Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates UsDrive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Score Modern
What it's about
Most people believe the best way to motivate is with rewards like money. That's a mistake, Daniel H. Pink argues: the secret to high performance and satisfaction is our need to direct our own lives, to learn and create, and to do better for ourselves and the world: autonomy, mastery and purpose.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 41 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It's one of the most influential books on motivation.
You'll love it if you liked
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect TimingGood to know
It's short and research-based, with a toolkit at the end.
By the numbers
- Readers44 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller62 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #56 of the 85 self-help and business books we rank
- #83 of the 119 science and ideas books we rank
- #771 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1446 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Practical, Thought-provoking
If you like this, read next
Atomic Habits
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It
Thinking, Fast and Slow
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
Outliers: The Story of Success
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the EndExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Science and ideas booksTop 25 · 119 ranked
Self-help and business booksTop 25 · 85 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,573 ranked
Books of the 2000sTop 25 · 490 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 459 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 309 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedQuick answers
Is Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us worth reading?
Yes. It spent 41 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It ranks #1,446 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 68.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us about?
Most people believe the best way to motivate is with rewards like money. That's a mistake, Daniel H. Pink argues: the secret to high performance and satisfaction is our need to direct our own lives, to learn and create, and to do better for ourselves and the world: autonomy, mastery and purpose.
How long does it take to read Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us?
About 6 hours (256 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us?
If you liked it, try The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth or When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink.