Read Voraciously

Read Voraciously

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies ... the man who never reads lives only one.”

-- George R. R. Martin                         

         Of all the advice I could give you, this above all: “Read! Read! Read!”
         Reading takes discipline. The world does not want to give you time to read; you must take it. You must choose between reading and your phone or a video game.
         Learn to read by reading. An intellectual activity, to be sure, reading is also a physical activity improved by practice — eye movement and butt stillness. What I see most is people unwilling to sit still long enough to concentrate on anything. The more you read the better you get and the more you enjoy it. Reading has other benefits: it builds your vocabulary, makes you a better writer, and makes you a better speaker. All writers are readers, and all leaders are readers.
         Always have something to read. Often others will attempt to waste your time, e.g., waiting rooms, airport terminals, and even sleeplessness. Those times will add up to hours, months, years. With reading material handy, no one can steal your time.
         Reading for pleasure opens new worlds to you. Experience all manner of adventure: travel to distant places; live in different times; inhabit another person’s life; all from the pages of a book. When this becomes a habit, you can’t wait for your next chance to take up your book.
         Read widely. I suspect your experience so far has been limited to textbooks and assigned reading. While necessary, that limitation stunts your growth. Read subjects you know nothing about. Read fiction, classics, science, theology, politics, and history. Read books, magazines, and newspapers. Read opinions opposed to your own. A writer friend of mine told me: “When all else fails, I read the back of the cereal box.”
         Speaking of reading widely, “The Great Books” collection lies hidden somewhere in your house. I purchased them for you and your brothers several years ago. It is the collected works of the greatest thinkers of Western civilization, covering every aspect of human endeavor: literature, mathematics, philosophy, science, and more. It’s time for your dad to dig them out and put them up where they are accessible to all of you.
         Reading improves your image. A well-read person is a more interesting person. You will gravitate to educated interesting people while being shunned by the dull and ignorant. This is a good thing in your professional and social life, probably in romance also.

“If we encountered a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he read.”

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson                               

The series:
         "Read Voraciously"
         "Listen Intently" 
         "Write Well" 
         "Speak Well - Public Speaking" 
         "Speak Well - Conversation" 
         "Love Mathematics" 

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