The Commanding Self is a book by the writer Idries Shah first published by Octagon Press in 1994. A paperback edition was published in 1997. Shortly before he died, Shah stated that his books form a complete course that could fulfil the function he had fulfilled while alive. As such, The Commanding Self can be read as part of a whole course of study. Shah stated that The Commanding Self was "the key to understanding his entire corpus of work."