Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

by Yuval Noah Harari

money is the most universal and most efficient system of mutual trust ever devised.

religion asks us to believe in something, money asks us to believe that other people believe in something.

A person who does not crave cannot suffer.

For real peace is not the mere absence of war. Real peace is the implausibility of war.

Lasting happiness comes only from serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin.1

happiness is not the surplus of pleasant over unpleasant moments. Rather, happiness consists in seeing one’s life in its entirety as meaningful and worthwhile. There

As Nietzsche put it, if you have a why to live, you can bear almost any how.

Buddha’s recommendation was to stop not only the pursuit of external achievements, but also the pursuit of inner feelings.