The Surprising Book That Tumblr's CEO David Karp Wants to Gift for the Holidays

— -- When Tumblr CEO David Karp was asked what book he would gift to others this holiday season, it wasn't a techy book or something many other high school dropouts would probably offer.

But then again, Karp, who is worth hundreds of millions of dollars after Yahoo bought his company in May 2013, isn't any 28-year-old entrepreneur.

Speaking on a panel at the Business Insider Ignition conference in New York City this afternoon, Karp said the book he would give as a gift to others is "Meditations," by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD). He advised the audience to read the personal writings.

Here's a holiday taste of a translation online: "Begin the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busy-body, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. All these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil."

When asked which tech gift he would recommend, Karp said friends should give friends a 3-D printer, if they can afford one. Or, if not, you can at least get something custom-made with a 3-D printer because it "really unlocks" your imagination.

Karp also discussed the use of advertising on Tumblr, which recently announced that it's testing a series of action buttons. These include a "Buy" button to purchase something from Etsy and a "Do Something" button for activists interested in social change.

He said the "thesis" of Tumblr, to which people come for "the stuff they love," hasn't changed with the rollout of advertising.