Science

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

Richard P. Feynman · 1985

Lindy Score

8,064·Classic

41 yrs

Age

4

Endorsers

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Why it endured

The memoir of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman — equal parts brilliant and irreverent. A masterclass in first-principles thinking and intellectual curiosity, told through the most entertaining scientific life of the 20th century. Feynman's approach to learning has influenced generations of scientists and engineers.

What they're saying

4 people recommend this book

Elon MuskCEO of Tesla & SpaceX

Feynman had an amazing ability to break problems down to first principles. Surely You're Joking captures his genius — curious, irreverent, and always getting to the truth.

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Andrej KarpathyAI researcher & former Tesla AI Director

Surely You're Joking is one of my all time favorite books, for sure.

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Peter AttiaPhysician & longevity researcher

Feynman taught me more about thinking from first principles than any formal education. His approach to intellectual honesty is a model I return to constantly.

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Naval RavikantEntrepreneur & philosopher

I loved him because Feynman was one of the first characters that I encountered that did science and serious work and was accomplished in so-called real life. He was a character, he was a happy person. He was deeply philosophical, he didn’t take himself nor life too seriously. He appreciated the mysteries of life, he appreciated living life and he had a lot of fun along the way. To me, he was like a full-stack intellectual hacker of life. And was just very inspirational to me as a kid, growing up.

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