How To Think About Reading
Reading is a way of borrowing the best of what other people have already figured out. It’s the life hack no one talks about.
Why make mistakes someone else has already made for you? Why take off without a map when you don’t have to?
Malcom X was asked where he went to school and he answered, “My alma mater was books, a good library.” He continued, “I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive.”
Reading is exercise for your brain. In 2009, Carnegie Melon University published a study that showed reading, “causes the brain to physically rewire itself, creating new white matter that improves communication within the brain.”
When Bill Gates was asked if he could have one superpower, what would it be? He answered, “being able to read superfast.” Warren Buffett, who was seated next to him on stage added, “Yeah I agree, I’ve probably wasted ten years reading slowly.”
The point isn’t to learn to speed read, it’s to realize the value of devoting time to reading. Buffett and Gates have a combined net worth of around $200 billion. They can do whatever they want with their time, but they’re both known for how much of it they spend reading.
Three quotes that shaped my view of reading:
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only once.” – George R.R. Martin
“People who don’t read have no advantage over those who cannot read.” - Ryan Holiday
“I cannot understand how some people can live without communicating with the wisest people who ever lived on earth” - Leo Tolstoy
Three places I find good books:
- Ryan Holiday’s monthly book recommendation email
- Farnam Street’s annual book recommendations
- Book’s recommended on the Tim Ferriss Show