognitive performance, get them these creatine gummies. I’ve been taking them for over a year and absolutely love them (orange is my favorite flavor).

  • Hostage Tape: A must-buy for anyone who snores or wakes up with a dry mouth. I’ve been using mouth tape for 3+ years now and put it on every single night. It will help you get deeper sleep and you’ll wake up feeling more refreshed every morning.

  • Reading Pillow: This is one of my favorite products of the year. I use it to stay comfortable while reading for hours or doing work on my laptop. Get this for anyone who has a slouch from reading too much.

  • Audible Gift Subscription: Buy this as a gift for the friend who wants to get back into reading but doesn’t have time. Tell them to listen on their commute, while doing house chores, or while working out. And yes, audiobooks do count as reading.

  • Kindle Unlimited Gift Subscription: Similar to the above, but get this as a gift for your friend who only reads ebooks. Also an excellent gift for anyone who’s doing research or writing a book, as it will give you access to 4+ million ebooks.

  • LMNT: If you or your friend does any type of cardio (running, biking, swimming, etc), drinking LMNT will help prevent cramps and improve athletic performance. I drink one before every basketball game and haven’t had a cramp since. And it tastes delicious.

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