Most self help books are repetitive and boring in the sense that what they say in 200 pages can be summarized in an essay.<p>Still there must be a few books that are really worth reading cover to cover.<p>Which ones are they and what lessons did you get from them?
Begin with the end in mind. This is a good mantra on so many levels.<p>It applies to social relations (don't attack people you'd like to end up friends with), but also to technical matters (consider the entire life cycle of the product) and strategy (consider what you want to do when you are successful and leave that option open).<p>For me a lot of things boil down to this point.