The book that made me collect questions instead of books.

Why did I pick this book?

I wasn’t actually looking for a history book. I was trying to understand people — on a much larger scale. Someone had recommended this book to me years earlier for exactly this reason.

For years, I watched life from different roles. The more I observed people, the more I felt there was some invisible pattern behind the way we behave. I couldn’t explain what it was, but I knew it was there. That curiosity eventually led me to Sapiens.

I thought I’d read it, learn about human history and move on to the next book. (Believe me — I had a long list planned at that point, from many recommendation lists.)

That’s not what happened.

What surprised me

I expected Sapiens to make me understand human evolution — like a broad anthropology or history book. Instead, it felt like a complex word-problem puzzle book with hidden or missing clues.

Until then, I chose books the way many of us do:

  • Bestsellers.
  • Recommendation lists.
  • “Top 10 books everyone should read.”

After Sapiens, that suddenly didn’t make sense anymore. I realised I wasn’t interested in finishing my pre-planned reading list. I was interested in following my curiosity.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped collecting books. I started collecting questions. Looking back, that was probably the biggest thing this book changed for me.

The ideas that refused to leave my head

There were lots of fascinating ideas in the book. But the ones that stayed with me weren’t the facts. They were the questions.

One thought kept coming back in different forms:

Humans create systems. Then, slowly, those systems begin shaping humans.

  • Money.
  • Governments.
  • Religion.
  • Education.
  • Corporations.
  • Technology.

We create them. Then they start influencing the way we live. I found that fascinating.

Another question wouldn’t leave me alone:

Does every solution create another problem?

  • Agriculture fed millions. It also brought disease and tied people to the land.
  • Industrialisation created prosperity. It also created pollution.
  • Social media connected us. Yet so many people feel lonely.
  • AI is opening extraordinary possibilities. What new problems will it create?

I started looking at human progress differently. Maybe progress isn’t about solving problems. Maybe it’s about exchanging one set of problems for another. I still don’t know the answer.

And then: why do civilisations expand?

At first I thought it’s obvious — for land, resources or power. But I’m less certain after the book. Do they expand because of…

  • Curiosity?
  • Fear?
  • Competition?
  • Prestige?
  • Trade?
  • Survival?

Why did Western Europe become expansionist while many wealthy civilisations became comfortable? What makes civilisations stop expanding? Does comfort create complacency — or does comfort create the freedom to innovate and express?

The question that stayed with me

By the end of the book, I realised something. I wasn’t confused about Sapiens. I was confused about history.

The book casually moved between Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece, Rome, the Mongols… I recognised all the names. But I couldn’t connect them. It felt like someone had shown me the final chapter of humanity before introducing the characters.

I kept thinking…

How do all these pieces fit together?

That question stayed with me long after I finished the book. And that’s when something unexpected happened. It chose my next book.

Not Amazon. Not Goodreads. Not a bestseller list. A question.

Why that led me to my next book

I realised I didn’t need another philosophy book. I needed a map — a map that connected Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, China, Europe. A map that showed me where everything fitted together.

That’s why my next book became A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich. Not because someone recommended it. Because it answered the question Sapiens left me with.

One final thought

Looking back, I don’t think Sapiens changed me because of what it taught me. It changed me because it changed the way I choose books.

I used to ask: “What’s the next great book?”

Now I ask: “What question am I trying to answer next?”

Question unlocked: How do all the pieces of history fit together?

Next stop: A Little History of the World