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Do More Good: Inspiring Lessons from Extraordinary People
Distilling the wisdom of thirty extraordinary individuals, Do More Good is a self-help book for people looking for ways to make their lives more meaningful by helping others.
In today’s world, with so much that feels beyond our control, and so many people in need, many of us are inspired to take action. To make change. To move the needle, even if only in one small way. Yet we struggle with knowing how to do just that. How can we each do more good without wasting hours in a research rabbit hole trying to figure out where to put our time, money, and energy for real impact?
In Do More Good, Neil Ghosh delivers not only the answers to that question, but also the inspiration and guidance to take action now.
Within its pages, readers will encounter the curated wisdom of thirty leaders, celebrities, and inspirational figures—each of whom has consciously bettered the world in their own way. Drawing upon his personal contacts with these luminaries, Ghosh shares their wisdom and reveals how we can make use of it in our lives.
“Do More Good is an inspiring reminder that in our interdependent world, everyone has the power—and the responsibility—to make a difference in the lives of others. It couldn’t come at a more important time.” — President Bill Clinton
In today’s world, with so much that feels beyond our control, and so many people in need, many of us are inspired to take action. To make change. To move the needle, even if only in one small way. Yet we struggle with knowing how to do just that. How can we each do more good without wasting hours in a research rabbit hole trying to figure out where to put our time, money, and energy for real impact?
In Do More Good, Neil Ghosh delivers not only the answers to that question, but also the inspiration and guidance to take action now.
Within its pages, readers will encounter the curated wisdom of thirty leaders, celebrities, and inspirational figures—each of whom has consciously bettered the world in their own way. Drawing upon his personal contacts with these luminaries, Ghosh shares their wisdom and reveals how we can make use of it in our lives.
“Do More Good is an inspiring reminder that in our interdependent world, everyone has the power—and the responsibility—to make a difference in the lives of others. It couldn’t come at a more important time.” — President Bill Clinton
368 pages, Paperback
Published June 3, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 14, 2025
Lots of inspiring people here ... don't look for Trump...
July 6, 2025
I approached Neil Ghosh's Do More Good, hemming and hawing, with a lot more trepidation than the Bible that first taught me, "Love your neighbour as much as you love yourself." Another book of quotable quotes, I told myself.
After much procrastination, I started on... more good, from the philosophical premise of the Upanisad that taught me, "Purposelessness is the only purpose of Life." And here was Ghosh quoting Harold Kushner in his foreword to Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning that "... life is a quest for meaning." Ghosh baits Kushner to suggest that "...our quest (is) to find meaning through our actions, no matter who we are or where we live." I found such 'virtue' in direct confrontation with my inherited 'vice' to "be nothing, do nothing".
But then Ghosh and I inhabit different universes, while remaining good friends. So I found it in order to keep turning the pages of his extraordinary lifetime achievements that have brought him in direct conversations with savants from the post-spiritual world order, among them, exceptional moralists His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, and Imam Ilyasi; extraordinary materialists Bill and Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, John McCain, and Md Yusuf; extravagantly beautiful folks like Angelina Jolie and Malala Yousafzai. And the magnificent maven Amartya Sen.
Yet, above all these worthies, I was taken by Ghosh's extraordinary candour in stating right at the start of his work, "I am sure most of the individuals in this book have their flaws... my objective is to highlight one lesson that I have learnt from each..." And that exactly is what makes Do More Good: Inspiring Lessons from Extraordinary People an excellent read.
Of the explempars Ghosh engages with, none is as enigmatic as his parents Chitta Ranjan and Nilima Ghosh who grace the first chapter of his book: "I was 14... my father was in jail... my parents had to appeal to my school (and he went to one of the most engaging schools in the city where he grew up) for a tuition waiver... I was angry... my mother told me I had no reason to be angry... with a simple phrase, my mother transformed a moment of humiliation and resentment into a moment of pride, a moment of obligation."
At the opposite pole, Ghosh introduces us to another exceptional character at the near end of his family, his biracial son, Ryan Sohan Ghosh, 28, chemical engineer and management guru-in-the-making. In this last and final chapter, Ryan shares a strange chemical bonding with his distant grandparents, from the boondocks of ramshackle Third World Calcutta, when he informs his father, the umbilical cord to his Bengali mooring, that his visits to India taught him about himself. "I learnt empathy and courage from my grandparents. Despite living in conditions below the American poverty line—a small open-air flat with no running water and car—they insisted on sending money to others who had even less." What better lesson can this world afford to teach us?
Between parent and offspring, from cover to cover, Ghosh positions some of the world's most charismatic luminaries, pitching the lessons he learnt from each of them in his long and eventful career across continents, embellishing personal anecdotes with generous toppings from an enormous bibliography of what else they had to say.
Yet, more than what they had to say, what Ghosh himself has to say about what they had to say calls for an engrossing read. He ends each of his 29 chapters with bullet-point highlights on "What's in it for Me." For having seen all, heard all, and read all, Do More Good has answers to what's good in it for the reader.
There lies Neil's genius.
After much procrastination, I started on... more good, from the philosophical premise of the Upanisad that taught me, "Purposelessness is the only purpose of Life." And here was Ghosh quoting Harold Kushner in his foreword to Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning that "... life is a quest for meaning." Ghosh baits Kushner to suggest that "...our quest (is) to find meaning through our actions, no matter who we are or where we live." I found such 'virtue' in direct confrontation with my inherited 'vice' to "be nothing, do nothing".
But then Ghosh and I inhabit different universes, while remaining good friends. So I found it in order to keep turning the pages of his extraordinary lifetime achievements that have brought him in direct conversations with savants from the post-spiritual world order, among them, exceptional moralists His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, and Imam Ilyasi; extraordinary materialists Bill and Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, John McCain, and Md Yusuf; extravagantly beautiful folks like Angelina Jolie and Malala Yousafzai. And the magnificent maven Amartya Sen.
Yet, above all these worthies, I was taken by Ghosh's extraordinary candour in stating right at the start of his work, "I am sure most of the individuals in this book have their flaws... my objective is to highlight one lesson that I have learnt from each..." And that exactly is what makes Do More Good: Inspiring Lessons from Extraordinary People an excellent read.
Of the explempars Ghosh engages with, none is as enigmatic as his parents Chitta Ranjan and Nilima Ghosh who grace the first chapter of his book: "I was 14... my father was in jail... my parents had to appeal to my school (and he went to one of the most engaging schools in the city where he grew up) for a tuition waiver... I was angry... my mother told me I had no reason to be angry... with a simple phrase, my mother transformed a moment of humiliation and resentment into a moment of pride, a moment of obligation."
At the opposite pole, Ghosh introduces us to another exceptional character at the near end of his family, his biracial son, Ryan Sohan Ghosh, 28, chemical engineer and management guru-in-the-making. In this last and final chapter, Ryan shares a strange chemical bonding with his distant grandparents, from the boondocks of ramshackle Third World Calcutta, when he informs his father, the umbilical cord to his Bengali mooring, that his visits to India taught him about himself. "I learnt empathy and courage from my grandparents. Despite living in conditions below the American poverty line—a small open-air flat with no running water and car—they insisted on sending money to others who had even less." What better lesson can this world afford to teach us?
Between parent and offspring, from cover to cover, Ghosh positions some of the world's most charismatic luminaries, pitching the lessons he learnt from each of them in his long and eventful career across continents, embellishing personal anecdotes with generous toppings from an enormous bibliography of what else they had to say.
Yet, more than what they had to say, what Ghosh himself has to say about what they had to say calls for an engrossing read. He ends each of his 29 chapters with bullet-point highlights on "What's in it for Me." For having seen all, heard all, and read all, Do More Good has answers to what's good in it for the reader.
There lies Neil's genius.
October 24, 2025
Neil Ghosh’s Do More Good is a deeply thoughtful and empowering exploration of what it truly means to live a life of purpose. By distilling the insights and experiences of thirty remarkable individuals from world leaders to everyday heroes Ghosh offers readers both inspiration and practical direction for creating meaningful change.
The book stands out for its authenticity and accessibility. Rather than lofty ideals, Ghosh delivers real-world lessons on kindness, empathy, and impact. His approach reminds readers that doing good doesn’t require grand gestures it begins with conscious, consistent action. Supported by the endorsement of figures like President Bill Clinton, Do More Good resonates as a vital call to personal and collective responsibility in an age that needs it most.
The book stands out for its authenticity and accessibility. Rather than lofty ideals, Ghosh delivers real-world lessons on kindness, empathy, and impact. His approach reminds readers that doing good doesn’t require grand gestures it begins with conscious, consistent action. Supported by the endorsement of figures like President Bill Clinton, Do More Good resonates as a vital call to personal and collective responsibility in an age that needs it most.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews