21 texts and poets.Where every passage comes from.

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Between them they give 172 of the 220 passages.

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Oldest first, with the modern management books the chapters set beside them. Dates for the older texts are scholars' estimates, often with a wide range; each sits at the middle of its range, and its page says how uncertain it is.

1. c. 1500–1000 BCEṚgvedaऋग्वेदThe oldest collection of Vedic hymns · Vedic Sanskrit7 passages
2. c. 1200–900 BCEAtharvavedaअथर्ववेदVedic hymns for everyday life · Vedic Sanskrit2 passages
3. from c. 700 BCEUpaniṣadsउपनिषद्The philosophical texts that close the Vedas · Sanskrit14 passages
4. 3rd–1st c. BCEDhammapadaधम्मपदVerses of the Buddha's teaching · Pali4 passages
5. c. 200 BCE – 200 CEBhagavad Gītāभगवद्गीताA dialogue on duty and action, within the Mahābhārata · Sanskrit44 passages
6. 1st–3rd c. CE; by tradition 4th c. BCEArthaśāstraअर्थशास्त्रA manual of statecraft, economy and administration · Sanskrit38 passages
7. 2nd c. BCE – 3rd c. CEManusmṛtiमनुस्मृतिA treatise on dharma: duties, kingship and law · Sanskrit11 passages
8. 1st–4th c. CEUdānavargaउदानवर्गA Sanskrit Buddhist anthology, close kin to the Dhammapada · Sanskrit2 passages
9. 2nd–5th c. CETattvārtha Sūtraतत्त्वार्थसूत्रThe whole of Jain teaching in brief · Sanskrit2 passages
10. c. 4th–5th c. CEYoga Sūtraयोगसूत्रThe classical text of Yoga philosophy · Sanskrit3 passages
11. 4th–5th c. CERaghuvaṃśaरघुवंशA court epic on the kings of Raghu's line · Sanskrit1 passage
12. c. 450–500 CETirukkuṟaḷதிருக்குறள்Couplets on virtue, public life and love · Tamil90 passages
13. early 8th c. CEBodhicaryāvatāraबोधिचर्यावतारA guide to the life of a bodhisattva · Sanskrit1 passage
14. 9th–14th c. CEHitopadeśaहितोपदेशFables that teach worldly wisdom · Sanskrit1 passage
15. 12th c.Basavaṇṇaಬಸವಣ್ಣVacanas, sayings of a reformer · Kannada1 passage
16. 15th c.KabīrकबीरCouplets and songs of a weaver-poet · Hindi (old Hindi dialects)2 passages
17. 1556–1627RahīmरहीमCouplets of a Mughal general and poet · Hindi (Braj and Avadhi)1 passage
18. 17th c.TukārāmतुकारामDevotional verses of a Vārkarī saint · Marathi1 passage
19. uncertain, 14th–18th c.VēmanaవేమనShort verses of a plain-spoken poet · Telugu1 passage
20. 1776Adam Smith, The Wealth of NationsModern management · read it in its chapter
21. 1856–1928Śrī Nārāyaṇa Guruശ്രീനാരായണഗുരുSayings and poems of a philosopher and reformer · Malayalam1 passage
22. 1901Tagoreরবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুরPoems of Rabindranath Tagore · Bengali1 passage
23. 1911Frederick W. Taylor, The Principles of Scientific ManagementModern management · read it in its chapter
24. 1916Henri Fayol, Administration industrielle et généraleModern management · read it in its chapter
25. 1922Max Weber, Economy and Society, on bureaucracyModern management · read it in its chapter
26. 1924–32Elton Mayo and colleagues, The Hawthorne studiesModern management · read it in its chapter
27. 1943Abraham Maslow, “A Theory of Human Motivation”Modern management · read it in its chapter
28. 1947Herbert Simon, Administrative BehaviorModern management · read it in its chapter
29. 1954Peter Drucker, The Practice of ManagementModern management · read it in its chapter
30. 1959Frederick Herzberg, The Motivation to WorkModern management · read it in its chapter
31. 1960Douglas McGregor, The Human Side of EnterpriseModern management · read it in its chapter
32. 1967Philip Kotler, Marketing ManagementModern management · read it in its chapter
33. 1980Michael Porter, Competitive StrategyModern management · read it in its chapter
34. 1990C. K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel, “The Core Competence of the Corporation”Modern management · read it in its chapter

A classical text or poet quoted in the chapters A modern management book set beside them