The Optimism Book Club

Simon Sinek sitting in a tan chair smiling and holding a copy of The Infinite Game open in his lap. He is wearing a dark blue button down shirt and glasses.

Ready to start reading?   

Of course an essential part of any book club is the book! You can order copies of The Infinite Game for all your participants at any of the retailers below. 

  • Porchlight is the best option for international (non US) and bulk orders

  • Ebooks and Audiobooks are available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Learn more about the Optimism Book Club here.

The Infinite Game

Do You Know the Game You’re Playing?

We can’t choose the game. We can’t choose the rules. We can only choose how we play. In finite games, like football or chess, the players are known, the rules are fixed, and the endpoint is clear. The winners and losers are easily identified. In infinite games, like business or politics or life itself, the players come and go, the rules are changeable, and there is no defined endpoint. There are no winners or losers in an infinite game; there is only ahead and behind.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1
Finite and Infinite Games


If there are at least two players, a game exists. And there are two kinds of games: finite games and infinite games.

Finite games are played by known players. They have fixed rules. And there is an agreed-upon objective that, when reached, ends the game. Football, for example, is a finite game. The players all wear uniforms and are easily identifiable. There is a set of rules, and referees are there to enforce those rules. All the players have agreed to play by those rules and they accept penalties when they break the rules. Everyone agrees that whichever team has scored more points by the end of the set time period will be declared the winner, the game will end and everyone will go home. In finite games, there is always a beginning, a middle and an end.

Infinite games, in contrast, are played by known and unknown players. There are no exact or agreed-upon rules. Though there may be conventions or laws that govern how the players conduct themselves, within those broad boundaries, the players can operate however they want. And if they choose to break with convention, they can. The manner in which each player chooses...

Excerpted from The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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