Life is a classroom and it is essential that those who seek to surpass the ordinary cultivate the habit of reading. We are in the information age, and in the words of Alvin Toffler, “the illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn”. Books are a great source of learning.
It is true that readers are leaders and true leaders are readers. Not a few people are not reading books that impact life. They have a thousand and one reasons why they don’t like to read books. But what is essentially the cause? Lack of interest? Lack of self discipline? laziness? Addiction to Facebook, Twitter, etc?
There is no better way to inform and expand your mind on a regular basis than to get into the habit of reading good literature. -Stephen Covey
Reading is an essential exercise for anyone who wants to have significant success in life. Reading allows us to acquire new information and knowledge that will benefit our lives. There is so much to know in the world. We need to stop wallowing in the cesspool of ignorance and work in the mines of knowledge.
The only good, said Socrates, is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.
You must keep reading if you don’t want to die! Are you afraid? I’m afraid you are walking the path of “menticide” – mental suicide – by letting your mind atrophy. As Augustus Hare said, “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. It is healthy and invigorating for the mind to keep its faculties at their peak.” Reading should only stop when you stop living. Listen to Napoleon Hill: “A man’s education is never finished. A man’s reading program must be planned as carefully as his daily diet, for that too is food, without which he cannot develop mentally.”
If a man empties his bag over his head, no one can take it from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. Those are the words of Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding founders of the United States of America. The great men and women who leave their footprints in the sands of time have the strange habit of reading with determination and voracity.
Benjamin Franklin was very fond of reading. Although his schooling ended when he was 10 years old, he did not allow his education to end. He believed that ‘the doors of wisdom are never closed’ and he continued to read all the books he could get his hands on. He avidly read great books. He was an avid reader. He demonstrated this by establishing the world’s first subscription library. He invested in knowledge and eventually became one of the best educated men of his time.
Ben Carson, hailed as one of the best pediatric neurosurgeons in the world, will be forever grateful to his mother for encouraging him and his brother to read widely. She asked them to read two library books a week and to give her written reports of her reading even though, with her own poor education, she could barely read what they had written.
Later in his life, in his book Think Big, he said:
“In my opinion, the basis of personal preparation comes more from reading than from any other source… If we want our lives to count for the betterment of the human family, we must acquire all the knowledge within our reach. Knowledge it enriches life itself… Knowledge makes us better people. Knowledge broadens our understanding of the world around us.”
It’s bad enough that so many of us deny ourselves the many benefits inherent in reading good books, and without a doubt, social media is a massive weapon of distraction for many of us. We are too busy to read. We do not take advantage of the abundant opportunities offered by the Internet. It gives us access to a lot of information.
Dude, you need to discipline yourself to read constantly. The benefit of a good book is immeasurable. I developed an incurable appetite for books. There are many informative, inspiring, and educational books that can help you achieve personal and professional success in life. Invest time, money and effort in acquiring knowledge. It is an investment that will pay big dividends. GUARANTEED!
